S02E10: 'From Out Of The Rain'

Well, nothing lasts forever. Torchwood's fine run of second season brilliance is abruptly brought to a halt by this disappointing dud.

There's certainly an intriguing idea lurking amid the tedium, revolving around sinister life-sapping travellers emerging through celluloid. Sadly, the execution is terribly poor, perhaps epitomised by the resoundingly tension-free climax involving the silver flask. The direction is dismal throughout the episode, with any sense of tension dissipating like the stolen breaths that escape into the air. Numerous overhead shots of Cardiff seemingly thrown in at random, a far cry from the seamless scene transitions of recent weeks. Has a Weevil been let loose in the editing suite?

Many eyes will be on Julian Bleach as the sinister ringmaster, for he is widely touted as the man to play Dalek creator Davros in the next series of Doctor Who. With his rasping pronunciation and sunken eyes, he certainly fits the bill, although he was playing a very underdeveloped role here. Roaming the streets with his sidekick Pearl, this pair of night travellers had the potential to be fragile and desperate beings trying to survive in a new environment, like the replicants Pris and Roy in Blade Runner. Sadly, little thought seems to have been given towards giving them sufficient character depth.

The best thing that can be said for the episode is that it wouldn't feel out of place in Torchwood's first year.