SEASON ONE: EPISODE 1: “Everything Changes”
A brutal murder leads WPC Gwen Cooper to Torchwood, a journey that will change her life forever.
This is definitely Gwen Cooper’s episode, all the way. Essentially it’s the story of an ordinary police officer who accidently stumbles into the world of Torchwood, and by the end of the episode proves she has the right stuff to join the team. I watched this episode with an eye toward how well it stands on its own: quite nicely, I think. Although technically a spin-off of Doctor Who, I think of it as more of a “parallel” series, such as CBS’s various CSI shows. That is, they occupy the same universe and may occasionally cross over, but remain independent of each other.
That’s not to say the Doctor Who references aren’t there, merely that they’re not integral to the enjoyment of the show. For example, the Doctor’s hand (from “The Christmas Invasion”) is seen in the Torchwood headquarters, but it’s no more necessary to know the story behind it in order to follow the story at hand (no pun intended) than it is to know the history of a trophy seen in the background of the Batcave to enjoy a Batman story. The story differentiates four different versions of Torchwood, and unless I haven’t been paying close enough attention to Doctor Who (always a possibility), more than one of these versions have yet to be fully explained.
While still told from Gwen Cooper’s point of view, about midway through the first episode the spotlight of attention is thrown on Jack Harkness, a character with a mysterious two-year gap in his history which I look forward to seeing revealed. Gwen learns the secret of his longevity in this episode, but apparently his teammates remain unaware at this point. The next episode is titled “Day One,” which makes me glad “Everything Changes” isn’t listed as “episode zero.”
Perhaps I read too many comics books.
BIG FINISH AUDIOS:
ALIENS AMONG US - Part 1
1.1 Changes Everything - p14
1.2 Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy - p14
1.3 Orr - p14
1.3 Superiority Complex - p15
ALIENS AMONG US - Part 2
2.1 Love Rat - p15
2.2 A Kill to a View - p15
2.3 Zero Hour - p15
2.3 The Empty Hand - p15
ALIENS AMONG US - Part 3
3.1 Poker Face - p15
3.2 Tagged - p15
3.3 Escape Room - p15
3.3 Herald of the Dawn - p15
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Torchwood returns tonight! On Starz. Check your local listings.
Jeff of Earth-J said:Torchwood returns tonight! On Starz. Check your local listings.
My local listings say I don't get Starz.
Prediction: (SPOILIER)
I'm guessing the obnoxious but dedicated CIA agent that got skewered will end up dead at the end of the mini. Jack and the Torchwood team will have to make a decision whether to allow death or not, and they'll know that to do so will mean the agent and Gwen's dad dying for real.