Out of Time (Torchwood)
Three people from 1953 struggle to adapt to modern Cardiff.
"Out of Time" is the tenth episode of Torchwood's first series, airing on BBC Three on 17 December 2006. In it, Torchwood looks after three people from 1953—pilot Diane Holmes and passengers Emma Louise Cowell and John Ellis—whose vintage biplane, the Sky Gypsy, came through the Rift into modern-day Cardiff. The team helps them adjust to contemporary life, and the three visitors each pair off with a Torchwood member.
Owen assists Diane in arranging flying lessons, but she learns she must wait weeks and that modern planes rely on instruments and autopilot, which she dismisses as not real flying. Her biplane licence has also expired. After a romantic night with Owen, Diane secretly attempts to fly the Sky Gypsy back through the Rift to 1953, or else to explore the world. Owen, realising he truly loves her rather than just being sexually attracted, warns her she could end up anywhere, but she ignores him and flies off.
John discovers his son Alan is alive but has Alzheimer's and lives in a nursing home with no children to care for him. Remorseful and unable to adapt, John steals Ianto's car and drives to his old home, where Jack finds him attempting suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. John asks Jack to help him die with dignity; Jack holds his hand as they both succumb, and Jack resurrects immediately.
Emma bonds with Gwen, learning that modern romance is more promiscuous than in the 1950s. Gwen and her boyfriend Rhys help Emma adjust, though Rhys's trust is damaged when he learns Gwen's story about Emma being a distant relative is false. Emma's talent as a retro fashion artist lands her a job in London; Gwen tearfully helps her board a bus to start her new life.
The Sky Gypsy is a de Havilland Dragon Rapide, misnamed the Sea Gipsy on the Torchwood website. Diane's fate is left unknown, though a vision of her appears to Owen in "End of Days," begging to be brought back. When Jack speaks to John after his suicide attempt, he says that after death there is just black, echoing Suzie Costello's words in "They Keep Killing Suzie."
Quick Facts
- Number
- 10
- Serial Name
- Out of Time
- Show
- TW
- Cast
- John Barrowman – Captain Jack Harkness / Eve Myles – Gwen Cooper / Burn Gorman – Owen Harper / Naoko Mori – Toshiko Sato / Gareth David-Lloyd – Ianto Jones
- Director
- Alice Troughton
- Writer
- Catherine Tregenna
- Script Editor
- Brian Minchin
- Producer
- Richard Stokes / Chris Chibnall (co-producer)
- Executive Producer
- Russell T Davies / Julie Gardner
- Composer
- Ben Foster
- Production Code
- 1.10
- Series
- Series 1
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The episode begins when the vintage biplane airliner Sky Gypsy passes through the Rift from 1953 to the present. Torchwood helps the three people on board—pilot Diane Holmes and passengers Emma Louise Cowell and John Ellis—with room and board while assisting them in adapting to modern conveniences. The three travelers separate, pairing off with members of Torchwood.
Owen tries to help Diane get flying lessons so she can pilot a modern aircraft, but finds she will have to wait weeks; airplanes of today are largely flown via instruments and autopilot, disappointing Diane as she does not believe it constitutes "real flying." Her biplane licence has also expired. After a romantic night with Owen, Diane secretly leaves to fly the Sky Gypsy off through the same pattern, hoping to fly through the Rift back to 1953, but if not to simply explore the world. Owen realizes he actually loves her as a person, rather than just being attracted sexually. He warns her she may end up anywhere, but she refuses to heed his advice before flying off.
John finds his son Alan is still alive but has Alzheimer's disease and is in a nursing home, with no children to help look after him. John becomes remorseful at missing Alan's life and being unable to adapt. When Jack discovers Ianto's car missing, he finds John in the garage of his old home ready to commit suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. John asks Jack to help him end his life with dignity. Jack holds John's hand as they succumb to the fumes and die; Jack resurrects immediately afterwards. Emma bonds with Gwen, discovering sex is much more promiscuous than in the 1950s. Gwen and her boyfriend Rhys help Emma become accustomed to modern romance, though Rhys' trust is damaged when he learns Gwen's story about Emma being a distant relative is false. Emma's skills as a "retro" fashion artist land her a job in London; Gwen tearfully helps her off to a bus station.
Reader's Guide
The episode explores themes of displacement, adaptation, and the emotional cost of time travel. It contrasts the values and technologies of 1953 with those of the early 21st century, particularly in romance, aviation, and family relationships. The three travelers each face a different outcome: Diane chooses to risk the Rift to return home or explore; John chooses suicide with Jack's assistance; Emma chooses to embrace the future. The episode is notable for its focus on character drama rather than alien threats, and for Jack's resurrection after dying alongside John. Continuity notes include that the Sky Gypsy is a de Havilland Dragon Rapide (misnamed the Sea Gipsy on the Torchwood website), Diane's fate is not shown but a vision of her appears to Owen in "End of Days," and Jack's description of death as "just black" echoes Suzie Costello in "They Keep Killing Suzie."
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