Small Worlds

"They play games. They torment. They kill."

Writer: Peter J. Hammond

Format: TV

Broadcast: 12 November 2006

Series: Torchwood 1.05

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

Synopsis

Jack runs into an old friend who is looking into sightings of fairies in the local woods, and uncovers a connection between the sightings and the seemingly normal Pierce family, especially their young daughter Jasmine.

Verdict

Small Worlds was another very good episode of Torchwood! We're well into the opening series now and I thought this was a great story and a really unique and intriguing world to explore. The title works well and delving into the world of fairies is a magnificent idea. Doing so in a more adult-oriented show made for a good dynamic and the end result was very good indeed. It's a little creepy to see a sexual predator in his car stalking outside a school for young girls, but thankfully the fairies had picked their chosen one and Jasmine was safe and sound with the paedophile getting exactly what he deserved thanks to the petals suffocating him in his jail cell. Despite the uncomfortable nature of everything that was going on with him, it sparked a fun moment for myself and Gemma as we saw him head into Cardiff Market which is a favoured spot of ours when we visit the capital. There's a great secondhand book shop with a strong selection of Who books on sale, and whilst I didn't manage to see any Target novelisations which would have been a fun occurrence, it was wonderful to get a glimpse of the stall! I do love being familiar with a lot of the Torchwood setting and just hearing the Welsh accent for the majority of characters is always good. I thought the emotion in the episode displayed by Jack and his relationship with Estelle before the Second World War. It was excellent to explore the character's past because so much has clearly happened to him since The Parting of the Ways and his resurrection, so learning of what happened in Lahore even before World War One was brilliant. Drunken soldiers that he was leading had run a chosen one over and they were duly punished. Jack displaying fear in such a visible and obvious way is unusual and that did a lot to sell the fear factor of the fairies. He was urging Estelle to tell him if they were spotted again but she ended up drowning in rain that was centred on her garden. It was an emotional time and Gwen knowing straight away that the picture of Jack's father were actually him. She had a really good episode and was able to shine with it being a very quiet one for the rest of the team. Jasmine enjoying playing in her garden with her 'friends' was creepy because she didn't smile or watch television or even read a book. She wasn't exactly a normal child and that was irking Roy. He was a bit of a knob though so I can't say I was disappointed that he also fell victim to the fairies, although that happened in gruesome circumstances. Their method of petals in the victims was brilliant, but the image of them standing over and devouring throats was impressive. They had a creepy look and that's what you wanted. Ianto's continuity from Cyberwoman was good and I liked Jack's touch on his shoulder letting him know he's still valued. The ending of the episode with Jack allowing Jasmine to be taken as a chosen one, and the last one, instead of fighting to try and save her again showed the threat of the fairies but that wasn't met too well by Gwen and the rest of the team. But what choice did he have? The world or one girl? There was no alternative. Overall, a really good little episode!

Rating: 8/10