Adam (TV story)

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Adam was the fifth episode in the second series of Torchwood.

It explored Jack Harkness' origins through flashbacks and gave more context to Gray, the mysterious person first mentioned by John Hart in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. It was ultimately revealed that Gray was Jack's brother. Additionally, it is the only form on media to ever show Jack's father and mother.

It also explored more of the relationship between Jack and Ianto.

From a production point of view, it marked the last time Catherine Tregenna wrote for Torchwood. The next time Tregenna would write anything within the DWU would be The Woman Who Lived, over seven years later.

Synopsis

An alien with the power to change memories infiltrates the team. With Captain Jack caught up in memories of his lost family and Gwen struggling to remember Rhys, it takes Jack's love of Ianto to reveal the truth. Yet there's always a price to pay.

Plot

The Torchwood team is investigating a strange box when Gwen Cooper arrives, slightly late because she was spending time with Rhys. Looking around, she sees Adam Smith sat down, and asks in confusion who he was, to which Adam replies "That's what I said to you on your first day...remember?" Putting a hand on her shoulder, Gwen suddenly has false memories of Adam being here. Smiling, she hugs him.

Adam is then seen editing the Torchwood database to add his file into it. Tosh asks him what he was doing, which he replies as updating details on rift activity. Adam and Tosh then kiss, much to the displease of Owen, who is wearing glasses. Meanwhile, Jack is down in the cells where he sees a young boy, which causes him to stop and stare. Gwen calls him, but when Jack turns around again, the boy is gone.

Gwen is then seen in her apartment. Rhys comes up behind her and attempts to give her a hug, but Gwen, thinking he is a stalker, points a gun at him and gets Jack to come over to her apartment. We learn that all of Gwen's memories of Rhys have been wiped, to which she even thinks he put up photos of them together while she was gone. However, Jack and the rest of the Torchwood team simply dismiss it as temporary amnesia due to stress.

Owen is seen trying to flirt with Tosh unsuccessfully over beers. Jack is off trying to catch another Weevil down in the sewers, but then encounters a strange man whom Jack refers to as "Dad?", who tells him to get out, to which he does quickly. Exiting the sewers, Adam seemingly appears out of nowhere, but when Jack questions him how he got here, Adam simply implants false memories into Jack that he came with him. Adam asks him what he saw in the sewers, to which he replies simply, "My past." He then further imprints himself on Jack's mind, convincing him he joined the crew because Jack felt he could confide in him. Jack then reveals he remembered a buried memory from his time at Boeshane Penisula: the "most horrible creatures" attacked his home, killing his father. In the confusion, Jack lost his brother Grey, unable to find him. Striken with guilt at having lost his brother, Jack leaves Adam in the rain.

At Torchwood Hub, Tosh has found out the box is made of wood. Owen asks on the origins of the box, to which Ianto states Jack brought it in. However, Tosh insists that Adam found it in an excavation. To clarify, Ianto leaves to check in his diary. Owen again tries to flirt with Tosh but fails and ends up managing to anger her. Owen is devastated.

Gwen is seen at a general store with Rhys. When they get to checkout, the cashier leaves to answer a call, despite clearly being able to see Rhys there. Rhys, angry, begins to go off on a rant, to which Gwen laughs. She has regained some of her memories back.

Ianto is flipping through his diary and is shocked that he has made no mention of Adam at all. Adam then appears behind him, and Ianto questions who he really is, stating he feels Adam does not really exist. Adam's hand starts to flicker, and we learn that Adam exists simply from people being able to remember him. Discovering Ianto knows he is not who he says he is, Adam decides to implant memories of Ianto killing and strangling three women, claiming that he forgot about the thrill he got from doing this. Ianto sinks to the floor, crying.

Adam leaves, going to Tosh's flat. To celebrate their anniversary, the pair kiss passionately. Adam briefly stops, asking Tosh how far she'd go to protect him. After she confirms she would die for him, they resume kissing.

Meanwhile, Jack is on a rooftop, puzzling why he can suddenly remember the "worst day of his life" despite having buried the memory 150 years ago. He returns to the hub, finding Ianto in a delirious state. Ianto tells him to put him in a vault because he is a monster, revealing he killed three women. However, Jack refuses to believe it, even after he uses the best lie detector on the planet and confirms he is telling the truth. He pulls up CCTV footage of the Hub and finds Adam implanting the false memories. He then recalls Adam touching him earlier, deducing touch is how he changed their memories.

Jack, after checking, finds that not only is there lacking a blood sample of Adam, his file was updated only 24 hours ago. The day lights then switch on as the others arrive. Owen brings in a boutique of flowers foe Tosh, apologising for how he acted yesterday. Tosh forgives him, confirming she happy with Adam, who sits at his desk. Gwen then arrives, revealing her memories of Rhys are still hazy. To comfort them, Adam insists on a group hug. Noticing Ianto has not joined them, Adam goes to touch him, but Ianto knocks his hand back. Jack then approaches and holds Adam at gunpoint. Gwen and Owen are confused by this as they still believe Adam as part of the team, and Tosh, upset, pulls out her gun at Jack. Ianto grabs her and Jack quickly sends Adam to the cells.

Jack and the others then go to the meeting room to discuss Adam. After remembering their true memories, Gwen of Rhys in high school, Owen of his tenth birthday, Tosh on her fondness of maths and Ianto recalling his girlfriend, Lisa, Jack hands them all an amnesia pill to wipe out their memories of Adam. The only one left, Jack goes to the vaults to have one last talk with Adam. Begging to live, Adam promises to help Jack regain his other, happier memories of his family. Jack agrees, recalling the day he and his father played catch with Grey. However, Adam telepathically implants himself in Jack's revived memory as a stranger who spoiled Jack's day, changing the memory from one of happiness to sorrow. Distraught at losing the real memory, Jack takes an amnesia pill, erasing Adam from existence.

The next day, all of the Torchwood team are confused why they cannot recall anything from the past 48 hours. Owen has taken off his glasses again, and Tosh has also reverted to her old personality. Jack is seen messing with the box Adam's essense was in when a component falls out. Ianto comes in, asking if he's seen his diary, which Jack gives back to him, saying "Measuring tapes don't lie." Picking up a plastic bag, he asks Ianto: "Who's Adam?" Ianto replies that he doesn't know and leaves. Jack, fiddling with the box and the component, manages to open it, finding it to be filled with sand, which he stares at ominously.

Cast

Crew

General production staff

Script department

Camera and lighting department

Art department

Costume department

Make-up and prosthetics

Movement

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.


References

Animals

  • Owen tries to give Tosh a screen cleaner in the form of a mouse holding cheese.

Disease and illnesses

  • The team think Gwen suffered from temporary amnesia.

Food and Beverages

  • Adam implants a false memory of making coffee for Gwen.
  • Rhys was going to make Gwen "spag bol", however he claims he couldn't do it cause of his garlic, saying "can't kiss a girl with garlic breath".
  • Owen makes Tosh smoked salmon sandwichs. Tosh goes to get a beer to drink whilst eating them.

Individuals

  • Gwen and Rhys met at college. There first kiss was at a supermarket.
  • Gray is Jack Harkness's brother.
  • Owen says he doesn't "do" flowers or apologies.

Locations

Sports

  • Adam implants a false memory of playing basketball with Gwen.

Timeline

  • Adam adds himself into the Torchwood records, giving his name as Adam Smith, his birth date as 16 November 1982, and the date that he was recruited into Torchwood as 7 May 2005.

Weapons

Story notes

  • The plot element of the group's memories being altered and a "new member" suddenly appearing among them is a staple trope of the science fiction genre.
  • Whilst filming the kiss between Jack and Ianto, the crew pulled a prank on John Barrowman and Gareth David-Lloyd by not calling 'Cut!' after they had stopped filming, causing the kiss to continue for more than two minutes before the two actors realised what was going on.
  • This story finishes with none of the main characters having any memory of what happened whatsoever, making it the only television story which none of the regulars can remember.
  • The regular opening flash of sequences is altered, for this episode only, to feature two shots of Adam, furthering the illusion he is part of the Torchwood team.
  • The sound effects used for the shrieks of the unseen creatures which invaded Jack's home when he was young were the same ones used for the Krillitanes in TV: School Reunion.
  • Owen's phone conversation with his mother suggests a difficult relationship between the two. However, the series never explored the matter any further.
  • The Boeshane Peninsula and Jack's home are seen. However, the nature of the beings which attacked Jack's family isn't revealed.
  • Adam says he is from "the Void", but it is not known if this is the same Void as exists between alternate realities.

Ratings

  • 3.8 million viewers

Filming locations

  • Talbot Place, Cardiff - exterior Gwen and Rhys' flat
  • The Port Of Cardiff, Cardiff Docks, Wales - Jack comes out of sewers, meets Adam
  • Canal Park, Butetown, Cardiff - Adam following Jack around chatting
  • Coney Beach, Porthcawl - Boeshane Peninsula beach
  • Merthyr Mawr Warren, Merthyr Mawr - beach near (young) Jack's house
  • Waterguard Pub (outside), Harbour Drive, Cardiff - outside (young) Jack's house
  • Fox Street, Splott, Cardiff - Ianto 'remembers' the murder in an alley
  • BBC Studios, Upper Boat, Tonteg Road, Treforest Industrial Estate, Pontypridd,

Production errors

to be added

Continuity

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.

DVD releases

  • Adam, along with the rest of series 2, was released in a complete series box set in 2008.

External links

v • e
Torchwood television stories
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Children of Earth: Day One • Day Two • Day Three • Day Four • Day Five
Series 4
Stories listed here are only those that have been officially licensed by the BBC.
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