Today I crossed 2,000 cumulative miles in this ridiculous project. So that's pretty cool. I also did 65 push ups, which means on Thursday I should do over 70, so I am well on my way to getting back up to 100 push ups in a session (this time without injuring my back). So that's also pretty cool. On the not-quite-as-cool side, exactly one year ago today I hit a cumulative 50 lbs of weight loss, whereas today... I hit a cumulative 50 lbs of weight loss. I am definitely moving back in the right direction, but it is more than a little frustrating to have spent pretty much all of 2018 oscillating back and forth between 245 and 255. It's almost like I am on a treadmill going nowhere...

To the Last Man

(TARDIS Data Core recap)

Today's story was Tosh-centric, which was very nice. She regularly gets pushed to the back while everyone else gets interesting plots, so it was good to see her brought center stage for the first time since Greeks Bearing Gifts. The story involves a soldier from the Great War named Tommy who has been kept on ice at Torchwood since 1918 and is revived once per year to be given a physical and allowed to spend a day out on the town. The Torchwood team from ninety years ago asserts that he will be pivotal in saving the world during some future TimeCrash, but nobody knows when it will happen. For the past four years it has been Tosh' job to stay with Tommy for the day, and she clearly enjoys the job.

Of course the two of them have a budding romance.

Of course this year turns out to be the one where Bad Things Happen. The TimeCrash is triggered by a construction crew demolishing the hospital where Tommy had been a patient, shellshocked from his experience on the front lines. Lots of creepy stuff unfolds, all leading to the point where he has to be sent back across the Rift in order to seal the time breach and prevent it from cracking wide open and destroying the world.

Oh, and Tosh has to knowingly send him to his death, after she discovers that he will be executed as a coward and deserter three weeks after the breech is closed.

It's good, good stuff written by Helen Raynor, who also contributed the very excellent Ghost Machine in the previous season. Much like yesterday's episode, I literally did not remember anything about this one. My only real criticism is that there is a bit of dialog halfway through that was clearly telegraphing the climax of the story. Which, I guess, was intentional but I wish it had been a bit more subtle. Basically Tommy tells Tosh that he would do absolutely anything for her, and all she has to say is, "You're my brave, handsome hero, and I need you." So of course as the climax unfolds you just keep waiting for her to have to use that phrase with him. The thing is, it would have worked just as well at the end if that earlier conversation hadn't happened. In fact, I think it would have worked better because it would have been Tosh sincerely intuiting how to reach him and convince him to do what needed to be done.

That aside, there are also some very nice scenes between Tosh and Owen, in which he is clearly still scarred from his experience Diane the Time Traveling Pilot. He really was a douche for pretty much the whole first season, but that event genuinely seems to have changed him. He might still be a bit gruff, but he isn't so casually and frequently misogynist anymore. In fact, in his scenes with Tosh in this episode he comes across as a genuinely concerned friend. I'm almost sorry he is going to die soon. (SPOILER!)

So yeah, a good one. As for tomorrow, it's one I actually remember. Even better, it's the one where Rhys finally finds out about Torchwood so that Gwen can finally stop lying to him all the time. So that will be nice.

STATS:

Featuring: Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper, Ianto Jones
Episode(s): To the Last Man
Steps Walked: 7,684 today, 3,828,146 total
Distance Walked: 4.10 miles today, 2,002.63 miles total
Push-ups Completed: 65 today, 7,336 total
Sit-ups Completed: 0 today, 1,029 total
Weight: 257.12 lbs (five day moving average), net change -50.18 lbs