Torchwood stormed back onto our screens last night with the first episode of season 2. And it was a corker.

Torchwood Season 1 was a bit of a mixed back for me, although overall, a mixed bag with promise. Its flaws were well documented (an almost adolescent approach to adult storytelling, Captain Jack not acting like Captain Jack etc, etc), but some of the episodes worked really well (the one with the fairies - Small Worlds?). However, the interviews building up to season 2 filled me with hope, that the creative team had taken a long, hard look at season 1, and worked to fix those problems with season 2.

And if last night’s episode is anything to go by, its paid off. Torchwood Season 1 always struck me as a show that was unsure what it was trying to be (as opposed to Sarah Jane Adventures which nailed it out the gate), however last night’s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” showed a show full of confidence in itself, and possessing all the fun and heart that was missing from much of season 1.

Captain Jack, following his adventures in Doctor Who last year, is now much more his old self, and (one of my biggest complaints from Season 1), the team is now much more gelled and professional, having had to struggle without Jack for several months (and likely realising how much he’d been carrying them). The opening sequence with the Blowfish in the sports car got things off to a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek start, that only picked up pace once James Marsters came on screen.

Captain John is a brilliant addition to the show. Someone who forces Jack to look at what he was (albeit more homicidal) and who plays off Barrowman’s Jack brilliantly. From the trailer it looks like he’s back later in the series, and I couldn’t be happier.

Roll on next Wednesday. I’m looking forward to Torchwood again

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 10:05 and is filed under Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.