Though it was conceived of by Russell T. Davies before he dived headlong into re-launching Doctor Who, Torchwood has become a significant and well made addition to Who-lore. Interestingly though, there are some who would argue that the spin-off just may have surpassed the spun and admittedly, I may be one of those people. I’ve certainly found it easier to get into Torchwood than Doctor Who, but then again Torchwood doesn’t have nearly 40 years of history behind it. Accessibility shouldn’t be a problem for Torchwood, but in the new miniseries, Children of Earth, even those that have never heard the name can find it easy to get into the high drama of the third series’ story line. And for hardcore fans there’s obviously a lot to talk about.

For those not in the know though, think of Torchwood as a British X-Files. That is if Mulder were an immortal bisexual time traveller from the 51st century, with knowledge that aliens run amok on Earth. And instead of a mouldy old basement in the Hoover Building with only a cynical former medical doctor for back-up, he has an entire team of experts that run out of an elaborate base in Cardiff. But don’t mistake Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) as some kind of dowdy FBI Agent. No, the bombastic Captain Jack is the complete antithesis of Fox Mulder in a lot of ways, which is exactly why his trials in Children of Earth are so jarring, as are his choices.

Originally airing as a five-night series, Children of Earth follows the team of Torchwood Three, Captain Jack, former police woman Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Jack’s personal assistant/boyfriend Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd), as they face their most difficult challenge yet. Already two team members down following the conclusion of the second series, Jack and team race to figure out who’s transmitting an ominous message through the Earth’s kids. “We are coming,” is all they say, but who are “we” and what do they want? The answers end up costing Torchwood greatly as the UK government makes them outlaws while contemplating a terrible deal with the aliens known only as The 456.

Davies and his team have gotten a lot of flack for some of their choices in Children of Earth, but I think they were bold, ballsy and imbued Torchwood with a dramatic punch it’s sometimes lacked in the previous two series. Davies basically creates an atmosphere where anything can and does happen, so much so that by the end of “Day Four,” when the big death happens, you’re seriously left wondering how Captain Jack’s going to dig his way out of it. Speaking of the man himself, the series plumbs into a less than heroic episode in the Captain’s past, and Barrowman demonstrates that he can play it hard when showing his character’s angst and self-doubt as well as his normally jocular and commanding swash-buckler mode.

Indeed the chemistry between the cast is as great as always, when Barrowman, Myles and David-Lloyd are together it’s magic. Kai Owen, who plays Gwen’s husband Rhys, a man that normally has nothing to do with anything alien, gets a beefed up role as he becomes the unofficial fourth member of the Torchwood team helping Gwen and friends keep up the fight in spite of government gooning. And while the show’s acting and dramatics are stronger than ever, the series shows it’s best production value ever including several elaborate scenes: from The 456’s fiery arrival at Thames House to Captain Jack’s regeneration after “dying” in an explosion caused by a bomb planted within him. The 456 themselves look like typical lo-fi plastic alien puppets, but the directors use camera tricks to create a ominous enough presence that it can be easily overlooked.

But by crafting an executing it’s most epic storyline yet, it’s nice to see that Torchwood hasn’t lost its touch with tremendous character drama. As evidenced by the outrage over the aforementioned big death, Davies knows how to hit people where they live, and that’s the most surprising aspect of all in Children of Earth. A strong beginning and a stronger finish create not only the most compelling Torchwood yet, but some of the most compelling TV all year. The series’ conclusion carries both a note of finality and a tease of more to come. We now know that more Torchwood is on the way, but like the name of Murder By Death’s second album ponders “Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them?”