Torchwood
Series 2
Starring John Barrowman, Eve Myles
BBC Warner
Release date: September 16, 2008

I won’t say that I’m the biggest Doctor Who fan in the world, but I have watched all of the last four series that have been released in the U.S., and I’ve really enjoyed them. If you get a chance to watch them or rent the DVDs, I highly recommend them. (Why not buy them? More on that later.) So, of course I was interested in checking out the second series of the spin-off, Torchwood. Of course, one problem is that I haven’t seen all of the first series, but that still didn’t stop me from enjoying this collection of episodes. I knew enough about the characters, specifically main character Jack Harkness, and the creators did a good job of bringing me up to speed, so I didn’t feel lost for having not seen series one. Is it as good as the show it’s spun off from? Let’s find out.

The best way to describe Torchwood is too call it the X-Files without all the mystery. The basic plot is that there is a British government agency whose job it is to track down aliens and other mysterious creatures and use their technology for the betterment of mankind. Torchwood 3, located in Wales, is lead by the immortal Captain Jack Harkness, and over the course of these thirteen episodes, the team deals with alien invasions, time traveling World War I vets, evil meat companies, evil pharmaceutical companies, evil shape shifters, evil carnies, and evil brothers.

The first thing to say about Torchwood is that it is much more adult that the series it spins off from. There’s much more sex and violence than in Doctor Who, and the whole tone of the show is just more adult. This gives the show a different feel, more like an American cop show mixed with Sci-fi elements. The show stands on its own, but if you’re a fan of the good Doctor, you’ll also enjoy the extra layer of continuity. One more thing to note is that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel fans will at least want to give the first episode a look as everyone’s favorite peroxide vampire actor James Marsters makes a guest appearance in kind of a surprising role.

Extras are pretty spare on the set, aside from the episodes on the first four discs you get a fifth disc with a “Torchwood Declassified” for each of the episodes. Each Declassified is a 10-minute documentary that looks at each episode. They’re pretty interesting little looks behind the scenes, but as always I want a lot of extras, and these just don’t really cut it. One other issue I do have with the set, and the series sets released by BBC in general, is the price. Even with a healthy online discount, it’s still over 50 bucks for 13 episodes, and if you buy it at regular price, it’s almost $80. I can never figure why these sets are so expensive when other sets will give you twice as many episodes for half the price. It’s not a big complaint, but hey, times are tough and you have to watch every penny.

So what we’ve got here is a set I’d highly recommend to Doctor Who fans, and largely recommended to fans of more adult Sci-fi. There are lots of smart writing and some good performances. I’ll admit that the visual effects can be a bit weak at points so the show can end up looking not as polished as we might be used to, but it doesn’t look any worse than a lot of Sci-fi Channel shows. The price is the biggest set back for me, but if you can find a deal, or give it a rental, it’s more than worth checking out.