WRITER: Chris Chibnall DIRECTOR: Ashley Way
CAST: John Barrowman (Capt Jack Harkness), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Naoka Mori (Toshiko Sato), Burn Gorman (Owen Harper), Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Murray Melvin (Bilis Manger), Caroline Chikezie (Lisa Hallett), Louise Delamere (Diane Holmes), Tom Price (PC Andy) & Paul Kasey (Weevil)
The Rift fractures violently, hurling out historical and alien artefacts. As the Torchwood team try to fix the growing problems, they soon encounter an even greater enemy...Effectively part two of last week's story (both episodes were shown as a double bill by the BBC), the season one finale of Torchwood successfully pulls together ongoing elements from the series and goes out on a triumphant note with an entertaining and fast-paced story.
Following Owen's decision to manipulate the Rift to rescue Jack and Tosh from the 1940s last week, the Rift becomes unstable and starts fracturing. The Torchwood watch as UFOs appear over the Taj Mahal, a Roman is arrested in Cardiff and peasants infected with the Black Plague cause contagion at a local hospital...
It's about time the series began to explore some bigger ideas and the apocalyptic undertone to this episode work very well. Burn Gorman is good as Owen, facing severe guilt over his role in starting the crisis, while John Barrowman continues to capitalize on his better performance last week as Jack. Eve Myles always works best when the episode's give her something emotional and human to play with, so her attempts to prevent boyfriend Rhys' death is also quite involving.
One facet of End Of Days' plot is a series of spooky visions each Torchwood member has, involving people from their past urging them to stop the fracturing Rift by opening it fully. So we get return appearances from Ianto's girlfriend Lisa, Owen's love-interest Diane, Tosh's mother and a startling vision for Gwen delivered directly by returning villain Bilis...
Ah yes, Bilis. The excellent Murray Melvin bridges this episode and its predecessor as the time-trotting elderly villain, who we discover runs an antiques shop selling timepieces. Bilis is a superb character for the series and I sincerely hope he returns next year.
Technically, End Of Days has a terrific visual trump card to play in the dying moments, as a colossal demon stomps around Cardiff. The special-effects used to create the creature are stunning and the sense of scale very impressive (if you've ever wondered what a Godzilla movie would look like based in Wales, wonder no more...) The storyline remains logical and quick on its feet, culminating in some dramatic and unpredictable moments that single the finale out as easily the best episode of Torchwood.
For Doctor Who fans, there is even a delicious nod to the sibling series in the finale's last scene and the series ends on a high-note. Overall, it's just a shame this quality wasn't the standard for Torchwood. Again, there are some flaws along the way and suspension of disbelief is definitely required at times, but it's a fantastic end to a very sporadic series.
I just hope lessons have been learned when the show returns later this year...
