Out of Time

"Ferried planes during the war. Of course, when it was over, we were supposed to revert to being dutiful wives and daughters. But I'd got the taste for it. No pig-headed man tells me what to do."

Writer: Catherine Tregenna
Format: TV
Broadcast: 17th December 2006
Series: Torchwood 1.10

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen, Owen, Tosh, Ianto

Synopsis

When a plane from the 1950s lands in modern day Cardiff, courtesy of the Rift, the passengers are reoriented by the Torchwood team, who become drawn closely to their lives...

Verdict

Out of Time has immediately restored the sensational quality of Torchwood episodes thus far in season one and being a vast improvement on its predecessor Random Shoes. I really liked the focus on three strangers from the 1950s who'd fallen through a gap in time and ended up in 2006! A brilliant concept and the impact the change had on the three flyers; Diane, John and Emma was marvellous. They were astounded by the changes and their reactions were very good to see. I loved how each flyer became attached to one of the Torchwood members and ultimately that's what the focus of the episode ended up being. The emotional scenes with Jack and John were brilliantly executed with fantastic acting - the emotion portrayed was incredible, especially when John visited his son, now older than him. It also provided a beautifully done reference to the 1953 FA Cup Final. Gwen and Emma's relationship was the only minor negative of the episode I thought and I didn't like, how just for the sake of work, Gwen lied about a major thing to Rhys. And then Emma was sent away to London for a job, which I had mixed feelings about. I liked to think how she'd react to modern day London but then I wasn't sure how a 1950s girl would be so easily adapted to the nowadays lifestyle. The obvious highlight of the episode was the relationship between Owen and Diane. It was full of passion and emotion and Owen quickly fell in love. And the scene where Diane chose flying over him was heartbreaking to see. He clearly suffered from it and it was good to see that Owen wasn't just a one night stand type of guy. He actually had the ability to care about a women. Despite the episode being tremendous, I am curious to see that there has been no antagonist in the last two episodes, surely that changes in episode 11? But overall - excellent.

Rating: 9/10