We open with Rhys and Gwen tussling in the bedroom. He’s still in bed, she’s trying to put her shoes on to go to work. He tugs her into bed: You’re itching to go back to work. She doesn’t deny it, but salvages it by saying that the best part is that she has him to come home to. They both make retching sounds; he nuzzles her and she giggles hysterically.
At the Hub, Jack has some unlabeled Class D artifacts for Tosh to check. Wait a sec–she’s got on a low cut, tight shirt and one hell of a push up bra. Huh. Owen, adorably geeky in uncharacteristic black-framed dork glasses, is pleased to assist her. It’s audit day (by whom are they being audited? It’s not like there’s a ton of government oversight here.) and Adam is fine with checking stuff to see when it came through the Rift. Adam? WTF? He’s apparently been in Torchwood for three years, but you’d be hard-pressed to find this red-head in any previous episodes. Gwen comes in late–she’s been on vacation in Paris with Rhys. She looks around, and asks who the hell Adam is. Everyone looks askance. He puts his hand on her shoulder and says that’s what he said to her on her first day, remember? She flashes back to memories of them horsing around, playing basketball, and drinking coffee he brewed. The awkwardness over, Gwen tells Tosh that she’s looking good. Adam gets a curdled, ugly look on his face.
We see Adam at his workstation, creating a false identification for one Adam Smith. Tosh sees, and asks him why he’s poking around in his personnel file. He tells her that he was just updating Rift activity (in a personnel file?) and she lets it go. She looks a bit petulant, and asks him if he knows when a lightweight box with glyphs carved all over it came through. He says no, but he’ll keep looking. He puts his hand on her neck and she sees memories of them together, flirting at work, kissing–so they do. Adam: A year ago today. Tosh: Our first kiss. Owen comes in, startled to see them kissing, and bangs around a bit. Tosh: You ok, Owen? Owen: Yes, yes, don’t worry about me…kissing in work, I wasn’t expecting it. (Clue we’re in an altered reality: no kissing at Torchwood?) He snaps off his gloves and leaves. Adam tells Tosh they’ll celebrate tonight and she leaves too. The smile runs off his face.
Jack, for no apparent reason, goes into the vault, past Janet, who hits the plexi and growls. Jack snaps: Save it! And walks past. In the next cell, he sees a kid in a light colored robe. Gwen interrupts; when he looks back the kid is gone. Gwen: Did you miss me? Jack retorts: Were you gone? and playfully chases her out of the vault. One look back–there’s only Janet.
Tosh is doing a quick check on Rift activity, finding an occurrence two days ago, but nothing came through. In a weird voice, Owen brandishes a screen cleaner in the shape of a small stuffed animal: Apart from me. Tosh looks repelled. Gwen, on the couch with Ianto, smiles. Owen asks Tosh if she likes it, Tosh: Just what I need, a small rodent looking at me while I work. I’ll call it Owen. Significant role reversal here; Tosh is oblivious and Owen crushed. Adam smirks. Gwen to Ianto: He’s like a puppy, bringing her sticks. When’s he going to realize he’s got no chance? Ianto: Love’s blind, apparently; he’s idolized her for years. Adam: Oh, leave him alone. I think it’s sweet.
After a hard day’s work, Gwen comes home and is surprised to see some keys on the table. Rhys comes up behind and takes her by the shoulders; she’s seriously freaked and shoots off into the kitchen, where she grabs a knife and warns him to stay back. He tries to talk her down, but no go; she grabs her gun instead and also calls Jack, telling him that there’s a nutter in her place. She tells Rhys that he’s picked the wrong girl to stalk. Jack and Adam ride to the rescue; Jack is rather appalled to see her training a gun on her fiancee (as we are as well.) Jack says it’s all right, but she’s raving about the whacko and denies knowing him. Jack and Rhys tussle a bit; in desperation, Rhys says she’s wearing the ring he gave her. She looks at it blankly. Adam steps up and takes her to the Hub; Jack stays with Rhys. As she’s leaving, Gwen tells Jack that if Rhys comes after her again, she’ll kill him.
Jack has Rhys record their relationship step by step, from meeting in college, the first kiss…She’s watching in the Hub, remembering the events but not th e emotions. Adam tells her that her memory is playing tricks.
Tosh and Owen look at the mystery box. Owen doesn’t know what it is or how to open it, but has brought sandwiches–smoked salmon, her favorite. She leaves hastily for beer. Owen sighs.
Gwen goes back home, and asks Jack not to leave. He says she’ll be ok. Jank and Ianto leave. Ianto tosses Jack the keys to the SUV and informs him of a Weevil alert. Jack sees the kid on the sidewalk and a little wildly asks Ianto if he can see him too. The kid is gone. Jack says he’ll drop off Ianto and check on the sighting; Ianto offers to hunt with him but Jack says he’ll be fine on his own.
Tosh brings Owen a beer too, with the advice to live a little. Tosh: Call it a celebration. Adam and I have been together for one year today. A whole year, and my stomach still flips when he touches me. Owen looks as though he’d like to vomit as she rambles on, but finally they get to work on the box.
Jack is on the hunt and hears a Weevil, but instead he sees a man in a light colored robe (sensing a theme?) who tells him to get out. “Dad?” “Get out, son!” Jack dashes up to the surface. Adam asks him if there’s a Weevil down there; he says no, and asks how Adam got there. Adam: I came with you, remember? and touches his arm. Jack: Yeah, of course. He says he saw his past. Adam touches him: I’m the one you can confide in, remember? Jack says that he buried those memories over 150 years ago; he can’t afford to remember. Adam pleads with Jack to tell him: You can trust me! Jack is doubtful of the wisdom of remembering, but does it anyway.
He sees himself as a kid again, on the Boeshane Peninsula, his home in the 51st century. The invasion came without warning. People scatter down the beach, terrified. He’s hiding from the most horrible creatures you could possibly imagine. His dad tells him to run, to take his little brother Grey, and to keep him safe; he’s going back for their mom and watches them run away. Grey trips, his hand coming loose from Jack’s; Jack doesn’t look back until he’s found a place to hide. It’s too late; he’s lost Grey. He can’t find him among the bodies on the beach, so he goes home, hoping Grey returned there. He finds his dad dead. He searched for Grey for years but never found him. He let go of Grey’s hand. It was the worst day of his life.
Back in the Hub, there’s disagreement over whether Adam of Jack found the box, so Ianto says he’ll check his diary, where he notes the finding of odd stuff, “among other things.” Tosh is worried because Adam hasn’t called; Owen tells her that if it were him, he’d cherish her. She’s pleased but not really paying attention until he says he loves her. He aches for her. Owen: My mum says to seize the day, so I am… He thinks they’d be amazing together (Shades of his encounter with Gwen in Countrycide last season!). She gets really put out: That’s completely inappropriate. I’m with Adam! And even if I wasn’t, you’re not my type, never will be. She leaves in a huff. Owen: Oh.
Gwen and Rhys are at the store; he hadn’t fixed anything for dinner because he planned on taking her out, kind of an extension of their Paris trip. He’s angry and upset, and goes into a rant at something another customer does. This makes Gwen smile, for she remembers “Rhys the Rant” going off when they started dating.
Ianto is alone by the workstations, in the dark. He is really disturbed by his diary. Adam asks what’s wrong. Ianto starts off the couch: My…diary. You’re not in it. Adam picks it up and leafs through the pages, getting up for a face to face with Ianto. He drops the diary and his hand statics as Ianto says he can’t remember a man who doesn’t exist. Ianto: Whwat are you? Adam grabs him and propels him into the wall: Cross me and I’ll fill you with false memories til your head is afire because that’s how I exist. Ianto, afraid but going after the rest of the truth: Gwen? What did you do to her? Adam: Memory is a very delicate thing. Feeding myself in wiped all the memories out. It’s a side effect of what I have to do to survive. Ianto tries to get away: Jack has to know. Adam grabs him again, puts his hand on his head and menacingly says, “Remember this.”
Ianto sees memories of himself as a serial killer; three women. Adam: Ianto, loyal Ianto, roaming the street at night for bait. Adam commands him to remember it.”I forget what a rush it is, feeding in the bad stuff.” He leaves Ianto, trapped in nightmare memory in the rain, by the body of his victim, screaming.
Jack is standing on the top of a building, overlooking Cardiff, remembering. His mom returns, weeping over his dad. She’s glad to see him alive and asks where Grey is. Jack tells her what happens and she cries harder.
It’s time for bed. Gwen and Rhys discuss memories. Gwen encourages him: We found it before, we’ll find it again. Rhys was always worried that she’d just settled for him and kisses her. Their kiss feels like the first time. Gwen: And it was nice. (Nice? Geeze. Damning with faint praise.) Rhys is, however, thrilled to kiss nicely, poor bastard. She invites him to remind her some more.
Adam and Tosh are at her apartment, being intimate; she’s rather aggressive with him, shoving him onto the bed. He stops: How far would you go for me? Would you die for me? Tosh: Yes.
Jack comes back to the dark Hub, where he’s hailed by Ianto, huddled by the stairs: You have to put me in the vaults. Lock me up. I’ve killed three girls. Jack is startled: Stop kidding around. Ianto: I’m serious. I murdered them in cold blood. He’s getting a bit unhinged and says that none of them is safe. Jack: What’s happened to you? and hugs him. Ianto slides his eyes to Jack and whispers: I’m a monster.
Jack hooks Ianto to a lie detector. Very creepily, Ianto tells him that it felt so good, squeezing the life out of them. The detector says he’s telling the truth, but Jack refuses to believe it, believe that Ianto could do that. Jack checks out the CCTV tapes of the Hub, sees Adam touching Ianto, saying “Remember.” He’s got it. He brings Ianto over to the monitor to show him how Adam violated his mind.
Jack can’t find a blood sample for Adam in the medical pit. Ianto finds that Adam’s personnel file was updated 24 hours ago. As they’re making these discoveries, the lights come up and Owen comes in with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for Tosh. Tosh and Adam come in; she finds the flowers and the apology. She’s completely happy with Adam.
Gwen comes in; she tells Tosh that the memories are coming back. Adam draws both women and Owen into a group hug while Jack watches. Adam: Ianto, come here. You all right, mate? I could murder a coffee.
Jack puts a gun to Adam’s head and reveals that he knows the truth. He feels no pride, no warmth for the one who unburied the dead. There’s a standoff with the aghast team as Jack moves Adam toward the vault. Tosh pulls her gun on Jack. Gwen and Owen try to calm her down but to no avail. Ianto comes up behind her and disarms her; she has hysterics. Jack to Adam: This is what you’ve done to us.
Adam pleads with Jack, telling him he had to do it to survive. Jack: You changed us. Adam: For the better! You didn’t remember who you were. I helped you. Look at Owen; all his cynicism gone. He’s different now, selfless, happier. And Tosh too. She’s never been this confident. Jack: How did you come here? Why us? Adam tries to seduce him to his side, tells him that it’s because of their unique memories, especially Jack’s extraordinary ones, his singular mind. Jack: Good job. That’s what we do, wipe out aliens. He leaves.
In the conference room, Jack tells the team: Our memories define us. Adam’s changed those memories, changed who we are. Now I have to help you all go back. Find a memory that defines you. Rediscover who you are. If I’m wrong, he’ll still be here when we’ve done this. The CCTV of Adam in the vault plays. Tosh is defiant and pissed off. Jack changes the CCTV feed to a soothing screensaver. “Let me take you back before we all met.” The lights dim. “Feel around for anything that makes you who you are. Hidden, forgotten. Tell me who you are.”
Gwen remembers college, Rhys telling her stupid jokes. Owen thinks about his tenth birthday; all day long his mom screams that while she loves him because he’s her son, she doesn’t have to like him. Tosh goes back to the reliability of math always to have an answer. Ianto experiences falling in love with Lisa, feeling so totally alive. The memories become darker. As Jack gives her a Retcon pill, she tells him: I love him. But not in the way I love you. Tosh is in tears, wishing with all her heart for someone to see that she’s special. Jack: I saw it. Owen is trapped by knowing that however many lives he saves, it’s never going to be enough. Who will save him? Jack: I will. Ianto: Coming here gave me meaning again. You. Jack kisses his head. The pills will wipe out the last 48 hours of memory. In the cell, unseen, Adam statics. Tosh turns the feed back on. “I’m going to lose so much.” Jack: None of it was real. Tosh: I loved him and he loved me. It’s no different from real memory! Jack: He forced it on you. You have to let it go.
They go to sleep; Jack catches Gwen’s head before it hits the table, smooths her hair before walking out.
Jack shows Adam the Retcon. Adam bargains for his life by saying that he can help Jack remember the last good memory of his dad. He’d been in the Void so long and this world is so beautiful. “Let me do this for you.”
Jack sees his child self playing ball with his dad on the beach. Grey runs up and Jack hugs him, spins him around. Jack goes after the ball, but over a rise finds that a strange boy has it. It’s Adam. Adam has corrupted the memory. The price of the good memory is Adam’s survival. The mystery box contains the last good memory of Jack, Grey, and their dad.
Tormented, Jack takes the pill. Adam falls to the floor and flickers away. Jack goes to sleep, alone in life and in memory.
The team is back to normal but they find they’ve lost 48 hours. There’s no CCTV backup, no nothing to remind them. Owen denies having sent flowers or apologies to Tosh, crushing her yet again. Jack finds Ianto’s diary in his office; Ianto retrieves it quickly. Jack to Ianto: For the record? Measuring tapes never lie. His back to Jack, Ianto rolls his eyes and seems to mouth “Fuck.” After he leaves, Jack finds the key to the box and unlocks it. The box opens; Jack spills sand through his fingers.
.
I did like this episode by Catherine Treganna much better than the two previous ones, but once again, she isn’t content to let the viewer watch the story unfold and feel the emotions evoked; she mistakes manipulation for revelation. Now why did Gwen’s memory of Rhys, and Rhys alone, evaporate? Is this to do with his significance to her? If it is, it’s a heck of a clue. While it was fun to see Tosh and Owen’s role reversal, it was too predictable to be anything but amusing. At the end of the episode, it’s same old, same old. Tosh is absolutely wearing a red shirt when it comes to romance. Phasers on kill! I hope to god Owen never hooks up with her. Adam’s treatment of Ianto is by far the most disturbing thing in this episode; painful to watch, but Ianto was really stellar when Adam was through with him. The best performance of his ever. He might not be as tough as the others, but he is as brave. I felt sorriest for Tosh–even though she would have done anything to keep her ‘relationship’ with Adam going, I though she was more or less pressured under the tidal wave of emotion to take her Retcon. Now she won’t even be able to remember how glorious it felt to be loved; which I think she wants above all else. Why didn’t they ask Rhys what happened to those 48 hours? He’d be able to tell them a whole lot and more. I think the episode would have been more thought-provoking if Adam hadn’t been so evil. People take the right to survive as a given; most of us think that life is precious and would completely understand someone not wanting to be eradicated. Adam had that right as well, but it was easy to make him forfeit it because of how he went about ensuring his survival. If he hadn’t violated Ianto and reveled in it; if he hadn’t caused such damage to the others; if he hadn’t, in desperation, tainted Jack’s last good memory, would it have been so easy to consign him to oblivion? It’s a grey area.
