Combat (TV story)

Combat is the eleventh episode of the first series of Torchwood.

Synopsis
Savage aliens are being kidnapped from the streets of Cardiff and Torchwood want to know why. Owen is sent undercover to find out who's behind it and soon befriends the charismatic Mark Lynch. Beneath the veneer of city life, Owen discovers a shocking subculture: can he avoid being sucked in?

Plot
While chasing a weevil, Jack and Gwen have it snatched out from in front of them by masked men in a white van. The next morning, while Tosh is unable to trace the plates, she does use the CCTV to track the van to a warehouse near the docks. There Jack and Tosh find the body of a young man apparently attacked by a weevil. Further research shows a recent spike in hospital visits for apparent weevil attacks.

Owen, meanwhile, is still upset over the loss of Diane and agrees to go undercover to meet with a real estate agent, Mark Lynch who may have something to do with the incident.

Jack and Ianto go to the hospital to speak to a patient with injuries that might be Weevil-inflicted, but he refuses to talk, saying that "they" will kill him. Jack decides to take a desperate measure: they will release the Weevil they have in captivity (which he calls "Janet"), plant a tracking device on its clothes and then see if it will be picked up by this mysterious group. Tosh and Ianto have grave reservations about letting it loose in the city, but Jack assures them they will be with Janet each step of the way. They do so, and watch Janet being captured. After being invited over to Mark's home for drinks, Owen finds a chained weevil in a locked room in the house. Mark, aware that Owen isn't who he claims, is still intrigued by his anger and offers to take Owen with him for the evening's entertainment.

The entertainment is a fight club which Mark moves to a different empty building each night. Mark brings Owen into the fight club where Owen sees men fighting each other to warm up. Each contender pays $1000 to enter the cage with the weevil. The man who stays in the longest wins the pot. Mark informs Owen that he is up next.

While Gwen sits in the hub, the deceased's cell phone begins to chime in the morgue. Texts messages with the location of that evening's event show on the screen and Gwen passes that information onto Jack, Tosh, and Ianto.

Owen seems more than willing to enter the cage and leaves his guard down as the weevil attacks. Just then Jack and Gwen bust in and have Owen pulled from the cage and send the participants scattering. While tending to Owen, Mark enters the cage to end his life.

Owen is at the hospital and Jack appears and gives him grapes. Owen tells Jack that he did not want to be saved. Jack having his feelings hurt asks if he wants him and his team to 'say sorry?' Jack walks off telling Owen to be back at work tomorrow.

The next day, Owen returns to the hub down in the vaults where he looks at both the captive Weevils. They both groan and Owen hisses in a Weevil-like manner.

Cast

 * Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
 * Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles
 * Owen Harper - Burn Gorman
 * Toshiko Sato - Naoko Mori
 * Ianto Jones - Gareth David-Lloyd
 * Mark Lynch - Alex Hassell
 * Rhys Williams - Kai Owen
 * Weevil - Paul Kasey
 * Barmaid - Alexadra Dunn
 * Boyfriend - Matthew Raymond
 * Hospital Patient - David Gyasai

Crew
to be added

Music

 * Assassin - Muse
 * Crazy Frog - Crazy Frog
 * Over and Over - Hot Chip

Story notes

 * This episode was written by Noel Clarke who had previously played Mickey Smith.

Ratings

 * BBC3 - 0.8 million viewers
 * BBC2 - 2.0 million viewers

Myths
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * Owen also shows a connection with Weevils in TW: A Day in the Death, Dead Man Walking & Exit Wounds.
 * Mark Lynch works at the real estate agency lynchfrost. Lynch/Frost productions (with David Lynch and Mark Frost) made Twin Peaks. Frost Lynch is the realty agency promoting the house Rhys is visiting during Children of Earth: Day One.

Home video releases
This episode was first released on DVD, with three other episodes entitle Torchwood: Series 1, part 3 on 26 March 2007. It was later released in Torchwood:The Complete first series on 19th November 2007