Captain Jack Harkness: Season 1, Episode 12, Written by: Catherine Tregenna

This episode starts out with Captain Jack Harkness and Tosh Sato investigating an abandoned dance hall, which is said to be haunted by ghosts. Suddenly they slip through a time portal and they are back in the year 1941. They find themselves in the middle of a World War Two shipping-off party. While here, they hear a familiar name, Captain JackHarkness. This makes zero sense to Tosh because Jack’s age has always been a mystery she thinks she may now find out what has happened in Jack’s past to make him immortal. (Unless you have seen Doctor Who. Spoiler Alert!  Too make a long story short, Rose, who was possessed by the TARDIS at the time, brought Jack back to life.) But Tosh does not find out because this is a different Captain Jack Harkness in 1941, although he is the man whose identity Jack stole after 1941 Jack died. Jack then realizes that tomorrow is the day when 1941 Jack goes off to war and dies. When Jack realizes this he goes and talks to the other Jack to get to know the person whose identityhe has stolen. While Jack and Jack are talking, they notice they are both attracted to one another. But this is weird for the 1941 Jack because it is the 1940’s and being gay is taboo. Meanwhile, Tosh is finding out how to get back to the present, and she realizes she needs to make another portal. As she tries to work out how to get them back to the present, Jack and Jack’s romance blossoms, Jack asks 1941Jack to dance. As everyone stares at him, wondering what he will say, 1941 Jack walks up to Jack. Jack and 1941 Jack dance together! But just, the portal returns and Tosh runs to it dragging Jack with her. Before he leaves he runs back to1941 Jack and passionately kisses him. Then he steps into the portal, never to see the first Captain Jack Harknessagain.

-------------------------

Comments:

-I love this episode because is the first really good episodes of Torchwood.  Before this episode, I wasn’t quite sure I was a fan.

-This is a really sad episode because not only does the present day Jack have to leave his love, but the 1941 Jack got over his fear of what everyone else would think of his homosexuality and then it’s taken away in an instant, shortly before he dies.

-I think this episode was really cleverly done.  Even though the viewer knows how present day Jack became immortal, we are still learning about his past.  I like how it was set up for us to think we would learn more about that past, but then the writers tricked us.