Torchwood
Series, 2006, Tenth Doctor, Set in Cardiff, from 2006
Torchwood is #5 of 21 in release order and #5 of 21 in chronological order in the Doctor Who.
The story
The exploits of a team of people whose job is to investigate the unusual, the strange and the extraterrestrial.
Torchwood recap
In series 1, police officer Gwen Cooper stumbles on Torchwood Three, a secret team in Cardiff that deals with aliens coming through a rift in time and space. Its leader is Captain Jack Harkness, now unable to die, and the team includes doctor Owen, technician Toshiko and assistant Ianto. Gwen joins and keeps it from her boyfriend Rhys, and the team faces fairies, cannibals and a Cyberwoman Ianto has hidden. At the end, Owen opens the rift, unleashing a giant creature, Abaddon, which Jack stops at the cost of his life; he revives and then vanishes when he hears the Doctor's TARDIS. In series 2, Jack returns, Gwen marries Rhys, Owen is killed and brought back as a walking corpse, and Jack's brother Gray buries him alive under Cardiff for nearly 2,000 years; Owen and Toshiko die in the finale. Children of Earth, the five-part series 3, has alien beings called the 456 speak through every child on Earth and demand ten percent of them; the British government, which secretly gave them twelve children in 1965, tries to destroy Torchwood, Ianto dies, and Jack defeats the 456 by sacrificing his own grandson. In series 4, Miracle Day, nobody on Earth dies anymore, while Jack has become mortal. Gwen and Jack join CIA agents Rex and Esther to expose the Families, a secret group behind the miracle, and the camps where governments burn the living dead.
Torchwood ending explained
Miracle Day ends at the Blessing, a fault running through the Earth's core, where Jack's mortal blood resets the world and death returns. Esther is killed, and Rex, who had a transfusion of Jack's blood, comes back to life, now immortal himself. Jack and Gwen are left as the last of the original Cardiff team. The TV series ended there; the story continued only in audio dramas and books.
Where to watch Torchwood
Torchwood isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 98%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Doctor Who: Series 2, before Doctor Who: Series 3.
- Chronological order: after Doctor Who: Series 2, before Doctor Who: Series 3.
What to watch before Torchwood
In release order, the essentials before Torchwood (2006) are Doctor Who (1963) (1963), Doctor Who: The Movie (1996), Doctor Who: Series 1 (2005), and Doctor Who: Series 2 (2006). Torchwood itself is optional in the Doctor Who order.
Cast
- John Barrowman as Jack Harkness
- Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper
- Kai Owen as Rhys Williams
- Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto Jones
- Burn Gorman as Owen Harper
- Naoko Mori as Toshiko Sato
- Tom Price as PC Andy Davidson
- Paul Kasey as Weevil
- Alexa Havins as Esther Drummond
- Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson
- Bill Pullman as Oswald Danes
- Frances Fisher as The Mother
Created by Russell T Davies.