The Tragic Torchwood Episode that Changed Everything

No monsters, no aliens, nothing to battle. Is 'Out of Time' one of the greatest Torchwood episodes because of how it subverts, well...everything?
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#DoctorWho #Torchwood #Review

[@HarboWholmes]

As usual, make sure to check out my Patreon to directly support the channel since the BBC are making this job real hard for me nowadays: www.patreon.com/harbowholmes

[@DanTheMan2150AD]

The scene in which Jack and John are sitting in the car holding hands while the fumes flood the car is one of this spin-offs more powerful scenes and rivals that of Doctor Who in a way.

[@I_Stole_Your_Toast]

Patreon

[@fire_phoenix04]

I legit got confused for a minute and thought you meant jack the character and John the actor who plays him were sat in the car together and was like “what when” but then I remembered that John was the name of a character in the show

[@jbach1738]

Yes. That was pretty deep.

[@Nyaliva]

I recently lost my best friend and I wish I was immortal like Jack because if I couldn't do anything to stop him, I wish I at least could've been there at the end.

[@awkwardyoshi6979]

...I'm just now realising that the car was Ianto's personal car. Imagine a guy steals your keys, your boss goes after him and they both try to commit (self death), one succeeding, IN YOUR CAR. I mean idek what to say, or what the right response is to that situation. Do you sell the car? is that the respectful thing to do?

[@blobfish5730]

This is probably the first Torchwood episode to do something mature with its higher age rating.

[@hothemeep1219]

Did you watch the second episode ?

[@toast99bubbles]

@@hothemeep1219 That was it doing something immature with the higher age rating.

[@toast99bubbles]

Countrycide kinda did that though with the cannibals.

[@pikachucetthesecond4296]

​@@toast99bubbles Well, Countrycide was certainly shocking, but I don't think I could call it "mature", it was just gorier than anything you'd see on Doctor Who.

[@NoahIsCanned]

I like how this is one of those episodes that doesn't really have aliens or monsters. It's just an episode where 3 people from the past get stuck in the future.

[@smorgasbord9940]

“Gwen acts as a stand in motherly figure for her” Also Gwen: takes a teenager from the 50’s to a night club*

[@rosiehawtrey]

What could possibly go right? Although I'd have *paid* to see the look on the girls face if it was a gay bar or lgbt night 😁. God almighty but that Rhys is a whinging wet weekend in Blaenau - what on earth does she see in him? Even when he grows a pair he's as dull as a channel 4 sunday.

[@smorgasbord9940]

Rhys looks like a teddy bear. And I don’t mean that in complimenting him by calling a bear I mean as in his face looks like if a computer was given an image of a teddy bear and told to make it human. I don’t have a prob with him he just *bears* an uncanny resemblance

[@PwnZombie]

Taking an innocent girl to a cesspool of degeneracy - shows how modern culture corrupts the youth.

[@barry1369]

The scene where John goes to see his son and it turns out he has dementia is heartbreaking. When his son goes who are you just brings a tear to your eye

[@mattthesilent777RED]

As a guy who had great-uncles with dementia (even if I never saw them), I would really feel heartbroken if I talked to a relative with this situation

[@HiperPivociarz]

I like what you said at the beginning, but i would phrase it differently. Torchwood does not have the TARDIS, thefore it's limited when it comes to time travel stories. But Doctor Who is also limited in that regard BECAUSE it has the TARDIS. There are stories that arise from limitations, and because the TARDIS takes away those limitations, you can't tell those stories.

[@plantainsame2049]

Want to do a season similar to the 3rd doctor Where the doctor is stuck on Earth but no main companion so that we Don't have to do it stuck in one decade Like put the doctor in cowboy times and have them live up to the present

[@lucypreece7581]

This episode is sublime. Personal, intimate, and has time to breathe. The acting and writing is on point, the pacing works well just all of it. Chefs kiss to this episode. A million chefs kisses. One of my personal faves from Torchwood.

[@Venemofthe888]

its a very good episode and a very sad one as well especially with John getting heart broken by finding his son older than him and having Alzheimers. Its absolutely heartbreaking. Him also deciding to kill himself due his new circumstances and his heartbreak of not being there for his son and having left his life for him as a hour but for his son over many decades. It is nice detail that Jack mentions when you die theres nothing but darkness something Suzie says earlier in the series. Emma i would say probably is the most happy part and learning about the new world shes in and having Gwen being her motherly figure guiding her through. It is nice that she gets a job in London and starts a new life and a new job. Its kinda sweet in a way and letting her go was emotional but lovely. It also shows the two differences Emma and John have about being in the future with one very upset and very emotional with Emma taking the opportunity and starting her new life Diane honestly doesnt get me as hard as it does for everyone else but its nice that Owen actually has some character development by actually falling in love with her and it being hard to let her go. Owen also warning about her the rift opening up could put her anywhere is a nice touch and a character motivation later in the series. This story depicts 3 ways of dealing with this and its really well done and taken very seriously showing torchwood can have adult themes but does tackle something serious when it calls for it. Also apparently the date is something this episode is not consistent not knowing what year it is

[@toast99bubbles]

It's set in 2007, which is confirmed with it being just before Christmas and between Doomsday and Utopia.

[@elliot1111]

Ngl the scene in the garage made me bawl my eyes out like a child. One of my favorite episodes in all doctor who media

[@jdg9825]

i like how torchwood uses its ability to be darker than doctor who to a more palpable effect in this episode, giving us heartfelt stories that are maybe too depressing for the main show, as opposed to wasting it on gratuitous sex etc. Torchwood really comes into its own this ep heading into s2

[@Redboots]

I find the supermarket scene really incredible tbh. like. automatic doors became a thing in the sixties, sweets had been taken off rationing along with everything else that still was rationed in 1953 so these people had been on rationing, colour television was introduced in 1967 and if you missed a film at the cinema or an episode of television that was it you'd missed it for good. and to add to the 'currency change' the currency DID change on february 15th 1971 from the previous centuries-old system to a decimal system and those are less different than other changes from pre- to decimal but considering that two years was given to adjust to the new coinage at the time it was still hard to grasp, I'm assuming. it's something that even as a history student it really puts into perspective how much things can and will change over fifty years or so. it's one of the main reasons this is my favourite torchwood episode

[@TooRudeProductions]

I love the smoking kills gag because it's always been funny to me that nobody thought that inhaling literal smoke would be bad for you

[@EmoBearRights]

I'd be there for Diane and the Paternoster Gang

[@EmoBearRights]

Madame Vastra's girlfriend might not like the attention that she gave Diane though.

[@Devlinator61116]

@@EmoBearRights You mean her wife?

[@fishbang]

@@Devlinator61116 Yeah sorry I'd forgotten they'd got married.

[@Squicx]

Imagine actually going back to showing Verity Lambert to The Stolen Earth. The Daleks were her creation and she strived to get The Daleks made since everyone thought it was it was a joke.

[@plantainsame2049]

I thought they were Terry nation's creation

[@adamburke4738]

I’ll admit, I had mixed feelings about it the first time I watched it. But the more I’ve watched it now, the more I’ve come to appreciate just how well written and tragic it is

[@Rosalina-uw2eq]

I think in interpreting the car-suicide scene, we need to understand despite the strong motivation, the suicide is still not the answer. Jack's acceptance of it is not meant to say it is appropriate, but rather it is meant to be indicative of Jack's wish to die, and thus by letting him commit suicide for his suffering, Jack is acting in weakness in an attempt to die vicariously.

[@toast99bubbles]

At the point where you mention it's 2006 or 2007, it's definitely 2007 bevause it was between Doomsday and The Runaway Bride (we know this because this happens after the battle at Torchwood Tower, but before all the stuff with Jack in series 3, and is set just before Christmas). Although the Aliens Of London dating consistency is about as complicated as the UNIT dating controversy (not to mention the fact that the Atraxi stuff in The Eleventh Hour is set around the same time period as the series 3 finale).

[@DCSMedia]

My favourite of Torchwood series 1. Absolutely phenomenal stuff

[@stephenmurphy2212]

If John Ellis’s son Alan did have kids it would’ve been a completely different situation for John. Having grandchildren would’ve probably given him a reason to go on living. He would’ve looked after his son’s kids and and checked in on them every now and again.

[@charlesfarley28]

"Like showing Verity Lambert The Stolen Earth." Oh, how I lol'd, Good Ser. Thank you for that.

[@Gengu]

By far one of the greatest episodes of Torchwood

[@jvblhc]

I remember this one vividly. One of the best stories of all Torchwood.

[@Lia-uf1ir]

5:25 Now I wanna know how Verity in the 60s would react to Stolen Earth! :D

[@stephjovi]

Me too. I wish time travel was real and someone could go back and have a Van Gogh kinda story with her. Showing her how long doctor who will live how much it'll mean to people almost 60 years later

[@Lia-uf1ir]

@@stephjovi There is a theory out there that the TARDIS could travel from its fictional universe to our very real one. How sweet and ironic would it be if the Doctor came to Verity to show her the show‘s future. 😊❤️

[@fadikhoory5350]

Nah, I'd like to see her react to the whole of New Who.

[@Lia-uf1ir]

This is my favorite episode of Torchwood! And it the rough template I use for an original story of mine that I work on where three contemporary characters are cryogenically frozen and wake up 600 years from now to a completely new society.

[@kyledawson871]

Do you plan on publishing it?

[@frankie9698]

This is without doubt one of my favourite episodes of Torchwood! This, Countrycide, Ghost Machine, the one with the WWI soldier and all of series 4 - incredible

[@danm3882]

The scene with John and his son is so heartbreaking! I still remember the first time I saw it.

[@LibertyBridgeProductions]

This episode was a game changer. It kinda changed Torchwood forever. We got that Owen Harper 3 parter in season 2 cuz of this character establishing them.

[@yeoldpepsi]

"because you're in the year 2077" caught me off guard

[@tomfarley6352]

Loving the torchwood videos

[@Sh00sx]

Got to be one of my favourites from series 1. Bring on season 2 soon :)

[@scantopup2226]

In regards to a Diane bug finish, I would love to see it, her finding the rift but going to a different time and meeting Jack earlier in his time or meeting the doctor, going to differnt planets

[@nightowl8477]

7:03 Eve Myles kills it this episodes, she's the highlight.

[@kdmedia1534]

Man, she could highlight my episode any day ;)

[@alfiethomas5632]

Watching this made me aware that you're going to review Adrift at some point. Even now, 15 years later that episode is unsettling and chilling

[@TheNuclearGeek]

We've demonized suicide too much. By no means should it ever be a quick or easy choice to make, but I think its wrong to say that it should never be considered let alone done. I've seen too many people forced to suffer for a long time due to illness or other aspects of life that are very difficult or impossible to overcome. I think its morally wrong to tell people that the right choice is to force them to suffer. It should certainly be deeply thought of, especially the effect it will have on others in their lives, but when it's the only option available to remove suffering, I think people should accept that it's a viable choice and shouldn't be demonized.

[@danarnold8989]

This episode was great just showing how taking someone ouy of their own time and exploring just how much that would effect someone

[@cantbreatheswinegod4256]

I’m glad you’re doing this series because I love torchwood despite the cringe. It has a unique and confident energy to it and I was thoroughly captivated throughout. And it being in the same universe as my favourite tv show growing up is just gravy.

[@JTeenmining]

... why... why didn't gwen ever just tell him "I got promoted to a hush hush group, I don't want to bring work home with me, but sometimes it might happen, we have to take care of a group who is from a culture that is like our 1960s (or whatever it is) and this girl caused an issue and is being separated from the rest" like... you don't need to spill torchwood secrets, just be upfront with the dude and let him know shit may go down... keeping EVERYTHING from him seems... childish to me, and I'm 25. Her hiding everything is what causes her issues, personal and professional I believe, when she could use more... metaphoric language to talk about work, ie for the fairies "I had to let a foreign and impossibly powerful power take a little girl instead of fight for her, because if we had kept her on her native soil it's possible they would have just caused a nuclear winter" like... instead of trying to make things work in the best way possible, which is also very selfish honestly, she just... zigs where she should zag and I don't understand

[@rosiehawtrey]

Thinking about it - the pilot would have seen aircraft types and sizes she was unfamiliar with on final - you always watch other aircraft out of the corner of your eye.

[@IslaDrummond]

£10 for half a Fredo bar 😂 This episode was quite sad, and I was thinking about how it ends when I heard that line and had to laugh

[@VixOfAllTrades]

Loving your work dude.

[@Scottlp2]

Great episode. Kinda reminds me of To The Last Man: Tochido falls in love with a soldier out of time, but they have to return him to his time.

[@cameronmonaghan6883]

We never had a Time Travel episode of Class. Seriously they need a second season!

[@Ven1Vid1Vici]

I loved this episode, it was such a pleasant surprise when I watched it for the first time a few months ago.

[@pablobratcat]

It's a really good comment on ageism too, the young can start a new life but the old are written off.

[@emperorboss5557]

I would disagree, to me at least it’s more about people’s ability to adapt to extreme life changing events, if your young with no previous ties to anyone, e.g. a partner or child, it’s much easier to adapt and forge a new life compared to people who has already lived their lives.

[@bmvthemoviefanatic7282]

Yep. This, like many, is my favourite Torchwood episode (Other than the masterpiece CHILDREN OF EARTH). As said, all of its three plotlines brilliantly explore the six characters at the centre of everything, giving us the best representations of these characters up to this point. It was in this episode I feel Owen started to become a much more likeable character, and I like future episodes that reference his relationship with Diane as a huge turning point, cause with an episodic show like Torchwood, sometimes you can feel storylines don't mean much after it's done. Further exploring Gwen's divided life is also great, and Rhyse is again awesome. Last, but certainly not least, you have the HEARTBREAKING story between Jack and John, with the climax of that storyline being emotional af and mature in the right way, something Torchwood S1 didn't do that often. As Jack says in the episode: "There's no puzzle to solve, no enemy to fight...just three lost people who have somehow become our responsibility."

[@pikachucetthesecond4296]

Out of Time is genuinely my favourite episode of Torchwood, Series 1 at least Considering how immature and edgy the rest of the First Series is, Out of Time was a rare case of Torchwood Series 1 doing something interesting with its tone, and something interesting that couldn't also be done on Doctor Who. I like how all of them had a different tone of ending, with one of them getting a happy ending, one of them getting a sad ending and the last one getting an ambiguous ending, they almost made me feel bad for Owen and I love the "Children's TV Presenter" scene it's just gold. Also the music of Out of Time is great, it's probably the best part of the episode

[@oxenford539]

i really wish the writers hadn't made gwen cheat on rhys. it just makes so many of the episodes unwatchable due to how unlikeable gwen is. why they'd try so hard to make viewers hate such a core character is beyond me.

[@blub1220]

I don't think they wanted us to hate Gwen. She cheated Rhys with Owen after the Cannibal Family Episode. I think they wanted to show us her chackeled view of humanity and that she wanted protect Rhys from the strange and cruelty world. That's why she don't tell him what shaked her up. But that's exactly the wrong path she took. She had told Rhys what's going on, because of the need to protect the normality with him, she clearly destroying they relationship slowly.

[@nathanj6671]

Please can you do a video on how everything changed when Owen and tosh died at the end of season 2

[@etherealtb6021]

Omg. Who are these people who don't like TW? Did they literally only see the first episode?

[@BrontoSmilodon1]

Yeah I guess Gwen should have said, "This is a new girl at work....she doesn't have anywhere to stay...she'll be with us for about a month".

[@Dr3Mc3Ninja]

This episode is great, but it sort of sows the seed that makes Owen just give up on life, which fucks me off! I want Torchwood season 5 with OG cast. It hurts me that we didn't get more of Davies' writing and amazing characters.

[@kdmedia1534]

Torchwood came back in 2017 on audio and I think (especially now) it’s the best place for it. Series 5 and 6 were superb and arguably better than series 1-2 & 4. All the new characters are amazingly well written (all created by RTD so it makes sense) Mr Colchester, Tyler Steele, Orr, Ng. Honestly man I can’t praise it enough.

[@kdmedia1534]

And there’s been quite a few stories on audio with the OG cast and since September 2015 every month there’s been an hour long story with a single or two members of the cast, it allows so much character development and some seriously golden storytelling. And, Norton Folgate, probably one of the best characters in the Who Universe now. Created by James Goss, he’s a genius man. Ghost Mission is a great starting on point for audio, starring Tom Price as Andy Davidson set in 2016, also the introduction to Norton Folgate.

[@julieeverett7442]

@@kdmedia1534 current count is 54 stories, I have a good number of them

[@kdmedia1534]

@@julieeverett7442 It’s 57 actually, The Grey Mare just came out yesterday and it was fantastic. And same I have so many.

[@julieeverett7442]

@@kdmedia1534 sounds great!

[@fartgarfunkeljr]

I actually kinda forgot this was a torchwood episode

[@HayleyClaire]

I always assumed we never saw Dianne again was because she ended up falling into something horrible and didn’t last long lmao. Like the characters in Adrift. Otherwise it wasn’t as sad to me (since I was like 13 when I watched it, at the time I just I though she was hella reckless and naive to think she’d end up somewhere nice).

[@henryg4377]

No, she ended up in the land of Miitopia and fought monsters ;)

[@Lia-uf1ir]

0:18 where's that episode from? Still don't have access to the Sarah Jane Adventures that I want to wath so badly!!!!

[@Pineaaronapple]

I'm pretty sure that's the Sarah jane Adventures episodes Lost in time, i think its season 4 episodes 9 and 10, i haven't seen it in a long time so i must re-watch them!

[@ratman7976]

17:26 Harbo shows his kinks

[@TooRudeProductions]

The people in the 50s had their minds blown by Elvis Presley shaking his hips Show them WAP and they would like literally died from cardiac arrest

[@SirCaIIum]

Love these Torchwood episodes!

[@thealternativeaddamsfamily]

I'm unfortunately convinced that if Diane went back into the rift she was taken somewhere she could not survive. I'm glad she got to choose though. Maybe she and Owen are enjoying the stars together now💔

[@AspectRatioYT]

This was always my favourite episode

[@AdamBlaizeLives]

I’m just surprised that you didn’t really go into any great detail about the music, which almost ruins the episode for me. It feels like they’re forcing you to care about the characters with the music, which is used through the entirety of the episode.

[@mil9102]

One of my favourite episode of series 1

[@mattthesilent777RED]

OH GOD I LOVE THIS EPISODE!

[@Squicx]

I wonder if these 50s people have ever heard of the Daleks...

[@rogergoza3180]

Genuinely a terrific episode

[@user0237]

Great vid

[@CineScarborough]

Such a beautiful episode. Easily one of Torchwood's best.

[@applecoreeater]

I have to say, I enjoyed this one much more than Countrycide. I always did prefer the timey-wimey eps though.

[@abcdefgh6951]

I wanted the doctor to turn up and get everyone back so bad when I watched this episode

[@mefoster8415]

This is an episode I don't rewatch often because of how enraging I find Owen's story and character. I love Diane and the other two as characters but Owen 100% ruined it for me.

[@apanapandottir205]

For Owen, it makes him what he as before.

[@msthalamus2172]

98p should have confused them. That was like 19/10 or so, right? :)

[@livinghistory9701]

One of my favorite episodes

[@TooRudeProductions]

Nice cyberpunk reference

[@miloleesley563]

Probably the best ep out of S1, 9/10

[@TooRudeProductions]

As an American, hearing British men refer to women as Birds is hilarious

[@TooRudeProductions]

Yo speaking of British people and broken npc's why is Boris Johnson always t-posing?

[@DriverHenryWho3245]

You seemed to be endlessly praising it, yet you give it an A rank 🤨

[@Lubble-]

Gwen was a very bad character throughout the show....she was always selfish, horrible, threatening and lies constantly.... I don't know why she was a liked character, she confessed to Reese and then she made him forget, she's just the worst

[@harroldinab]

Was this inspired by that fake news article about that plane that landed 37 years after taking off?

[@shunyaku7759]

Twilight Zone did it, but it's still a great story.

[@lordferbus2970]

Ayyy A soggy nugget TikTok

[@isabellaearnhardt6380]

❤️

[@ArchiePlayzGamez]

🤤 paninis

[@readhistory2023]

Limit yourself with family? Put down the soy.

[@corriescrivener1937]

if it was not for emma being from a diffnt time i would see her as a grown up to sleep with or date lol 18 is grown up to me 😂 she only gets the leeway cuz shes new to the world diane is lovely but i would not call her a feminist as we all know they hate men she dos not

[@corriescrivener1937]

@Oof Oooof69 i call ball shit on that have u seen the internet lately

[@corriescrivener1937]

@Oof Oooof69a feminist. is a feminist and feminism is a misandry hate group . egalitarian is equality between men and women feminism hides behind that word well at the same time spitting on men and hurting them for god sake open your eyes dont be a s--p and brainwashed by losers that dont like people

[@corriescrivener1937]

how am i sexist if i support egalitarian women can have rights but they need to use the right label aka egalitarian eles there going to be part of a group no normal person likes iv done my homework and all i see is hate from them

[@corriescrivener1937]

we are not going to agree best just to stop this now before we both say someing out of line call it a draw . have a good day 👍