Things fall apart on Torchwood as the series' current run burns out
- Publication: Ottawa Citizen
- Date: 2008-10-24
- Author: Alex Strachan
- Page: C12
- Language: English
You do know Jack — if you've been watching Torchwood, that is.
Torchwood, starring John Barrowman as time-travelling crime-fighter and space crusader Capt. Jack Harkness, ends its second season tonight with the return of one of its most outré villains, the dastardly Capt. John Hart (Bully the Vampire Slayer's James Marsters).
Torchwood, in case you've been hiding these past two years, was spun off from the revisionist Doctor Who. Creator Russell T. Davies, who does double duty as Doctor Who's head writer and co-executive producer, originally envisioned Torch-wood as a more adult take on classic sci-fi themes — escapism with a touch of morality, if you like. Torchwood's themes are deliberately darker, the tension more sinister and the sex more explicit than Doctor Who.
At its heart, though, Torchwood has always been a little silly, a spry diversion and a momentary escape from TV's steady diet of reality programs and procedural dramas.
Tonight's season finale is more tear-jerker than cliffhanger. Capt. Jack is forced to confront his own mortality; Capt. John wreaks havoc at will, and the future changes before their very eyes.
Familiar characters die —inasmuch as it's possible for beloved characters to die in sci-fi tales — and families and friendships are torn apart.
Torchwood will return as a five-part, weeklong miniseries, possibly as early as next spring. The miniseries will debut on BBC1, before airing in North America, most likely on BBC America and specialty channel Space. Final casting is still up in the air, but published reports in Britain and the U.S. suggest Barrowman and Doctor Who-Torchwood vet Freema Agyeman will both return, as Capt. Jack and Martha Jones, respectively.
It's just as well. Torchwood without Jack Harkness would be a little like Doctor Who without the good doctor. (10 p.m., Space)
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- APA 6th ed.: Strachan, Alex (2008-10-24). Things fall apart on Torchwood as the series' current run burns out. Ottawa Citizen p. C12.
- MLA 7th ed.: Strachan, Alex. "Things fall apart on Torchwood as the series' current run burns out." Ottawa Citizen [add city] 2008-10-24, C12. Print.
- Chicago 15th ed.: Strachan, Alex. "Things fall apart on Torchwood as the series' current run burns out." Ottawa Citizen, edition, sec., 2008-10-24
- Turabian: Strachan, Alex. "Things fall apart on Torchwood as the series' current run burns out." Ottawa Citizen, 2008-10-24, section, C12 edition.
- Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=Things fall apart on Torchwood as the series' current run burns out | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Things_fall_apart_on_Torchwood_as_the_series%27_current_run_burns_out | work=Ottawa Citizen | pages=C12 | date=2008-10-24 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=8 May 2025 }}</ref>
- Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=Things fall apart on Torchwood as the series' current run burns out | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/Things_fall_apart_on_Torchwood_as_the_series%27_current_run_burns_out | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=8 May 2025}}</ref>
