I'd forgotten the look and feel of this series. It's very of the time, but unlike Doctor Who it's trying so hard to be cool and edgy that it actually feels more dated. This is an entirely subjective complaint, but I really dislike this era in culture where things often wanted to be 'dark & gritty', only here I'd say the look is more 'grim & grimy' (seriously clean those cells, they look gross). So I don't want to complain that it's objectively bad, because there's clearly been a lot of thought and effort in the production design. They've really commited to the style of the show, and it does a good job of differentiating this show from Doctor Who. So objectively I think it's good work. But, subjectively this is a tone and aesthetic that I personally find annoying and ugly. So it'll likely have a negative impact on how much I enjoy rewatching this show.

I don't think this is an especially good episode for establishing the show. I don't think it's necessarily bad, but it falters in some ways. In particular in it's establishing of Torchwood itself. Outside of Gwen and Jack (Suzie maybe) I don't feel like I know these characters. We're told their names, job titles and then basically just told 1 very broad personality trait. Owen is horny (with a dubious grasp on consent), Tosh is a nerd who likes books, Ianto is... handsome in a suit. On top of that I don't really get a feel for what they do. Yeah we're told they do alien stuff, but this is a Doctor Who spinoff, this fact didn't require much establishing. Other than they don't really do that much other than occasionally bringing people back from the dead. A skill they don't really do after this episode.

I don't even think this episode actually explains why Gwen wants to join Torchwood, or why Torchwood would recruit Gwen. There's the scene in the bar between Gwen & Jack. Gwen is definitely curious about Torchwood in this scene, but she makes no attempt to join. She asks to be their liaison with the police. So she doesn't want to actually join Torchwood in this scene, then they erase her memory, one of the Torchwood team threatens to kill her at gun point, she witnesses 2 people get shot in the head and one of those people comes back to life. Why would having Torchwood mess around with and threaten her life, then witnessing some horrific deaths make Gwen want to join? I repeat, she doesn't want to join the Torchwood, then we're shown Torchwood being responsible for her having an awful time and she's now for some reason eager for more awfulness. It makes no sense to me.

As for Jack, I do buy that he likes Gwen in this episode. So that is arguably enough justification to ask her to join. But at the bar he decides she needs to have her memory wiped so that she can have absolutely nothing to do with Torchwood. What makes him decide afterwards that she's worth recruiting. She doesn't even solve the mystery really. She has no idea what's going on whilst Suzie is monologing and confessing to everything that's happened. Jack has to figure everything out and save the day entirely on his own, Gwen doesn't do anything except sorta remember something is going on near Torchwood's base and goes there confused. But her not actually doing anything except nearly getting herself killed makes him think she's now ready to be on the team apparently.

I'm willing to go with it because the show needs a POV character and they've established Gwen not only as a character, but as a character I like. So sure put Gwen on the team I guess. But it feels like the in universe explanation for why she's on the team is because they just lost a female member of staff and it's just quicker to just ask the next women they see to replace her.

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

"Everything Changes: Torchwood Steps Out of the Shadows"

The success of Doctor Who’s 2005 revival inspired Russell T Davies and the BBC to launch its first spinoff, Torchwood. Introduced during Series 2 of Doctor Who, the spinoff follows Torchwood 3, a small Cardiff-based team led by Captain Jack Harkness. Their mission: to investigate alien activity, collect remnants of invasions, and protect the city in the Doctor's absence.

The opening episode, Everything Changes, effectively establishes the show’s darker, more mature tone while firmly grounding it in the Doctor Who universe. It also introduces the cast of characters, from Gwen Cooper, a sharp and determined police officer who stumbles upon Torchwood, to her boyfriend Rhys, and the rest of the team—Captain Jack, tech-savvy Toshiko, cynical Owen, secretive Ianto, and the enigmatic Suzie.

Davies crafts a compelling mystery that balances intrigue and action, giving a taste of the show’s character-driven storytelling. Through Gwen’s eyes, we gradually learn about Torchwood’s purpose and its flawed, very human members. These moments lay the foundation for long-term storylines and emotional arcs.

Eve Myles shines as Gwen, the perfect audience surrogate. Her quick wit, courage, and compassion make her an easy character to root for. John Barrowman’s Captain Jack is equally magnetic, blending charisma and mystery, even for viewers unfamiliar with his Doctor Who appearances.

The supporting cast also impresses. Burn Gorman’s Owen stands out with his sarcastic humor and cynicism, though his use of a “love potion gas” to get laid in one scene feels ethically dubious. Naoko Mori’s Toshiko is clever and resourceful, though her role here is more subdued.

The series’ mature tone is immediately evident, with bloodier action, tenser interactions, and darker themes than its parent show. The climax delivers a memorable twist, revealing Suzie as a weak link and unexpected villain, leaving the episode on a bleak, impactful note.

📝Verdict: 8/10

With Everything Changes, Torchwood carves out its own identity while staying firmly rooted in the Doctor Who world. It’s a thrilling start to a spinoff that promises plenty of intrigue, drama, and moral complexity.

On the one hand, this is a pretty solid introduction to what would turn out to be a pretty middling series, but certainly Torchwood would also go on to have its moments and then of course its life in Big Finish so it is hardly all that bad, either.

Gwen really stands out in Everything Changes, and I also like the general climate and energy of the pilot. It feels full of the ambition that would both enable the series to tell its best stories, and would constantly lead to missteps, too. I do feel the story is in a bit of a weird place, since it has to service new viewers, Doctor Who fans, and establish its tone all in one episode. It largely succeeds, but does do weird things like put a lot of mystery up around Jack, even though many viewers are going to already know a lot about this character from Doctor Who.

Still, it does a good job at catching and holding your interest. Everything Changes is a pretty strong introduction to any series.

RTD does a marvelous job of introducing some iconic characters to accompany the fabulous Captain Jack. Seeing the world through Gwen's eyes and having the story slowly unfold in front of her has some very spooky, fairy-tale qualities. The whole concept of the Torchwood base and a Cardiff based alien prevention squad is genius. A perfect set up!

While Torchwood is a blind spot for me, I can comment on the first Series (maybe in the future the rest of the televised Shows, despite being very much not interested in its EU Material).

It’s been a while since I watched this Episode, only really rewatched it like possibly once? But… I thought the Episode was pretty solid. Love Gwen and the Episode does its Job very well, introducing you to the wider World of Torchwood.

Funnily enough, I would compare it to Rose, while I enjoy that one (Rose) a bit more slightly, this one is also just a great introduction as was Rose. As stories on their own? Pretty solid. But that’s all, just solid.

The mystery with Torchwood is set up well in this first episode. I like Gwen, and it's interesting to follow her as she finds out more about Captain Jack and Torchwood. It would have been a pretty good start to the series, if it wasn't for Owen...

During the montage where we're shown that the Torchwood team takes home alien tech even though they're not supposed to, we see that everyone does it because they're curious about it. Everyone except Owen. He uses it to get people to have sex with him, people who don’t want to have sex with him. That could have worked if it was used to show what an awful human being he is, but it’s not. It’s played for laughs.

In the end, I still give it 3.5/5, but it would be better if it just didn’t include Owen (and that’s not just true for this episode, it’s true for all of season 1).

S1E1

Everything Changes

8/10

And here we have it - the beginning of Torchwood. The mystery of Torchwood is setup, we follow Gwen's journey, and everything moves at a good pace. On rewatch, it holds up. Really loved the opening in the rain with Gwen watching the Torchwood gang do their thing. There's not quite enough to link Susie to the murders for the audience to figure it out before it's shown to us, but nonetheless it's an interesting confrontation between her and Gwen. Overall, solid start to the series!

A solid introduction to be fair! I like Gwen, and the series begins as it means to go on, apparently, with Jack able to taste oestrogen in the rain and commenting on how at least he can't get pregnant again. Wild ride for sure

It was alright. Not the best story ever, but a pretty good introduction to Torchwood as a group and as a series. I like the fact that everyone is so unlikeable right from the start lol

I really like this episode. It's basically Rose for Torchwood in that we're introduced to the world through the life of an ordinary woman. The plot is relatively basic, but as with the earlier mentioned Rose that's all you need for this intro.

The cut from jack's order of 'all alien tech remains in the base' to immediately showing every member of Torchwood using alien tech stolen from the base will never not be funny to me.

Can’t believe I’ve never watched this before! Right up my alley, loved it.