In a bunker beneath Cardiff, in a very gloomy Wales, in a convenient rift in the space- time continuum, Captain Jack’s supersecret “Torchwood” team of young scientist-investigators use scavenged alien technology to identify and eliminate unwelcome alien invaders, whether those aliens are swamp-monster “weevils,” sex-addicted gasbags, or “ghost machines” that archive traumatic occasions. You may recognize Captain Jack (John Barrowman) from a melodramatic arc last season in Doctor Who. He hails from the 51st century, is sexually ambivalent, and is not nearly as interesting as the Cardiff cop (Eve Myles) he recruits, who’s both the cutie-pie and the conscience of the team. Rocky Horror meets Agent Scully, and it’s not half-bad.

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• Archive: “Television”
• Articles by John Leonard
• Table of Contents: September 17, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!