ishtar79

-Overall, I liked it. I know fandom is not exactly enthusiastic as a whole, but then again, I expected nothing less after the fannish shitstorm than was the CoE aftermath.

-Having said that, I thought CoE was probably a superior series overall. RTD just didn't do his dystopian/evil government themes as well as this one.

-I was convinced Rex would die by the the end, so his survival was a pleasant surprise. I loved the final twist and everybody's reactions to it. I know Rex is not a fan favorite, but I loved how he consistently called Jack on his bullshit-not to mention that their back-and-forth made for some of the funniest moments of the series (that episode where Jack told paramedics he was his boyfriend! I died!)

-I was very bummed about Esther, much like I was about Vera before, but this being Torchwood, I avoided getting attached to any of the new characters.

-I kind of love that Julie survived. She's exactly the kind of character who somehow manages to make it through against all odds, while better/more moral people die. And I know the character was supposed to be loathsome, but I enjoyed her immensely in a “love to hate” way (in large part because of the actress).

-GWEN! <3 I used to be fairly neutral towards her, though inclined to like her more because of all the fandom venom she attracted, but somewhere during CoE, she became awesome...and then just kept getting better and better. I absolutely adore her current dynamic with Jack-all the UST is gone, but there's this weight of history among them and what they mean to each other that eclipses all other Torchwood relationships.

-John Borrowman's acting has improved a lot from his hammy early TW performances, and I definitely felt I “got” Jack better in this series than any of his previous appearances.

-Mind you, Bill Pullman can act circles around everybody else. Oswald was fascinating in an extremely repulsive way, and part of me couldn't help but be amused by the sheer wrongness of his final speech.

-Some of my favourite scenes from the series included Gwen's family, and not just because I like the Cardiff setting. I'd say Jack needs to recruit Gwen's mum for Torchwood, but I kind of like her alive.