Torchwood review: The Green Life is a wonderful meeting of two iconic companions

For the first time ever, Captain Jack Harkness meets legendary Third Doctor companion Jo Jones in the brand new Torchwood story, The Green Life!

This month’s Torchwood release is a story that many fans have been looking forward to. Not just because it’s a direct sequel to an absolutely iconic Third Doctor story, The Green Death. But also because The Green Life features the first ever meeting of two legendary Doctor Who companions: Captain Jack Harkness and Jo Jones!

What instantly leaps out about The Green Life is the fact that David Llewellyn wisely focuses on just Captain Jack and Jo for most of the story, giving the story the feeling of a two-hander. These are two very different companions from two very different worlds, and this is what really drives the story.

When Jack met Jo

In the decades since the events of The Green Death, Jo hasn’t really changed a bit. Sticking closely to how the character was presented in The Sarah Jane Adventures, she’s still absolutely full of energy, ready to take on the world and be full of boundless optimism.

Naturally, this makes her really stand out in the world of Torchwood, especially when she’s paired with Captain Jack. While Jo constantly wants to see the best in the situation, Jack’s a lot more cynical and direct in his approach.

This leads to a real clash between the two characters, one that’s made even more fascinating by the fact that they both used to companions to the Doctor. They’ve both had very different experiences and taken away different things from their former travels, and it’s fascinating discovering how much the Doctor has changed their lives in wildly different ways. As such, The Green Life feels a little closer to the Doctor Who universe than your usual Torchwood story.

A very direct sequel

What really adds to this is how much of a direct sequel The Green Life is to The Green Death. We return to the exact same village of Llanfairfach where the events of the original story took place, and we see the return of the giant maggots. We also find out that, in the decades since we last saw Jo there, something has been waiting…

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It’s definitely really satisfying listening to this story and finding out how much it so smoothly continues from The Green Death, even decades later. David Llewellyn is really keen to explore the consequences of that classic story, while at the same time, give it a darker edge in the Torchwood world. The original story was already an interesting and very political story that looked at major issues, particularly relating to the environment. But of course, in the world of Torchwood, things are even less black and white than they once were.

Still, as enjoyable as that aspect of The Green Life is, the real joy with this release is the pairing of Jack and Jo. John Barrowman and Katy Manning clearly had a lot of fun making this one, giving the story a wonderfully high level of energy and enthusiasm. An absolutely essential release for fans of both Classic Who and Torchwood.

Are you a fan of the iconic companion Jo Grant? Are you keen to listen to her meet Captain Jack Harkness for the first time? What do you think of her exit story The Green Death? Let us know in the comments below.