'Torchwood' Season Two Review

"Bloody Torchwood," grunted an old lady at the start of the show's second season, as she witnessed the gang pursue an alien blowfish in a sports car. Thirteen episodes later, it's a comment that deserves to be upgraded. "Bloody amazing Torchwood" is far more appropriate. Blatantly using classic Buffy as it's model (not a bad thing at all), Torchwood gained the all important fun factor.

A vast improvement over its debut season, this year's episodes have tickled many a rib, caused plenty of jaws to drop and probed the most defiant of tear ducts - all thanks to a winning blend of action, emotion and humour. Just witness the hilarious shapeshifting antics at Gwen's wedding, followed soon after by the powerful tale of a teenage boy whose trip through the rift has left him scarred, drastically aged and tortured by memories of his own pain.

Such powerful juxtapositions were rife throughout the season and also epitomised by the dizzy romantic heights Tosh found with a frozen soldier called Tommy, only to be tearfully dragged down into the mental mire by the young lad's suicide (and world saving) mission. 'To The Last Man's closing tracking shot of Tosh, as she walks away from Owen, is a defining moment and an example of a resoundingly triumphant ending that conveys so much via the simple image.

Burn Gorman was consistently brilliant as Owen Harper, in both his live and unalive states of being. We occasionally despised Owen for his abrasive shunnings of Tosh when he swatted away her good natured come-ons. We pitied his impotence after his initial 'death'. We gulped when the truth about his fiancee's death was revealed... and we laughed when he was stripped of all cynicism due to the mind manipulation of Adam.

Ianto's character certainly underwent an interesting transition too, morphing into Captain Jack and John's "eye candy" and always armed with a quip. The turbulent domestic life of Gwen and Rhys was also foregrounded much more, with their 'kitchen sink' naturalist drama creating a nice contrast with the fantastical elements of the show. As for a certain work romance, it's nice to see that Ianto has traded in his metallic cyberwoman girlfriend for a wooden Time Agent boyfriend.

That's too harsh on John Barrowman of course, as while his ability to convey genuine anger is somewhat dodgy, he really bolstered the aforementioned fun element. Two such moments highlight this splendid quality. Just witness his Blowfish brainblowing return at the start of the series, armed with a cheesy quip - "hey kids, did ya miss me?" - and a grin that was pure Stilton. Weeks later, he equalled this with the "how's that for shapeshift?" line after blasting apart the alien invader at Gwen's wedding, again armed with that distinctive and disarming smirk. It was like Buffy Summers had been reincarnated and was still twirling her stake after dispatching a vampire.

Sadly, the 'Gray' arc during the series was a definite disappointment given the intriguing build-up and flashbacks. This was down to a combination of woeful casting and miscalculated characterisation during the last episode, 'Exit Wounds'. Still, at least James Marsters' sublime turn as the Buffy Spike-like Captain John proved a fine distraction from Gray's anatomy.

Ultimately, the real power of Torchwood's strength became explicit with the deaths of certain characters - and the immediate impact on the viewer. In 'Sleeper', Beth's harrowing plight and discovery of her true self pushed precisely the right buttons in a very short space of time and compelled us to care about her wellbeing - thus her death deposited an instant lump in the throat. Similarly, the harvested squealing space whale in 'Meat' also hit a nerve.

More significantly though, the tragic demises of Owen and Tosh bore incredible impact and emotional intensity. It takes some quality writing, acting and directing to make us care and believe in these characters, given that they exist in a world full of Weevils, Sleeper Agents, Grim Reapers and where Jim Robinson from Neighbours has been reincarnated as a pharmaceutical boss. Above all, we can't wait to find out how Torchwood fares in its third season. "Bloody Torchwood" indeed.

> What are your thoughts on the second season? Share your views

> Click here for the Cult Spy Torchwood Awards