If you haven't been watching Doctor Who lately (and if not, why not?), then look away now. Last week's episode featured the long awaited return of popular companion, Captain Jack Harkness, in a surprise extended cameo that delighted fans everywhere.
Jack first appeared way back in Doctor Who's first season in 2005 alongside spin-off.
Something Borrowed (Season 2, Episode 9)
This episode had everything: a wedding, an alien pregnancy, and a chainsaw. It proved that Torchwood could be just as crazy as its parent show, while simultaneously drawing in an older audience. "Something Borrowed" was a Gwen-centric episode that focused on her getting married to Rhys Williams.
Unfortunately, the night before her wedding Gwen was off chasing a Nostrovite, which bit her, resulting in Gwen becoming pregnant with its spawn. Obviously this was not ideal but Gwen was never one to be fazed by an alien pregnancy so she insisted on going ahead with the ceremony for Rhys's sake.
Everything Changes (Season 1, Episode 1)
While Season 1 of Torchwood was not perfect by any means, there were still some excellent episodes spread throughout the season. One of the most difficult things for new shows to accomplish is having a decent pilot episode. Many fall at this first hurdle but Torchwood's first episode managed to nail it.
Gwen Cooper acted as the audience's eyes and ears, as she experienced the Torchwood organization at the same time we did. Jack more than managed to hold his own without the Doctor being present and the mystery of the stabbings was intriguing, with the twist at the end genuinely surprising.
Reset (Season 2, Episode 6)
Jack wasn't the only character from Doctor Who to make the transition to Torchwood. Halfway through the latter's second season, former companion to the Doctor, Martha Jones, appeared for a brief, three episode arc. She's even due to make a return to the series next month thanks to Big Finish.
"Reset" placed Martha front and center, as she returned to help Jack and the rest of Torchwood investigate a series of suspicious deaths linked to a shady research laboratory. There was plenty of nostalgia in this episode but viewers also got to see a new side of Martha, who appeared more confident and self-assured.
Cyberwoman (Season 1, Episode 4)
For the first three episodes of Torchwood, all fans had seen of Ianto Jones was that he was a quiet, mild-mannered young man who acted as the team's secretary. However, "Cyberwoman" really brought new depths to the character, in a tense and emotional base under siege story.
When the rest of the team went out for dinner, Ianto tended to his girlfriend, Lisa, who had undergone partial conversion to become a Cyberman during the Doctor Who Season 2 finale. Unfortunately, Lisa's Cyberman programming suddenly activated, turning her into a very real and dangerous threat.
Rendition (Season 4, Episode 2)
Torchwood: Miracle Day was a bit of an odd season, to be honest. On the one hand, it brought back Jack, Gwen, and Rhys after a two year absence and they were as brilliant as ever. On the other hand, though, it took a quintessentially British program and moved it across the pond to America.
We're not saying that that's a bad thing, as many British shows have thrived in America and vice versa, but it just didn't feel right for Torchwood. However, "Rendition" was a brilliant episode which featured Jack and Gwen at their best, and also gave viewers the most exciting and hilarious plane ride ever.
Fragments (Season 2, Episode 12)
Due to the nature of Torchwood's very first episode, the team was already well and truly established by the time that "Everything Changes" aired. This meant that the audience didn't get to see how every member ed Torchwood (with the exception of Gwen). Thankfully, though, "Fragments" changed that.
Jack, Ianto, Owen Harper, and Toshiko Sato were all caught up in an explosion and very nearly killed, leading them to flashback to when they first ed Torchwood. It was a great hour of television and properly intriguing to see how everyone ed up and became who they were in the present.
They Keep Killing Suzie (Season 1, Episode 8)
Suzie was one of Torchwood's most compelling characters, and that's really saying something considering that she only appeared in two episodes. In the first episode of Season 1, she was a senior member of the team and Jack's second in command, until she was revealed to be killing innocent people for her research.
Jack shot her when she threatened to kill Gwen and that was the end of Suzie. Or so everyone thought. Suzie knew she might die so she made a plan to assure her resurrection. Using the Resurrection Gauntlet, Suzie stole Gwen's life force, which was slowly killing her. It was an utterly fantastic episode.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (Season 2, Episode 1)
Yet another season premiere to make this list, this opening episode of Season 2 was simply pure Torchwood. The pre-titles sequence involved a high-speed car chase, a walking talking blowfish and the return of Captain Jack. Incredibly, though, the episode just kept on getting better and better.
It featured the first appearance of Captain John Hart, a rogue Time Agent and old friend/lover/enemy of Jack's. The episode also dealt with how Torchwood had evolved in Jack's absence, making the team less dependent on their leader. This rectified Season 1's main problem, which was that no one liked each other.
Exit Wounds (Season 2, Episode 13)
This was everything a season finale should be. Captain John returned to plague the team again, only to reveal that he wasn't working on his own and instead was under the control of Jack's thought to be dead brother, Gray. Viewers got more of an insight into Jack's own past, which was always a treat.
However, there was also a significant amount of drama. John, under Gray's influence, bombed the city of Cardiff, pushing the Torchwood team to their limits, and beyond. "Exit Wounds" also featured the tragic deaths of two beloved characters, the last of which was truly heartbreaking.
Torchwood: Children Of Earth (Season 3)
We know this is technically cheating, but given how there were only five episodes in Torchwood's third season, and how closely linked they all were, we decided to group them altogether in one entry.
The fact of the matter is that Torchwood: Children Of Earth is widely acknowledged to be the best season and every episode in this mini-series was absolutely phenomenal. The plot consisted of an alien known only as the 456 demanding 10% of the world's children. However, humanity's reaction to this global crisis was also explored in depth, highlighting in full force the occasional depravity of the human race.