Torchwood: Series 1, Episode 6 – “Countrycide” (2006)

Torchwood could be an uneven show, especially in its first series, and this episode definitely has its uneven aspects. Some moments feel forced, shock for shock value’s sake, but it also has some interesting character dynamics and places our heroes in rather a different genre.

The team is investigating a series of disappearances in the Welsh countryside, when they realize they’re not just doing the hunting—they’re being hunted as well. Unsure of who or what is after them, they struggle to stay alive long enough to solve the mystery.

Now, Torchwood always leaned more into gore than Doctor Who—being on BBC 3 as a more mature show will do that. But this episode brings more of a genuine horror vibe. It offers up an eerie remote location, the creeping feeling of the characters being watched by an unseen menace, and plenty of blood and guts. It also evokes more explicit horror tropes within the story.

Some of it can be oversauced—a little too “mwah, ha, ha” in some places, trying too hard to give “Shocking!!!” in others. But the best scenes are those that stay focused on the interplay between the main cast. This is the furthest we’ve seen the team away from their home turf of Cardiff, which adds a different flavor to their dynamics. They’re mostly on their own in this creepy place, at a time when the relationships between them are still off-balance following the events of “Cyberwoman.” Tensions are high, and characters stumble into conflict without meaning to.

But as the stakes are raised in the investigation, the team is forcibly divided up. In smaller groups with intense danger around them, they need to pull together to survive. Gwen starts to see a different side of Owen, and Tosh and Ianto both have to dig deep as they’re thrown into a scenario far outside their typical expertise.

I wouldn’t put this episode among the best of series 1, like “Out of Time” or “Captain Jack Harness.” But I’d say it’s a story that’s more good than bad, and it was one of the episodes that encouraged me to keep watching during that first series.