Top 10 Torchwood Moments

One of the few episodes to not star an aliens or monsters, “Countrycide” exemplified the darkness of humans. After tourists have gone missing in the village of Brecon Beacons, Captain Jack and the team investigate the disappearances. At first believing the murders to be of alien origin, they are shocked to find out that the local villagers are actually cannibals. This scene was a true shocker and displayed the complexity of “Torchwood’s” writing; and the villagers’ madness is really sold by all the actors in the scene.

We've known since the series one finale of “Doctor Who” that Captain Jack is immortal. This is a fundamental part of his character and shapes a lot of his interactions with others. Despite ‘Miracle Day’s’ flaws, one interesting thing that this episode did was to take this immortality away from Jack. When Earth's population becomes unable to die, it's found that the opposite is now true for Jack. Naturally, there are those who wish to take advantage, and soon enough Jack is poisoned with arsenic and facing his newly discovered mortality.

Throughout this episode, the mystery around why people have gone missing is built up. Gwen investigates and locates one of the missing people, Jonah. In a bittersweet moment, Jonah is reunited with his mother, Nikki, but soon it is revealed that Jonah has gone mad. By the end of the episode, Gwen is convinced not to tell other people what happened to their missing loved ones. This moment is so great because of the emotion, but also because it highlights how there are not always happy endings on “Torchwood”.

Considered by many to not only be the best series of ‘Torchwood’, but one of the best series of television, ‘Children of Earth’ is packed with many great moments. There are high stakes, multiple emotional dilemmas, and many reveals. The invaders of this series however, are a huge mystery. When they are finally revealed as the 456, and their intentions to take all of Earth’s children become clear, it is super-dramatic and entertaining. The acting, editing and writing of this scene all make it stand out.

Fan favourite James Marsters is most famous for his role as Spike on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”. However, he captivated audiences again with his role as John Hart in series 2 of “Torchwood”. A former partner and lover of Jack, when this time traveller is introduced, it is hilarious and action-packed at the same time. It was a moment that added to Jack's backstory in a fun way while giving us a great action scene to boot.

Being a darker series than “Doctor Who”, “Torchwood” was always going to have casualties. When Owen died, it came as a surprise, but it was even more shocking when he came back from the dead. The resurrection glove is a prominent item in the series, but it was established that it can only bring someone back for a short time. When the team resurrects Owen to say goodbye, they were as surprised as fans were that Owen did not die soon after. However, this resurrection still wasn't as long-lived as we would’ve liked...

During the series 2 finale, Owen and Tosh both meet their ends simultaneously. Having a complicated relationship from the start of the series, this is one of “Torchwood’s” most emotional moments. As we’ve seen, only recently coming back from the dead, Owen panics as he is trapped in a nuclear facility but soon stops to talk with Tosh one final time on the phone. Even more tragic, Owen is unaware that Tosh is dying too. The acting and writing of this scene are masterful and bring the end to two fan-favourite characters.

Being a member of Torchwood is not an easy life. Throughout series one, we see this through Gwen and how she has to keep secrets from her boyfriend, Rhys. Not being able to hide it anymore, it comes to a head in the episode, “Meat”. A brilliant scene that has been praised for its acting and writing, it adds another dimension to Rhys and allowed Gwen’s two lives to come together. Tense, dramatic and yet still realistic, this scene is a great piece of television.

Over the course of five episodes, “Children of Earth” had twists and turns at every corner. One of these revelations was that Jack had a child, Alice, and a grandson, Steven. After going through various other ordeals, Jack had to make the hard decision to sacrifice his grandson to save the rest of the children. Broadcasting a signal through him that would destroy the 456, this moment is heartbreaking. Containing little dialogue and cutting between various characters, it is a powerful moment that makes Captain Jack all the more tragic.

Truly coming as a shock to viewers, Ianto’s death is one of the truly heartbreaking moments of “Torchwood”. Although Tosh and Owen’s deaths were also devastating, there was a bittersweet quality to their shared final moments. Ianto’s death on the other hand just added to Jack’s pain, and once again highlighted how being immortal can be a curse. An emotional and tearful moment between the two, Jack’s promise to remember Ianto is deeply sorrowful, and a testament to John Barrowman’s and Gareth David-Lloyd’s abilities as actors.