WRITER: Catherine Tregenna DIRECTOR: Ashley Way
CAST: John Barrowman (Capt Jack Harkness), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Naoka Mori (Toshiko Sato), Burn Gorman (Owen Harper), Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Murray Melvin (Bilis Manger) & Matt Rippy (Captain Jack Harkness)
Jack and Tosh investigate a supposedly haunted dance hall, only to be transported back to the 1940s...Did somebody hit the quality button? Finally Torchwood gives us an episode with very little to complain about, beyond the odd nitpick, in a time-travel episode won't ever go down as a classic, but contains enough logic and character development for it to stand out from the pack.
Catherine Tregenna's script finds Jack and Tosh transported back to the 1940s when they enter a haunted dance hall. Jack finds himself in familiar territory amongst the RAF airmen, whereas Tosh encounters racism and suspicion. Meanwhile, back in 2006, the Torchwood gang mount a rescue by manipulating the time/space Rift using calculations sent forward through time by Tosh...
The simplest ideas are often the best. Captain Jack Harkness, the title a nod to the revelation that Jack stole his name from an American airman in the 40s, tells a fairly simple time-travel story and sticks to it. While the central plot is straight-forward enough to wrap your mind around (a similar conceit was used in the closing moments of Back To The Future Part II) it's the details that bring this episode up to snuff.
John Barrowman is often guilty of overacting in the show and the writers seem compelled to have him make controversial decisions just to squeeze added drama out of situations. But Barrowman's natural charm and enthusiasm was never in question. This episode finally gives him a situation to embrace and play in a simpler and more affecting manner. His romance with the real Jack Harkness is rushed due to the constraints of the episode's 45 minute duration, but it works pretty well and doesn't come across as hackneyed as other gay/bi-sexual relationships seen on the show. It was also nice to get some answers behind the mystery of Jack's life.
However, the real beauty of this episode comes in the form of guest star Murray Melvin, who plays Bilis Manger. Bilis is a snow-haired old English gent with one the perfect demeanour to play creepy villains. As an apparent time-traveller himself with some other supernatural powers he presents us with Torchwood's first genuinely engaging nemesis and a wonderful addition to the episode.
Captain Jack Harkness can be commended for providing a logical and entertaining story. The contemporary attempts to get Jack and Tosh back is a little stale, although it was great to see Owen and Ianto given something juicy to act on as their relationship breaks down. A few quibbles prevent the show attaining a 5-star rating (why didn't Bilis just destroy Tosh's "future-note" if he had the chance, instead of just vandalising it?) and the non-reaction of 1940s dancers to a wormhole opening up was unfortunate, but the episode generally played to the show's strengths and reaped the rewards.
