Let's talk about Torchwood

When Torchwood was originally on the air way back in 2006, it was sort of intended as "Doctor Who for grown-ups." It was on post-watershed and was ridiculously stuffed with sex, drugs, and swearing. My favourite characters were always Tosh and Owen, despite the fact that they were both essentially interchangeable cannon fodder who were there for Jack and Gwen to rescue. I am one of few people who could not tolerate Children of Earth because they were both dead (I also wasn't a huge fan of the one overarching story thing). I have never been a huge fan of the big story arcs (which is why I am much less a fan of Doctor Who now than I was in 2005 and why I prefer Classic Who), and that is why I am a much bigger fan of the first two series of Torchwood.

I was EXTREMELY apprehensive when Big Finish announced they were reviving Torchwood and bringing Jack Harkness to our ears. Children of Earth was not received well by me and Miracle Day was not particularly well received by anyone, and it's been 4 years since Miracle Day. But I decided to get it anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised by the first episode. It was even enough for me to start to anticipate the second episode of the series. I have just finished listening to it and I enjoyed it enormously, so I am really looking forward to the rest of the season now. It seems it has been popular enough, since a second series has already been announced.

There is a bit of confusion to the chronology of this series. I can't figure out if an overarching theme between all the stories or not, and that makes me happy. The first two episodes have had very small casts, which is always good. Episode 2 (Fall to Earth) is a two hander between Ianto in a crashing spaceship and someone trying to sell him insurance, which seems like a very funny concept, but it was extremely well executed. You get to know Ianto like you've never known him before, and Zeynep is an excellent person for him to play off. Jack is missing, and the others are left running after him, so when Ianto sees a problem he decides to try and solve it himself. It does not go so well. But it's Torchwood. When do things ever go well for them?