It was brilliant though, no doubt about that.  Even at its best, I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted exactly how good Torchwood could be.   Children of Earth has been a standout piece of television, and people will be talking about it for a long while to come.

It was harrowing viewing.   With the Government stealing away people’s children, Frobisher’s fate, and ultimately Jack’s hard choice to save everyone, it was difficult to feel comfortable watching.   Gone was the safe, cosy world of Torchwood.  There were no punch-the-air moments here.  The human race may have been ultimately saved, but the price was heavy.   Frankly, if this was the last Torchwood ever, it’d be a heckuva high to go out on (its unlikely though.  After how well this has done, I can’t see the Beeb not making a fourth season).  It was outstanding work from all involved, and after the last few Doctor Who’s being more of a romp, Russell T Davies reminded us just how good a writer he can be.

Presuming Jack does turn up in Tennant’s finale episodes, I wonder how they’ll address Jack having left Earth.  Or will the finale allow them to write around the events of Torchwood?

Ummmm, so yeah, as with all my reviews, there’s spoilers here.   If you’ve not seen Day 4 yet, you’re almost certainly going to regret reading this.

What was really nice, was when I logged into Twitter last night, two of the highest trending topics were “Torchwood” and “Ianto”.   It really helped underline just how popular this season has been so far.

After Torchwood being blown up and forced on the run, and then Day 3′s introduction of the 456, it was time for Torchwood to remind everyone that they were there.

“You and who’s army?”

“Torchwood.”

That was a great moment.    The cabinet scenes had been genuinely chilling to watch, with the politicians more interested in how they could spin the loss of 10% of the country’s children to the public and save face, than coming up with any alternative solutions.  Facing facts, the 456 had already proven twice they couldn’t be trusted, first by returning despite the initial deal, and secondly when they told everyone about visiting Britain before.   Yet, the cabinet never even considered this.

These were scenes that have probably only gained weight in  light of the recent expenses scandal.

As the politicians became more and more uncomfortable to watch, it just made the punch-the-air moment of Torchwood saying “No.  You will not do this.” even greater.  And with that footage still stashed on a laptop in Rhys’ safekeeping, it’ll be interesting to see what Jack does with it.  Will he just release it anyway?  Use it to gain leverage over a government that ordered Torchwood destroyed? Use it to force a group of self-interested politicians out of office?  Or will he decide that the footage is better off buried?  While discussion on this episode will inevitably focus on what happened next, these cabinet scenes were for me the real highpoint of the episode.

And so, Jack and co swoop in to save the day.  And its not long before he’s confronting the 456.  Except it becomes quickly obvious that Jack doesn’t really seem to have a concrete plan to deal with the threat.  He doesn’t really have much he can threaten them with, beyond a mob with pitchforks and torches, and its a bluff that backfires on him in the worst way.

To an extent, Jack’s bluff really surprised me.  The minute he started talking about humanity taking arms against the 456, my immediate thought was “is that it?”.  Obviously with the Hub destroyed, any real power Jack had is gone, and even so he doesn’t really know enough about the 456 to know how to stop them.   Jack’s ultimatum was very reminiscent of the kind of thing the Doctor would do, however with the Doctor its usually more “Leave or I’ll stop you”.  There’s a confidence in his abilities and experience as a Time Lord, that the threat of a planet full of humans just can’t replicate, and its no surprise its laughed off by the 456.

And so to prove how much of a joke the 456 think they are, they wipe out everyone in Thames House.  A virus is released that kills everyone, which sadly included Ianto.   Its a loss that’s even more powerful for the smarter writing this year.  If Ianto had died last year, it would’ve been sad, as it was the loss of a good character, however this year, they’ve really built up his relationship with Jack, and portrayed them more and more as a proper couple.  Ianto’s final fear that Jack will live so long he’ll eventually forget him is moving stuff.

If there’s one thing that’s abundantly clear from the last two seasons of Torchwood, its that no one is safe.  Just because you’re in the main credits doesn’t mean you’ll be back  next year.  I had presumed that with the cast reduced this year, the focus would be more on building the team back up, however they’ve done exactly the opposite.  Lois has obviously been introduced as a new team member, however realistically, when you think about her skillset, its obvious the job she’d fill would be Ianto’s.

And so tonight we’ll have the finale.  At this point, its hard to see how exactly things will be resolved.  Torchwood desperately need to figure out something about these aliens to give them the edge they need, but they’ve also got to do so before the Government turn over the kids.

Again, this Torchwood event is proving just how good the show can be.  However, last night, it wasn’t particularly down to the actions of anyone actually in the main team.  Yes, we had the twist with Jack, which was largely predictible, but still played out well (the trailers have shown us clips for weeks hinting that Jack had already been involved with 456′s previous visit).

However for me, the real meat in the episode was Peter Capaldi as John Frobisher.  The civil servant who’s been at the heart of events, and who clearly knows more about the 456 than most of the others.  However, he’s still terrified of them, but gets put in the position of Earth’s ambassador by a Prime Minister determined to keep his hands clean during this whole mess (I wonder how Harriet Jones’ Government handled this before The Doctor changed everything).

Peter Capaldi has been superb throughout this story so far.  He’s brilliantly played Frobisher as a layered individual, who’s both shown as manipulated by the Prime Minister as a fallguy, terrified for what 456 are doing to his children, but at the same time, willing to go to ruthless extremes, authorising the deaths of those involved in 1965, and capturing Jack’s daughter and Grandson to gain leverage over him.  He’s maybe not going to sleep at night because of what he’s done, but he’s still willing to do it.

The 456 themselves remain mysterious.  The disembodied voice coming from the speakers connected to the smoke-filled tank is suitably ominous.  Exactly what they’re up to remains to be seen, and why they keep thrashing against the tank could turn out to be significant.

Great stuff.  Is it 9pm yet?

Again, I’m very impressed by how good this is.  I’d been slightly worried that after the cracking opener, subsequent episodes would be a let down, but this continued to deliver great TV.   There were some great moments, whether it was Gwen and Rhys discussing calling their baby Edward if it was a boy, the horror of Jack’s resurrection and entombment, or the punch the air moment of Ianto ripping Jack’s entire concrete-filled cell out through the wall of the Government compound.

The mystery still continues to build nicely.  We know the Government’s done dealings with these aliens in the past, resulting in them targetting Britain (it seems kind of obvious that the children in 1965 were sacrificed to the aliens somehow to get rid of them), and the environmental box that’s been built, containing their poisonous atmosphere was suitably foreboding.

The only minor niggle I’d make from last night’s episode, was I thought it was a bit too convenient for Gwen that the PA, who was in a moral quandry over her boss’s kill orders, and had only just decided to betray him to Gwen, had also had the foresight to bring along all the detailed information Gwen needed to get into the Government facility.  That didn’t quite ring true, for a character who was supposed to be torn by what she was doing.

Overall though, this is definitely a show that’s stepped out of the shadow of its parent show.  I’m not watching the show thinking of it as a Doctor Who spin-off anymore.   This season of Torchwood very much is standing on its own two feet.

I think this was the show most people probably had in mind when Torchwood was first announced.  Very much an adult Sci-Fi drama, without the adolescent undertones that resulted in such criticism of Torchwood’s first season.   The second season had obviously taken a long, hard look at those criticisms and addressed them, and with this third season opener, Torchwood comes across as a far more confident show.

Taking a pinch of Spooks and adding it into the mix, we get a lot more Government intrigue this time around, no doubt partly due to the extended format, allowing for a deeper plot to be told.  Likewise the glimpses into Ianto and Jack’s private lives were welcome after the first two seasons focused almost exclusively on Gwen and Rhys.

There was a great atmosphere to the episode as well.  The stuff with the kids was very spooky, and the Government plot added a tonne of mystery.  Clearly they know what’s going on, while Torchwood and UNIT don’t.

This was a brilliant opening episode.  If it can keep up this level of quality for the rest of the week, then we’re in for a treat.

Owen and Tosh’s exits were superbly done. Its a pity to lose both these characters, as they really shone this year, with both actors getting to stretch their acting muscles throughout the season in a way they didn’t get to in season 1.

Once again James Marsters ruled the roost as Captain John. John’s been a great recurring character in this show, and if we don’t see more of him in season 3 or 4, then it’ll be a crime.

The one damp squib of the finale was Gray. After hinting towards the character’s return throughout the season, he was just dull. I can’t help but think he should’ve turned up an episode earlier to help establish him as more of a menace, but he was completely overshadowed by Captain John and frankly I was frustrated by his scenes. His turning up should’ve been more of a “Wow!” moment, filled with the horror of what he’d become. Instead it was distinctly “meh”. Fortunately Jack put him on ice and we were able to get back to the good stuff with Tosh and Owen.

For next year, well I suppose Owen could come back. My immediate thought as the screen went white was “No body. No death.”. They could write him back in next year without too much bother. However, there’s increasing speculation that Martha could take over his role. Something I’d also like to see.

Overall, a good finale. There were better episodes this season, but not any scenes better than the Tosh/Owen ones. Those two will be sadly missed if they’re not miraculously resurrected next year.

But, one thing I’ve really enjoyed has been the Torchwood ARG. Much like a lot of these new-fangled web things, I was late to the game (pun unintended) with ARGs, and so I only ended up playing the last 4 or so missions of this.

It was great fun though. Getting weekly emails from Ianto to proceed with the next mission, piecing together the story, looking for clues on other (fictitious) company websites, and soaking up all the little touches like the Torchwood inter-office emails.

I’m really sorry I didn’t start playing it from the outset now, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye open for any others they run. I’m sure Spooks ran one last year, but I’m unsure how a Doctor Who one would work. Something based around UNIT?

Last night gave us a cracking double bill of Torchwood. I’ve mentioned before just how much stronger I’m finding season 2, but these episodes underlined it nicely.

Adam was a great episode. You really felt for Rhys when Gwen couldn’t remember him and pulled a gun on him, and Jack’s backstory was great. Some of the stuff regarding his memories seemed a bit confusing though. Did Adam permanently change his memory of his family?

And it has to be said, I loved Owen in this episode. Burn Gorman did a cracking job of turning his character around, stripping him of his confidence. It really gave him a chance to show off his acting skills. Another good week for Naoko Mori as well, as she got to play Toshiko as a more confident character.

And then, just to cap things off, the announcement over the credits that the next episode was on BBC3. Brilliant!

Cracking to have Martha back. I was never a huge fan of Rose, and was really gutted when Martha left the TARDIS after only one season. Her and Jack were on good form, and I loved the idea that the Doctor had pulled some strings (phoned the Brig?) to get Martha the UNIT job.

And the ending! Forget how good Adam was. Forget Martha coming back. Owen dying came as a huge shock. Granted, this being the genre it is, there’s a good chance he’ll get better next week, but there’s a side of me that hopes this is permanent. It was a brilliant shock, and it’d be a shame to undermine it by undoing it a week later.

However, saying that, I’ve been enjoying Owen a lot more this season, and I loved his turn as “geeky Owen” in Adam, so there’s a side of me that hopes he does recover via some alien gizmo-of-the-week.

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

Docto Who’s had a good run with the Christmas specials, and the decision to base this one around a Disaster movie was a great move by RTD I thought. The effects were excellent, giving the Titanic a real “big screen” feel, and Tennant and Kylie really clicked as Doctor and Companion.

If I had a complaint, it would probably be that “plummetting to their” death became quite a cliche in the last 15 minutes. At least the Bannakaffalatta had the decency to be a bit different and explode in EMP awesomeness, but other than that a good run around, with Kylie’s death being a genuine shock.

The new theme really took me by surprise though. I must admit to a “What??!!!” reaction when the credits blared onto the screen, but I withheld judgement until I’d listened to it a few times. Now, I think that I do like it as a “rockier” version of the theme. But I still think the original version was the better theme. I’m also inclined to think that this version doesn’t suit the current opening credits, so I’m hoping that season 4 will introduce some new opening titles as well, to better match the new music.

There’s supposed to be an “easter egg” download being made available to people who bought the season 3 soundtrack, so hopefully I’ll have a full-length version to bung on the iPod and get used to in time for season 4 starting

The season 4 teaser looked interesting, and I now find myself genuinely looking forward to the return of Donna as a companion. I rewatched the Runaway Bride recently (God bless Tesco online’s cheap deal on the season 3 DVDs), and I think the way she stands up to Tennant’s zany-ness as the Doctor is a real tonic after every other companion falling for him. I’ve never been a huge Rose fan, and I did really like Martha, but on reflection I can’t help but think that Donna’s actually the best match for the tenth Doctor. I suspect she’ll keep him grounded in a way neither Rose nor Martha did. Its a pity Tate’s already spoiled the fact she’s only doing 1 season.

Oh, and nice Torchwood teaser. Season 1 had a lot of potential (albeit very rough potential), so I’ve got high hopes for season 2. James Marsters as Captain John definitely sounds like a good start to the new season.