Love this set. Is less expensive that buying the 3 seasons individually and is in Bluray! It has it in a nice box to keep it together. It has all the special features the individuals sets have. Season 1 has a bunch, Season 2 is a bit light and 3 is ok. But is great love it! They should make the Doctor who sets as a set as well. Althoght is too late for me because I already purchased some of the DW individually. But not TW. I was fearful it wouldn't play on my American player but it works fine !
In Captain Jack Harkness, creator Russell T. Davies and actor John Barrowman created a truly unique warrior for the science fiction and paranormal set. The dashing bi-sexual hero was first introduced on Davies' "Dr. Who" reinvention and quickly became a fan favorite. So, it was with some amount of excitement that I followed Barrowman to his own show expecting some variation of the "Dr. Who" narrative. But no, the show is stylized in a very different way. The "Torchwood" spin-off plays like a high octane and oftentimes quite amusing cousin to "X-files." There is a fair amount of sexual content, of all varieties, within the new series that might frighten some of the purists--but, as a whole, the show exceeds as adult escapism at every level. Set ostensibly in contemporary Cardiff, Torchwood is a covert governmental agency designed to investigate and control unexplainable phenomenon. With a state of the art facility buried deep underground, on a rift in time and space no less, the team of specialists deal largely with an alien menace in its many variations.
The core team, aside from the invaluable and riotous Barrowman, includes awkward Owen (a winning Burn Gorman), industrious Toshiko (Naoki Mori), and guy Friday Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd). In the first episode, a position on the team opens up and Barrowman courts a local policewoman (Eve Myles) to fill the slot. Many of the early episodes deal with Myles' orientation and initial disbelief at the wonders confronted by Torchwood. Most of Season One is highlighted by stand alone and self contained episodes--kind of a beast of the week theme. As such, the show can be a bit inconsistent depending on how involving the particular case may be. But the humor and quirkiness of the team and their interrelations are always an appealing selling point. The creature effects and the show's look are top notch, but it is the irreverent and fast paced dialogue that further distinguishes this from the sci-fi pack. The show gets progressively tidier (although a late episode Random Shoes was the only episode I found actually painful). The 13 episodes of Season One are spry and entertaining, if not perfect.
Season Two, also comprised of 13 episodes, starts to really put all the great components of the show together into fascinating ways. A stronger mythology and a more continuing story line only amp up the dramatic elements of the show and give all of its actors real opportunities to shine. Whereas the primary relationship explored in Season One was the platonic bond between Barrowman and Myles--here, everyone gets a chance to play and to be developed in new and intriguing ways. While the team are still battling strange beasts, there is an unexpected gravitas to the proceedings that have long range repercussions to major characters (both good and bad). Appearances by James Marsters (Buffy's Spike) as a man from Barrowman's past and Freema Agyeman as her Dr. Who character Martha Jones add memorable dimension and even heartbreak. Everything is heightened for Season Two--where life and death is really on the line.
"Children of Earth," a five part miniseries, really redefines everything in the Torchwood universe. Still reeling from the aftermath of Season Two, the team must respond to an unknown threat that has Earth's children chanting forebodingly in unison. An alien force demands to be given ten percent of the children or they will destroy the planet. Not for the feint of heart, this is the darkest and scariest incarnation of the Torchwood mythology. With top echelon acting and huge dramatic moments, this was one of my three favorite programs of 2009. Telling this one harrowing tale over five episodes, the show reaches new heights in complex and emotional story telling. An absolute game changer, alternately loved and hated by series' fans, this miniseries is an absolutely incredible and unmissable event in my opinion--but it's not always pleasant!
"Torchwood" is not a perfect show, but it is a favorite of mine. Simple reasons: Barrowman's Harkness is an awesome character, loads of humor and incredibly smart banter, characters that develop, the show gets progressively deeper and more emotional, production values are terrific for a TV show. It can still be viewed as somewhat of a controversial show, however, especially for its open attitude about sexual pairings--I personally, however, found that aspect refreshing. Season One ranks about 4 stars, Season Two about 4 1/2 stars, and Children of Earth is easily 5 stars--but I'm rounding up overall for my personal passion. Next up: Starz has "Torchwood: Miracle Day," a new series with Barrowman and Myles premiering in July. I have my doubts, but my fingers are crossed! KGHarris, 5/11.From his first appearance on Dr. Who, Captain Jack Harkness (played with dashing bravado, humour and the eternal twinkle in his eye and irresistible smile) has been one of my favourite Sci-Fi characters ever, and when he was spun off into his own series, Torchwood, I was overjoyed. Mysterious, quirky, immortal, handsome, omnisexual (which overqualifies him for the title of Sexiest Man on Earth) and highly intelligent, he took on a crew of equally interesting investigators of the paranormal and alien activites near The Rift, that mysterious interdimensional crack which has opened between dimensions and sits beneath Cardiff, Wales.
And just when I was rollicking along with this wonderful show it mysteriously vanished after a race called the 456 tried to wipe out humanity, and nearly succeeded. But fear not! Althhough he is gone from the BBC, Captain Jack is on DVD and Blu-ray to keep us all safe for the 3 seasons (well, 2 1/2 seasons really) until they crop up again next year in a new place, on STARZ with new adventures. If you haven't seen these and might be interested in the new season of Torchwood to come, you might want to dig into the background for it by watching what has gone on in this previous incarnation of the series.
Can't wait!
Read Best Reviews of Torchwood (2010) Here
I received the blu-ray complete box series of Torchwood seasons 1 & 2 and the mini-series "Children of Earth" (CoE) and "Miracle Day" (MD). Everything was running smoothly until I opened the MD set of discs NONE PLAYED! There are four discs in the MD collection and none of them played! I tired my other blu-ray player with the same result. I could not figure out what was special about the MD discs that wouldn't allow them to play versus the discs from seasons 1&2 and the CoE?? Will be sending it back but this definitely discourages me from further video purchases. I had always heard the horror stories of Amazon deliveries and the inability to contact any form of customer service. Torchwood: Series 1-4 Box Set [Blu-ray][Region Free]Want Torchwood (2010) Discount?
this is the second time i tried to get this unit to work; it seems that region free will not work in the usa. i ordered it once and hardly any sound. returned reordered thinking maybe bad batch; however got second set and the same thing sound goes on and off.
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