Help needed with Random Shoes

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'm currently rewatching Series 1 in order to find the best way to get rid of Gwen in every episode for the Wishverse. Now I've watched "Random Shoes" and just don't get the episode. I've watched it, and even read the transcript, and I still don't understand what the whole stupid thing is all about.

So Gwen has a stalker. A loser who keeps stalking her after his death. So far, so good. But have we been told where they first met to begin with? I'm not a native English speaker, and perhaps I'm even a bit stupid, but it had to begin somehow, right? Or have I just not realized when and where?

And how did Eugene manage to follow her all the time? I know she's too stupid to notice, but what about the rest of the Torchwood team? *is confused*

And what was the point of the entire episode anyway?

Comments

[caz251.livejournal.com]

Eugene first saw gwen when she was out with torchwood, he's stalking the team but seems infatuated with gwen. Don't know how he knew where the team where to follow them.

After he'd been hit by the car he was a bit like a ghost and that's why neither gwen or the team noticed him.

As for the point of the episode who knows i think the writers were trying to show gwen's compassionite side. YUCK

Hope this helps.
Cas251

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yes, thanks. I got so confused by all those one-time characters, all of them completely uninteresting, and missign the team most of the episode that I simply got lost at the stupidity of it.

[haces222.livejournal.com]

Personally I think it there to show her relentless pursuit of all things unimportant as long as she's a focal point she's happy

side note on this episode she had more screen time than any other character including Jack Harkness even though he is the star

second side this is my all time most hated episode (even though Ianto looks goooood for the few seconds you see him)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yep, and the whole thing is just so... pointless. I mean, it was a frigging road accident!

I think I'll do it from Toshiko's POV, having her and Ianto mocking Teh Stupid among themselves.

[blucougar.livejournal.com]

I always figured the whole point of this ep was to show the viewers that Gwen is just so wonderful and gorgeous and irresistible that even dead guys can't get enough of her.
*'scuse me while I go throw up*

Anyway... my suggestion for this would be to either skip it - it's like the requisite completely Gwen-centric episode - or have the car hit her at the end of the ep, and she can go live in the happily ever after-life with Eugene.

Seriously, it was basically another "look at Gwen, she's so compassionate, she has a driving need (aka innate and supremely inappropriate nosiness) to know all the details of Eugene's life, and she can even show a ghost that his life had some meaning."

I personally like to think that Jack only let her go after the Dogon Eye so that he and Ianto had the Hub to themselves for the weekend, and could shag like bunnies without Gwen "everybody loves me" Cooper walking in on them and acting all horrified and slighted.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, she does look like a zombie (not to mention she runs like one in those cheap old B-movies), so I kinda can get the interest from the dead guy's side.

But getting her hit by the car is a good idea, thanks. I might just do that. I was really worried that I won't find a death for her that would match the episode itself.

And Jack/Ianto in the Hub all by themselves, playing naked hide and seek? Now that's the image I'd cherish for the rest of the day!

[gracie-musica.livejournal.com]

Anyway... my suggestion for this would be to either skip it - it's like the requisite completely Gwen-centric episode - or have the car hit her at the end of the ep, and she can go live in the happily ever after-life with Eugene.

I love you so bloody much.

[holdingoff.livejournal.com]

or have the car hit her at the end of the ep

better yet, when eugene 'appears' she can get all doe eyed and back away in fear JUST as the car comes blasting towards her.

then the rest of TW can be thankful to eugene.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

That sounds really promising. *g*

[severia.livejournal.com]

Anyway... my suggestion for this would be to either skip it - it's like the requisite completely Gwen-centric episode - or have the car hit her at the end of the ep, and she can go live in the happily ever after-life with Eugene.

Or maybe, at the end of the episode the Dogon's eye can swap them so Eugene can live - that would be very compassionate and empathic of her and that's what her character is supposed to be?

[lilyroseharper.livejournal.com]

OMG! I completley forgot about this episode until you mentioned it.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Heh! Sorry to remind you. I'll do my damned best to forgot about it as well.

[holdingoff.livejournal.com]

Random Shoes was Torchwood's version of the DW episodes Blink and Love & Monsters. RTD likes to create the occasional stand alone epi that is supposed to be 'looking from the outside' at the show. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work when you haven't invested enough time in developing your characters.

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

Random Shoes was Torchwood's version of the DW episodes Blink and Love & Monsters. RTD likes to create the occasional stand alone epi that is supposed to be 'looking from the outside' at the show. Unfortunately, it doesn't really work when you haven't invested enough time in developing your characters.

Random Shoes might have worked if Gwen had gotten as little screentime as the rest of the team. It still wouldn't have been great, but at least we wouldn't have been force fed the "OMG GWEN IS SO WONDERFUL" spiel over and over again.

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

regarding your subject title, I'm afraid I can't help you with Random Shoes, as I'm all out of Retcon ;-)

Seriously though, the whole episode was a big old WTF? for me. Even ghosts love Gwen? (puke)
If they'd wanted Eugene to be trying to contact Gwen they should have just had him thinking that maybe as the new girl she'd have been more open to his spiel.

But no, we had to have him pining for her, not to mention another helping of the "OMG GWEN IS THE ONLY COMPASSIONATE ONE OF THE TEAM" storyline.
Fuck you Gwen, if you wanted to investigate normal crimes like hit and runs, you should have stayed a PC. Except wait, you weren't even investigating them then, you were making tea and getting in the way.

It's just too bad that Eugene managed to get corporeal enough to push Gwen out of the way.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Well, I can correct that part, at the very least. ;)