As I’ve said before, the series 2 premiere of Torchwood
was the first episode of the series that captured some of what I expected the
show to be going in, qualities that too often eluded it in practice throughout
series 1. This, though, kicks off series
2 with a bang (bang!), delivering fun, adventure, and omnisexual time agents
doing what they do best.
Since
Jack’s short crossover back to Who
after the end of its third season, the crew back at Torchwood have been
learning how to find their own footing without the help of their intrepid
leader, and they’re not quite sure how to readjust when he suddenly
reappears. However, there’s not a lot of
time to deal with that, as the episode also
features the sudden appearance of Captain John Hart, a charming rogue from
Jack’s past. John shows up asking for
help to locate some nasty high-tech bombs that have been lost somewhere in
Cardiff, but Jack instantly expects the promise of trouble.
Everything
about this episode is immediately more Torchwood
than the show has ever been (and really, while I found series 2 an improvement
over series 1 on the whole, I don’t think any later episode of the show fully
captures the feel of this one.) It’s
dangerous, it’s stylish, it’s fast, it’s funny, and most of all, it’s
sexy. Sure, that may feel like odd
praise from an asexual, but the point stands.
I’d always felt in my bones that sexy sci-fi romps were what Torchwood was for, and this episode finally gave me one.
Much of
that is down to Captain John Hart (wonderfully played by James Marsters, who
successfully keeps me from thinking about Spike even though both are
charismatic baddies with British accents.)
The moment he enters the scene – walking out of a Rift storm like an
absolute boss – he brings that 51st-century sensibility. The swagger, the allure that pulls people in
despite the sense of danger about him, and of course, that glorious omnisexuality
that relishes in attraction by the handful.
What’s more, John brings these out in Jack as well. I love that, when Jack finds him, they both
brawl and kiss, and I love seeing how protective Jack gets of his team as soon
as he realize John wants to involve them in his business.
Speaking
of the rest of the team, I mostly like all of them here as well. It’s fun to watch them making it on their
own, and I like their varied reactions to Jack’s return. There’s also the start of a soft reboot on
Owen’s character, as well as John’s presence making Ianto more proactive in
determining the nature of this thing between him and Jack.
Not that
it’s all perfect. There’s some definite
sloppiness, Torchwood again does a fine job of making me worry that this is the crew protecting Earth from
space/time threats (thank goodness Sarah Jane and co. are holding down the fort
in Ealing,) and the resolution to the climax features some highly-dubious
logic. Still, I appreciate it so much
for the way it matches my vision of what I always hoped Torchwood would be that I don’t mind its flaws. Without a doubt, Torchwood at its most Torchwood.
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