Eve Myles isn’t overshadowed by Barrowman; her Gwen is a sexy, intelligent, and sometimes overly inquisitive heroine. She previously appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead" as the heroic Gwyneth, and I think she’s a star in the making.
As the cocky, sex obsessed Owen Harper, Burn Gorman does a good job. It’s the kind of part that could easily grate, and it may end up doing so, but here he treads the fine line, managing to make Owen an amusing pain in the ass rather than an annoying one.
Like Eve Myles, Naoko Mori had previously worked on Who having a part in "Aliens of London" where she played…Dr Sato. Is this the same Dr Sato? Probably, and this will doubtless be one thing for the fans to discuss. Her character is the most underdeveloped, but I’m sure there are interesting things planned for her in the future.
Gareth David-Lloyd is very much an unknown quantity, both in himself and his character Ianto Jones. He does enough here though to suggest he could be one to watch.
The most experienced member of the cast is without doubt Indira Varma. She’s had role’s in major TV drama’s on both sides of the Atlantic. She appeared in the recent TV remake of The Quatermass Experiment, also had a part in the epic historical series Rome, and she’ll soon be seen in an adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s Comanche Moon. Her character certainly experiences some interesting developments and I’ll be very intrigued to see how her role continues.
A fine cast, a good story, and excellent special effects (for the BBC), including a very unpleasent alien. This is a splendid way to start the series and everything points to this being another big hit for the BBC.
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