I’ve never really been into Torchwood, the cool cousin of the British institution that is Doctor Who. It never captured me since the characters other than Who alumnus Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) didn’t grab me and frankly, neither did the stories. With the majority of the characters killed off, this new reboot of the show (and it is a reboot no matter how much creator Russell T Davies says it’s a continuation) has finally managed to hook me; an interesting plot, new characters to complement the old, and even the old seem to have been given a new lease of life. It’s not perfect and the marriage of US drama and UK sci-fi isn’t quite seamless but it’s a good attempt.

For all that there are niggles, this is an accomplished first episode. It hits the right note taking the majority of the point of view from the US characters in order to explain Torchwood for new viewers while casting a wink and a nod at fans who have inside knowledge by following Gwen (Eve Myles) in the UK. There’s just enough exposition about Torchwood itself without that exposition overshadowing the main plot which revolves around the notion that everyone on Earth lives regardless of their fatal injuries.

The new characters, all American, are interesting and engaging enough. Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer) the CIA agent who lives after a fatal car accident is at different points brash and annoying, hard-working and vulnerable; Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins), a sweet and somewhat naïve CIA analyst, is tenacious and as curious as a cat. They are flawed, human and interesting but clearly being set-up to be the good guys (regardless of Rex’s machinations to take Gwen and Jack into custody at the end of the episode). They are a good contrast to the remaining Torchwood team of Jack and Gwen.

The “resurrection” of the Torchwood team is well done. Jack turns up ostensibly to protect Gwen and ensure Torchwood remains dead to the world; Gwen is trying to make a life with hubby Rhys (Kai Owen) and her baby girl in the middle of nowhere. There is the sense that time has moved on for both; that they’ve adjusted to the new order of their lives; that this is a reunion driven by the events of the ‘miracle day’ rather than a choice to come together again to continue Torchwood. Jack is as cool and suave as ever, turning up just at the right moments to save the day while Gwen seems more kick-ass than ever; more assured with a biting dry sense of humor that I don’t remember her having before.

There is a clash of culture when US meets UK in Wales and Rex seems terribly out of place (which I would guess he’s meant to) although I loved the dig at having to pay for the bridge. But it’s more than that; it’s the sense that this is where the uneasy coupling of US drama clashes with the campy British sci-fi set-up that is Torchwood (for all that it has never embraced the explicit eccentricity of Doctor Who).

The other niggle is the sheer unbelievability of Rex leaving the hospital soon after major surgery, clinging somewhat uselessly onto a single crutch and eating painkillers like they’re candy; travelling to the UK and driving to Wales. It just doesn’t work for all that Phifer tries to sell it.

The main plot otherwise is well done. The idea of everyone on Earth suddenly being immortal -- and Jack being turned mortal -- is intriguing. I also love the parallel; things that are supposed to be dead are alive -- including Torchwood itself. There’s a nice link established between the event and Torchwood which ensures the involvement of the team, a nice set-up of intrigue into who’s behind it and what’s going on. The introduction of Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) is puzzling at this point; the murdering pedophile seems to be set-up to be the baddie of the piece but is he? Bill Pullman is excellent -- almost unrecognizable as Danes.

I also have to give a shout out for the special effects; the missile shooting through the house in Wales and the crash of the helicopter itself is fabulous. It looks big production and spectacular, and the production quality overall is certainly very high and able to compete with US sci-fi and drama.

So, this opening suggests a lot of promise; an intriguing mystery rooted in sci-fi, interesting characters who are human and flawed; good acting, great production values and a nice cliff-hanger of an ending to hook the viewer for the next episode. I’m surprised to find myself liking it and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

   -- Rachel Day