Torchwood: End of Days (Episode 113)

This is what happens here. We all end up alone.

We begin with Gwen laughing at yet another bout of Rhys’s season long struggle with Dispantia, but all humour is sucked out of the morning when Jack calls asking her to watch the news.

There are aliens over the Taj Mahal. There are ancient warriors fighting in the streets. There are the Beatles on the roof of Abbey Road studios and the religious nutcase calling for the “End of Days.” Hey, if I remember my Sunday school lessons properly, the four horsemen were not called John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Techno-Title Flash.

Ianto is seriously disappointing me be going along with the “end of days” idea, and reading out of the Bible, “And I heard but did not understand; then I said, master, what is the end of all these things? // And he said “go Daniel, the things are closed up and sealed until the end of time.” He claims it’s from Daniel 12, verse 10. Well, my Sunday school teachers would be oh so proud of me, as I realized that he’d made a mistake. After consulting my trusty King James, it’s actually Daniel, Chapter 12, verses 8 and 9. Of course, I’m sure they always hoped I’d use my knowledge to snark about random Torchwood trivia.

Come to think of it, Torchwood would probably kill my Sunday school teachers, so please don’t tell them. Thanks.

Ianto also references Abaddon, who is all over the Book of Revelation and really isn’t a nice guy. He’s not a lovable Crowley type of demon. As for Jack, he mocks any religious interpretation, as a story based on an in-depth mythology is never heard of in the Whoniverse, despite the Doctor’s hand, Jack’s auspicious ending, and the faith based 30th season finale. Oh wait, I’m being snarky again.

As for most of the sane world, they’re asking what Torchwood has to do with it. Apparently, they have a lot to do with it as the Rift is splintering out, with the Hub as its epicenter. In short, it isn’t any deity causing the end of days. Nope. This time it’s all Owen Harper. He shouldn’t have opened the rift, even if it was to bring back Jack and Tosh.

“Are we going to sit around crying into our lattes, or are we going to do something about it?” Owen asks. Of all retorts he could go with, he chooses this one? Although, I have to admit he does have a point on calling Jack for not having a plan.

Jack tries to be reassuring, saying that he knows it’s not the end of the world. Considering he’s from the future, he’d know, even is time is all wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey. In a case of classic dramatic irony, we all know he’s telling the truth, as he’s going to witness the end of the world personally, 5 billion years from now.

Owen goes on a call to the hospital and Tosh is taken with him. Once they’re gone, Gwen totally picks the wrong time to yell at Jack about hurting Owen’s feelings. Considering what I think was the real reason Owen opened the Rift last week, I though Owen got off rather light.

Jack finally calls Gwen on what a lot of us have been thinking this season, she’s a hypocrite, as he comments that she’d know all about Owen’s feelings. I would say ouch, but she totally earned it.

Gwen’s former partner, PC Andy calls with a dilemma of his own. He’s arrested a genuine Roman soldier, who is now cursing him out in Latin. At least, I assume he’s cursing him out as I’m not going to learn Latin just to find out what it is he’s shouting. As Gwen and Jack rationally explain that the man in the cell is a genuine Roman soldier who’s fallen through time, PC Andy has difficulty believing anything like that can happen in Cardiff. He even calls Jack and Gwen “Mulder and Scully,” which totally earns him my undying geeky love. I’d like to put in a request now for more PC Andy in series two please as his reaction to all this is totally what I think was the original concept for Gwen.

“Under any other circumstances, an exuberant Roman soldier would be my idea of a perfect morning,” Jack says on his way into the cell. You know, I take comfort in the idea that no matter how dire the circumstances, Jack will always be thinking with his little Jack.

As for Andy, he’s worried that the world is going to end on his shift.

As for Owen and Tosh, they’ve just discovered an outbreak of the Black Death in downtown Cardiff. When he gives the orders fro everyone to be treated for the Plague, the attending Doctor scoffs. While it’s great that Owen finally accepts some responsibility for what’s happening, I find it far more interesting that he calls the attending, “House.” When does Owen Harper get time to watch the television between sleeping with his coworkers and brooding?

Of course, this is only the beginning as we’ve got a whole slew of diseases that could come through the Rift. The 1917 flu and Small Pox could be particularly nasty.

Losing sight of Owen for half a second, Tosh turns around and experiences a hallucination of her mother, warning her that something is coming and that she has to do something. The first time I saw this episode, all I could think is that could mean anything according to Torchwood logic, so it would help if Tosh’s mother was a little more specific.

Back at the jail, Gwen learns that Jack won’t manipulate time just for a few time refugees. I guess after traveling with the Doctor, messing with time is definitely the first lesson one would learn.

Gwen has a hallucination of her own. She sees Bilis Manger in a cell and hears “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry” in her head. So now Bilis is quoting the Doctor’s favourite line?

Back at the Hub, she tells Jack of her hallucination but is interrupted when Ianto brings in a Weevil. Apparently, they’ve been running loose since the time disturbances began and between the Weevils and the time refugees, all nine levels of Torchwood’s cells are full. The end of days is certainly screwing with the mythology I know, as I don’t believe a plague of Weevils was ever one of the signs of the apocalypse.

Once Ianto’s left alone in the cells, he has a hallucination of his own. It’s Lisa, whole, healthy and human, telling him to open the rift or people will die.

As Ianto’s looking like he’s about to have a nervous breakdown in the cells, Tosh looks like she’s about to have on in the Hub while Owen goes on about all those diseases that might fall through the Rift. As for Owen, he’s demanding Jack lead them. To what, Owen? Even Jack admits he can’t fix anything and the whole confrontation comes across more as Owen trying to deflect the blame rather than being anything useful.

Jack tosses it back on Owen but Owen counters with the whole falseness of Captain Jack Harkness’ existence. It’s a well acted scene by all those involved, but I’m having real difficultly following the lack of logic in this argument. Owen even asks that if Jack’s no real, why should Owen do as he says? Well, there’s a whole meta-argument to be made here, but really, the lack of logic is killing my brain. It’s like when I used to fight with my brother when I was little, we just shouted random shit at each other until we were sent to our rooms. The only thing missing from this argument is for it to degrade into, “No, you’re stupid.”

Jack fires him. I applaud.

Gwen, unfortunately, turns into Pollyanna and says that they all need to stick together. In a backwards way, Jack even calls Gwen on that by demanding that anyone who agrees with Owen can leave. No one moves. As for Owen, he realizes he’s got 24 hours before he’s Retconned. Good, maybe he can forget this moody crap and go back to being a prat. I enjoyed him when he was still a prat.

Momentarily, as Owen, away from the team, has a few moments of difficulty as he doesn’t want to leave, I feel sorry for him. It’s too bad that he couldn’t just suck up his pride and apologize. In truth, the same thing could be said about Jack here, but Owen’s been such an ass for so long, that firing him was really the only alternative.

Now in Bilis’ store, “A Stitch in Time” Gwen and Jack realize that the Ritz manager makes a living selling antique clocks he’s stolen from other eras.

Fully aware that “time theft” isn’t a chargeable offence; Bilis admits that he can easily step through time. I have to admit, when I first saw this, I thought they were setting up Bilis to be a really creepy modern version of the Master, but then we got the whole Saxon storyline.

The only advice Bilis has is to open the Rift, and let it suck back what it dropped through time. In response, Jack holds a gun on him, demanding the old man come back to the Hub, which is a little stupid, since Bilis just admitted how easily he can step through time. As if to prove the point, Bilis disappears.

Jack leaves but Gwen remains behind and Bilis reappears to reinforce his suggestion. He takes her forward in time and shows her a glimpse of Rhys’ murder.

Not stopping to doubt the situation for a second, Gwen runs out of the store, past Jack and back to her flat. Not only is Rhys safe, but also he’s doing mundane household chores. You’d think at this point Gwen might question the Bilis’ motives and the situation, but she doesn’t. To keep Rhys safe, she hits him with a stun gun. Gwen, you should think before you pump your boyfriend full of electricity.

In a bar, Owen has a hallucination of his own, Diane. Since I blame her for the character of Owen going from being delightfully ambiguous in loyalties to ridiculously, emo, I try not to dry heave. She begs for Owen to open the Rift and bring her back. How can Owen not see this for what it is a cosmic set up?

In one of the few empty cells at the Hub, Rhys is not happy to find himself locked up. I’m grateful that he has pants on. As for Gwen, she mirrors what Jack said earlier about asking everyone to trust him. She asks for Rhys to trust her, but won’t give him an explanation. You know, there are a lot of demands for trust in this episode, but not a lot of trust given.

Upstairs, Gwen thanks everyone for helping her deal with the future Bilis showed her, and I’m thinking now might be a good time for Ianto and Tosh to speak up about their encounters. Instead, an alarm goes off warning of a security breach. Jack asks no one to panic.

I’ve found another recurring motif in this episode, beside the whole trust thing; the whole not listening to one’s leader thing. Gwen panics, screams for Rhys and rushes down to the cells.

Rhys’ door is open and he calmly walks out, but Bilis is there waiting. Totally missing out on the fact Bilis is the creepiest old guy ever, Rhys politely introduces himself. Bilis responds by stabbing him twice in the gut and then disappears.

The lights come back on and Gwen and Jack come into to find Rhys. Eve Myles nearly kills me as Gwen screams and begs for Jack to bring him back. There may be times when the character is a little uneven, but Myles can sell just about anything. She even makes me tear up, and considering it’s Gwen – that’s an accomplishment.

Rhys’ body has been moved upstairs, where Gwen is watching over him. Meanwhile, she’s completely ignores Jack, who is gently cleaning her up, as one would a toddler who got too much ice cream on her hands. It’s a rather sweet moment as Gwen is lost in her own world, while Jack is taking care of her.

Coming out of her shock, Gwen insists that she has to tell his family, refusing Ianto’s offer to deal with it. Looking at Tosh and Ianto, Gwen smiles and says the quote that started off this recap, insisting that it will not be her fate. When Jack refuses, because he really doesn’t know what will happen, to bring Rhys back, Gwen attacks him. Most actresses worry about looking elegant and sounding pitiful. Gwen flails and squeaks, and finally has to be prevented from falling to the floor by Jack, making it far more realistic and affecting.

Tosh and Ianto can’t even look at her. Sadly, Ianto’s the one in the room who knows how she feels and even he can’t deal with her grief.

A domino effect of rejection occurs. Owen returns and ignores Tosh – who is the only one happy to see him. As Owen goes to comfort Gwen, she rejects him and sits back with Rhys. This is followed by Owen turning on Jack (again) demanding to know how many people have to suffer. Oh, I don’t know the same number of people that have to listen to your platitudes I think, Owen.

The biggest rejection of all comes from a surprise candidate. Owen goes to open the Rift and Ianto follows him. Jack, and probably the entire viewing audience considering that Ianto shot Owen last week, assumes he’s going to stop Owen. He isn’t. The rest of the team follows suit. If Ianto, loyal to a fault Ianto, has turned on Jack, that’s good enough for the rest of them, even Gwen.

Firmly convinced opening the Rift is a trap, Jack holds the team at gunpoint but he can’t fire. Instead, he tries to separate the mob mentality and individualizes each one. Tosh, who’ll screw anything that’ll remember she exists. He mocks Owen’s round with a Weevil. He reminds Ianto that all the people he now stands with shot Lisa. As for Gwen, she loves Rhys so much that she sleeps with Owen. Well Jack, usually, the divide and conquer method would work, but not when you try to divide them by alienating them further.

In order to open the Rift, the computer needs retina scans of all the team. Since Jack would never agree, Owen shoots him in the head or as a power trip. You choose. In case you need more evidence upon which to base your choice, Owen shoots Jack twice in the chest. This leads to a different, more philosophical question; is it possible to overkill someone who can’t die?

After some dramatic music, and dramatic pauses, it’s Gwen who finally presses the button. Just as Jack awakens, the Rift opens, causing severe and very symbolic damage to the Hub. In the cells, the Roman centurion disappears and Rhys’ corpse vanishes from autopsy.

Once they’ve escaped the Hub, Bilis is waiting for them. He makes it sound very dramatic, but, essentially, it was trick to get the team to release the brother of the beast from “The Satan Pit.” He was imprisoned under the Rift. Bilis calls him Abaddon, “the great devourer come to feast on life.” Once I get a glimpse of him, I call him Abaddon, the not so stellar example of CGI.

As Abaddon makes his way through Cardiff, Godzilla-like panic ensues. Except Godzilla was a better special effect. Whenever his shadow falls on anyone, they instantly die.

Even though, from the second Jack awoke, he’s practically been hanging of Ianto, Jack asks for Gwen, alone, to get him to an open space. In one sense, the gripping onto Ianto sense, his decision to take Gwen is inexplicable. From a storytelling perspective, this is a journey Jack started with Gwen at the beginning of the series and now they have to finish it.

They take the TT-SUV out into the middle of the field, where jack divulges his super secret plan. If Abaddon needs to devour life, Jack’s an “all you can eat buffet.” He shoves Gwen away, telling her to leave and shouting “Bring it on,” to Abaddon. There’s a cheerleading joke in there somewhere but damned if I can find it.

Helplessly, Gwen watches as Abaddon tries to eat Jack. There’s no way to say that without it sounding dirty. The power of Jack’s almost everlasting life is too much, and Abaddon perish, but so, as Gwen believes, does Jack.

We have a brief montage of dead Jack and, for the second time that day, Gwen cradles another corpse. That's totally got to make this her worst day ever.

Rushing home to her flat, Gwen finds a confused Rhys. The timeline’s been set right, except for the dead immortal Jack. There’s an oxymoron I never expected to type.

At the Hub, Jack’s corpse is put into cold storage but despite Owen’s assurances that this is Jack’s final death, Gwen wants to sit with him for a while. Owen followed by Tosh and Ianto walk away from her, which is exactly the same order they mentally left Jack in the first place.

We have another montage; this one is of Gwen, awaiting Jack’s resurrection. For a Whoniverse with such an atheistic view of things, so much of the storytelling relies on faith. I’m sure there’s an academic essay in there somewhere and if I had the time, I’d write it, but if someone beats me to it, could you at least reference me?

As Gwen waits, Owen Tosh and Ianto are watching her, initially, that is until Ianto goes into Jack’s office to tidy up. That’s my Ianto, when all else fails, he cleans. Reverently, he pick’s up Jack’s overcoat, and starts crying.

Giving us a timeline, Tosh tries to convince Gwen to let Jack go, as it’s been days since his death. I’m going to guesstimate three days or is that too snarky of me?

“I believe in him,” Gwen insists. Nope, definitely not too snarky of me.

Despite her insistence, Gwen, in a great representation of her flip-flopping character all season, holds Jack’s hand one last time, kisses him and walks away. Wait, wasn’t this the woman who insisted that she believed in him?

She’s stopped by a weak whisper, “Thank you.” Of course the second Jack would turn to walk away, Jack would wake up. I mean, how much of a messiah-figure could he be if, in moments when the most devout lose faith, if he didn’t then perform some kind of miracle?

Gwen leads Jack back out to the rest of his flock. He hugs Tosh but hits 11 on the hotness scale by kissing Ianto.

In his most benevolent moment, Jack also hugs Owen, as a sign of forgiveness. No bullet in the head for a bullet in the head on this show. Owen weeps. As the camera pans over the team, I start wondering what the 10 commandments of the church of Jack are going to be.

As a set up for the second series, Jack tells Gwen that even though the Rift sealed after Abaddon died, it’ll be more volatile in the future. In an odd moment, Gwen asks Jack who his hallucination was, as the rest of the team saw people they loved. Excuse me Gwen, but you saw Bilis and it was Bilis who showed you Rhys. What exactly am I supposed to take from that? I’d follow that logic a little further, but it might make me physically ill to think about it.

Jack saw nothing, and the only vision that would tempt him to open the Rift is “the right kind of Doctor.”

Refusing to discuss it further, Jack wonders how long it takes three members of the Torchwood team to get coffee. I guess Ianto was too shaken by the turn of events to be able to make it himself.

Leaving his office, he sees the Doctor’s hand in a jar glowing and moving. A gust of wind and the familiar sound of the TARDIS make Jack smile.

Wondering what the sudden windstorm is about, Gwen comes out of the office to find the Hub empty as the sound, foreign to her, fades away. The rest of the team returns and Gwen says ominously, “Something’s taken him, Jack’s gone.”

The camera pulls away from the team and I find it rather poignant that there’s Ianto, holding Jack’s coffee. It pans out further, pulling out from Roald Dahl Plass, and across the harbour. To be honest, I wish it had pulled back into space, as a more obvious visual symbol as to Jack’s whereabouts.

Of course, as we all know by now, Jack’s gone to “Utopia.” At least, he’s trying to, but the journey’s a bitch.