Children of Earth
Well wow, that was one intense week of television. I've always been kind of so-so on the subject of Torchwood. I love Captain Jack, and that's probably the only reason I watched the show. The first two seasons of the show were really hit or miss, imo, and I only could stand to watch it because of Jack and Tosh.
But Children of Earth... wow. Not only did it maintain the character-driven nature that makes the show work, this time they managed to craft a tightly-knit plot that just kept delivering for five straight hours. I can't really think of any one moment or really anything about the season that stood out to me as being deficient in any way. None that I can remember, anyway, and that's all that really matters.
Really, the plot was utterly horrifying. Watching the government types in that room where they decided on the 10% was one of the most cringe-inducing sequences I've ever seen. Poor, poor John Frobisher. He's one of the most pitiable characters that I can think of. I saw his end coming a mile away, and while not exactly original (reminds me of The Mist), still pretty gut-wrenching.
Oh, Ianto.
What the fuck, Jack, what the fuck.