A Day in the Death
Encyclopedia
"A Day in the Death" is the eighth episode of the second series of British science fiction television
series Torchwood
, which was broadcast by BBC Three
on 27 February 2008. This episode is the last of three to feature Doctor Who
companion
, Martha Jones
, and also features guest star Richard Briers
.
narrates the opening of the episode, detailing his life and his death, which he is living through. On top of a building Owen sits with a woman, asking her if she is ready to jump.
After revealing his undead state, Owen tells the woman about the days since his death, shown as a series of flashbacks. Jack
relieves Owen of his duties so he can be monitored and protected. Owen is angry when Martha Jones
assumes his position, and further disheartened when he is given Ianto's job of making coffee. He feels useless, conscious that he's always been alone while each one of the Torchwood team has or has had someone in their life (Ianto
and Jack, Gwen
and Rhys
, Martha and her boyfriend, Tosh
and Tommy).
Martha concludes that Owen is 100% human yet will not age. The team discusses a series of energy spikes coming from the estate of a reclusive collector of alien artifacts, Henry Parker. Parker has not been seen since 1986, leading the team to wonder what he has inside his house. They devise a plan to find out the origin of the energy spikes, excluding Owen from the task.
As Owen toys with a scalpel in the autopsy room, Martha tries to reassure him that she doesn't want his job. While talking, she realises that Owen has sliced his hand - a wound he can't feel, which won't heal. Owen heads home, where he begins to clear out his apartment. Tosh arrives to keep him company, and Owen zones out.
On the roof, the woman says Owen and Tosh sound like a married couple. She tells him that her husband died in a car accident on their wedding day. She asks Owen if things get better when you die, and Owen flashes back to his apartment. He asks Tosh why she is there, and becomes angry when she offers to help. After insulting Toshiko, Owen intentionally breaks his finger to show her how 'broken' he is, before attempting suicide. He fails to drown since he has no need for breath.
At the Hub, the team realise that heat-sensors on the Parker estate make it impossible for them to get inside. When Owen points out that he has no body heat, Jack agrees to take him on the mission.
After successfully entering the house, Owen reaches Parker, an old man linked up to many ventilators and medical machines. The man says he suffered a failed bypass and three heart attacks, but is being kept alive by a glowing object he calls "the Pulse". Owen explains that it isn’t keeping him alive; hope is doing the job. Owen promises to help Parker face his fear of death, but Parker suffers another heart attack. Unable to draw breath himself, Owen cannot perform CPR, and Parker dies.
Tosh tells Owen that "the Pulse" will explode with nothing to prevent it. Owen holds the object, telling the team he’ll try to absorb its energy. Owen begins to say his goodbyes, praising Martha as his replacement, and apologising to Tosh. Tosh says she loves him and Owen hugs the object as it begins to glow. On the roof, the woman looks at Owen incredulously, asking what happened next. Owen mentions that life is sometimes not as bad as we think, and retrieves "the Pulse" from his backpack. They had falsely identified it, as it was actually a reply to one of humanity's satellites, launched to make contact with alien life. The object produces a beautiful light and Owen answers the woman's earlier question: it does get better.
In flashback, after the team says farewell to Martha, Owen promises to tell Tosh whenever he’s feeling bad, admitting he's scared of the darkness and becoming trapped. Walking along a footpath, Owen picks up a photo of the woman on the roof, which had fallen from a building above. This is what brought him there: not to jump himself, but to save her. Owen tells her that if she cannot see anything left for her, then she should jump; but if she can see a glimmer of hope then it's worth taking a chance. She introduces herself as Maggie; and as Owen holds her hand, they watch the light show from "the Pulse"
.
serial Paradise Towers
.
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, which was broadcast by BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
on 27 February 2008. This episode is the last of three to feature Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
, Martha Jones
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
, and also features guest star Richard Briers
Richard Briers
Richard David Briers, CBE is an English actor whose career has encompassed theatre, television, film and radio.He first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines in the 1960s, but it was in the following decade when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life that he became a...
.
Plot
Owen HarperOwen Harper
Owen Harper is a fictional character played by Burn Gorman, and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character last appeared onscreen in the Series 2 finale, "Exit Wounds"....
narrates the opening of the episode, detailing his life and his death, which he is living through. On top of a building Owen sits with a woman, asking her if she is ready to jump.
After revealing his undead state, Owen tells the woman about the days since his death, shown as a series of flashbacks. Jack
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
relieves Owen of his duties so he can be monitored and protected. Owen is angry when Martha Jones
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
assumes his position, and further disheartened when he is given Ianto's job of making coffee. He feels useless, conscious that he's always been alone while each one of the Torchwood team has or has had someone in their life (Ianto
Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones is a fictional character in the BBC television series Torchwood, played by Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd. A series regular, Ianto appears in every episode of the programme's first three series, as well as two crossover episodes of Torchwoods parent show, Doctor Who...
and Jack, Gwen
Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off to the long-running show Doctor Who, portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles. The series' lead female character, Gwen has featured in every episode of the sci-fi programme to date as well as two crossover...
and Rhys
Rhys Williams (Torchwood)
Rhys Alun Williams, portrayed by Kai Owen, is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character is introduced in the premiere episode as the co-habiting boyfriend of principal character Gwen Cooper...
, Martha and her boyfriend, Tosh
Toshiko Sato
is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London" , Toshiko is re-introduced as a series regular in the Torchwood 2006 premiere episode "Everything Changes"...
and Tommy).
Martha concludes that Owen is 100% human yet will not age. The team discusses a series of energy spikes coming from the estate of a reclusive collector of alien artifacts, Henry Parker. Parker has not been seen since 1986, leading the team to wonder what he has inside his house. They devise a plan to find out the origin of the energy spikes, excluding Owen from the task.
As Owen toys with a scalpel in the autopsy room, Martha tries to reassure him that she doesn't want his job. While talking, she realises that Owen has sliced his hand - a wound he can't feel, which won't heal. Owen heads home, where he begins to clear out his apartment. Tosh arrives to keep him company, and Owen zones out.
On the roof, the woman says Owen and Tosh sound like a married couple. She tells him that her husband died in a car accident on their wedding day. She asks Owen if things get better when you die, and Owen flashes back to his apartment. He asks Tosh why she is there, and becomes angry when she offers to help. After insulting Toshiko, Owen intentionally breaks his finger to show her how 'broken' he is, before attempting suicide. He fails to drown since he has no need for breath.
At the Hub, the team realise that heat-sensors on the Parker estate make it impossible for them to get inside. When Owen points out that he has no body heat, Jack agrees to take him on the mission.
After successfully entering the house, Owen reaches Parker, an old man linked up to many ventilators and medical machines. The man says he suffered a failed bypass and three heart attacks, but is being kept alive by a glowing object he calls "the Pulse". Owen explains that it isn’t keeping him alive; hope is doing the job. Owen promises to help Parker face his fear of death, but Parker suffers another heart attack. Unable to draw breath himself, Owen cannot perform CPR, and Parker dies.
Tosh tells Owen that "the Pulse" will explode with nothing to prevent it. Owen holds the object, telling the team he’ll try to absorb its energy. Owen begins to say his goodbyes, praising Martha as his replacement, and apologising to Tosh. Tosh says she loves him and Owen hugs the object as it begins to glow. On the roof, the woman looks at Owen incredulously, asking what happened next. Owen mentions that life is sometimes not as bad as we think, and retrieves "the Pulse" from his backpack. They had falsely identified it, as it was actually a reply to one of humanity's satellites, launched to make contact with alien life. The object produces a beautiful light and Owen answers the woman's earlier question: it does get better.
In flashback, after the team says farewell to Martha, Owen promises to tell Tosh whenever he’s feeling bad, admitting he's scared of the darkness and becoming trapped. Walking along a footpath, Owen picks up a photo of the woman on the roof, which had fallen from a building above. This is what brought him there: not to jump himself, but to save her. Owen tells her that if she cannot see anything left for her, then she should jump; but if she can see a glimmer of hope then it's worth taking a chance. She introduces herself as Maggie; and as Owen holds her hand, they watch the light show from "the Pulse"
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
.
Continuity
- One of Henry Parker's purchases was a Dogon Eye, an item last seen in "Random ShoesRandom Shoes"Random Shoes" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast on 10 December 2006. It is the ninth episode of the first series.-Synopsis:...
". The official website states that he has recently purchased a CybermanCybermanThe Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs who are amongst the most persistent enemies of the Doctor in the British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. Cybermen were originally a wholly organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas that began to implant more...
arm and chest unit. - In the opening scene, archive footage of Louise DelamereLouise DelamereLouise Delamere is an English actress best known for her role as Lia in the Channel 4 comedy drama, No Angels.Delamere is from Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside and was a classmate of the Boo Radleys at St Mary's College. She studied acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow,...
as Diane Holmes, Owen's first series love interest, is shown. Also in the opening montage, clips from episodes such as "Everything ChangesEverything Changes (Torchwood)"Everything Changes" is the first episode of the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, which was first broadcast on 22 October 2006.-Synopsis:Police constable Gwen Cooper comes across the mysterious organisation known as Torchwood...
", "Ghost MachineGhost Machine (Torchwood)"Ghost Machine" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the third episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 29 October 2006.-Synopsis:...
", "Out of TimeOut of Time (Torchwood)"Out of Time" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast on 17 December 2006. It is the tenth episode of the first series.- Synopsis :...
" and "MeatMeat (Torchwood)"Meat" is the fourth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Two on 6 February 2008.-Synopsis:...
" can be glimpsed. - This is the second episode in which Owen is relieved of his duties. He was previously dismissed by Jack after he opened the riftCardiff RiftThe Cardiff Rift is a fictional wormhole in the science fiction television series Doctor Who and Torchwood, one end of which is located in Cardiff Bay, Wales. The other end is apparently floating freely through spacetime, and matter and radiation can pass through the Rift, allowing extraterrestrial...
in "End of DaysEnd of Days (Torchwood)"End of Days" is the thirteenth episode and the first series finale of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It originally aired on BBC Three on 1 January 2007, alongside the previous episode, "Captain Jack Harkness". The episode was written by Chris Chibnall and directed by...
".
Outside references
- Owen says that Torchwood filed Henry Parker as "Mostly Harmless," a reference to the book by the same nameMostly HarmlessMostly Harmless is a novel by Douglas Adams and the fifth book in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It is described on the cover of the first editions as "The fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhikers Trilogy"...
by Douglas AdamsDouglas AdamsDouglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
, who used to write for Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. "Mostly Harmless" was the revised entry for planet Earth in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, also written by Adams. The original entry for Earth was "harmless". - Owen criticises Ianto for liking TintinThe Adventures of TintinThe Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
. Owen thinks TintinTintin (character)Tintin is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. Tintin is the protagonist of the series, a reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy....
is weird, and reckons "he was shagging the dog" (his pet SnowySnowy (character)Snowy is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. He is a white Wire Fox Terrier and Tintin's four-legged companion who travels everywhere with him...
). Later in the episode, Owen is given a Tintin T-shirt. Doctor Who writer Steven MoffatSteven MoffatSteven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
co-wrote the 2011 Tin Tin movie. - In reference to his reclusiveness, Parker is stated to be "a bit Howard HughesHoward HughesHoward Robard Hughes, Jr. was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, engineer, film producer, director, and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world...
". - The symptoms of Owen's death (numbness, inability to heal) have similarities to leprosy, as suffered by the protagonist of Stephen R Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The alien words spoken by Owen in the "Dead Man WalkingDead Man Walking (Torchwood)"Dead Man Walking" is the seventh episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood. It was broadcast by BBC Three and BBC HD on 20 February 2008; it made its terrestrial debut on BBC Two on 27 February.-Synopsis:...
" (melenkurion, abatha, duroc, minas, mill and khabaal) were also taken from Donaldson's novels.
Cast notes
Richard Briers previously played the Chief Caretaker and the voice of Kroagnon in the 1987 Seventh DoctorSeventh Doctor
The Seventh Doctor is the seventh incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor Sylvester McCoy....
serial Paradise Towers
Paradise Towers
Paradise Towers is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1987.-Plot:...
.