S1E4

Cyberwoman

7/10

Having rewatched this one again... Wow!

It's a very interesting episode, and the plot is engaging throughout. But it's very dark and horrifying!

The Cyberwoman design doesn't quite work for me, but I give it some leeway because the plot is decent.

Ianto dragging his half-converted girlfriend from a conversion chamber to Torchwood, setting up everything to keep her alive? That's so awful to live through! How long has she been down there?!

I like this as a character piece on Ianto, especially since we really don't know much about him other than he serves the coffee.

There's several times I was thinking "this can't get any worse, can it?" and it did!! Especially that poor pizza girl...

The only thing that bugs me about this episode is the consequences for Ianto. Shouldn't he be fired after this? Memory wiped of Torchwood? Some consequence? I don't recall anything about this after this episode. And here, at the end, it's not well addressed.

The perodactyl attacking the Cyberwoman? Ridiculous, I kinda love it.

And GDL's acting? It's pretty good. He plays it very traumatized, desperate. I don't get some complaints I've seen about his acting. I really enjoyed the scene between him and Barrowman holding him at gunpoint before sending him in to finish things.

I enjoyed watching it, and there's certainly other nitpicks and plot issues to point out, but I don't care enough to.

I think I'll need a short break from Torchwood after this one cause that was SO dark.

S1E3

Ghost Machine

8/10

Now THIS should have been episode 2. The alien device is fascinating and used well throughout. We get some great moments for Owen this episode. I'd forgotten how it ended, but I really did like this ending. It's not quite how either Bernie nor Gwen expected it to go. Great episode, definitely watch.

S1E2

Day One

4/10

This is where I could see a lot of people turning off Torchwood after this episode. It's not very good. I like the bits with it being Gwen's first day on the job. But the alien and their motivation? Ugh... Kind of painful to sit through. It's honestly not that interesting to follow either, feels like a waste of a plot for the 2nd episode. Though the Doctor Who spinoff can now be "mature", this is more juvenile if anything. Skip this one.

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!

Quintessentially everything I love about Doctor Who! Love Martha & The Doctor's relationship, love the monsters, and the unique setting. It's a comfort episode of mine.