Torchwood/Recap/S1/E05 Small Worlds

The Torchwood team finds itself against its first fantasy-based alien threat yet!... Faeries.

The episode opens with nice old lady Estelle finding a hidden grove and taking some snapshots of what very much appear to be faeries. It's only after she walks away does their true monstrous form become apparent, but only to the audience.

Cut to a young schoolgirl named Jasmine waiting after class. When her stepfather is late picking her up, she decides to walk and is rather conspicuously tailed by an unsavory character. His advances are derailed by the girl's little faerie friends. While he makes his escape, he finds himself continually tailed by these friends, and begins to cough up rose petals. He eventually turns himself in to the police, but to no avail, as he's later found dead inside his cell. Also, Jack is lying on his bed shirtless, thinking about his time in the war. Since he's previously established that he doesn't sleep, one has to assume it's a hobby.

Torchwood is called in on the unusual death. Jack recognizes the culprit and contacts Estelle. The two reminisce about Estelle's history with "Jack's father" and discuss her fascination with faeries and the photographing of them. Gwen dismisses the idea that real faeries could be involved. Jack is more concerned with the fact that Estelle seems to think they're benevolent. Jack's suspicions are confirmed when Estelle is later found dead drowned by a severely localized rainstorm. It is, of course, revealed that the one who loved Estelle all those years ago was Jack himself.

Meanwhile, Jasmine's mother and stepfather are continually concerned over her antisocial behavior and not having any friends, hobbies, or interests outside of playing in the garden with her imaginary friends. An altercation with school bullies causes a severe windstorm that Torchwood picks up on and gets Jasmine's name. Jasmine's stepfather, taking a heavy dose of "jerk", decides to fence up the garden that Jasmine plays in, and even slaps her around when she protests. Naturally, the faeries take umbrage at this and their attack begins just as Torchwood arrives on the scene. The stepfather is killed by the faeries and Jasmine escapes into the garden.

Jack explains that Jasmine is a "Chosen One" to the Faeries, a human child to be taken by them and made one of them. The Faeries are ancient creatures that have considerable power over time and reality. In Jack's past, his entire company of soldiers under his command was killed after accidentally killing a "Chosen One", and the Faeries promise much worse should Jasmine be denied to them. Jack allows Jasmine to be taken, claiming he had no choice in the matter.

Thus, the Faeries get off scot-free, three people are dead, one woman is now without a boyfriend and daughter, and everyone gives Jack a proper glare for doing, well... jack-all. Torchwood literally did nothing to influence the episode's events in any way. Oh, and there's a little bit at the end where Gwen expands one of the Cottingley Fairy photos and notes that Jasmine appears in it as a Faerie.

Tropes

 * Asshole Victim: Mark Goodson, the pedophile. Roy the stepfather was a little ambivalent at first, but all bets are off once he smacks Jasmine and calls her a "little bitch".
 * The Bad Guy Wins
 * Blatant Lies: Jack finds a photo of "his Dad". No one really buys this.
 * The Chosen One: Jasmine is directly referred to as this for the Faeries.
 * Cold Blooded Torture: The Faeries make you choke to death on rose petals. After torturing you for a while, it seems.
 * Creepy Child: The Fair Folk seem to have turned Jasmine into this.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Jack. Who else?
 * Downer Ending: The Faeries get exactly what they want. Poor Lynn is out one boyfriend and one daughter, and everyone's pissed at Jack.
 * Eldritch Abomination: The faeries. Jack describes them as "part myth, part spirit world and part reality jumbled together, mixed with old moments and memories." The most interesting bit seems to be that they are, in fact, not alien. They've been living alongside humanity since the beginning.
 * The Fair Folk: The antagonist for this episode.
 * For the Evulz: Jack claims this as the Faeries' motivation. Still, the only deaths we see are those protecting their Chosen One and a possible case of He Knows Too Much.
 * He Knows Too Much: Seems to be the only reason the Faeries killed Estelle, since Estelle didn't present a direct threat against Jasmine.
 * Or because she was connected to Jack, who they couldn't kill but could torment.
 * Imaginary Friend: What Jasmine's mum and stepfather think the Faeries are.
 * Kick the Son of A Bitch: The first victim is a pedophile and kidnapper. He kind of had it coming.
 * Lolicon: Mark Goodson. His death pretty much goes unmourned.
 * Personal Raincloud: A tragically literal example. Estelle gets directly rained on and drowned by the Faeries while the weather all around her house is completely clear.
 * Pinball Protagonists: The faeries drive the plot. Torchwood don't manage to stop them, slow them down, or make much difference to events at all.
 * Poisonous Friend: The Faeries seem to be this for any one they take interest in.
 * Shaky POV Cam: Most of the Faerie attacks are of this nature.
 * Weather Dissonance: The Faeries can cause this and it's ultimately how Torchwood tracks them down.
 * What the Hell Hero: A lot of this is implied in Jack's reaction to the Faeries' last attack. They look on as Roy is killed and seem to be powerless to stop Jasmine's abduction.
 * The Woobie: Lynn, Jasmine's mother. Has her boyfriend of five years killed right in front of her by the faeries (rather unaware of what a dick he was recently being), and then loses her daughter a few minutes later when the Faeries take her away. Doesn't get to say goodbye, or even a proper explanation on why it happened.
 * Also it's likely Torchwood are gonna have to Retcon half her life away.