Captain Jack Harkness (TV story): Difference between revisions

{{Infobox Story

|main character        = [[Jack Harkness|Jack]], [[Gwen Cooper|Gwen]], [[Toshiko Sato|Tosh]], [[Owen Harper|Owen]], [[Ianto Jones|Ianto]]

|setting              = [[Cardiff]], [[2000s]] and [[20 January]] [[1941]]

|writer                = [[Catherine Tregenna]]

|broadcast date        = [[1 January (releases)|1 January]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]]

|network              = [[BBC Three]]

|clip                  = Captain Jack kisses Captain Jack - Torchwood - BBC

|clip2                = Stuck in the blitz - Torchwood - BBC

}}{{dab page|Captain Jack Harkness (disambiguation)}}

By returning Jack Harkness to [[the Blitz]] during [[World War II]], it allowed for a story that explored the origins of the "Jack Harkness" alias. However, in so doing, it left Jack's teammates with even less understanding of who he really was.

 

''Harkness'' introduced the character of [[Bilis Manger]], someone who would play an important role in [[End of Days (TV story)|the series 1 finale]], but who remained a mystery that was never fully unpacked.

 

It was also one of the episodes that decidedly established ''Torchwood'' was indeed in the same universe as ''[[Doctor Who]]'', since prominent set decoration established the [[Harold Saxon]] political campaign was still ongoing.

This episode marked the breaking point for [[Owen Harper]] after letting [[Diane Holmes]] return to her era. Driven wild with pangs to see her again by opening the [[Cardiff Rift]], he instinctively tried to set off Torchwood Three's [[rift manipulator]], which led to a falling out with [[Ianto Jones]] at [[Firearm|gunpoint]]. Despite being shot in the shoulder by Ianto, Owen's ultimate action is to set off the manipulator. Although his choice rescued his fellow teammates, it set off a chain of chaotic events leading directly into the [[End of Days (TV story)|next episode]].

Investigating reports of [[ghost]]ly music, [[Jack Harkness|Jack]] and [[Toshiko Sato|Toshiko]] find themselves stranded in a packed dance hall — in [[1941]]. As [[Gwen Cooper|Gwen]], [[Owen Harper|Owen]] and [[Ianto Jones|Ianto]] work to rescue their colleagues, Jack and Toshiko meet a handsome young [[American]] squadron leader by the name of Captain [[Jack Harkness (Captain Jack Harkness)|Jack Harkness]].

Captain [[Jack Harkness]] and [[Toshiko Sato]] investigate a report that music from the [[1940s]] has been drifting out of a derelict dance hall called "the Ritz". They enter the dance hall and are transported back to [[20 January]] [[1941]] through a temporal shift. The hall is full of people dancing to live music. They go downstairs to return to the present, but cannot resist going back to [[1941]] once more. When they go downstairs for the second time they do not go back to the present, and they realise they are trapped.

* Captain [[Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]

* [[Tim (Captain Jack Harkness)|Smiler]] - [[Peter Sandys-Clarke]]

* [[Young soldier]] - [[Ciaran Joyce]]

|Gaffer=Mickey Reeves

== References ==

* Jack's original name would later be established as Javic Piotr Thane in [[Big Finish]]'s audio story ''[[Month 25 (audio story)|Month 25]]''.

* 1.2 million viewers

* Jack references how he became immortal, ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') and how he stole Jack Harkness' identity while posing as a RAF volunteer during World War Two. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Empty Child (TV story)|The Empty Child]]''/''[[The Doctor Dances (TV story)|The Doctor Dances]]'')

* When searching for a book on the Rift-machine, Owen put aside the [[Life Knife]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'', ''[[They Keep Killing Suzie (TV story)|They Keep Killing Suzie]]'') and the [[Quantum transducer|Ghost Machine]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Ghost Machine (TV story)|Ghost Machine]]'')

* Owen states that, after Suzie Costello committed suicide, he has become second-in-command of Torchwood Three. ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'')

* The events of this episode set off a story arc where Jack and the team meet Billis again, (''[[End of Days (TV story)|End of Days]]'') then Jack meets the [[Tenth Doctor]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'') and helps him defeat the Master. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'', ''[[Last of the Time Lords (TV story)|Last of the Time Lords]]'')

* Owen and Ianto argue about their loves for [[Diane Holmes]] and [[Lisa Hallett]] while trying to manipulate and prevent manipulation of the Rift-machine, respectively. ([[TV]]: ''[[Cyberwoman (TV story)|Cyberwoman]]'', ''[[Out of Time (TV story)|Out of Time]]'')

* Owen mocks Ianto by saying that he's nothing but a servant. ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'' et al.)

* There are four Jack Harknesses in this time period. One is the one from this episode that goes back through the rift with Toshiko, the second is the Jack who has volunteered for the RAF ([[TV]]: ''[[The Empty Child (TV story)|The Empty Child]]'') The third Jack is the one who attempted to return to the 21st century using his vortex manipulator, but accidentally ended up in 1869 and had to wait until the present day as his vortex manipulator broke thus he is currently living in the era with Torchwood. ([[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') A fourth Jack was also buried in 27 AD only to be dug up in 1901 by Torchwood and put in a cryo-chamber to be awakened later in the 21st century so he is present, just frozen. ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'')

* ''Captain Jack Harkness'' was first released on DVD with three other episodes in ''Torchwood: Series 1, part 3'' on [[26 March (releases)|26 March]] [[2007 (releases)|2007]]. It was later included in ''Torchwood: The Complete First Series'' on [[19 November (releases)|19 November]] 2007.