Torchwood's Most Underrated Episode is a Hidden Gem

[@HarboWholmes]

I give it two weeks until this gets copyright claimed. Make sure to support the Patreon so the BBC stops ruining my job! www.patreon.com/harbowholmes

[@orangepizzaparty688]

Good luck At least you’ll get the original burst of revenue before it gets claimed for the next 3 months or so. The bbc are horrible in terms of copyright

[@HarboWholmes]

Well it seems like they've upgraded to blocking now which is just brilliant!

[@1972LittleC]

Don't these idiots see that things like this keep momentum going for both Doctor Who and Torchwood, getting them extra revenue with box sets and such? It's not like you just rip them off, you give it some depth.

[@greglinks]

Random Shoes is one of my favourite episodes of the show. It once again shows Gwen's humanity and how shes different from the rest of the team. It also explores the already established point that Torchwood have "Fan Clubs", and the Character of Eugene is much more interesting due to this.

[@cathe8282]

Random Shoes killed me. I cried so hard watching this one! While Love & Monsters was ridiculously silly (that ending, come on!), RS was genuinely heartfelt and serious throughout. No comparison, imo,

[@blooop1286]

Y'know I'm on season 4 of Doctor Who and am just about to get into Torchwood S2 but I gotta say thank you for making these. I'm admittedly not the sharpest tool in the shed and sometimes meanings and story notes go over my head and these videos are a MASSIVE help

[@julieeverett7442]

power of the daleks is great isnt it? You have a looog way to go to get to new who 28 seasons!!! now if you said SERIES 4 thats a different thing, dont mix them up!!!

[@SpicyPTV]

Didn't even know this was underrated, it's one of my favourite episodes!

[@dallama2616]

This episode was pretty enjoyable but I think Eugene's weird obsession with gwen was too much because there doesn't seem to really be any connection between the two characters. I don't think they've ever interacted other than the time Eugene said "gwen i have to show you something" then she just steps into the torchwood car and drives away.

[@franl155]

This has always been one of my favourite episdes: I've never been able to quantify it, not sure that I even tried to; it's just one that I like a lot. I like that Gwen is able to hear him, even if she doesn't know it: her empathy and his love for her connect ever so subtly. And the irony of someone working in a small DVD rental shop calling someone else "a loser"! It's interesting that Eugene doesn't see "the darkness" that all other revived-dead report: different temperament?

[@msredfox]

I won't lie, when I first watched this episode, I genuinely cried at it, random shoes is such an underrated episode

[@danm3882]

0:44 That’s Owain Hughes! And before you ask, no he doesn’t!

[@DanTheMan2150AD]

Random Shoes is very much the Love & Monsters of Torchwood Series 1. You either love it or hate it.

[@luigiRobs14]

So its the Marmite of Torchwood

[@Zach90888]

Nah, almost everybody hates love and monsters

[@mefoster8415]

@@Zach90888 i think it is judge WAAYY to harshly. Although I might have nostalgia goggles on a lil cus I loved it as a kid

[@hothemeep1219]

@@Zach90888 speak for yourself lol

[@vaclav_fejt]

@@Zach90888 I like Love and Monsters. It's better than: Fear Her, Kill the Moon, or most episodes from 11th and 12th series.

[@MatildyMatilduh666]

I always enjoyed this episode, its the tale of a young man whose life was tragically cut short, I like how it explores how all the people who knew Eugene react to his death, how people grieve in their own way while others just move on. And the scene where Eugene's dad sings at his funeral never fails to make me tear up.

[@Domisbeast]

I really loved this episode, right up until he ascended to heaven. I still had a smile on my face after watching it though, it was definitely a strong episode imo

[@Jotari]

Shame per canon it wasn't heaven and was actually the Master's Nethersphere.

[@patriciadonovan9778]

This was my favourite episode. Thanks for highlighting it.

[@thomasomelie]

Didn't know this one wasn't loved, I just recently watched torchwood on my own and this one was my favorite episode

[@jessicahutchinson7435]

I really think this ep is a hidden gem, It genuinely made me quite emotional, I like one-off contained episodes like this and Love & Monsters.

[@lucypreece7581]

Yay. the Torchwood reviews are back. Also this episode is interesting. I dunno how I feel about it but it is certainly different.

[@lozzamarie]

I remember the broadcast team accidentally put the cbbc logo on the screen for the first few minutes of this episode, for the longest time i thought this was a one off kids episode for torchwood but apparently it was an accident 😂

[@nevodeon54]

I gave Torchwood another chance after seeing your reviews and finished Miracle Day a couple of days ago, loved most of the show. Also really liked this episode. Can't wait for the next reviews.

[@andrewainsworth9246]

this episode is probably my favourite from series 1. its not a big action episode but its more of a contemplation of the speed of life and our position in the world which is something i know i've thought about many times before. the high emotion from his mother is so real and relatable it always makes me cry. Sure its not the biggest stakes most impressive episode but the quiet nature reflects real life so well and its just amazing

[@GiraffeSweaters]

I love both Random Shoes and Love and Monsters. Both are excellent episodes that really hit the feels at the end of each episode. But even building up to that are good, strong stories that kept my eyes glues to the screen.

[@blobfish5730]

Random Shoes is pretty good I think, but it overstays its welcome and I don't think the main character is good enough to carry the episode.

[@dethlokprime8655]

This and Countrycide were my two favorite episodes of this series.

[@lazulenoc6863]

Wait, Gary and LINDA? I guess there is some of Love & Monsters here after all.

[@VixOfAllTrades]

Easy episode to overlook. Very different stand-alone storyline. One of those life affirming ones, and Eugene's closing lines have choked me up more than once. The first 2 series of TW are the best, and I wish there had been a couple more with this format and cast.

[@BananaAARON]

I've been waiting for this one, my absolute favourite Torchwood episode.

[@thedeliveryboy6178]

Random Shoes is my tied favourite episode of Torchwood, it's tied with 'Countryside', I love the mystery of this story and the way it explores death and reactions to it, and human behavior, and how death works in the real world, Eugene was a good guy, and when he finally was happy he got hit by a car and killed, its tragic and true to life.

[@olimara1647]

I really love this episode from a concept standpoint, but Eugene as a character only really seems to come together near the end, and his interactions with Gwen always came off as a little bit creepy to me.

[@bonniealbo3324]

Great review! I love Random Shoes and I'm also a Love and Monsters fan. Love exploring the human condition!

[@sillyclownlady]

Harbo, I feel like you are the teacher that finds "hidden meanings" in everything.

[@HarboWholmes]

Hahah well that's what my Media Studies teachers drilled into me for 4 years

[@Temptation666]

I cried when i saw it, And now you made me cry again 😭 but in a good way. Poor mum though. I feel so bad for her. Losing a child is the worst that can happen to anyone.

[@wickwebb4690]

so glad you like it as much as i do. i'm obviously gonna sympathise with those who don't like it but this episode really made me emotional in deep rooted ways, just because it encapsulates the goofiness of early new who even with none of the cast involved

[@jayfredrickson8632]

Maybe I'm missing something, but why was Torchwood investigating a routine accident in the first place?

[@stephjovi]

Because Eugine was constantly trying to tell them something, constantly around them. So I guess one of her former colleagues might have informed Gwen about his death and they wanted to check if it was a random accident or if it had something to do with what he wanted to show them. (best justification I can come up with why they even knew about the accident. Watched it recen9, hadn't even winded) wondered about it)

[@VeracityLH]

Thank you for showing why this is one of my favourite episodes of TW.

[@harrymcsherry5272]

This episode is completely overlooked Eugene's Actor is portrayed great and the Plot is a unique one

[@not_enough_space]

I haven't seen this since it first aired, but I remember liking it. I should probably get around to rewatching and see how I feel now.

[@caitlinb35]

The first time I watched Random Shoes, I definitely didn't appreciate it. I dismissed it as dumb and slow. But the second time around, the ending made me rather emotional. It's still not my favorite, and i do think it drags a bit, but overall it's a sweet episode that hits the right notes. I like the commentary on the fleetingness and randomness, yet meaningfulness, of life. I'm almost embarrassed that this episode makes me teary-eyed, but the ending just leaves a smile on my face and I think I can embrace that now. Definitely underrated and overhated, imo.

[@Geniethegraet]

The entire point of episodes like these is to demonstrate the effect that the actions and responsibilities of the main characters and institutions has on the rest of the world. More particularly, it demonstrates the effect that alien devices and other such phenomena have on the victims.

[@Alia-bc3rc]

It's a good episode, imo. I like how despite it's a character-based story, the built-up mystery surrounding it is still neat. My only pet peeves is the super dull title. I keep forgetting about this episode because of it.

[@Gootsthegoots]

This is probably my favourite series on yt at the moment

[@logicallyblue3814]

The parallels between Doctor Who fans and Eugene made me realise why I think of Eugene as autistic. I'm autistic and Eugene is like me in a way. Just thought that was cool.

[@torbayota]

I think I said this on the love and monsters episode that random shoes is like a better version of that and I love it

[@little_june_firefly8219]

This is a random comment but - the intro reads as though you’re about to say “WELL YOU DON’T HAVE TO DIE WITH TODAY’S SPONSOR...” Made me chuckle. Maybe one day that will be the norm if they create life extension lol.

[@Tyranniod]

I loved this episode. Very emotional episode and eugene was a great character.

[@apanapandottir205]

One of my fav episodes like this is Adrift.

[@tahliagreen2595]

I remember watching this episode for the first time and feeling really bored. On a rewatch, it held alot more emotive meaning to me, even if the ending felt slightly rushed to me

[@thogthemighty7960]

I can't wait until the review of season 2's Adrift. That one was so compelling.

[@frankiestein7852]

I’m sorry but I can’t help laugh at this episode due to my own stupid humour , because you know at the end of the episodes where he starts to “float” to heaven or whatever and Gwen is asking him not to go...I imagined half way during that scene a plane coming and hitting him proceeding to knock him flying while Gwen looks on in horror

[@dustyrose192]

that made me bloody chuckle. I think we'd being down if flipping died lmao

[@electerald]

I love the episode overall, but the guy's voice speaks as if it's a kids show and so it tonally feels inconsistent and makes it difficult to watch

[@adphilm2577]

Honestly, I loved this episode the first time I saw it

[@officialadamk]

Ngl I don’t see the comparison between this and “Love and monsters” cause I liked this episode but refuse to believe anyone enjoyed “love and monsters” 😅

[@stephjovi]

I think it's only hated for the Absorbalov. Other than that I love it

[@lazulenoc6863]

@Weeping Cyberdalek Adam didn't believe in you, I just hope he's ready to meet the genuine article.

[@christianwise637]

Hey now, the first 30 minutes of that episode are actually pretty strong, it's only when the Abzorbaloff appears that things go tits up

[@miloleesley563]

I really like Love and Monsters (one of my favourites of series 2)...

[@mayabailes1653]

Really, the only off-putting problem in 'Love And Monsters' is the Absorbalov, and considering it was designed by a child, it's not really something you can hate on too much.

[@Rognik]

I'll admit, I've forgotten this episode entirely until you started to describe it.

[@tinykemper2561]

Ngl I always laugh my ass off at the ending with him going up to the heavens, it just feels so off.

[@Lia-uf1ir]

As someone who believes in reincarnation, I quite like this episode. This and other episodes at least imply that conciousness isn't generated by the brain and that it continues to exist after death. And there have been accounts in Asia of people whose soul continued to linger on Earth after death roaming the spot where they suddenly died searching for a new body live in.

[@meedabuhuh3084]

Just watched this episode yesterday. My phone is listening.

[@samstenner1898]

This is an awesome episode, great review.

[@Silverwind87]

This episode was like Love & Monsters, but done right.

[@gusmackenzie2361]

The Children of Earth review is gonnna be siiiick

[@elainehirst]

My favourite episode by far!

[@ch0pstikch0pstix]

God...I LOVE this episode

[@Ooffoop]

The BBC has taken your The Doctors Daughter review Someone go tell the BBC what fair use is

[@HarboWholmes]

Yeah I'm disputing it so it'll be back up in like, two days whilst the BBC review the claim

[@ImSchrodingerCat]

You GOTTA Review Torchwood Children Of Earth IM BEGGING

[@adampoll4977]

I think episodes like this and Love and Monsters get a lot of hate on first viewings at the time because they don't scratch the itch the show overall is catering to. In this case it's a break from the gory, sexy, shooty, "adult" (cough) character of the show, and actually appeals on a more mature level - ironically ;)

[@obsessiveoverthinker5937]

10:44 Is that Owine Hughes?

[@thetasigma412]

It’s the Love and Monsters of Torchwood tone-wise but that doesn’t mean it’s bad...

[@orangepizzaparty688]

On my first time watching I was just confused because I thought Eugene was a member of Torchwood who died XD I worked it out later In my defence I was young

[@joysanghavi13]

Well then, the episode 'Adam' must have really confused yoh

[@orangepizzaparty688]

@@joysanghavi13 Yeah it really did lol Countrycide did too because I didn’t know what a cannabalist was, so I guess watching Torchwood when I was 10 wasn’t the greatest idea lol

[@xenon8117]

@@orangepizzaparty688 I watched it when it was released so I was 7 at the time.

[@orangepizzaparty688]

@@xenon8117 That’s *really* young Wow I’m surprised your parents let you watch it

[@xenon8117]

@@orangepizzaparty688 My dad was really lax about that stuff and let us play and watch whatever.

[@bookl0ver]

I thought this was one of the better episodes from TW Season 1, there were quite a few misses for me but this episode wasn't one of them.

[@ThoseAnimations411]

This is actually one of my favorite ones

[@marklowther3228]

Love Random Shoes and Love and Monsters. ELO rocks!

[@A1exBOfficial]

I hated Random Shoes when I was younger - possibly because it had that core-cast-lite feel like Love and Monsters (though I didn't realise at the time), but I watched it again last year and actually really like the change of perspective. Even so, I felt the reveals of Eugene's death were pretty anticlimatic. I just wanted more from the episode beyond the normality, y'know?

[@sonnykingcomposer]

I did really liked this episode until the guy saw Gwen at the end and I burst out laughing.

[@MonkeyWhoWouldBeKing]

i had almost no recollection of this episode, but it was kind of affecting at the time

[@BradTheThird]

25:58 Petrol is 90p.

[@xenon8117]

This is clearly a fictional world then.

[@arronodonnell201]

Ah! I was waiting for these to kick back again! (I watched children of earth back to back today... then went on to watch kiss kiss bang bang and Sleeper after that!- I’m torchwooded out!)

[@alfje5492]

Completely forgot this episode, it's pretty OK, but it doesn't surprise me that it's somewhat forgotten.

[@Renegade2786]

I'm getting *Ghost* vibes from this episode.

[@christianwise637]

All that's missing is a scene where Eugene helps Gwen do some pottery

[@jamestoney6108]

Great episode

[@calyoung46]

I really enjoyed about 97% of this episode

[@EmpiresEGG]

This episode is great

[@Emptylord]

I really enjoy the episode. When I was younger I think I disliked it more than I do now, but it's definitely not on the list of episodes I skip when I'm rewatching. It full on ugly cry in this episode, which I think is high praise for the acting, writing and pacing. My least favourite part is how the narration sounds - but I don't know what I specifically dislike about it. Not the content - the actual audio. It's particularly noticeable when it goes from him monologuing on-set to the detached audio - but since narration is usually detached I don't know why I take such issue with this in particular.

[@DaringNote62]

My opinion on this episode changes every time i watch it

[@SierraSierraFoxtrot]

I always thought it was a brilliant episode.

[@draco-deamon]

You are good at this , you could start writing for online magazines etc. as a sideline to help your income until your KZbin base picks up , seriously dude it could help expose you more and bring you a lot more views on your channel

[@jaywalker4821]

I’ll never not love a Man U diss

[@jmace2424]

Could the Doctor Who universe have more people die from getting hit by vehicles? It’s A LOT

[@wolftales5203]

Banana milkshakes and random shoes!

[@nicka3697]

Goodness I love random shoes.

[@ig_4220]

As uplifting as the final speech is I feel it also brings it back down a bit with how sharply it ends with the narration and music cutting out almost mid-sentence with all that joy gone in an instant.

[@silverdoe3658]

Most interesting part of this episode was Jack’s striped shirt

[@davidrohde2636]

This episode is actually really one of my favourite's.

[@nath_2107]

Wow, I did not appreciate the semi-final line...

[@manofmeat9881]

Random shoes got me damn near an ugly cry the first time I watched it. And the second. And the third.

[@eventhorizon]

I will say until the horrible ending where all the girl is good for is her mouth, that's wonderful... I really liked Love and Monsters... I also really liked Blink- so long as they aren't a ton of those (and there really aren't) I can appreciate outside looking in eps. I think the reason I was even able to deal with the monster in Love and Monsters was- wasn't it a kid who won a contest that designed it? I think so- well, I went into it thinking so and thought to myself "This is a particularly creative horror to have happen to you for a kid to think up...", and I went with it, because it's a kid's show. But I refuse to accept the girl's face being on a tile. I feel they didn't think that shit through at all, especially by framing it as a good thing and outright winking fun things could still be done- if I remember correctly. Just- nooooo, it's a kid's show... lol

[@jacobat6455]

1/10, needs more ELO

[@unorthodoxbox]

I'm not a fan of Love and Monsters or this episode but it feels like an insult to this episode to compare it to that.

[@deadIynightshad3]

I think if the main character was better cast and written, then I think the episode would be one of the best of series one.

[@thewhovianpokefan7481]

man u is the best football team

[@shunyaku7759]

It's a wonderful life.(TM)

[@EmpiresEGG]

This episode was super sad

[@travisblack8767]

If I died and then got to see my “friend” call me a loser I would be pissed as fuck 😂

[@billpg]

I prefer the original title, Invisible Eugene.