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{{Infobox Story
{{Infobox Story SMW
|image         = FragmentsTW1.jpg
|image                 = FragmentsTW1.jpg
|series         = ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''
|series               = ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''
|season number = Series 2 (Torchwood)
|season number         = Series 2 (Torchwood)
|series episode number = 12
|series episode number = 12
|main character = [[Jack Harkness|Jack]], [[Gwen Cooper|Gwen]], [[Toshiko Sato|Tosh]], [[Owen Harper|Owen]], [[Ianto Jones|Ianto]]
|scripturl      = https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/documents/torchwood-2-episode-12-fragments-green-revisions-15102007.pdf
|featuring     = Rhys Williams
|main character       = [[Jack Harkness|Jack]], [[Toshiko Sato|Tosh]], [[Ianto Jones|Ianto]], [[Owen Harper|Owen]]
|featuring2     = Alice Guppy
|featuring             = Gwen Cooper
|featuring3     = Alex Hopkins
|featuring2           = Rhys Williams
|featuring4     = Katie Russell
|featuring3           = Alice Guppy
|featuring5     = Gray
|featuring4           = Emily Holroyd
|featuring6     = Emily Holroyd
|featuring5           = Myfanwy
|enemy         = [[John Hart (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)|John Hart]], [[Torchwood Three]], [[Unified Intelligence Taskforce|U.N.I.T]]
|featuring6           = Alex Hopkins
|setting       = [[United Kingdom]]: [[1899]], [[1999]], [[2004]], [[2005]], [[2006]], [[2007]], [[2009]]
|featuring7            = Gray (Fragments)
|writer         = [[Chris Chibnall]]
|enemy                 = [[John Hart]]
|producer      = [[Richard Stokes]]
|setting               = [[United Kingdom]], [[1899]] and throughout the [[2000s]]
|director      = [[Jonathan Fox Bassett]]
|writer               = Chris Chibnall
|broadcast date = [[21 March (releases)|21 March]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]]
|director              = [[Jonathan Fox Bassett]]
|network       = [[BBC Three]]
|producer              = [[Richard Stokes]]
|prev           = Adrift (TV story)
|broadcast date       = 21 March 2008
|next           = Exit Wounds (TV story)
|network               = BBC Three
|trailer       = TORCHWOOD Season 2 Fragments
|prev                 = Adrift (TV story)
|clip           = Booby trapped building 1 - Torchwood - BBC
|next                 = Exit Wounds (TV story)
|clip2         = Booby trapped building 2 - Torchwood - BBC
|trailer               = TORCHWOOD Season 2 Fragments
|clip                 = Booby trapped building 1 - Torchwood - BBC
|clip2                 = Booby trapped building 2 - Torchwood - BBC
|format=1x50-minute episode
}}{{you may|Fragments (short story)|n1=the Bernice Summerfield short story}}
}}{{you may|Fragments (short story)|n1=the Bernice Summerfield short story}}
'''''Fragments''''' was the twelfth episode in the [[Series 2 (Torchwood)|second series]] of ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''. Composed largely of flashbacks, it established how each of the main [[Torchwood Three]] members, save [[Gwen Cooper|Gwen]], had come to work for [[Torchwood]]. Gwen's origin story with Torchwood Three was previously shown in the episode ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]''. The episode also featured a brief re-appearance of [[John Hart (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)|Captain John Hart]], alongside the first appearance of [[Gray]] as an adult, both of which transpired over a [[hologram]] communication.
'''''Fragments''''' was the twelfth episode of [[Series 2 (Torchwood)|Series 2]] of ''[[Torchwood (TV series)|Torchwood]]''. It was written by [[Chris Chibnall]], and directed by [[Jonathan Fox Bassett]]. Composed largely of flashbacks, it established how each of the main [[Torchwood Three]] members had come to work for [[Torchwood]] before the start of the series.


== Synopsis ==
== Synopsis ==
A booby-trapped building explodes and knocks the [[Torchwood 3|Torchwood]] team unconscious. Each team member's life flashes before his eyes. There is a series of flashbacks for all of the main characters except [[Gwen Cooper|Gwen]]. [[Captain Jack Harkness|Captain Jack]] was initiated into a [[Victorian]] [[Torchwood 3|Torchwood]] in [[1899]]; [[Toshiko Sato|Toshiko]] went on a mission to trade [[alien]] technology for her [[Toshiko Sato's mother|mother]]'s life; [[Ianto Jones|Ianto]] wooed Jack with [[coffee]] and a flair for alien-catching; and [[Owen Harper|Owen]] lost his normal life to an alien in his [[Katie Russell|fiancée]]'s brain.
A booby-trapped building explodes and knocks the [[Torchwood Three|Torchwood]] team unconscious, and kills Jack again. Each team member's life flashes before their eyes. There is a series of flashbacks for all of the main characters except Gwen. Captain Jack was initiated into Torchwood in [[1899]]; Toshiko went on a mission to trade [[alien]] technology for her [[Toshiko Sato's mother|mother]]'s life; Ianto wooed Jack with [[coffee]] and a flair for alien-catching; and Owen lost his normal life to an alien in his [[Katie Russell|fiancée]]'s brain.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
The [[Torchwood Three|Torchwood]] team, minus [[Gwen Cooper|Gwen]], investigate a derelict building and are trapped when it explodes. The four experience flashbacks about their origins with the alien-fighting organisation.
The [[Torchwood Three|Torchwood]] team, minus Gwen, investigate a derelict building and are trapped when it explodes. The four experience flashbacks about their origins with the alien-fighting organisation.


=== Captain Jack Harkness (1,392 deaths earlier) ===
=== Captain Jack Harkness (1,392 deaths earlier) ===
[[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack]] is picked up by the all-female Torchwood Three in [[Victorian]] times when they become aware of his [[immortality]]. They torture him to extract information about [[the Doctor]] to no avail, but soon decide to enlist him as an agent. After many decades have passed, Jack now works for [[Alex Hopkins]], and it is [[New Year's Eve]], [[1999]]. Jack discovers that his boss has [[murder]]ed everyone else in the Hub because of his fear of the [[2000s|new millennium]] and the horrors it may hold. Alex has used a piece of [[alien]] technology that showed him the future, and decided to eliminate his team as "mercy killings," knowing that if they lived, their fates would perhaps be even worse. He cannot do the same to Jack because of his immortality. He turns Torchwood Three over to Jack, telling him, "The [[21st century]] is when it all changes... and we're not ready". Alex Hopkins puts his [[firearm|gun]] to his head and takes his own life. Jack is now left without a team, but he is now in command of Torchwood Three. After 100 years of servitude under supervising authority, Jack is free to act as he desires.
[[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack]] is picked up by the all-female Torchwood Three in [[Victorian era|Victorian]] times when they become aware of his [[immortality]]. They torture him to extract information about [[the Doctor]] to no avail, but soon decide to enlist him as an agent. After many decades have passed, Jack now works for [[Alex Hopkins]], and it is [[New Year's Eve]], [[1999]]. Jack discovers that his boss has [[murder]]ed everyone else in the Hub because of his fear of the [[2000s|new millennium]] and the horrors it may hold. Alex has used a piece of [[alien]] technology that showed him the future and decided to eliminate his team as "mercy killings", knowing that if they lived, their fates would perhaps be even worse. He cannot do the same to Jack because of his immortality. He turns Torchwood Three over to Jack, telling him, "The [[21st century]] is when it all changes... and we're not ready". Hopkins puts his [[firearm|gun]] to his head and takes his own life. Jack is now left without a team, but he is now in command of Torchwood Three. After 100 years of servitude under supervising authority, Jack is free to act as he desires.


=== Toshiko Sato (5 years earlier) ===
=== Toshiko Sato (5 years earlier) ===
[[Toshiko Sato|Toshiko]] joins Torchwood after Jack finds her in a top secret prison. She leaked information from her [[Ministry of Defence]] job to a vicious gang holding her [[Toshiko's Mother|mother]] captive. [[Unified Intelligence Taskforce|UNIT]] raid the building and take Tosh, [[Milton (Fragments)|Milton]] and her henchmen to a secret prison where she is told she will be kept forever. However, Jack is impressed by her ability to assemble a [[sonic modulator]] despite flawed instructions. He has her released and given a pardon once she accepts the Torchwood job.
[[Toshiko Sato|Tosh]] joins Torchwood after Jack finds her in a top secret prison. She leaked information from her [[Ministry of Defence]] job to a vicious gang holding her [[Toshiko's Mother|mother]] captive. [[UNIT]] raid the building and take Tosh, [[Milton (Fragments)|Milton]] and her henchmen to a secret prison where she is told she will be kept forever. However, Jack is impressed by her ability to assemble a [[sonic modulator]] despite flawed instructions. He has her released and given a pardon once she accepts the Torchwood job.


=== Ianto Jones (21 months earlier) ===
=== Ianto Jones (21 months earlier) ===
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[[Owen Harper|Owen]] meets Jack when he bursts into a [[hospital]] room after brain surgery on Owen's ailing [[fiancée]] [[Katie Russell|Katie]]. Despite warnings from Torchwood, the surgeon tried to remove an [[Tumour alien|alien]] from her brain. When the alien lifeform was threatened, it emitted a toxic gas, killing all the [[human]]s in the operating room. Jack arrives too late. After explaining the situation to Owen, Jack knocks him out. Owen wakes to discover a massive cover up. He encounters Jack when visiting Katie's grave. After a fight, he agrees to join Torchwood as a medic.
[[Owen Harper|Owen]] meets Jack when he bursts into a [[hospital]] room after brain surgery on Owen's ailing [[fiancée]] [[Katie Russell|Katie]]. Despite warnings from Torchwood, the surgeon tried to remove an [[Tumour alien|alien]] from her brain. When the alien lifeform was threatened, it emitted a toxic gas, killing all the [[human]]s in the operating room. Jack arrives too late. After explaining the situation to Owen, Jack knocks him out. Owen wakes to discover a massive cover up. He encounters Jack when visiting Katie's grave. After a fight, he agrees to join Torchwood as a medic.


Back in the present, Gwen and [[Rhys Williams|Rhys]] help to pull everyone from the debris in the building. However, Jack receives a [[hologram|holographic]] message from [[John Hart (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang)|John Hart]] in which he claims responsibility for the bombs and says he has taken Jack's brother [[Gray]] captive.
Back in the present, [[Gwen Cooper|Gwen]] and [[Rhys Williams|Rhys]] help to pull everyone from the debris in the building. However, Jack receives a [[hologram|holographic]] message from [[John Hart]] in which he claims responsibility for the bombs and says he has taken Jack's brother [[Gray (Fragments)|Gray]] captive.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* [[Captain Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
* [[Jack Harkness|Captain Jack Harkness]] - [[John Barrowman]]
* [[Gwen Cooper]] - [[Eve Myles]]
* [[Gwen Cooper]] - [[Eve Myles]]
* [[Owen Harper]] - [[Burn Gorman]]
* [[Owen Harper]] - [[Burn Gorman]]
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* [[Toshiko Sato's mother|Toshiko's Mother]] - [[Noriko Aida]]
* [[Toshiko Sato's mother|Toshiko's Mother]] - [[Noriko Aida]]
* [[Bob (Fragments)|Bob]] - [[Simon Shackleton]]
* [[Bob (Fragments)|Bob]] - [[Simon Shackleton]]
* [[Security guard (Fragments)|Security Guard]] - [[Gareth Jones]]
* [[Security guard (Fragments)|Security Guard]] - [[Gareth Jones (Torchwood actor)|Gareth Jones]]
* [[Milton (Fragments)|Milton]] - [[Clare Clifford]]
* [[Milton (Fragments)|Milton]] - [[Clare Clifford]]
* [[Katie Russell|Katie]] - [[Andrea Lowe]]
* [[Katie Russell|Katie]] - [[Andrea Lowe]]
Line 70: Line 73:
* [[Nurse (Fragments)|Nurse]] - [[Catherine Morris]]
* [[Nurse (Fragments)|Nurse]] - [[Catherine Morris]]
* [[Psychiatrist (Fragments)|Psychiatrist]] - [[Selva Rasalingam]]
* [[Psychiatrist (Fragments)|Psychiatrist]] - [[Selva Rasalingam]]
==== Uncredited cast ====
* [[Natasha Kaplinsky (in-universe)|Natasha Kaplinsky]] - [[Natasha Kaplinsky|Self]]
* [[John Hart|Captain John Hart]] - [[James Marsters]]
* [[Gray (Fragments)|Gray]] - [[Lachlan Nieboer]]


== Crew ==
== Crew ==
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}}
}}


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Individuals ===
=== Individuals ===
* Jack, upon meeting Ianto for the second time, references his girlfriend, [[Lisa Hallett]], to which Ianto replies deceased.
* Jack references [[Lisa Hallett]].
* The two bodies Jack discovers in the Hub are later revealed to be [[James Unsworth]] and [[Karen Baldwin]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Red Skies (audio story)|Red Skies]]'')
* Jack has died [[1392 (number)|1392]] times since his enlistment into Torchwood in [[1899]].


=== Organisations ===
=== Organisations ===
* Jack took control of [[Torchwood Three]] at the turn of the [[21st century]], after spending a hundred years with the organisation.
* Jack took control of [[Torchwood Three]] at the turn of the [[21st century]].
* Ianto mentions the destruction of [[Torchwood One]] and the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]].
* Ianto mentions the destruction of [[Torchwood One]] and the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]].


=== Species ===
=== Species ===
* It was Ianto who found the [[Myfanwy|Torchwood pteranodon]] with a [[rift monitor]].
* Ianto finds [[Myfanwy|a pterodactyl]] with a [[rift monitor]].
* When Jack and Ianto wrestle with the [[Weevil]], Ianto reveals he knows about them, indicating that Torchwood One likely had dealt with them too.
* Jack and Ianto wrestle with a [[Weevil]].


=== Technology ===
=== Technology ===
* Toshiko constructs a [[sonic modulator]].
* Toshiko constructs a [[sonic modulator]].
* Alex Hopkins is driven mad by a [[Last of Erebus|psychic locket]] that gives him a glimpse of the future.
* Alex Hopkins is driven mad by [[Last of Erebus|a psychic locket]] that gives him a glimpse of the future.


== Story notes ==
== Story notes ==
* This episode aired 40 minutes after the [[BBC Two]] repeat of ''[[Adrift (TV story)|Adrift]]'' at 10:30pm on [[BBC Three]]; and was repeated on BBC Two in its usual 9:00pm timeslot the next week, on Friday [[28 March (releases)|28 March]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]].
* A family friendly pre-watershed edit of this episode aired at 7:00pm, six days later, on Thursday [[3 April (releases)|3 April]] [[2008 (releases)|2008]] on [[BBC Two]].
* [[The Doctor]] is named explicitly for the first time in the series.
* [[The Doctor]] is named explicitly for the first time in the series.
* To date, out of the original [[Torchwood Three]], [[Suzie Costello]] is the only member whose origins with the team remain unclear. She was also the "black sheep" of the group, which could explain why her character is not explored as thoroughly. Jack mentions Suzie during a flashback sequence as he gives orders to each team member who respond as they are mentioned. However, Suzie's response is cut off by Ianto stopping Jack's car. [[Indira Varma]] did not lend her voice for this episode, nor reprise her role as Suzie, since she was pregnant at the time of filming. As such, the mention of Suzie in this episode is conveniently scripted to avoid any interaction with her, reduced to a passing mention to preserve continuity.
* This is the first appearance of [[UNIT]] soldiers and a UNIT facility in the series. UNIT is depicted as a somewhat malevolent organisation, in contrast to previous depictions in ''[[Doctor Who]]'', more in line with the portrayal of its evil [[parallel universe]] counterpart on [[Inferno Earth]], the [[Republican Security Forces]] (RSF). Jack suggests this may be due to the political climate.
* Jack died thirteen hundred ninety-two times between meeting Torchwood and the explosion at the beginning of the episode, and at least fourteen times prior to the first Torchwood encounter. (This number will skyrocket astronomically during the events of [[Exit Wounds|the next episode]], however.)
* This is the first appearance of [[Unified Intelligence Taskforce|UNIT]] soldiers or a UNIT facility in the series. UNIT is depicted as a somewhat malevolent organisation, in contrast to previous depictions in ''Doctor Who'', more in line with the portrayal of its evil [[parallel universe]] counterpart on [[Inferno Earth]], the [[Republican Security Forces]] (RSF). Jack suggests this may be due to the political climate of the day.
* The events surrounding Alex's killing of the Torchwood 3 team are current with the events surrounding the "birth" of the [[Eighth Doctor]] and his battle with {{Roberts}} as seen in the [[Doctor Who (1996)|1996 telefilm]].


=== Ratings ===
=== Ratings ===
* 3.0 million [[BBC Two]] viewers, with an [[AI]] of 88%
* 3.0 million [[BBC Two]] viewers, with an [[AI]] of 88%
* 7.17 million [[BBC Three]] viewers
* 7.17 million [[BBC Three]] viewers
* 3.69 million viewers<ref>[https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-10/ BARB Ratings - April, 2008]</ref>


=== Filming locations ===
=== Filming locations ===
* Caerwent Millitary Training Area
* Caerwent Military Training Area


=== Production errors ===
=== Production errors ===
* In one scene of Jack's flashback, [[the Doctor's hand]] jar is visible even though it is years before it is cut off.
''to be added''


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
{{Torchwood discontinuity}}
{{Torchwood discontinuity}}
* A Blowfish appears in a flashback; one last appeared in ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]''. As it happens, while the Blowfish in this episode is murdered by a Torchwood agent while Jack watches, in the previous (or future, if you prefer) appearance it is Jack shown shooting one (although in defence of others, not as murder).
* When Jack begins to work with Torchwood, they know about the [[Tenth Doctor]]. However, they are operating in accordance with [[Queen]] [[Victoria]]'s declaration that the Doctor is an enemy of the Crown and Torchwood because of her vehement reaction towards him in [[TV]]: {{cs|Tooth and Claw (TV story)}}.
* Captain John Hart is behind the bomb attack. He last appeared in ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]''.
* Jack mentions that he has no clue about the whereabouts of the Doctor, as he left Jack behind in [[TV]]: {{cs|The Parting of the Ways (TV story)}}.
* Gray is seen in a hologram. He was last seen (in a flashback as a child) in ''[[Adam (TV story)|Adam]]''.
* The [[Little girl (Dead Man Walking)|tarot card reading girl]] who Jack visited in the 2000s in [[TV]]: {{cs|Dead Man Walking (TV story)}} appears to Jack in 1899, and predicts that "two turns of the century" will pass before Jack finally meets up with the Doctor again. This came true in [[TV]]: {{cs|Utopia (TV story)}}.
* The [[Little girl (Dead Man Walking)|tarot card reading girl]] appears in a flashback. She was last seen in ''[[Dead Man Walking]]'', except in the modern day. Here she predicts that "two turns of the century" will pass before Jack finally meets up with the Doctor again, an event that occurs in [[TV]]: ''[[Utopia (TV story)|Utopia]]''. The nature of this girl, including why she appears in two different time periods, has yet to be revealed. One of her tarot cards includes an image of Jack.
* Alex says that the [[21st century]] is when "everything's gonna change". Jack later says a similar thing to Gwen in [[TV]]: {{cs|Everything Changes (TV story)}}.
* The origins (sort-of) of [[Myfanwy]] is shown as well as how Jack acquired her as a Torchwood Three pet. ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'', ''[[Cyberwoman (TV story)|Cyberwoman]]'', ''[[Meat (TV story)|Meat]]'')
* [[UNIT]] has become more stern and callous in the early 21st century, an attitude displayed in [[TV]]: {{cs|Aliens of London (TV story)}}, {{cs|World War Three (TV story)}} and {{cs|The Christmas Invasion (TV story)}}. Martha Jones would express a desire to improve the organization from the inside, which she went on to do in [[TV]]: {{cs|The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)}} [[Kate Stewart]] eventually steers the organisation back towards benevolence by the 2010s in [[TV]]: {{cs|The Power of Three (TV story)}}.
* When Jack begins to work with Torchwood, they know of the [[Tenth Doctor]] based on events in [[TV]]: ''[[Tooth and Claw (TV story)|Tooth and Claw]]''. However, they are operating in accordance with [[Queen]] [[Victoria]]'s declaration that the Doctor is an enemy of the Crown and Torchwood because of her vehement reaction toward him. This mentality is all but gone by the time Jack assumes command of Torchwood Three.
* It was once noted that Toshiko and UNIT were "not mates" in the story [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Twilight Streets (novel)|The Twilight Streets]]''. Ironically, Tosh was working with UNIT (albeit as a Torchwood liason) when she met the [[Ninth Doctor]] during the events of [[TV]]: {{cs|Aliens of London (TV story)}}.
** Jack also mentions that he has no clue about the whereabouts of the Doctor, as he left Jack behind. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'')
* Ianto mentions Torchwood One's destruction and the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] in [[2007]] seen in [[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}}.
* Ianto mentions Torchwood One's destruction and the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] in [[2007]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts (TV story)|Army of Ghosts]]'' / ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'')
* Jack mentions [[Lisa Hallett]] and Ianto says she's dead, a lie he repeated in [[TV]]: {{cs|Cyberwoman (TV story)}}.
* Jack mentions [[Lisa Hallett]] and Ianto says she's dead. ([[TV]]: ''[[Cyberwoman (TV story)|Cyberwoman]]'')
* Jack indicates that he was on Earth following the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs. Unknown to Jack, however, the impact was actually caused by a freighter in a failed attempt by the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] to change Earth history in the events of [[TV]]: {{cs|Earthshock (TV story)}}.
* While trying to recruit Toshiko, Jack tells her that he's given her mother [[Retcon]]. Retcon was given several times to several people. ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'', ''[[Combat (TV story)|Combat]]'', ''[[Meat (TV story)|Meat]]'', ''[[Adam (TV story)|Adam]]'', ''[[Something Borrowed (TV story)|Something Borrowed]]'')
* Captain John Hart is apparent behind the bomb attack, something he planned back in [[TV]]: {{cs|Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)}} and Gray is seen in a hologram, as displayed in [[TV]]: {{cs|Adam (TV story)}} John had previously told Jack how he had "found Gray". ([[TV]]: {{cs|Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)}} Gray would soon be discovered to be the true mastermind behind the bomb attack. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Exit Wounds (TV story)}}.
* The flashbacks showing Torchwood in the period 1890s-2000 depict its cold, manipulative ways as seen in [[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'', et al. Jack mentions on several occasions how he wants to turn it into an organisation that helps people; it is suggested that the cold-blooded killing of the blowfish by an early Torchwood operative might have been one of the inspirations for this.
* [[Suzie Costello]] is mentioned. She later died after shooting herself, ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'') and was later finished off permanently by Jack, after a short-lived resurrection gone wrong. ([[TV]]: ''[[They Keep Killing Suzie (TV story)|They Keep Killing Suzie]]'')
* Jack indicates that he was on Earth following the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs. Unknown to Jack, however, the impact was actually caused by a freighter in a failed attempt by the [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]] to change Earth history. ([[TV]]: ''[[Earthshock]]'')
* Alex says, "The [[21st century]] Jack, everything's gonna change." This is a reference to the start of aliens getting involved in human life. The Torchwood premiere ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes]]'') is a depiction of this factor when Captain Jack says, "The 21st century is where everything changes, and you've got to be ready".
* In [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Twilight Streets (novel)|The Twilight Streets]]'', it was noted that Toshiko and UNIT "are not mates." Ironically, the first time Tosh is introduced, she is working with UNIT. ([[TV]]: ''[[Aliens of London (TV story)|Aliens of London]]'')
* On [[New Year's Eve]] [[1999]], Alex called [[Yvonne Hartman]] at [[Torchwood One]] to tell her of his epiphany that Torchwood was not ready for the [[21st century]] as he [[kill]]ed his team by shooting them. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[One Rule (audio story)|One Rule]]'')


== DVD releases ==
== Home video releases ==
* ''{{StoryTitle}}'', along with the rest of [[series 2 (Torchwood)|series 2]], was released in a complete series box set in [[2008 (releases)|2008]].
* ''{{StoryTitle}}'', along with the rest of [[series 2 (Torchwood)|series 2]], was released in a complete series box set in [[2008 (releases)|2008]].
* It was also released in the Series 1-4 boxset (Region 2 release: 14 November 2011.)
== Footnotes ==
=== Notes ===
{{notelist}}
=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{dwrefguide|torchwood_25.htm|Fragments}}
{{dwrefguide|torchwood_25.htm|Fragments}}
* {{briefhistory|torchwood/2008l.html|Fragments}}
* {{briefhistory|torchwood/2008l.html|Fragments}}
* {{whoniverse|tw2_12|Fragments}}
* {{locguide|fragments|Fragments}}
* {{locguide|fragments|Fragments}}
{{TWTV}}
{{TWTV}}
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{{TitleSort}}


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Latest revision as of 00:25, 22 October 2024

RealWorld.png

You may be looking for the Bernice Summerfield short story.

Fragments was the twelfth episode of Series 2 of Torchwood. It was written by Chris Chibnall, and directed by Jonathan Fox Bassett. Composed largely of flashbacks, it established how each of the main Torchwood Three members had come to work for Torchwood before the start of the series.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

A booby-trapped building explodes and knocks the Torchwood team unconscious, and kills Jack again. Each team member's life flashes before their eyes. There is a series of flashbacks for all of the main characters except Gwen. Captain Jack was initiated into Torchwood in 1899; Toshiko went on a mission to trade alien technology for her mother's life; Ianto wooed Jack with coffee and a flair for alien-catching; and Owen lost his normal life to an alien in his fiancée's brain.

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Torchwood team, minus Gwen, investigate a derelict building and are trapped when it explodes. The four experience flashbacks about their origins with the alien-fighting organisation.

Captain Jack Harkness (1,392 deaths earlier)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Captain Jack is picked up by the all-female Torchwood Three in Victorian times when they become aware of his immortality. They torture him to extract information about the Doctor to no avail, but soon decide to enlist him as an agent. After many decades have passed, Jack now works for Alex Hopkins, and it is New Year's Eve, 1999. Jack discovers that his boss has murdered everyone else in the Hub because of his fear of the new millennium and the horrors it may hold. Alex has used a piece of alien technology that showed him the future and decided to eliminate his team as "mercy killings", knowing that if they lived, their fates would perhaps be even worse. He cannot do the same to Jack because of his immortality. He turns Torchwood Three over to Jack, telling him, "The 21st century is when it all changes... and we're not ready". Hopkins puts his gun to his head and takes his own life. Jack is now left without a team, but he is now in command of Torchwood Three. After 100 years of servitude under supervising authority, Jack is free to act as he desires.

Toshiko Sato (5 years earlier)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Tosh joins Torchwood after Jack finds her in a top secret prison. She leaked information from her Ministry of Defence job to a vicious gang holding her mother captive. UNIT raid the building and take Tosh, Milton and her henchmen to a secret prison where she is told she will be kept forever. However, Jack is impressed by her ability to assemble a sonic modulator despite flawed instructions. He has her released and given a pardon once she accepts the Torchwood job.

Ianto Jones (21 months earlier)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Ianto harasses Jack for a job after the demise of Torchwood One, where he worked. Helping Jack fight off a Weevil and repeatedly praising his coat doesn't work at first, but they capture a pterodactyl together — with the help of some chocolate — and Ianto is enlisted.

Owen Harper (4 years earlier)[[edit] | [edit source]]

Owen meets Jack when he bursts into a hospital room after brain surgery on Owen's ailing fiancée Katie. Despite warnings from Torchwood, the surgeon tried to remove an alien from her brain. When the alien lifeform was threatened, it emitted a toxic gas, killing all the humans in the operating room. Jack arrives too late. After explaining the situation to Owen, Jack knocks him out. Owen wakes to discover a massive cover up. He encounters Jack when visiting Katie's grave. After a fight, he agrees to join Torchwood as a medic.

Back in the present, Gwen and Rhys help to pull everyone from the debris in the building. However, Jack receives a holographic message from John Hart in which he claims responsibility for the bombs and says he has taken Jack's brother Gray captive.

Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Uncredited cast[[edit] | [edit source]]

Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Casting

General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound



Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.


Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

Organisations[[edit] | [edit source]]

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This episode aired 40 minutes after the BBC Two repeat of Adrift at 10:30pm on BBC Three; and was repeated on BBC Two in its usual 9:00pm timeslot the next week, on Friday 28 March 2008.
  • A family friendly pre-watershed edit of this episode aired at 7:00pm, six days later, on Thursday 3 April 2008 on BBC Two.
  • The Doctor is named explicitly for the first time in the series.
  • This is the first appearance of UNIT soldiers and a UNIT facility in the series. UNIT is depicted as a somewhat malevolent organisation, in contrast to previous depictions in Doctor Who, more in line with the portrayal of its evil parallel universe counterpart on Inferno Earth, the Republican Security Forces (RSF). Jack suggests this may be due to the political climate.

Ratings[[edit] | [edit source]]

Filming locations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Caerwent Military Training Area

Production errors[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • When Jack begins to work with Torchwood, they know about the Tenth Doctor. However, they are operating in accordance with Queen Victoria's declaration that the Doctor is an enemy of the Crown and Torchwood because of her vehement reaction towards him in TV: Tooth and Claw [+]Loading...["Tooth and Claw (TV story)"].
  • Jack mentions that he has no clue about the whereabouts of the Doctor, as he left Jack behind in TV: The Parting of the Ways [+]Loading...["The Parting of the Ways (TV story)"].
  • The tarot card reading girl who Jack visited in the 2000s in TV: Dead Man Walking [+]Loading...["Dead Man Walking (TV story)"] appears to Jack in 1899, and predicts that "two turns of the century" will pass before Jack finally meets up with the Doctor again. This came true in TV: Utopia [+]Loading...["Utopia (TV story)"].
  • Alex says that the 21st century is when "everything's gonna change". Jack later says a similar thing to Gwen in TV: Everything Changes [+]Loading...["Everything Changes (TV story)"].
  • UNIT has become more stern and callous in the early 21st century, an attitude displayed in TV: Aliens of London [+]Loading...["Aliens of London (TV story)"], World War Three [+]Loading...["World War Three (TV story)"] and The Christmas Invasion [+]Loading...["The Christmas Invasion (TV story)"]. Martha Jones would express a desire to improve the organization from the inside, which she went on to do in TV: The Sontaran Stratagem [+]Loading...["The Sontaran Stratagem (TV story)"] Kate Stewart eventually steers the organisation back towards benevolence by the 2010s in TV: The Power of Three [+]Loading...["The Power of Three (TV story)"].
  • It was once noted that Toshiko and UNIT were "not mates" in the story PROSE: The Twilight Streets. Ironically, Tosh was working with UNIT (albeit as a Torchwood liason) when she met the Ninth Doctor during the events of TV: Aliens of London [+]Loading...["Aliens of London (TV story)"].
  • Ianto mentions Torchwood One's destruction and the Battle of Canary Wharf in 2007 seen in TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"].
  • Jack mentions Lisa Hallett and Ianto says she's dead, a lie he repeated in TV: Cyberwoman [+]Loading...["Cyberwoman (TV story)"].
  • Jack indicates that he was on Earth following the asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs. Unknown to Jack, however, the impact was actually caused by a freighter in a failed attempt by the Cybermen to change Earth history in the events of TV: Earthshock [+]Loading...["Earthshock (TV story)"].
  • Captain John Hart is apparent behind the bomb attack, something he planned back in TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang [+]Loading...["Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)"] and Gray is seen in a hologram, as displayed in TV: Adam [+]Loading...["Adam (TV story)"] John had previously told Jack how he had "found Gray". (TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang [+]Loading...["Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)"] Gray would soon be discovered to be the true mastermind behind the bomb attack. (TV: Exit Wounds [+]Loading...["Exit Wounds (TV story)"].

Home video releases[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Fragments, along with the rest of series 2, was released in a complete series box set in 2008.
  • It was also released in the Series 1-4 boxset (Region 2 release: 14 November 2011.)

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Citations[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ BARB Ratings - April, 2008

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

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