Aug 30, 2008 01:00 PM
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The first season of Torchwood featured hot sex with lesbian aliens, a giant dinosaur-like Rift Beast, and even a bit of British war history. The second season brought us a kissin' fightin' James Marsters, a Doctor Who companion crossover, flashbacks to the formation of our intrepid team, and a totally creepy alien who can impregnate women just by biting them on the arm. With all that in mind, it seems silly not to be excited about the five-part series three, which will have Torchwood airing on BBC One for the first time — but "Children of Earth" is missing something. Actually, two big somethings.
1. Martha
"You know, I'm not sure about UNIT these days. Maybe there's something else you could be doing," leered Captain Jack at the end of Doctor Who's most recent season. He and Martha walked off hand-in-hand, with her smiling up at him and gleefully anticipating what must be a giant pay cut. So why has there been nary a hint of Freema Agyeman love in any of the recent articles hailing new Torchwood guest stars? Why does her IMDb profile have her off filming a different TV series?
Martha Jones graced us with her powerful presence for three episodes of Torchwood's second season; everyone was happy to see her, she used her medical talents to full advantage, and she even managed to flirt a little. In other words, the BBC showrunners were setting her up to be a member of the team. And now that Dr. Owen Harper has left the building — this time, permanently — our alien-hunting Welsh trio could certainly use a doctor. If she doesn't make a surprise appearance at the start of season 3 and then become a series regular, there had better be a team of interns at Torchwood HQ to take the inevitable angry phone calls.
2. Mickey
Noel Clarke has had his foot in the door of the Hub for quite awhile; he wrote season 1's "Combat," which gave us many a Weevil caged match and the odd Owen Harper brawl. After busting out of a parallel universe and returning to save our beloved Earth, Clarke's Mickey Smith is ready for anything. We last saw him in the denouement of the Doctor Who finale "Journey's End," and he had his arms thrown over the shoulders of Jack Harkness and Martha Jones. Though there are reports of Clarke on set at the series 3 filming, the BBC hasn't released anything to the press using his name and the words "Torchwood" and "regular." For shame.
Listen, I'm as excited about new guest stars as anybody — especially Paul Copley, who stole my heart when I was a young middle-schooler devouring A&E's Horatio Hornblower. But every day that Torchwood announcements emerge and I don't see Noel Clarke's name on them, that heart of mine shrivels a little bit. Mickey's fought Daleks, Cybermen, and the Doctor's bad moods. He's ready for primetime. The combined awesomeness of Smith and Jones — that is to say, Mickey and Martha — is all the proof I need for Julie Gardner's assertion that Torchwood's third series will be "unmissable TV."
So: Why so secretive, BBC? Give the people what they want!
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