2008
No sophomore slump exists in the second season of BBC's "Torchwood," the lively, oft-lascivious "Doctor Who" spin-off. For the uninitiated, Torchwood is the organization that protects Great Britain from aliens who slip through the rift in time that exists in Cardiff. And there are plenty that do.
Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) is the fearless leader of this band of merry men and women. As commanding and Cruise-ian as Barrowman is, he's matched this year by Eve Myles as Gwen, whose recruitment kicked the entire cheeky series off.
Among the 13 episodes in this five-disc set, an instant fan favorite exists in the first, in which the crew battles a time traveler (James Marsters, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") from Harkness' past. (He returns in two more to exact revenge.) But the best one "? perhaps among both seasons thus far "? finds Gwen accepting her long-suffering boyfriend proposal of marriage, only to wake up the morning of their nuptials to find she's "pregnant" with an alien baby.
There's also an exceptional origins episode, and "? shades of "The X-Files," to which "Torchwood " has been compared "? a freak-show-centric one, this one at a movie theater. Whether you're an obsessive or a newcomer, this show's easy to jump into at any time, and this season begins with the irresistible line, "Excuse me, have you seen a blowfish driving a sports car?"
The fifth disc is comprised of more "Torchwood Declassified" mini-documentaries on various elements. This set is pricey, but worth it.
"?Rod Lott
