Torchwood (TV Series) Captain Jack Harkness (2007) User Reviews

A Very Powerful and Memorable episode

[ga-bsi · 9/10 · 6 April 2009]

This episode is one of my favourite of the first season. It displays

human emotion very well and the performances of the actors back the script up very well. I do have to admit that I wasn't expecting the

kiss between the two Captain Jack Harknesses, but this moment actually made the episode more powerful for me. The kiss was so passionate and lovely, that it made me understand the emotions of the characters in this episode even more. The storyline gave a good depiction of regret, love and sorrow without being overbearing or too much for the viewer. It also showed the prejudice and prosecution that the Japanese suffered at this time. The set and costume design for this episode were also great.

It's a big episode, it offers the viewer a great deal.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 1 June 2023]

Jack and Toshiko head to a disused club, over complaints of music being heard, no sooner are they there, then they are transported back to 1941, Owen, Ianto and Gwen face a race to open The rift, and get them back.

So many good elements, the mystery itself, the threat of the rift opening, and of course that jaw dropping moment when The real Captain Jack Harkness is introduced.

A very resonant moment where Toshiko realises that back then she would have been eyed with suspicion, a theme that would now very likely be omitted.

You'd want Gwen and Owen on your side, I fear if it was just Ianto, you'd be stuck somewhere in the past.

Lots of little, satisfying snippets to look out for, The Bad Wolf sign, The Vote Saxon posters, series one of Torchwood felt more like an extension of Doctor Who than simply a spin-off series.

I've grown to enjoy Murray Melvin's performance as Bilis, he's certainly a bit creepy and strange, a shade camp, but he's menacing and intriguing enough, overall the character works very well.

9/10.

"You should live every night like it's your last"

[thomasgouldsbrough · 8/10 · 28 March 2022]

With this episode, Torchwood is becoming good. This was actually a pretty good episode. It had an interesting plot, and the main characters each had interesting stories. The standoff between Owen and Ianto is fantastic, Ianto actually gets some good screen time for once. This is probably the best Torchwood episode of the first series.

One perfect moment...

[cutebutstoopid · 10/10 · 7 January 2008]

One of my favourite aspects of speculative fiction is the possibility of offering characters the chance to experience a perfect moment; it is a device rarely available within the constraints of conventional fiction.

Without indulging in spoilers, there is a moment in the final act worthy of "Awakening" in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", "Father's Day" in "Doctor Who", or Wesley's death in the finale of "Angel." Or maybe I'm just a sucker.

John Barrowman and Matt Rippy are flawless, and the contrivances are irrelevant when they deliver the final act's emotional payoff. (Rippy, especially, although Barrowman gets the more tragic load to carry, and proves himself more than capable of doing the heavy lifting.) Don't ask for details, just trust me and watch it. And I freely admit to not being "Torchwood"'s biggest fan.

Above average episode of this British sci-fi drama

[DVD_Connoisseur · 1 January 2007]

As the (first?) series nears its finale, the British-made "Torchwood" steps up a gear with this strong episode.

When Harkness and Toshiko are trapped in a dance-hall in 1941, the team struggle to retrieve them through the rift. There's a real sense of danger in this episode and the tone is set for the finale. Excellent performances from the cast make this a memorable and emotional episode.

This is an above average episode with some genuinely moving scenes. John Barrowman steals the show as Harkness comes face-to-face with his namesake in war-time Cardiff.

Without a doubt, this is superbly performed and gripping drama.

Good Acting & Dialogue on top of a Bad Plot

[taser-3 · 6/10 · 2 March 2008]

I do agree that the actors' performances here are quite good, and the writer did give the character's some good dialogue/development in this episode. This was such a nice emotional episode that one can easily get drawn into the human drama and overlook an otherwise feebly constructed plot -- which is great for those who don't care about details and simply love the human drama. However, if you are a science fiction fan whose suspension of disbelief "circuit" tends to trip up on poorly designed details, this episode is quite annoying. Over all, the writers abandon ingenuity in favor of using overused, contrived, and misconstrued plot-devices throughout. I will fore go giving a list of issues since such a critique is too long winded for my tastes (and they are very obvious anyway), and simply note the general critique for those of us who find this kind of issue important.

The very last kiss

[sinceverona · 4 September 2009]

Kaptain Jack Harkness and Toshiko are sent back in time. It is 1940. and they get among other guests in the dance hall. Soon they meet the members of 71 division and their captain. This is their last day on leave. While being introduced Jack and the Captain starts at the same time, but the captain says his name first. His name is Jack Harkness and Jack being stunned at first says his name is Captain James Harper. Toshiko insists to know what is happening , and Jack explains that the captain did not take his name but it was vise versa. In Torchwood Ianto and Owen realize that Jack and Toshiko had fallen trough the rift and with Gwens help they try to find the way to open the rift. But the story really begins when mysterious and know it all Mr. Bilis Manger appears. It is a very emotional episode. Traped in the past, Jack becomes more human than ever. Toshiko becomes very capable and ready for any sacrifice. Gwen walks through the corridors of a dance hall in present and only hears music in the distance but she still stays cool. Owen has a secret plan and the way he achieved it I believe it was rather in his self interest and not to help the team. Ianto was a real stronghold, remained as always faithful to Jack. The dance hall was beautifully decorated. If I didn't know it was an episode of Torchwood I would really believed I'm watching a second world war movie.