Captain Jack Harkness
by Catherine Tregenna
Jack and Toshiko visit the 1940’s when everyone was happy and gay.
Synopsis
Jack and Toshiko go to abandoned music hall because of reports of 1940’s music. They are transported, apparently via the rift, to 1941 where they meet Capt. Jack Harkness.
It gets confusing at this point, so I shall refer to them from this point forward as TJ (Torchwood Jack) and RJ (RAF Jack).
TJ explains to Toshiko that he’s been in 1941 before and that he stole the identity of RJ who was killed in battle. RJ is due to die tomorrow.
For some poorly explained reason, Toshiko has calculations to open the Rift but half of it is at Torchwood, the other half in on the laptop she carried with her into 1941 and both halves require a piece of equipment to complete the Rift Machine that Torchwood doesn’t have in its possession. She hides the necessary calculations for the others to find in the Future.
They find most of the equation, except for a few numbers scratched out by the mysterious, time-traveling Bilis Manger.
Back in 1941, TJ is really saddened by the impending death of RJ. RJ brushes off the girl he’s been seeing for the last few weeks, but TJ convinces him to go after her because every night might be he last. He goes, but then returns because he’d rather spend the night with TJ, instead.
Owen also finds the missing piece to the Rift Machine and, with the incomplete equation, opens the rift, but not before Ianto shoots him.
RJ leads TJ out onto the dance floor as the rift opens, but before TJ can leaves, he gives RJ a last, long passionate kiss.
Analysis
Mostly a waste of screen time.
No wonder RJ died the next day. If, in 1941, an RAF Captain had been groping and kissing another man on the dance floor in front of his crew, other military and the local girls, they’d have killed him themselves. Perhaps things were more different in 1940’s UK than in the US, but I doubt it. Seriously, at this point, it’s pretty damned clear they’re really trying to force this gay thing down everyone’s throat. In this episode it reached an new plateau of epic absurdity.
This story has no other purpose than to bring about the TJ/RJ intimacy, therefore, it was a waste of time. It did setup a couple pieces for the finale, which was aired immediately afterwards.