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Small Worlds (Torchwood)
Encyclopedia
"Small Worlds" is an episode of the British
science fiction television
series Torchwood
. It is the fifth episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 12 November 2006. It was filmed in the villages of Radyr
and Bryn-Derw in Cardiff
North.
Hub, Jack
wakes from a nightmare of dead soldiers in a train carriage with rose
petals spilling out of their mouths, to find a single rose petal atop his desk. Ianto
informs Jack that there are strange weather patterns in the area. The next day, Jack takes Gwen
to visit an old friend of his, Estelle, who is giving a talk on fairies
. Estelle shows them the Cottingley Fairies
photographs, then compares them to photographs she had taken the day before, and claims to have found proof of the fairy's existence. After her talk at her home, Jack and Estelle discuss the photographs and the nature of fairies. Gwen asks Estelle and Jack about an old photograph she found of Jack. They both claim it is of Jack's father and say that he had a relationship with Estelle during World War II
. Estelle mentions that Jack looks and walks just like his father. Jack asks Estelle to call if she encounters any more fairies. On the way back to Torchwood, Jack explains to Gwen that the fairies are creatures from the dawn of time and are not bound by linear time. He says that the fairies can be very dangerous. Jack instructs Toshiko
to watch for strange weather patterns in the area in order to locate the fairies.
Meanwhile, a young girl, Jasmine Pierce, decides to walk home from school alone because her mother's boyfriend, Roy, did not arrive on time to pick her up. She encounters a man, Goodson, who tries to lure her into his car. When Goodson makes a grab for Jasmine, a strong wind kicks up along with strange, ethereal voices, and Goodson is forced to retreat into his car as Jasmine continues to skip on her way home to play with her fairy friends in the nearby woods. Later, a tense Goodson, still hearing the voices, stumbles through the Cardiff
market. He is attacked by something unseen by the other shoppers, and starts to cough up rose petals. He manages to get himself arrested in order to seek the safety of a jail cell. However, he continues to be attacked by unknown forces, and is found the next day dead by asphyxiation. Torchwood arrives and find Goodson's mouth filled with rose petals. Jack confirms that Goodson's death was by the fairies as part of their protection of a "Chosen One", a child that will soon become the fairies' if Torchwood cannot find her in time.
Late at night, Estelle starts to hear the strange voices and calls Jack to alert him. However, before Torchwood can arrive, she is killed, having drowned in a rainstorm despite the area around her being completely dry. Jack mourns her loss, and Gwen realizes that it was Jack himself who loved Estelle. Jack explains that he has seen the rose petals before, on a train in Lahore
in 1909. Some of his troops had drunkenly run over a little girl; a week later, all of his men died, their mouths filled with petals, and he realized that the young girl had been a Chosen One. Gwen returns home to find her own house in disarray, with leaves and rock patterns on the floor. The team realizes that the fairies are becoming more protective and aggressive.
At her school the next day, Jasmine is bullied by two girls, and the fairies cause a large gale to sweep over the area. Torchwood arrives and finds out from Jasmine's teacher that no one was harmed but the only one not affected by the storm was Jasmine. Meanwhile, Jasmine's mother Lynn and her boyfriend Roy are celebrating five-years together by throwing a backyard barbecue party. Jasmine helps her mother with the food and gives disturbing answers to her mother's questions. When Jasmine goes outside she finds that the backyard has been fenced off by Roy to prevent her from going to the woods. Angrily, she bites him. He slaps her and calls her a bitch. A sudden wind rushes up, and the fairies make themselves visible to everyone present, attacking and killing Roy. Torchwood arrives in time to prevent harm to other guests, but Jasmine and the fairies race off to the woods. Jack catches up with Jasmine and demands that the fairies not take her away. They refuse, stating that she is their Chosen One and if she is prevented from going many more people will die. Realizing he has no other choice, Jack requests a promise that Jasmine would not be harmed and the fairies respond that she will live forever. Jack lets Jasmine go and she skips away, surrounded by glowing fairies. Lynn, having witnessed this, cries angrily and hits Jack over and over, with Jack only able to apologize to her and to rhetorically ask his team what else he could have done.
Back at the Hub, Gwen is sorting through the pictures in the case when a Cottingley photograph from 1917 appears on the board room monitor. Spotting something, she zooms in on the photograph until the face on one of the fairies becomes clearly visible. It is Jasmine, smiling out of the picture, frozen in mid-dance. A fairy voice whispers:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
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...
. It is the fifth episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 12 November 2006. It was filmed in the villages of Radyr
Radyr
Radyr is an outer suburb of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The suburb is situated in the west of the city, although it was originally a separate village, and is located around 5 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. According to 2009 estimates, the suburb has a population of 6,000...
and Bryn-Derw in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
North.
Synopsis
A withdrawn but intelligent child has her suppressed anger taken advantage of, Jack must encounter his past to defeat those responsible: fairies at the bottom of her garden.Plot
At the TorchwoodTorchwood Institute
The Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
Hub, 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...
wakes from a nightmare of dead soldiers in a train carriage with rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
petals spilling out of their mouths, to find a single rose petal atop his desk. 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...
informs Jack that there are strange weather patterns in the area. The next day, Jack takes 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...
to visit an old friend of his, Estelle, who is giving a talk on fairies
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
. Estelle shows them the Cottingley Fairies
Cottingley Fairies
The Cottingley Fairies appear in a series of five photographs taken by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, two young cousins who lived in Cottingley, near Bradford in England. In 1917, when the first two photographs were taken, Elsie was 16 years old and Frances was 10...
photographs, then compares them to photographs she had taken the day before, and claims to have found proof of the fairy's existence. After her talk at her home, Jack and Estelle discuss the photographs and the nature of fairies. Gwen asks Estelle and Jack about an old photograph she found of Jack. They both claim it is of Jack's father and say that he had a relationship with Estelle during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Estelle mentions that Jack looks and walks just like his father. Jack asks Estelle to call if she encounters any more fairies. On the way back to Torchwood, Jack explains to Gwen that the fairies are creatures from the dawn of time and are not bound by linear time. He says that the fairies can be very dangerous. Jack instructs Toshiko
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"...
to watch for strange weather patterns in the area in order to locate the fairies.
Meanwhile, a young girl, Jasmine Pierce, decides to walk home from school alone because her mother's boyfriend, Roy, did not arrive on time to pick her up. She encounters a man, Goodson, who tries to lure her into his car. When Goodson makes a grab for Jasmine, a strong wind kicks up along with strange, ethereal voices, and Goodson is forced to retreat into his car as Jasmine continues to skip on her way home to play with her fairy friends in the nearby woods. Later, a tense Goodson, still hearing the voices, stumbles through the Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
market. He is attacked by something unseen by the other shoppers, and starts to cough up rose petals. He manages to get himself arrested in order to seek the safety of a jail cell. However, he continues to be attacked by unknown forces, and is found the next day dead by asphyxiation. Torchwood arrives and find Goodson's mouth filled with rose petals. Jack confirms that Goodson's death was by the fairies as part of their protection of a "Chosen One", a child that will soon become the fairies' if Torchwood cannot find her in time.
Late at night, Estelle starts to hear the strange voices and calls Jack to alert him. However, before Torchwood can arrive, she is killed, having drowned in a rainstorm despite the area around her being completely dry. Jack mourns her loss, and Gwen realizes that it was Jack himself who loved Estelle. Jack explains that he has seen the rose petals before, on a train in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
in 1909. Some of his troops had drunkenly run over a little girl; a week later, all of his men died, their mouths filled with petals, and he realized that the young girl had been a Chosen One. Gwen returns home to find her own house in disarray, with leaves and rock patterns on the floor. The team realizes that the fairies are becoming more protective and aggressive.
At her school the next day, Jasmine is bullied by two girls, and the fairies cause a large gale to sweep over the area. Torchwood arrives and finds out from Jasmine's teacher that no one was harmed but the only one not affected by the storm was Jasmine. Meanwhile, Jasmine's mother Lynn and her boyfriend Roy are celebrating five-years together by throwing a backyard barbecue party. Jasmine helps her mother with the food and gives disturbing answers to her mother's questions. When Jasmine goes outside she finds that the backyard has been fenced off by Roy to prevent her from going to the woods. Angrily, she bites him. He slaps her and calls her a bitch. A sudden wind rushes up, and the fairies make themselves visible to everyone present, attacking and killing Roy. Torchwood arrives in time to prevent harm to other guests, but Jasmine and the fairies race off to the woods. Jack catches up with Jasmine and demands that the fairies not take her away. They refuse, stating that she is their Chosen One and if she is prevented from going many more people will die. Realizing he has no other choice, Jack requests a promise that Jasmine would not be harmed and the fairies respond that she will live forever. Jack lets Jasmine go and she skips away, surrounded by glowing fairies. Lynn, having witnessed this, cries angrily and hits Jack over and over, with Jack only able to apologize to her and to rhetorically ask his team what else he could have done.
Back at the Hub, Gwen is sorting through the pictures in the case when a Cottingley photograph from 1917 appears on the board room monitor. Spotting something, she zooms in on the photograph until the face on one of the fairies becomes clearly visible. It is Jasmine, smiling out of the picture, frozen in mid-dance. A fairy voice whispers:
- "Come away, O human child!
- To the waters and the wild
- With a faery, hand in hand,
- For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."
Continuity
- Although Jack claims that he does not sleep in "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:...
", he is shown to have a waking nightmare in this episode. - A pair of 3-D glasses, originally used by the Tenth DoctorTenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
in "DoomsdayDoomsday (Doctor Who)"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
", can be seen hanging on a lamp shade on Jack's desk at the start of the episode. - This is the first episode in which the Torchwood team "loses", as Jack has to give Jasmine up to the fairies in order to save the world despite his original goal to keep her safe.
- This is the first episode that explores Jack's past. At one point, he was in charge of a troop of 15 men in 1909 LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. A letter on the Torchwood website, dated 1908, appears to suggest that this was part of a diamondDiamondIn mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
mining scam during his conman days.
Music
- The hymn "Lord of the DanceLord of the Dance (hymn)Lord of the Dance is a hymn with words written by English songwriter Sydney Carter in 1967. He adapted the tune from the American Shaker song "Simple Gifts"...
" features during the school scene. - The songs "Better Do BetterBetter Do Better"Better Do Better" is the fifth single from Indie band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. It was released on 27 February 2006 where it reached #14 in the UK singles chart sharing a similar chart success with all the other singles released from Stars of CCTV. The video was directed...
" by HARD-FiHARD-FiHard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
(Jasmine helps Lynn prepare food for the party), "Born to Be a Dancer" by Kaiser ChiefsKaiser ChiefsKaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
, (Kaiser Chiefs having been previously heard in the episode "Day OneDay One (Torchwood)"Day One" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Brian Kelly, the episode was first broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three on 22 October 2006 with the series pilot, "Everything Changes", and...
"; Jasmine and Lynn take food out to the party), and "Ooh LaOoh La"Ooh La" is a song by English rock band The Kooks and is featured on their debut album, Inside In/Inside Out. It is the sixth single taken from the album and was released on October 23, 2006...
" by The KooksThe KooksThe Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
(The Kooks having been previously heard in the episode "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...
"; Roy returns to the party and makes a toast to Lynn) feature. - The music during the closing creditsClosing creditsClosing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
contains quiet samples of the fairy laughter.
Cast notes
- Lara Phillipart, who plays Jasmine in this episode, appears as a member of Tommy's family in the 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...
episode "The Idiot's LanternThe Idiot's Lantern"The Idiot's Lantern" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 27 May 2006.-Plot:...
".
Outside references
- The primary school is called "Coed y Garreg", which translates as "The Stone Woods", a possible reference to the Roundstone Woods seen at the beginning of the episode.
- The discussion about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's involvement in the Cottingley FairiesCottingley FairiesThe Cottingley Fairies appear in a series of five photographs taken by Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths, two young cousins who lived in Cottingley, near Bradford in England. In 1917, when the first two photographs were taken, Elsie was 16 years old and Frances was 10...
hoax is based upon real events that occurred near BradfordBradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
in West YorkshireWest YorkshireWest Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
from 1917 onwards and based around two young girls who had taken photographs of what they claimed to be fairies. Doyle was apparently convinced of their veracity. The mention of Harry HoudiniHarry HoudiniHarry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
's involvement, however, is not historically accurate. While Conan Doyle did send a letter to the skeptical Houdini about the fairy "discovery", Houdini did not respond or use the event for self promotion as suggested in the show. The image seen on the show is very slightly altered, with Jasmine's face over one of the fairies. - Jack compares the fairies to the Mara. His noting of "Mara" as the origin of the word "nightmare" and their ability to steal the breath from their victims suggests that he is referring to the MaraMara (folklore)A mare or nightmare is a spirit or goblin in Germanic folklore which rides on people's chests while they sleep, bringing on bad dreams . The mare is attested as early as in the Norse Ynglinga saga from the 13th century, but the belief itself is likely to be considerably older...
of Germanic/Scandinavian mythology and not the MaraMara (Doctor Who)The Mara is a fictional monster in the long-running British science fiction television series, Doctor Who. It is a being of pure hatred, anger and greed, and requires the fear of its victims to survive. It exists in the minds of its victims and can transmit itself telepathically, although it can...
of the 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...
stories SnakedanceSnakedance*In post-production, episode four of this story overran very badly. As a result, it had to be completely restructured. Originally the door for a third Mara adventure was to be left open, with closing scenes discussing the ultimate fate of the Great Crystal. Furthermore, a sequence in which the...
and KindaKinda (Doctor Who)Kinda is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 1 February to 9 February 1982.-Synopsis:...
. Christopher BaileyChristopher BaileyChristopher Bailey is a lecturer of English at the University of Brighton and is an occasional screenwriter for television.He wrote the script for the Doctor Who serial Kinda in 1982...
, author of Snakedance and Kinda, was a practising Buddhist and named Doctor Whos Mara after the BuddhistBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
demon MaraMara (demon)In Buddhism, Māra is the demon that tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who, in various legends, are often said to be Mara's daughters. In Buddhist cosmology, Mara personifies unwholesome impulses, unskillfulness, the "death" of the spiritual life...
. - The episode's director, Alice Troughton, is not related to Second DoctorSecond DoctorThe Second Doctor is the second incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by character actor Patrick Troughton....
Patrick TroughtonPatrick TroughtonPatrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
.