History TearJerker / Torchwood

* "[[Recap/TorchwoodS2E2Sleeper Sleeper]]":
-->"Remember me as I am. Remember Beth."

* "Remember me as I am. Remember Beth."

* "[[Recap/TorchwoodS2E8Adam Adam]]":

* "[[Recap/TorchwoodS2E11Adrift" [[spoiler:Gwen reunites a mother with her time-displaced son, who has (unbeknownst to Gwen) gone insane and the mother can't handle it and ends up rejecting him, even though he still loves her.]]

* "Out of Time", when [[spoiler: John Ellis breaks down upon meeting his now aged and senile son, and Jack comforts John as he commits suicide]] and when [[spoiler:Diane leaves]].
* "Captain Jack Harkness": the saluting scene and shortly beforehand [[spoiler:the kiss]]. The desperate look in [[spoiler: Real!]]Jack's eyes. And the dance. Oh, the dance. The spotlight shining down on both of them, and everyone else stops dancing, just to watch. It was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, since we know [[spoiler: what happens the next day]]. Unfortunately, it's quite possible that Real!Jack, having outed himself so spectacularly, was killed by his own troops.
* "Tell my family...I love them" written by Toshiko ''in her own blood'' in case she doesn't come back.
* "Remember me as I am. Remember Beth."
* "Cyberwoman". Watching Ianto's single-minded obsession with [[spoiler:keeping Lisa alive, all in the vain hope that somewhere, beneath that cold, monstrous cyber programming is some ''shred'' of the woman he fell in love with...]] Dear ''God....''

* The [[spoiler:"You're my brave, handsome hero" scene with Toshiko sitting on the bed]] in "To the Last Man".
* "Sleeper" is a very tear haunting episode as a whole.
* "Adrift" [[spoiler:Gwen reunites a mother with her time-displaced son, who has (unbeknownst to Gwen) gone insane and the mother can't handle it and ends up rejecting him, even though he still loves her.]]

* "Adam" the final scene is tear inducing, as Jack opens up the mystery box at the end of the episode and finds it [[spoiler: full of sand from the beach where he grew up.]] And because of the events of the episode, he has no idea what it is or its significance.
* When Jack passes out the memory pills to his team..
-->'''Tosh:''' Knowing there has to be more to life than this. Knowing I'm special. Waiting for someone to see it.
-->'''Jack:''' *smiles* I saw it.
* All of "Exit Wounds". Just pick a scene.

* Eugene Jones' funeral in "Random Shoes". Particularly when his father sings "O Danny Boy".
* Seeing who Owen was before Katie died, and comparing that with the bitter man he turned into afterwards. And then comparing ''that'' with the utter hell he went through as a result, [[spoiler:ending with him joining his beloved in death... possibly.]]
* Poor Lynn Pierce in "Small Worlds" who not only lost her boyfriend Roy (he might be a jerkass towards her daughter but she did at least care about him at some point), but also her daughter Jasmine, who she still loved deeply despite her talking to "imaginary friends and acting somewhat strange, is taken away by the Fairies to become a Fairy herself with little hope of ever seeing her again. While giving up Jasmine helped protect the world as the Fairies threatened to cause major havoc on the world if they didn't get Jasmine, we are talking about a grieving mother who have to not only lose her boyfriend but forced to give up her only child with no real say in the matter. Her having emotional breakdown and attacking Jack is understandable as she pretty much lost everyone she loves on the same day.

** Their entire conversation leading up to [[spoiler: Owen and Tosh's deaths]] is heart breaking.

* ''Children of Earth.'' God, where to start? Okay, [[spoiler:Ianto's death]]'s probably a good starter.

* Seeing who Owen was before Katie died, and comparing that with the bitter man he turned into afterwards.

** When Captain John Hart tells Jack, "I am sorry for your losses." Then he kisses Jack on the cheek and leaves. This man is a heartless, deceitful person, and yet he genuinely shows sympathy (or is it empathy?) for the man he claims to love. It's just ''so damn sweet''.

** The moment when Jack realizes the consequences of the 456's response to his ultimatium and blurts, "Then I take it back, all right? I take it all back, [[spoiler:but not him!"]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Ianto:''' Don't forget me.]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Never could.]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Ianto:''' In a thousand years time, you won't remember me.]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Yes I will. I promise, I will.]]
--->[[spoiler:''Ianto's eyes close'']]
--->[[spoiler:'''Jack''': Ianto? ''Ianto''? Don't leave me, please. Please.]]
*** What makes it even [[UPToEleven more tragic]] is that ''Jack has the ability to revive the recently deceased''. We've seen him do it before --[[spoiler: '''''on Ianto'''''.]] But this time, as he leans down to [[spoiler: try to breathe life into Ianto's lifeless body,]] he's already dying himself and just ''doesn't have the energy'', and collapses. ''[[YankTheDogsChain God]].''
*** And in three seasons of ''Torchwood'' and several of ''Doctor Who'', after being buried alive, [[spoiler: tortured by the Master for a year]], [[spoiler: having the little brother he lost return only to cause destruction and the deaths of two of his friends]], this is the ''only'' time we've ever seen Jack beg -- to [[spoiler: not lose Ianto.]] ''Sniff.''
** Then there's the moment when Gwen [[spoiler:pulls down the sheet covering Ianto's body and adjusts his tie, just slightly]]. Apparently this was the moment which set the cast members off, too.
** The realization that Jack was once [[spoiler: partially responsible for the sacrifice of twelve innocent children]].
** Gwen's monologue at the top of Day Five broaches a question most viewers would have by this point -- where is [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]] during this unfolding, planet-spanning, catastrophe? She has an explanation:
--->All those times in history where there was no sign of him...I wanted to know why not. But I don't need to ask anymore. I know the answer now: Sometimes the Doctor must look at this planet and turn away in shame.
** The entire sequence depicting John Frobisher's fate. [[spoiler: After realizing that his daughters will be handed over to the 456 by order of the corrupt government he served so faithfully, when he returns home he kills his family and then himself]]. As the whole process is intercut with Bridget Spears's monologue begging Torchwood to remember him as [[spoiler: "a good man" who should not be the scapegoat for what's happened]], it's horrifying and heartbreaking. Made even worse in retrospect by the fact that [[spoiler: the 456 are stopped]], so Frobisher [[spoiler:kills them all]] [[SenselessSacrifice for nothing]]...
*** This is also extremely [[HarsherInHindsight poignant in hindsight]] because [[spoiler: of a meta twist regarding his actor's other roles in the Whoniverse. Word of God confirms Frobisher to be the identical-looking descendant of a man the Tenth Doctor saved in Pompeii centuries before. The bloodline ending with Frobisher's Pater Familicide was Time compensating for "meddling". But upon a later regeneration, the Doctor subconsciously chose a face that would remind him of his vow to protect and save whomever he can, however he can, even if the fates object. This is why the Twelfth Doctor -- a man who frequently doubts his own goodness -- has the same face as Frobisher]].
** The climax: [[spoiler: Jack destroys the 456 by ''killing his own grandson in front of his screaming daughter''. And he makes himself watch.]].
** The end: [[spoiler: absolutely heartbroken, Jack leaves Earth, ostensibly forever.]]
** The scene where [[spoiler: the government discuss which children to give to the 456]].
** The scenes with [[spoiler: Ianto's sister and the children]], and when [[spoiler: Gwen and Rhys are trying to escape with them]].
** Any scene where civilians fight the soldiers--when the [[spoiler: soldiers start taking the children from their homes]], when [[spoiler: Steven is taken from Alice]], when the neighborhood men, led by Ianto's brother-in-law, [[spoiler: storm the riot police with rocks and clubs]], when [[spoiler: PC Andy takes off his vest and jumps into the fray]]. The series gets darker and sadder with each episode, but the final half-hour of episode 5 is surely some of the most heartwrenching TV every produced.
** Every single scene where Gwen was involved in anything remotely emotional, especially when she [[spoiler: implies that she's going to get an abortion]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Rhys:''' You're not gettin' rid of it!]]
--->[[spoiler:'''Gwen:''' Is that right?]]

* 'Tell my family...I love them' written by Toshiko ''in her own blood'' in case she doesn't come back.

*** What makes it even [[UPToEleven more tragic]] is that fact that ''Jack has the ability to revive the recently deceased''. We've seen him do it before--[[spoiler: '''''on Ianto'''''.]] But this time, as Jack leans down to [[spoiler: try to breathe life into Ianto's lifeless body,]] he's already dying himself and just ''doesn't have the energy'', and collapses. ''[[YankTheDogsChain God]].''
*** And in three seasons of ''Torchwood'' and several of ''Doctor Who'', after being buried alive, [[spoiler: tortured by the Master for a year]], [[spoiler: having the little brother he lost return only to cause destruction and the deaths of two of his friends]], this is the ''only'' time we've ever seen Jack beg--to [[spoiler: not lose Ianto.]] ''Sniff.''

** Their entire conversation leading up to Owen and Tosh's deaths is heart breaking.

** The entire sequence depicting John Frobisher's fate. [[spoiler: After realizing that his daughters will be handed over to the 456 by order of the corrupt government he served so faithfully, when he returns home he kills his family and then himself]]. As the whole process is intercut with Bridget Spears's monologue begging Torchwood to remember him as [[spoiler: "a good man"]], it's horrifying and heartbreaking. Made even worse in retrospect by the fact that [[spoiler: the 456 are stopped]], so Frobisher [[spoiler:kills them all]] [[SenselessSacrifice for nothing]]...
*** This is also extremely [[HarsherInHindsight poignant in hindsight]] because [[spoiler: of a meta twist. Somehow, the face of this good man will appear again as the face of someone who isn't sure he's a good man...yet is the greatest hero of all space and time, who defends humanity even though he's sometimes driven to shame by its most evil actions...''The Doctor'']].

* "Small Worlds" DownerEnding.

* Poor Lynn Pierce in "Small Worlds" who not only lost her boyfriend Roy (he might be a jerkass towards her daughter but she did at least care about him at some point), but also her daughter Jasmine, who she still loved deeply despite her talking to "imaginary friends and acting somewhat strange, is taken away by the Fairies to become a Fairy herself with little hope of ever seeing her again. Her breaking down and attacking Jack is understandable as she pretty much lost two people she loved back-to-back.

* Sleeper is a very tear haunting episode as a whole.

** The realization that Jack was once [[spoiler: partially responsible for the sacrifice of twelve innocent children.]]

** [[spoiler:"John Frobisher was a good man."]]
*** The scene where [[spoiler:Frobisher, after realizing that his daughters will be handed over to the 456, goes into his daughters' room and kills his family and then himself]]. Horrifying and heartbreaking. Made even worse in retrospect by the fact that [[spoiler: the 456 are stopped]], so Frobisher [[spoiler:killed them all]] [[SenselessSacrifice for nothing]].

** And as justified as Jack was in [[spoiler:killing Lisa]], he knows that Ianto is equally as justified for hating him for it.

*** What makes it even [[UPToEleven more tragic]] is that fact that ''Jack has the ability to revive the recently deceased''. We've seen him do it before--[[spoiler: '''''on Ianto'''''.]] But this time, as Jack leans down to [[spoiler: try to breathe life into Ianto's lifeless body,]] he's already dying himself and just ''doesn't have the energy'', and collapses. ''God.''

* The climax: [[spoiler: Jack destroys the 456 by ''killing his own grandson in front of his screaming daughter''. And he makes himself watch.]].
* The end: [[spoiler: absolutely heartbroken, Jack leaves Earth, ostensibly forever.]]
* The scene where [[spoiler: the government discuss which children to give to the 456]].
* The scenes with [[spoiler: Ianto's sister and the children]], and when [[spoiler: Gwen and Rhys are trying to escape with them]].
* Any scene where civilians fight the soldiers--when the [[spoiler: soldiers start taking the children from their homes]], when [[spoiler: Steven is taken from Alice]], when the neighborhood men, led by Ianto's brother-in-law, [[spoiler: storm the riot police with rocks and clubs]], when [[spoiler: PC Andy takes off his vest and jumps into the fray]]. The series gets darker and sadder with each episode, but the final half-hour of episode 5 is surely some of the most heartwrenching TV every produced.

* "Captain Jack Harkness", the saluting scene and shortly beforehand [[spoiler:the kiss]]. The desperate look in [[spoiler: Real!]]Jack's eyes. And the dance. Oh, the dance. The spotlight shining down on both of them, and everyone else stops dancing, just to watch. It was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, since we know [[spoiler: what happens the next day]]. Unfortunately, it's quite possible that Real!Jack, having outed himself so spectacularly, was killed by his own troops.

* As justified as Jack was to [[spoiler:kill Lisa]], he knows that Ianto's equally as justified for hating him for it.

* "Adrift" [[spoiler:Gwen reunites a mother with her time displaced son, who has (unbeknownst to Gwen) gone insane and the mother can't handle it and ends up rejecting him even though he still loves her.]]

* All of "Exit Wounds". When Captain John Hart tells Jack, "I am sorry for your losses." Then he kisses Jack on the cheek and leaves. This man is a heartless, deceitful person, and yet he genuinely shows sympathy (or is it empathy?) for the man he claims to love. It's just ''so damn sweet''. The worst part about that being how she uses it to finally address Owen and give him her declaration of love. Only that Owen's not there anymore, either. Or even before that, with Toshiko's plea for Owen to stop shouting because "You're breaking my heart".
* The episode's final dialogue--the "calm after the storm" moment when you realize just how much the events of the episode have cost the team:
-->'''Jack:''' Now we carry on.
-->'''Gwen:''' I don't think I can. Not after this.
-->'''Jack:''' You can. We all can. ''The end is where we start from.''
-->''(Fadeout on Jack, holding [[spoiler: the remaining members of]] his team close.)''

* The moment when Jack realizes the consequences of the 456's response to his ultimatium and blurts, "Then I take it back, all right? I take it all back, [[spoiler:but not him!"]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Ianto:''' Don't forget me.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Never could.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Ianto:''' In a thousand years time, you won't remember me.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack:''' Yes I will. I promise, I will.]]
-->[[spoiler:''Ianto's eyes close'']]
-->[[spoiler:'''Jack''': Ianto? ''Ianto''? Don't leave me, please. Please.]]
** What makes it even [[UPToEleven more tragic]] is that fact that ''Jack has the ability to revive the recently deceased''. We've seen him do it before--[[spoiler: '''''on Ianto'''''.]] But this time, as Jack leans down to [[spoiler: try to breathe life into Ianto's lifeless body,]] he's already dying himself and just ''doesn't have the energy'', and collapses. ''God.''
* And in three seasons of ''Torchwood'' and several of ''Doctor Who'', after being buried alive, [[spoiler: tortured by the Master for a year]], [[spoiler: having the little brother he lost return only to cause destruction and the deaths of two of his friends]], this is the ''only'' time we've ever seen Jack beg- to [[spoiler: not lose Ianto.]] ''Sniff''
* Then there's the moment when Gwen [[spoiler:pulls down the sheet covering Ianto's body and adjusts his tie, just slightly]]. Apparently this was the moment which set the cast members off, too.
* The realization that Jack was once [[spoiler: partially responsible for the sacrifice of twelve innocent children.]]
* [[spoiler:"John Frobisher was a good man."]]
* The scene where [[spoiler:Frobisher goes into his daughters' room and kills his family and then himself]]. Horrifying and heartbreaking. Made even worse in retrospect by the fact that [[spoiler: the 456 are stopped]], so Frobisher [[spoiler:killed them all]] [[SenselessSacrifice for nothing]].
* The climax: [[spoiler: Jack destroys the 456 by killing his own grandson in front of his screaming daughter. And he makes himself watch.]].
* The end: [[spoiler:Absolutely heartbroken, Jack leaves Earth, ostensibly forever.]]

* Every single scene where Gwen was involved in anything remotely emotional, especially when she [[spoiler: implies that she's going to get an abortion]]

* "Out of Time" when [[spoiler:when John Ellis breaks down upon meeting his now aged and senile son, and Jack comforts John as he commits suicide]] and when [[spoiler:Diane leaves]].