Torchwood (TV Series) They Keep Killing Suzie (2006) User Reviews

Great to see the return of Indira Varma.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 13 February 2023]

The team have to bring Suzie back from the dead when they fail to use the gauntlet to identify a brutal killer, Suzie and Gwen form an unusual bond.

I remembered this episode with some fondness, and watching it again, I think it holds up very well. It's well paced and intriguing, and once again we get to see Gwen placed in mortal danger.

I liked the twists and turns, I think we get a glimpse of how good a character Suzie would have been, a pity she didn't get a few more appearances.

It was a real shock in that first episode when they bumped Suzie off, at the time I always thought it was such an odd choice, Indira Varma was such a well established actress, too good for just a single episode, great that she returned, and she did not disappoint.

A very strong episode, 8/10.

Interesting idea with flawed execution

[thomasgouldsbrough · 7/10 · 21 March 2022]

This episode was actually pretty good. It brings back the gauntlet, and explores the idea of resurrection in an interesting way. The execution felt a little flawed, and the episode was a little clunky at times, but apart from that, it worked.

Torchwood is still struggling with their inconsistent writing. In the car chase scene, it's clearly the middle of the night. In the shot after cutting back to Captain Jack, it turns into day. Now obviously, that's because the sun was rising, but still, the day doesn't become fully clear in the space of, as Owen states, "minutes". It's a small nitpick, but nevertheless it's an important nitpick, as small details like this take you away from the immersion of the episode. If the writer's didn't care for plot points like this, then it indicates that they don't have a great deal of passion for what they do. Therefore, as viewers, how are we going to get immersed into the world they've crafted?

They Keep Killing Suzie is probably the 2nd best Torchwood episode so far, after Ghost Machine, and just as good as Greeks Bearing Gifts.

Stopwatch ?

[lhodgson · 10/10 · 6 December 2006]

I love Torchwood, but was a little confused at the end of this episode when Jack is talking to Ianto about what can be done with a stopwatch....me and my mum both got the same idea but were unsure. I'm hoping that the next episode will start with them playing an innocent game as it seemed to suggest something different!! Anyone get any ideas!!?! But back to the actual episode I thought it was really good what they did with Suzie and Gwen, with Suzie already planning it all before she had died. And I hope that Gwen and Owen do get closer as the seem perfect for each other!! i felt sorry for Gwen when Suzie commented on her sleeping with Owen.

Nice idea, terrible execution

[phoenix0879-1 · 4/10 · 8 January 2009]

I missed the early episodes of Torchwood - I work nights - and this was the first one I saw. It put me off the show for two years, I've only just watched all of season one.

It all starts off very well and compelling with a nice little murder mystery but rapidly collapses under the weight of its own bluster. When trapped in the lock-downed hub, why is the first person the team calls a police officer with a distinct dislike for the team? Wouldn't it be a good idea to, oh, WARN GWEN?!?! (as an aside, as funny as the detectives reaction is, Torchwood have fast gone from a two year secret - Suzie in this very episode - that no one knows about - "Everything Changes" - to an open secret whom the cops dislike) I mean, at that point she could have stopped the car, ditched the keys and kept them stationary until the team caught up - it's not like Suzie can kill her, she NEEDS Gwen. And then there's Gwen's almost "oh" reaction to the fact that when she dies Torchwood gets to keep not only her possessions but also her body - I mean, this is a woman who cares deeply about her partner and her reaction to Torchwood taking everything is almost a non-reaction. I mean, What?

Ianto was last episode grieving over his part-cyborg girlfriend, now he's drooling over Jack - okay, can't blame him, but come on, where's all that grief gone - even worse, it randomly reappears in a few episodes! And then there's the sudden ability of the gauntlet to transfer wounds.

And then there's the chase. This was the clincher for me and what made me wait two years to watch the show. We start off in the middle of the night, pitch black. Gwen has less than two hours left. Time and events pass and we're down to 'minutes', implying like five, maybe ten at tops. It's now just before dawn. Okay, two hours - I can accept darkness to pre-dawn in that time-frame. But then They pull up at the dock and... wow, suddenly it's not nearly dawn anymore but more like nine or ten AM!!!!!

I'm a big sci-fi fan and totally get the suspension of disbelief. However, a show still needs to be consistent - example: the new Galactica has bullets not energy weapons. It'd stand out and suck big time if Adama suddenly shouts "set guns to stun!". Going from pre-dawn to middle of the morning is a big leap - too big. That to me said "we can't be bothered with such things as consistency." and turned me right off.

I'm glad I finally gave the series a second chance, but this is one episode I won't be watching time and again. All in all, the first seasons nadir, an absolute stinker - avoid at all costs.

Who wants to live forever

[sinceverona · 31 August 2009]

When Torchwood team arrive at crime scene the police detective Swanson is not happy to see them. She believes they are responsible for the murders because the killer wrote Torchwoood on the bedroom walls. With no suspects Jack propose they use gauntlet, a silver glove that can make dead come alive for two minutes. When they fail to get information from three victims, they decided to revive Suzie Costello predecessor to Gwen, but something goes wrong. Instead of being awaken for just two minutes Suzie becomes alive again, while Gwen who used the glove to awake her get's weaker and weaker. This episode definitely showed how there is a thin line between life and death, though I will not agree with Suzies explanation of what happens when you die.When team is locket in and they cant talk to anyone, they try the police but it was very stretched storyline. Why should Gwen feel any pity toward the person who tried to kill her and Jack ? In "Doctor Who" we first find out that Jack is " a real man of fifty first century" as the Doctor told told Rose.By telling her that he was implying that Jack is bisexual. But making other characters in the show also, is a confusing thing. The episode was not fun to watch. Suzie looked horrible when she came back from being dead. The whole story was a lot of action and less probability.