Random Shoes
Gwen investigates the death of an alien enthusiast.
"Random Shoes" is the ninth episode of Torchwood's first series, airing on BBC Three on 10 December 2006. The story centres on Gwen Cooper, a former Cardiff police officer newly recruited to Torchwood, as she investigates the suspicious death of Eugene Jones—an alien enthusiast who had repeatedly tried and failed to get in touch with the Torchwood team.
Eugene is killed in a hit-and-run, and Gwen becomes curious about photos of random shoes found on his mobile phone. Meanwhile, Eugene himself lingers as an invisible, incorporeal presence, following Gwen to piece together his own final moments as his memories slowly return. The plot unfolds through flashbacks: in 1992, Eugene froze during a school maths competition, letting his team down and disappointing his father, Shaun, who left that same night. Eugene and his brother Terry believed Shaun had taken a job in America. Later, Eugene received a strange eye that fell to Earth as a consolation prize, sparking his collection of alien artefacts. He approached Torchwood multiple times but was always turned away.
Discovering that Shaun actually worked at a local convenience store, Eugene decided to sell the eye on eBay to raise money for plane tickets to Australia for his co-worker, Linda. He arranged to meet the winning bidders at the Happy Cook restaurant, only to find they were his co-worker Gary and a DVD store clerk named Josh. They had driven up the bidding to raise Eugene’s hopes, then planned to steal the eye and resell it to a collector. Eugene swallowed the eye, fled the restaurant, and accidentally stepped into traffic, causing his own death. In the present, Gwen learns the truth from Linda, Gary, Josh, and Eugene’s mother, Bronwen. Jack explains the eye was likely a Dogon Sixth Eye, which gave Eugene a new perspective on his life after he ingested it. Gwen calls Shaun to tell him of Eugene’s death. At the cremation, Gwen retrieves the eye from the ashes and attends Eugene’s wake with the Torchwood team. Eugene briefly becomes solid, pushing Gwen out of the path of a car. Knowing he cannot survive without the eye, he shares a kiss with Gwen, who thanks him for saving her life and for being real.
Originally titled "Invisible Eugene" until two weeks before broadcast, the episode was renamed "Random Shoes," though it remained listed under the old title in the Radio Times and other TV guides.
Quick Facts
- Number
- 09
- Serial Name
- Random Shoes
- 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
- James Erskine
- Writer
- Jacquetta May
- Script Editor
- Brian Minchin
- Producer
- Richard Stokes / Sophie Fante / Chris Chibnall (co-producer)
- Executive Producer
- Russell T Davies / Julie Gardner
- Composer
- Ben Foster
- Production Code
- 1.9
- Series
- Series 1
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The plot follows Gwen investigating the death of an alien enthusiast called Eugene Jones in a hit-and-run accident. She is intrigued by photographs of random shoes on his mobile phone. Taking an incorporeal form, Eugene follows Gwen to find out how he died, as his memories slowly return. In 1992, Eugene blanked on an inter-school maths competition, losing it for his school and disappointing his father, Shaun; Shaun left that same night, and Eugene and his brother Terry believed he found a new job in America. After receiving an eye that fell to Earth as a consolation prize, Eugene began collecting alien artefacts. He approached Torchwood several times but was always rebuffed. After discovering Shaun worked at the local convenience store, Eugene decided to try to sell the eye on eBay to raise money for tickets to Australia for his co-worker, Linda. He arranged to meet buyers at the Happy Cook restaurant, where he found that co-worker Gary and DVD store clerk Josh were the winning bidders. They had raised the price initially to get Eugene's hopes up, but when a large bid came from a collector they planned to resell the eye. Eugene swallowed the eye and fled, but walked into traffic and died. In the present, Gwen uncovers the truth. Jack reveals the eye was probably a Dogon Sixth Eye, which allowed Eugene to gain a fresh perspective on his past life. Gwen calls Shaun to inform him of Eugene's death. At the cremation, Gwen recovers the eye from the ashes. At the wake, Eugene becomes corporeal and pushes Gwen out of the way of oncoming traffic. Knowing he will not live much longer without the eye, Gwen kisses him for saving her life and for being real.
Reader's Guide
"Random Shoes" is a notable episode for its structural similarities to the Doctor Who episode "Love & Monsters," particularly in its heavy use of flashbacks and voice-overs by a guest character, and its focus on that character with minimal contribution from most of the regular cast. Producer Richard Stokes likened the episode to the 1946 comedy/drama film It's a Wonderful Life, in which the main character looks back over his life while remaining invisible. The episode was originally titled "Invisible Eugene" until two weeks before it aired, and was still listed under that title in the Radio Times and other television listings. It was a "double-banked" episode, filmed at the same time as "Captain Jack Harkness," which explains why it focuses heavily on Gwen while the rest of the cast appear only briefly; conversely, Gwen appears little in "Captain Jack Harkness." Screenshots of Eugene's website as posted on the Torchwood Institute website suggest it was hosted on the fictional Cheapserve webhost, a name previously used by the Doctor Who production team.
Did You Know?
- It was still listed as 'Invisible Eugene' in the Radio Times and other television listings.
- This episode was filmed at the same time as 'Captain Jack Harkness,' making it a 'double-banked' episode.
- Screenshots of Eugene's website suggest it was hosted on the fictional Cheapserve webhost, previously used by the Doctor Who production team.
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