To the Last Man (Torchwood)
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15 - "To the Last Man"
Torchwood episode
Writer Helen Raynor
Director Andy Goddard
Script editor Brian Minchin
Producer Richard Stokes
Chris Chibnall (co-producer)
Executive producer(s) Russell T. Davies
Julie Gardner
Production code 2.3
Series Series 2
Length 50 mins
Originally broadcast 30 January 2008
Chronology
? Preceded by Followed by →
"Sleeper" "Meat"
IMDb profile
"To the Last Man" is the third episode of the second series of
British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was
broadcast by BBC Two on 30 January 2008.[1]
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Plot
* 2 Cast
o 2.1 Cast
notes
* 3 Production
* 4 Continuity
* 5 Errors
* 6 References
* 7 External links
[edit] Plot
A time rift is causing 1918 and 2008 to bleed together. Tommy
Brockless, a young First World War soldier shell-shocked from his
experience in the trenches, is the key to "stitching" the hole in
time. He is abducted by Torchwood in 1918, and held in cryogenic
storage until the time comes for him to save the world. He is
awoken for one day each year for a medical check-up, meaning he
experiences the 90 year period of his freezing as around three
months.
Toshiko becomes infatuated with him, and the two share a brief and
doomed romance. Owen, noticing this and having experienced
something similar (cf. "Out of Time"), warns Tosh about the
eventuality of saying goodbye. Jack and Ianto discuss Jack's own
displacement in time, revealing (in an inordinate number of words)
that Jack does love Ianto in a way, and it culminates in a very
sexy kiss.
However, with a rift opening in time, and with the apocalyptic
threat of the years 1918 and 2008 colliding, Tommy must return to
1918 to seal the rift, never to see Toshiko again. However, history
records that Tommy will be sent back to the western front, and
break down again, resulting in his execution for 'cowardice'.
The writer has used this episode to draw attention to the British
army's slow appreciation and recognition of the psychological
trauma inflicted by the First World War, classing many
shell-shocked soldiers as cowards.
[edit] Cast
* Captain Jack Harkness — John Barrowman
* Gwen Cooper — Eve Myles
* Owen Harper — Burn Gorman
* Toshiko Sato — Naoko Mori
* Ianto Jones — Gareth David-Lloyd
* Tommy Brockless — Anthony Lewis
* Gerald Carter — Roderic Culver
* Harriet Derbyshire — Siobhan Hewlett
* Nurse — Lizzie Rogan
* Foreman — Ricky Fearon
[edit] Cast notes
* Although credited, Kai Owen does not appear as
Gwen's fiancé Rhys Williams.
[edit] Production
The title of - and dialogue within - the episode is a reference to
Field Marshal Douglas Haig's Order of the Day on 11 April 1918, in
response to the German Spring Offensive: "There is no other course
open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the
last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall
and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight
on to the end."[2]
"Tommy Atkins" or simply "Tommy" was a common slang term for a
British soldier, possibly dating back to the 18th Century, but is
particularly associated with the First World War.
The song "One Of These Mornings" by Moby plays towards the start
and at the end of this episode. The song "She's Got You High" by
Mumm-Ra plays in the pub as Toshiko and Tommy play pool.
News 24 stock footage is used to depict the Iraq War, again with
the BBC logo omitted as it has been in Torchwood, The Sarah Jane
Adventures episodes and in more recent Doctor Who episodes when
news reports have been included as part of the story.
[edit] Continuity
* Tommy remarks on how ridiculous it is that he
has to save the world in his pyjamas. The Doctor does just that in
the Doctor Who episode "The Christmas Invasion", which in turn is a
reference to Arthur Dent.
* Tommy is described by the phrase '(a) stitch
in time', this is used as the name for Bilis Manger's antique shop
in the series 1 episode End of days. Curiously, Manger has the
ability to travel through time, whilst Tommy, now in possession of
a rift manipulator, can presumably do the same.
* Jack Harkness's suggestion that "more than
300" shell shocked British soldiers were executed is false. Total
British military executions numbered 346, of which 40 were for
murder, treason, or mutiny. The remaining 306 were for desertion,
cowardice, and other offences, and while many can now be attributed
to shell shock, many cannot, although all 306 were posthumously
pardoned in 2006.
[edit] Errors
* Tommy incorrectly describes himself as a
"private officer," a non-existent rank or designation; the correct
term is "private soldier" or simply "private."
* Toshiko drops her bag when Tommy carrys her up
on the pier, then in the same scene the bag is back on Toshiko's
shoulder.
[edit] References
1. ^ BBC - Press Office (17 January 2008). "Week 5".
Press release. Retrieved on 2006-01-23.
2. ^ Schools History: Special order of the Day - The
First World War - April 1918
[edit] External links
* Torchwood at bbc.co.uk
* Episode Guide at Unreality Primetime
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