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Created by Russell T Davies, Torchwood is the sexy and slick "regenerated" Dr Who-type show for a new generation of viewers (as well as us older ones). Series One of Doctor Who was such an obvious hit that each subsequent series of Doctor Who (with a new Doctor, David Tennant) was a no-brainer.
Starring John Barrowman and Eve Myles, Torchwood (an anagram of Doctor Who)
follows more adventures of a team of investigators (who are
separate from the government, much like the CIA) who use alien
technology to solve an array of terrestrial crimes.
Much like the way the Who series has been handled, Torchwood
is also being released in 'Volumes' of episodes. Series One: Part Two
features four episodes including "Countrycide", 'Greeks Bearing Gifts",
"They Keep Killing Susie" and "Random Shoes".
It's a mix match
of quality which includes a flesh-eating mystery, Barrowman
interrogating corpses, alien invasions - and, of course, what sci fi
series would be complete without a story about a powerful mystical
pendant?
In an obvious attempt to capitalise on the popularity of the new life
of the Who
series, Davies quite cleverly and carefully manipulated the creation of
this companion franchise. Throughout Series Two and Three of Who, there were continual references to (and even cross-over stories with) Torchwood.
While Torchwood does well by taking on board some of the mythos of the Doctor Who
universe and crafting a new set of characters, Davies seems to have gone just a
little too far - having Captain Jack as an
infrequent sidekick for Doctor Who is one thing, but building a whole
separate series around him is another!
The
stories, at times, are often a little too far "out there" and graphic
for my liking and they simply don't seem to have the sparkle that makes
Doctor Who so special (which
probably explains why it struggled to find an Australian audience). The
frequent references made to the sexual tendencies of Captain Jack (not
that there's anything wrong with that!) don't ever really add anything
to what used to be a family friendly Doctor Who universe - and just
seems to be there for 'shock' factor.
By no means a failure on the scale of That 80's Show or Mr T. And Tina (the spin-off to Welcome Back Kotter which lasted just four episodes), but certainly no better than the show it launched from. EXTRAS
Considering
the disc only contains a few eps (and the majority of the time, extra
features are saved for the full season Box Sets), there's plenty to
like and smile about with the second Torchwood release.
There are several Deleted scenes as well as a ‘making of’ featurette for each episode - not to shabby at all!
Conclusion: Episodes 65% Extras: 55%
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