Torchwood: Remembering Seasons 1 and 2 and Looking Ahead to Season 3

Torchwood / copyright BBC

In Season 1, Torchwood introduced us to a team of five extraordinary men and woman who covertly work to keep Cardiff and the world at large safe from creatures that fall through the Rift. It was an exhilarating first season with creature-features, horror stories, long lost loves, star-crossed lovers, and brushes with past-lives from long ago – and several encounters with one nasty resurrection glove. We met Captain Jack Harkness, the dashing out-of-time adventurer who led the team head-long towards any adversity with confidence and charisma. Then there was Toshiko Sato, the computer genius whose wizardry with technology kept the team on track and out of sticky situations. And Owen Harper, the doctor/medical examiner, who assisted with pathological questions and generally was a good guy to have around in a pinch. There was also the quiet, yet always hovering Ianto Jones who provided transportation and afternoon tea with astounding grace, accuracy and foresight. And last but not least, the luminous Gwen Harper – the constable turned recruit, whose heart kept them from losing sight of the human side of their inhuman work. At the end of the first season, despite Captain Jack’s and Gwen’s flirting dance over the course of 12 episodes, Jack ultimately abandoned Gwen and the Torchwood team to pursue his quest of finding the Doctor.

Still reeling from Jack’s abandonment, Season 2 started with a literal bang while introducing the nemesis and former lover of Jack’s, Captain John Hart (magnificently played by James Marsters), who proved to be both the undoing of the Torchwood team as he had set them all up for ultimate destruction – along with a good portion of England. It was in the midst of bookend episodes involving Captain John Hart that the show moved to a new plateau as it was no longer just about enthralling viewers with marvelous discoveries and issues involving the containment of the Rift’s debris. We were able to experience each team member’s personal journey which shed light on their darkest secrets as they moved forward in their lives. To begin with, Jack had to redeem himself for the four months he abandoned the team to join the Doctor in his travels.

Torchwood / copyright BBC

Gwen, in the meantime, had stepped up and taken over the team and proved to be a formidable opponent challenging Jack’s haphazard approach to leadership and commitment. Tosh continued to pursue a life beyond Torchwood in her quest for love and redemption. Ianto began to explore a personal relationship with Jack and took a more active role with the team. And Owen rose to the occasion of being a dying hero. And last, but not least, there was the surprising, but pleasant visit from Martha Jones (Doctor Who’s Season 3 companion). But in the end, Season 2 was about tragedy. The simultaneous loss of Tosh and Owen was perhaps one of the most devastating death scenes ever portrayed in television. Even Jack’s discovery of the tragedy that befell his brother was overshadowed by such a huge and monstrous loss. So, while Season 1 left us feeling abandoned and bewildered; Season 2 left us in tears and heart-broken.

Looking forward to Season 3, it appears that the Torchwood team, consisting now of only Jack, Gwen, Ianto and Rhys (Gwen’s husband), will have to face their greatest challenge: a global crisis as the children of Earth have been seized by some alien force which threatens the entire planet.

Torchwood‘s third season mini-series, Children of the Earth, debuts tonight on BBC America and runs through the next four nights.