What makes "Torchwood" special is its adult, open-minded, and often dark approach to certain storylines and themes--in contrast to Dr. Who, which is also a good series, but more family-oriented and thus often not as satisfying--as well as its entertaining mixture of fantasy, science fiction and crime.
This season is even better and more exciting than the first one: unpredictable, full of adventure, suspense, fun, and sexual tension/innuendos. The characters are now more established and fleshed out, and even though Gwen has maybe still a bit too much screen time for my taste, it's very enjoyable to see the team work to save Cardiff and the world. This season ends in a finale that will blow you away, because it comes totally unexpected--and it will leave you wanting more. More of "Torchwood" and its characters!
Charismatic lead actor John Barrowman, who sometimes seems disappointingly underused as a supporting actor in Dr. Who--especially in the fourth season's finale--does an extraordinary job in his portrayal of Captain Jack Harkness. The range of emotions he displays is amazing; he really brings the character to life and is a pure joy to watch. It's also enjoyable to see the relationship between him and Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd), who has a lot of funny and fabulous lines and definitely more screen time this season, develop some more. Hopefully we'll get to see more of that and a strengthening of their relationship in the third one as well.
If Martha and Mickey (from Dr. Who) really end up joining "Torchwood," I surely hope Russell T. Davies won't change "Torchwood's" own tone and style but keep this a series for adult viewers who've come to love the characters and the modern feel of this series. There is "Dr. Who" and there is "Torchwood," and I'd like them to remain separated to a certain extent.
Seeing snogging and love between same-sex characters is definitely part of what makes this series so special and unique since it's the first time ever that we get an action-oriented SF/F TV show which also concentrates on character development and doesn't shy away from portraying love in any form.
The DVD set looks beautiful and elegant. In my opinion, red and black (1st season) are perfect colors for "Torchwood," so I hope they'll stick with that for the next season and return to a black set.
Along with the episodes you get some nice extras, such as deleted scenes, outtakes, a documentary on Captain Jack and "Torchwood Declassified". I'd have appreciated audio commentaries by the cast and crew, too, but maybe we'll get them along with other extras when season two comes out in HD.
Anyway, for this price the set is a steal, so don't miss out on this wonderful series. It's definitely worth buying! To quote John Barrowman, "Torchwood, YEAH!"