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“COUNTRYCIDE: A RELENTLESSLY GRIM AND GRIPPING HORROR STORY”

Torchwood has always revelled in a darker, more mature approach to storytelling, but Countrycide takes it to another level. This is Torchwood at its most brutal—an episode that plunges headfirst into pure horror, delivering some of the most tense and unsettling moments in the show's history.

From its chilling opening, in which a woman is lured into a trap on a lonely country road, to the eerie build-up of the Torchwood team investigating a series of disappearances, the episode plays out like a classic horror film. The isolated Welsh countryside, with its damp, grey bleakness, becomes the perfect setting for a terrifying game of cat and mouse, as something—or someone—stalks our heroes.

A NIGHT IN THE WOODS

One of Countrycide’s greatest strengths is how it places the entire team in the field together, allowing for some solid character development amid the rising tension. There’s plenty of fallout from recent events—Owen’s affair with Gwen is beginning to simmer, Ianto is still reeling from Cyberwoman, questioning the purpose of their work, and Tosh once again finds herself sidelined despite her clear competence. Meanwhile, it’s a welcome change to see Ianto properly out in the field, though the experience soon turns into a nightmare for him.

The episode expertly builds its tension through classic horror techniques—stalking figures, mutilated bodies, and an ever-present sense of dread. The atmosphere is thick with unease, heightened by the cinematography’s shaky cam, quick cuts, and oppressive close-ups. The grim, matter-of-fact brutality of the murders keeps the stakes high, constantly playing into the audience’s worst expectations of what might be lurking in the darkness.

THE TRUE HORROR REVEALED

When the true villains are finally revealed, it’s a masterstroke of horror storytelling. There are no alien creatures, no supernatural forces—just human beings. Deranged, psychotic villagers who have turned to cannibalism, harvesting the innocent for food. The sheer normality of the perpetrators makes the horror hit even harder, reinforcing the idea that the most terrifying monsters are sometimes just people.

Owen Teale delivers a chilling performance as the leader of the cannibals, exuding a quiet menace that makes every scene he’s in feel genuinely threatening. His ability to shift from eerily calm to sadistically gleeful is utterly unnerving, making him one of Torchwood’s most memorable human villains. Teale is no stranger to playing sinister figures—many will recognise him as Ser Alliser Thorne from Game of Thrones, where he brought the same level of sneering malice to the role. Long-time Doctor Who fans may also remember him as Maldak from Vengeance on Varos. His presence here elevates the horror, especially in his cat-and-mouse chase with Tosh through the woods, which is one of the most nerve-wracking sequences in the episode.

TEAM DYNAMICS AND FALLOUT

The events of Countrycide push the team to their limits, both physically and emotionally. Owen’s behaviour throughout is particularly grating—his cynicism, whining, and dismissive attitude towards Tosh make him difficult to root for, even when he’s in danger. His dynamic with Gwen continues to be problematic, especially given his complete disregard for boundaries. The final scene, in which Gwen chooses Owen despite everything, is a frustrating moment, though it certainly sets up further character drama for the episodes to come.

Despite the grim subject matter, Countrycide proves that Torchwood excels when it goes smaller and more intimate. This isn’t a grand sci-fi epic—it’s a contained, claustrophobic horror story that reminds us that the universe doesn’t always need aliens to be terrifying. Sometimes, the worst monsters are already here.

📝VERDICT: 9/10

A visceral, harrowing episode that leans fully into horror, delivering Torchwood at its most brutal. The unsettling atmosphere, tense pacing, and Owen Teale’s unnerving performance make it one of the most memorable and disturbing episodes of the series.

Scooby Doo taught me that the real monsters were people....

No but seriously, Countrycide is good. The gang get dropped in a slasher for an episode and it goes just as well as you'd think. It was tense and horrific and so an excellent watch a few days out from Halloween

Blimey, that was one episode I'd never expect from a Who spin-off. Doctor Who and the broader Whoniverse has often done humans as the villains...but not like this. A very disturbing episode that leaves our heroes (especially Gwen) in a traumatic place.

Countrycide is a fairly standard episode with some strong aspects to it. I enjoy how this episodes looks taking great advantage of Brecon Beacons, giving it a little different than usual flair and taking on a slightly more grounded tone.

It's fun when the threat is just human, but where Countrycide loses me a bit is in the character drama. It feels a little overplayed and I just don't get much of anything out of Gwen and Owen. Owen's character is just presented as so ugly from the start it really is hard to feel much other than disdain for him so it is rough to see him paired with the audience stand-in. Once again, it feels more like Torchwood's trademark version of haphazardly "adulting" Doctor Who, and the effects are laid pretty bare.

Finally, our villains of the story feel pretty generic against the backdrop of other shows with darker science fiction and fantasy content. X-Files, Stargate, and Supernatural have all gone this route before, and I'm sure there are plenty of other examples out there. So, it's alright, but yeah, just an episode that comes across as much better given what Torchwood goes through to get to this point. Credit to Chibnall for writing this one, but it does make sense to me as this episode is a lot closer to Broadchurch than anything he normally would do with Doctor Who - I think the writer has always been more adept at this grounded stuff while consistently fumbling the more exploratory nature of Who's Sci-Fi, which kind of shows when one considers the strengths and weaknesses of Torchwood and his time with Who.