Andy Davidson wakes up in the 1950s. He’s chained to a bed, his clothes are missing and the building’s on fire. And if that wasn't enough, he promptly gets the key to an alien doomsday artefact stuck in his head.
The streets of Soho are swarming with gangsters, rumors and betrayals. But the doomsday artefact is out there somewhere, and Andy and Norton have to get to it first. Because tonight they’re going to save Torchwood.
Tropes
- Chained to a Bed: Andy is less than amused to wake up this way. Norton seems to take it more in stride.
- The Chessmaster: Norton starts showing his skills at this towards the end of the episode when it's revealed that he orchestrated most of the episode's events so that he could kill the Vicar and take over Torchwood himself.
- Dirty Cop: Most of the police characters introduced are being bribed by someone.
- Fiction As Coverup: Norton Folgate says that H. G. Wells helped Torchwood cover up an alien invasion by writing it as a book.
- Headache of Doom: Andy's headaches get worse the longer the key is inside his mind, and will eventually kill him if he can't get it out.
- Naked People Are Funny: An interesting audio version with Norton's artist friend and occasional lover Alejandro, who is mentioned to be constantly naked and is played as comic relief.
- Naked People Trapped Outside: Norton and Andy start the episode naked and handcuffed to a bedpost in a burning building, and have to sneak through the back streets before they can finally get rid of the bedpost and put on some clothes.
- The Queenpin: Fat Kim.
- Red Light District: Most of the episode takes place in various brothels across Soho.
- A True Story in My Universe: Apparently The War of the Worlds is based on invasion that Torchwood covered up.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: The Vicar, Norton's boss, who is promptly killed off after only a few scenes.
