Changing everything, one mission at a time! 

“SMALL WORLDS: A FAIRYTALE NIGHTMARE WITH A FLAT EXECUTION”

Long before Doctor Who introduced goblins under Russell T Davies, Big Finish had already explored the concept of turning folklore creatures into sci-fi horror threats in stories like The Spectre of Lanyon Moor, Project: Twilight, and Loups-Garoux. Even before RTD brought the idea to TV, Sapphire & Steel creator Peter J Hammond did it first for Torchwood. Small Worlds introduces fairies—not the whimsical Tinkerbell type, but vicious, supernatural entities from another dimension.

A TONAL OUTLIER

Compared to the rest of Torchwood’s first season—which features cyber-conversions, alien sex gas, and grisly murder—it’s strange to see the show take on a slower, folklore-inspired horror story. The fairy attacks themselves, presented through disembodied voices, sudden winds, and victims choking on flower petals, feel a little silly. The use of yellow-tinted POV shots to show the fairies' perspective is a nice classic touch, but the overall execution is a little at odds with the series’ usual tone. This feels more like an early Big Finish main range story than a Torchwood episode.

JACK’S PAST AND A TRAGIC CONNECTION

What really works here is the character work, particularly for Jack. We get rare glimpses into his past, learning about his history during the war and his connection to Estelle, an old friend and fairy investigator. She’s endearingly passionate about her research but tragically unaware of the true danger she’s meddling with. Her death is a gut punch for Jack, showing a more vulnerable side to him, and making this a rare episode that genuinely explores his emotional depth.

DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY DRAMA

The episode also weaves in a dark, RTD-esque family dynamic. The central family consists of a neglectful, borderline abusive stepfather, a passive mother, and a bullied, lonely child who is unknowingly the key to the fairy infestation—almost like a sci-fi take on The Omen. While Torchwood has handled grim themes before, the combination of domestic abuse, folklore fantasy, and traditional Doctor Who-style sci-fi doesn’t fully gel here. The fairies themselves are effective in their attacks, culminating in an eerie and intense party massacre sequence. However, the overall structure of the episode feels oddly flat, with little escalation leading up to a climax that, while dramatic, doesn’t quite deliver the impact it aims for.

JACK'S HARDEST CHOICE

The most memorable moment is Jack’s devastating decision to let the fairies claim the girl as their chosen one. It’s the only viable way to stop them, but it comes at the cost of her mother’s heartbreak. This moral dilemma is handled well, giving the story an emotional gut punch and reinforcing Torchwood’s more ruthless, pragmatic approach to threats.

📝VERDICT: 6/10

Small Worlds is a bold attempt at a slower, character-driven horror story, but its elements—fairy folklore, domestic drama, and Doctor Who sci-fi—never quite blend seamlessly. The fairies are eerie but occasionally silly, the plot lacks momentum, and while the character work for Jack is strong, the episode as a whole feels like a tonal mismatch for the series. Without the fairies, this would be a fairly unremarkable instalment, but Jack’s final choice at least ensures the episode leaves a lingering impact.

Bit slow at times, and let down by the atrocious CGI, but all in all a solid fairy story that felt more Doctor Who than Torchwood. I liked the exploration we got of Jack's character a bit more

IDK I just think evil potentially world-ending fairies are kinda rad.

A strange beast. Feels more like a Doctor Who episode than a Torchwood one, with the way it takes a sci-fi approach to a childhood fantastical concept (fairies). I like it a lot though, especially how we get more backstory for Jack.

It's going to feel like I'm picking on Torchwood but I can assure my fellow fans I am largely getting a lot of the bad out of the way, knowing that an interesting side of this series is that though it struggled early on in quality, between Children of Earth, Miracle Day, and Big Finish, a lot of value was found in Torchwood, and even from days like this it was brimming with potential.

The problem is, I feel like I've seen this story done a lot better, elsewhere, so Small Worlds is kind of pointless and definitely unnecessarily edgy. The CGI and effects in general do not look great, and the acting gets similarly clumsy around it. If one wants a fun, adult take on fairies with a kind of horror sensibility to it, Supernatural definitely did that a lot better.