Torchwood Series 2

[eithne]

Torchwood – Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang Ep 1/13
Wednesday 16 January
9.00-9.50pm BBC TWO
www.bbc.co.uk/torchwood

The second series of Torchwood, the award-winning drama created by Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies, premières on BBC Two. This time it's bigger and bolder, with more fun, adventure and excitement for the alien-fighting team.

John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen, Burn Gorman as Owen, Naoko Mori as Toshiko and Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto return as the investigators delving into the alien underworld of modern-day Cardiff.

In the first episode of the series, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, by co-producer and lead writer Chris Chibnall, Captain Jack is reunited with the Torchwood team as they face a rogue Time Agent. The mysterious Captain John Hart, played by James Marsters (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), is determined to wreak havoc, and needs to find something hidden on Earth. But with Gwen's life in danger, and cluster bombs scattered across the city, whose side is Jack on?

During the 13-part series, Torchwood's investigations into alien activity give the team glimpses of the 51st century and the First World War. In future episodes they encounter alien sleeper cells; save a stranded creature from human exploitation; meet a tragic soldier from the First World War; and encounter a memory thief who exposes long-forgotten secrets among the entire team.

Later in the run, Alan Dale (Ugly Betty, The O.C.) makes a star appearance. Another familiar face among the special guest stars is Doctor Who's companion Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), who appears half way through the series. Richard Briers, Nerys Hughes and Ruth Jones (Gavin And Stacey) also appear in various roles.

There is a specially edited pre-watershed repeat of Torchwood on BBC Two later in the week.

Following on from that, Torchwood Declassified goes exclusively backstage to reveal the secrets behind some of the first episode's sensational stunt sequences and talks to John Barrowman, James Marsters and Russell T Davies.

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Source: BBC Press Office

So James Marsters is in the first episode then?

[Nick]

I will give this another go..although I must admit i felt a bit let down with the last series....very good effects..but lots of plot holes

[sootycat]

I shall definitely watch this.
I enjoyed the first series.

[Nick]

Well we gave it 15 minutes..

I can't be doing with the way it is littered with 'jokey banter'..it just irritates me.... everything seems like that now

[sootycat]

I was disappointed with the opening episode, too many innuendos

I hope the next episode is an improvement

[eithne]

Yeah, I wasn't keen on it either. It was a wasted opportunity I felt. Plus it raised more questions about Jack than it answered. Did he not take the name of another Jack Harkness, as seen in S1 of Torchwood? Meaning that he would have had a different name in the future?

[eileengrimshaw]

I was rather disappointed with it.

The start, with Torchwood organising themselves without Jack was interesting to see but I wasn't that impressed with the blowfish driving the car scenario. And then we had Jack miraculously turning up at the hopuse where the blowfish was, just in time to save a girl with a gun pointing at her head. Rather contrived in my opinion.

James Marsters was decent enough as Captain John & I liked the fact that he reminded us that we (& Torchwood) know so little about Jack's past. The thing about having found Gray added a nice question mark to the end of the episode as well.

The remainder of the episode was pretty much a standard run around with the team in various predicaments, &, of course, we as viewers, knew that Jack hadn't died from that fall.

All in all an average, rather than great, start to Season Two.

[Nick]

I just find it odd that a so called secret organization travels round in a black vehicle illuminated to the hilt with flashing lights etc...

[sootycat]

Nice to see Alan Dale in this.
He played a great 'baddie'

Does this mean Owen is dead ??

[RitaLittlewood]

I didn't see it but from what I read it looks like he is. There was a complaint on Teletext about killing him so Martha could join.

Patsy

[sootycat]

The last episode was a total shock.
I didn't realise they were going to kill off two of the major characters.

[eithne]

I didn't see most of the series, but caught the last few episodes and thought that it was great. Killing off two of the major characters was a big shock, and it was so incredibily sad the way they did it - and the scenes with Tosh on the phone with Owen had me with a lump in my throat. It was so, so painful to watch. What an unexpected ending though. I just can't believe they did it though. Killing off one character isn't too surprising but two of them is.

The plot of the final episode was patchy at times I felt and Jack spending 1,500 years under Cardiff was a bit iffy. But the ending more than made up for it.

[sootycat]

I still prefer Torchwood to Doctor Who.