Captain Jack Harkness is back in the mature "Doctor Who" spin-off "Torchwood."

The story: Torchwood is an organization that investigates (and sometimes has to stop) alien, paranormal and otherwise unexplainable events that come through a rift in space and time in Cardiff. The team is comprised of Doctor Owen Harper, the secretary/chaffeur/team member Ianto, the tech expert Toshiko, police officer Gwen Cooper, and the leader of the pack- the mysterious Captain Jack Harkness. The first season consists of 13 episodes. Along with "Angel," "Torchwood" is one of the best spin-offs to ever hit the airwaves. Why you ask? Simply put, "Torchwood" is a mature, ahead of its time sci-fi show that touches on adult topics. As much as I treasure the new "Doctor Who," it can be plagued by silly aliens (I'm looking at you Slitheen). Thankfully, "Torchwood" has no goofy elements. Instead, one can expect to see dark storylines about the apocalypse, betrayal, evil fairies, as well as touch on subjects like emotional crisis, the dark side of humanity, and homosexuality. It's refreshing to see a sci-fi series that touches on homosexuality/bi-sexuality as no mainstream sci-fi program really has before. Sure "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" did have a lesbian romance between Willow and Tara, but it was never front and center and was shyed away from at times. "Torchwood" is a very open series that doesn't shy away from anything. Maybe one day the U.S. will have the courage to put out a daring and original sci-fi like this. Aside from the stories, the cast is what drives the show. When I first saw the charismatic John Barrowman on "Doctor Who," I instantly thought that he deserved his own show. Thankfully, he got his own spin-off. While I like all of the other characters, Captain Jack is really the most appealing character as we are continually learning more about him. As for the best episodes of the season, my personal favorites are: * Everything Changes- The pilot episode that perfectly sets up the show. * Cyberwoman- Some fans criticize this episode, but I enjoyed every second of it. How can you not like a Pterodctyl vs. Cyberwoman battle? * Random Shoes- A great episode in which a geeky ghostly dead man, with an interest in alien life, gets to follow the Torchwood team in the hope of finding out who murdered him.

The 16:9 widescreen picture can be a tad blurry at times, but otherwise this is a typically sharp transfer from BBC. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track is equally impressive. The sound f/x, music, dialogue is mostly clear as day.

Disc 1: * "Justice League: New Frontier" trailer and a BBC America ad. * 11 minutes of deleted scenes from "Everything Changes," "Day One," and "Cyberwoman." These scenes add more characterization to Gwen, more team squabbling, and a few quick humorous scenes. * "Torchwood- Out Of This World" looks at the Weevil aliens and Sex Gas. 10 1/2 minutes. * "Torchwood On The Scene" is a 15 1/2 minute featurette that includes descriptions of the show, table readings, a look at the HUB, etc. * "Welcome To Torchwood" is a 14 1/2 minute featurette selling the show. * Commentary- "Everything Changes"- A very laid back track in which Russell T. Davies, Brian Kelly, and Judy Garland talk about how the spin off came about. * Commentary- "Day One"- Richard Stokes, Chris Chibnall, and Eve Myles chat about their time on set as well provide an analysis of scenes and characters. Disc 2: * "Doctor Who" series 3 ad. * "Torchwood- Out Of This World" The Ghost Machine, cyberwoman and fairies are described in great depth. Viewers also get an inside look at the costume for the cyberwoman as well as the cgi for the fairies. 15 1/2 minutes. * Colin Teague, Burn Gorman, and Helen Raynor provide commentary on "Ghost Machine." * James Strong, Chris Chibnall and Gareth David Lloyd do a very talkative, fact a second commentary for "Cyberwoman." * Commentary by Ben Foster, Eve Miles and Alice Troughton on "Small Worlds." Disc 3: * "MI-5" ad * A self-explanatory 15 1/2 minute featurette titled "Torchwood: Sex, Violence, Blood And Gore." * "Torchwood: The Team And Their Troubles" looks at the conflicts between Ianto and the serial killer Evan in "Countrycide" and Toshiko and Mary's romance in "Greeks Bearing Gifts." * Commentary- "Countrycide"- Gareth David Lloyd, Andy Goddard, and Chris Chibnall. * Commentary-"Greeks Bearing Gifts"-Richard Stokes, Colin Teague and Toby Whithouse. Why doesn't Naoko Mori appear here? All the other main cast members appear on a commentary. Disc 4: * "The State Within" trailer * "Torchwood On The Road" is a 9 minute featurette on the SUV vehicle the team rides around in. * "Torchwood: The Team And Their Troubles" looks at ex co-workers Owen and Suzie and boyfriend/girlfriend Gwen and Eugene. * Deleted scenes from "Countrycide," "Greeks Bearing Gifts," "They Keep Killing Suzie," and "Random Shoes." * Commentary- "They Keep Killing Suzie"- James Strong, Chris Chibnall, and Brian the script editor. * Commentary- "Random Shoes"- Richard Stokes and James Erskine. Disc 5: * "MI-5" volume 1 ad. * "Torchwood: Moments In The Making" looks at the 50's airplane and the fight arena from episodes "Out Of Time" and "Combat." 10 1/2 minutes. * "The Captain's Log" (10 1/2 minutes)is John Barrowman's amusing video diary that he does in between takes. * Commentary- "Out Of Time"- Eve Myles, Alice Troughton, and Ben Foster. * Commentary- "Combat"- Burn Gorman, Chris Chibnall, and Andy Goddard. It would have been nice to hear Noel Clarke on this track! Disc 6: * * "Doctor Who" series 2 ad. * 5 1/2 minutes of Outtakes that are actually funny! * Deleted scenes from "Out Of Time that add more character. Also included are quick deleted scenes from "Captain Jack Harkness" and "End Of Days." * "Torchwood: On Time" talks about the 1941 recreation in "Captain Jack Harkness" (10 mins.) * "Torchwood: Moments In The Making" looks at the Jack and Jack romance in "Captain Jack Harkness" and the HUB's destruction in "End Of Days." * The two best commentary tracks are for "Captain Jack Harkness" and "End Of Days" as Richard Stokes, Ashley Way, and Captain Jack himself John Barrowman provide commentary. Not only do we get a lot of insight into the production, but we also get loads of humor from Barrowman. Disc 7: * 14 10 minute episodes of "Torchwood Declassified," which is a lot like "Doctor Who Confidential."

With season two starting off superbly, it's safe to say that "Torchwood" is one of the best sci-fi shows in the last 20 years. Highly recommended.