Oswald Danes quotes from Torchwood

Oswald

I'm asking you now to join with me, in this enterprise, as we all walk across the fragile skin of this wide world together. The future is now endless. And it's terrifying, I'm offering you my hand to walk on this long journey. Together. Walk with me. That's all I ask. Walk with me.

Oswald

How much do you know about our masters at Phicorp? Because I did a little searching of my own last night. It's been a long long time since I was allowed online, so...I tried to find out who's above Phicorp. Who owns them. But the strangest thing happened. The information just scattered away. All sorts of names and tangents and diversions, but nothing tangible. And that's when I recognized the pattern. Because I've had a lot of experience perfecting how to hide myself online. And suddenly, I'm looking at someone else doing the same. But on a massive scale. Worldwide. I wonder why.

Oswald

There are people out there who are preaching all sorts of dangerous lies about you. And who is out there talking on your behalf? Hmm? I'm here to tell you, I will. I promise, I will. Because you need help.

Oswald

The truth is I know what I am. I know what you are too. Yes, I do. Each and every one of you. Because I know for certain what has happened to the human race. I know, because this has happened before. Fifty thousand years BC. What's called the great leap forward. Human beings suddenly, we started to bury our dead. We created art and money. And love. They loved. They learned to love. We made a leap from animal to human. ANd now, right now, in our very own lifetimes it has happened again. The next great leap. We have made it from animal to human to what? This is the question. After Miracle Day, what are we now? I know. This is something I know. Because I am the man who has lost Heaven forever. So I can feel the truth of it. I'm telling you, man has risen again! Now, he has a new name. And his name is Angel. Angel. Angel. We are angels. We have been helped. We have been purified. We have been given life unending. We are the first angels on Earth. And I promise you this, there are even those who have been planning for this. The agents of angels in this brand new world. I'm telling you right now, they stand amongst us. Yes! For this is my revelation!

Oswald

When are you gonna let me go?

Well, I don't think that's possible.

Oswald

I've served my sentence.

Granted, the execution was... flawed, but that doesn't defer the sentence. With respect, you don't reprieve a man you failed to hang because the rope snapped.

Danes

Indeed, and with respect, that particular aphorism applies only for an execution which has failed.

And that's you.

Oswald

On the contrary, I would maintain, and my lawyers would maintain, my sentence was carried out successfully. Nothing went wrong, absolutely nothing. The fact that life and the laws of life on this Earth have changed is hardly my fault.

Society is full of out-there laws, Mr. Danes. Nonetheless, they still apply.

Oswald

That's right, Mr. Peterssen. And when considering the persistence of the law, then the Eighth Amendment clearly forbids the application of cruel and unusual punishment, such as mine, alongside the Fifth Amendment, and I quote, "nor shall any person be subject for the same offence twice". The Founding Fathers practically had me in mind when they wrote the Constitution.

Jilly

There's a good reason the churches are empty. People don't want to hear about Heaven. They'd rather hear from the man who has gazed into Hell itself, and that's you. Frankly I think if the Devil himself were to walk this earth, he'd need representation.

Danes

If the Devil himself walked this earth, he'd surely be working in PR.

Jack

I saw you on television, saying you feel forgiven for taking the life of a child. That's a lie. I know that's a lie.

Danes

How do you know that, Jack, with such certainty?

Jack

Tell the truth! The murder of Susie Cabena. You don't feel sorry at all.

Oswald

I felt her life leave, and she left through me. You know that feeling. I think you do. And I relive it, every single night, because that was the best moment of my life.

Jack

Now I understand. You're doing all this because you're searching for one thing. One simple thing. Execution. We're without death, so you get to live. And it's killing you.

Jack

I saw you on television, saying you feel forgiven for taking the life of a child. That's a lie. I know that's a lie.

Oswald

How do you know that, Jack, with such certainty—

Jack

Tell the truth! The murder of Susie Cabina. You don't feel sorry at all.

Oswald

The truth is, she flaunted it. Her innocence. Most people, they get hit, whatever - it's hours before the bruises rise up. But they showed right away with her, and it was like... I was painting on her. And she looked so beautiful, I thought it couldn't get any better than that, but... oh, Jack, I swear to you... right then, at the end, I felt her life leave, and she left through me. You know that feeling? I think you do. And I relive it, every single night, because that was the best moment of my life.

Jack

Now I understand. You're doing all this because you're searching for one thing. One simple thing. Execution. We're without death, so you get to live. And it's killing you.

Oswald

Jack Harkness. I could accuse you of having an obsession with me.

Jack

What happens after this, Oswald? When the fever dies down and the world wakes up to the fact that a murderer's standing center stage? Somewhere out there those men are waiting for you in the dark.

Oswald

What's Category Zero?

Jilly

What's what?

Oswald

What's Category Zero, and why does my whore know about it?

Jilly

...Ah. Clever girl. Well, that's what you get for employing someone who sleeps with senators. She's been listening.

Oswald

Tell me, what's Category Zero?

Jilly

Look, Oswald, did you really think it would never come to an end, your freedom? There's an emergency mandate being passed through Congress defining a new Category Zero, meaning people who have earned themselves a place in the ovens for moral reasons.

Oswald

They want to burn me alive?

Jilly

Oswald, you were always sentenced to death. What you had was a wonderful delay. And now it's time for that adventure to come to an end.

Oswald

But people love me.

Jilly

Television loves you. It's a different thing.

Rhys

Now you tell me. Tell me quickly, you bastard! You murdering bastard! Come on! Tell me before I get the boys round. Before I shout your name out loud in the street and fetch the bloody mob, tell me, what do you want?!

Oswald

Jack Harkness. The men who smuggled me into this country, they brought Harkness in seven weeks ago and they brought him to you. And then you, in turn, found him a haven. Now I paid good money for your name, Gwen Cooper, so I really need to see Jack. And you will do exactly what I ask.

Gwen

Why should I?

Oswald

Because I have a name. I have the name of a man. I have the name of the man who created the Miracle.

Oswald

One man's name keeps reoccurring. Kitzinger was employed to send him information. And his name's Harry Bosco.

Gwen

Harry Bosco.

Oswald

His name, over and over again.

Gwen

Esther? Harry Bosco.

Esther

Sorry.

Gwen

What, can't you search him?

Esther

You think you're clever, Oswald? Is that really all you had?

Oswald

It's a name.

Esther

Harry Bosco isn't a man. Harry Bosco's a process. It goes back to Vietnam. It was the first war to be televised and the government didn't want US networks taking feed directly from the Vietnamese, because for the first time information was beyond their control. So they put agents into every newsroom, every major TV network, filtering the output for the public. Cleverest of them all was a man called Harry Bosco.

Jack

What did he do?

Esther

He'd alter information. It was subtle. He did it by mistranslation. He couldn't censor or change, but he could manipulate the English translation. Change one word, change the entire meaning. If you say victims instead of bodies, you influence public opinion. All the channels Harry Bosco these days.

Rhys

So that's it? Dead end? Done? You finished with him? Can I have him now?

Oswald

Could you keep your dog on his leash?

Rhys

Watch it, pal.

Oswald

My point still stands. The name's still important because Kitzinger works in PR. Why would she be handling this Harry Bosco process?

Esther

To be fair, it's a good question. Why would the families hire Jilly to do all this in the first place?

Jack

What's she translating?

Esther

What's she mistranslating? Because the three families changed their name, now Jilly's changing words? Maybe they're connected.

Jack

I think I can get us in. Back in the old days, Torchwood tracked down a black market trade in alien artefacts coming out of China. Skullion metal and coins, things like that. We closed it down but the route stayed open for arms dealing.

Esther

We're gonna trust arms dealers?

Gwen

I don't care. I'll do it.

Esther

Okay, okay, wait. What about Buenos Aires?

Gwen

I don't know. Which city is it?

Rhys

It's both, you bunch of nuts. You can't see for looking, can you? Eh? Look. Right, Shanghai, Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires, Shanghai. Opposite sides of the world. Quite literally, opposite sides of the Earth, yeah? Yeah? So whatever's going on, there's got to be something connecting them.

Gwen

Are you kidding me? Is that right?

Esther

They're antipodes. They're the antipodes of each other. Two massive population centres balanced on either side of the planet.

Oswald

As the old saying goes, count your blessings, because it turns out there's two of them.

Gwen

But what does it mean?

Esther

Look at the PhiCorp logo. The letter phi, a circle with a line through it. It's been right there in front of us staring us in the face all this time.

Gwen

A line through the world?

Jack

The Blessing. The Miracle.

Esther

But what is it?

Jack

We need to find out. We can get into Argentina no problem.

Esther

Maybe we need to get into both, Jack. Maybe you should go one way.

Jack

And you the other.

Esther

Buenos Aires.

Jack

Shanghai.

Gwen

So this is what we're doing? A mission on both sides of the world?

Jack

Biggest mission yet.

Gwen

Suppose it is, yeah.

Oswald

And you're taking me with you.

Gwen

No way.

Rhys

No, no, no. I've got, I've got better plans for you, bub.

Oswald

And that's your problem, isn't it, Gwen? You can't let me walk free. Not a man with my desires. And you can't have me arrested. Not now that I know all about your little plans.

Rhys

They can leave you here with me.

Oswald

Well, that's just it, you joyous man. You've just trapped your wife completely. Leave me here with him and I think he would. I actually think he would. Your husband would kill me. He'd make me Category One with his own bare hands. You would kill me, wouldn't you?

Rhys

Yeah.

Oswald

Is that what you want? No. I'm coming with you. There's no choice. There's not a choice in the whole of the world. Okay?

Gwen

Idiot. You idiot. You told me that was healed. You're not better at all, are you? Let me see.

Jack

Sorry.

Gwen

It's okay. I got you. Okay, I got you. I got you.

Jack

I'm so sorry.

Gwen

It's all right. Don't be sorry. I've got you. Okay, let me take a look. Oh, honestly. [rips off his bandage] Oh, God.

Jack

Gwen...

Gwen

If I had known it was this bad, Jack, you'd never have come.

Jack

It got worse when we arrived. Ah!

Gwen

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Okay, I got you.

Jack

Fine place to die, in old Shanghai.

Gwen

You're not dying. Don't say that.

Jack

I'm tired, Gwen. This mortal life, it hurts so much.

Oswald

Well, now. Can't say I've been to China before, so I'm not well versed in their customs. But I've got to say I never knew about that. [Jack and Gwen also watch the travelling blood drops] Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Gwen

It's your blood. No wonder it's killing you. I think, I think it's showing us the way. It's The Blessing. It's somewhere over there. And I think whatever it is, it's calling you, Jack.