In the episode, John double crosses Jack's Torchwood team as part of a plan to steal a diamond from a woman who was murdered.

Jack, after finding the Doctor[N 1] and witnessing the end of the world,[N 2] returns to his Torchwood team, and shoots an intoxicated alien Blowfish[broken anchor] involved in a hostage situation.

John paralyses Gwen and locks her in a crate, telling her that if she is not found in two hours, her main organs will stop working and she will die.

Unwilling to die, John handcuffs himself to Gwen and swallows the key in order to force Torchwood to remove the bomb.

The development of the episode commenced when executive producer Russell T Davies received an email from his agent, telling him James Marsters was interested in appearing on the series.

Chris Chibnall wrote the episode "absolutely" for Marsters, and wanted Hart to become a conflict for Jack Harkness.

[4] The style of fighting was similar to what Marsters was used to, and was, according to stunt co-ordinator Tom Lucy, a cross between Western, martial arts, and Bourne.

Though Rivers made the stunt to make Jack "look good", Barrowman had to lie on a box over green screen.

After a humanoid design was approved by the production team, Millennium FX, who previously created the prosthetics for Doctor Who and the first series of Torchwood, immediately sculpted the costume to Paul Kasey's dimensions.

Two versions of the mask were created; one was animatronic, which included mechanical fins, and one was used for the stunt where the blowfish was shot in the head.

[10] The Times commented that the episode was "good, salacious, knockabout fun", the best thing about Torchwood that "everyday Cardiff hums alongside psychotic blowfish and time loops", and asked "when extraterrestrial push comes to intergalactic shove, how could anyone object to a series that begins with a blowfish driving a sports car?".

The Chicago Sun-Times summarised it as "gay and playful sci-fi fun" and compared it with Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "good and efficient wit", and theorised that its rising quality made it "not hard to imagine it could be must-watch TV by season four",[15] the Orlando Sentinel stated it was "a bracing mix of campy comedy, chilling twists and sexual surprises" and commented that it "enlivens Saturdays",[16] and the Sci Fi Channel, who syndicate Doctor Who, called the script "excellent", commented that "Marsters and Barrowman's chemistry is just terrific", and lamented that the show only airs thirteen episodes per series, as opposed to the American standard of 24.