Combat ( TV story ) Combat was the eleventh episode in the first series of " Torchwood " . It principally featured Owen Harper and significantly developed the mythos surrounding the Weevil s . Indeed , this episode established that Owen had a unique relationship with Weevils — something that would be explored further in series 2 and stories in other media . Still wallowing from the end of his relationship with Diane Holmes , Owen fell into depression . Likewise , Gwen Cooper had grown sick of her affair with him after this change in personality and the buildup of guilt toward cheating on Rhys Williams . It was in this episode that she called off the affair and tried to right things with her husband in a " dress rehearsal " speech , where she confessed to Rhys all her goings - on with Owen , only to supply him with Retcon so he would remain in the dark . Instead of being forgiven , he reacted maliciously , causing her great pain so much so that she is seen to cry in the hub in a very personal scene . Written by Noel Clarke , it was , , the only " Doctor Who " - related television episode to be penned by an actor who portrayed a major DWU character . However , actors Ian Marter , Colin Baker , and John Barrowman have all written non - televised stories set in the " Doctor Who " universe . Synopsis . Savage alien s are being kidnapped from the streets of Cardiff , and Torchwood want to know why . Owen is sent undercover to find out who ' s behind it and soon befriends the charismatic Mark Lynch . Beneath the veneer of city life , Owen discovers a shocking subculture : can he avoid being sucked in ? Plot . Jack is chasing a weevil . It evades him , having seemingly developed an immunity to the " weevil spray " used by Torchwood . Gwen is meanwhile having dinner out with Rhys . Rhys is furious when Jack shows up unexpectedly and whisks Gwen away to help him . While chasing the weevil , Jack and Gwen have it snatched out from in front of them by masked men in a white van . The next morning , while Tosh is unable to trace the plates , she does use the CCTV to track the van to a warehouse near the docks . There Jack and Tosh find the dead body of a young man apparently attacked by a weevil . His cellphone rings , and an unknown voice warns Jack not to interfere in things he doesn ' t understand . Further research shows a recent spike in hospital visits for apparent weevil attacks . Owen , meanwhile , is still upset over the loss of Diane . At a bar , he speaks with a bartender , who notices he is dodging calls from work , and gets into a short fight with her boyfriend , who believes he is chatting her up . He avoids for some time answering his phone , but ultimately agrees to come into the Hub . Examining the dead body discovered by the others , he determines that the man had first been assaulted by human s before being mauled by the weevil . As Owen is the only member of the team not yet seen by the unknown perpetrators , he agrees to go undercover to meet with real estate agent Mark Lynch , who may have something to do with the incident . Gwen is tasked with telling his wife about him dying , and afterwards she and Owen get into an argument and decide to end their affair . Jack and Ianto go to the hospital to speak to a patient with injuries that might be Weevil - inflicted . The patient refuses to talk , saying that " they " will kill him . Jack decides to take a desperate measure : they will release the weevil they have in captivity ( which he calls " Janet " ) , plant a tracking device on its clothes , and then see if it will be picked up by this mysterious group . Tosh and Ianto have grave reservations about letting it loose in the city , but Jack assures them they will be with Janet each step of the way . They do so , and watch Janet being captured . Gwen has meanwhile been sent home by Jack so she can spend some time mending things with Rhys . When she arrives home , Rhys leaves to spend a night out on the town with friends . Gwen is alone . Posing as an exporter of jellied eels , Owen has met with Mark Lynch to supposedly investigate procuring a new warehouse for his business . Lynch invites him out to drinks , and they end up at the same bar Owen was at the previous night . The same man whom Owen had fought with the previous night approaches him with friends . They attack Owen , but Lynch helps him defeat the men . Rhys returns home earlier than expected , and Gwen hands him a drink . She then confesses to him that she has been having an affair with a co - worker . Rhys initially does not believe her , and then starts to feel woosy . Gwen has put Retcon in his drink , so that she can confess to him , and hopefully gain his forgiveness , but he will not remember her confession in the morning . She tries desperately to get Rhys to say he forgives her , but he passes out before doing so . After being invited over to Mark ' s home for drinks , Owen finds a chained weevil in a locked room in the house . Mark , aware that Owen isn ' t who he claims , is still intrigued by his anger and offers to take Owen with him for the evening ' s entertainment . The entertainment is a fight club which Mark moves to a different empty building each night . Mark brings Owen into the fight club where Owen sees men fighting each other to warm up . Each contender pays £1000 to enter a cage with the weevil . The man who stays in the longest wins the pot . Mark informs Owen that he is up next . Gwen shows up to the Hub with pizza , but finds it empty . While she sits there alone and sobbing , the deceased man ' s cell phone begins to chime in the morgue . Text messages with the location of that evening ' s event show on the screen and Gwen passes that information onto Jack , Tosh , and Ianto . Owen seems more than willing to enter the cage and leaves his guard down as the weevil attacks . Just then Jack and Gwen bust in and have Owen pulled from the cage and send the participants scattering . While Jack is tending to Owen , Mark realises that both his fight club and his livelihood are ruined . Not willing to commit himself to a meaningless life in prison , Mark enters the cage to end his life , knowing the Weevil will surely maul him to death . Jack does not stop the Weevil as it attacks and kills Mark . Owen is recuperating at the hospital when Jack appears and gives him grape s . Owen tells Jack that he did not want to be saved . Jack asks if Owen wants him and the team to apologise for saving his life . As he walks off , Jack tells Owen to be back at work tomorrow . The next day , Owen returns to the hub . Down in the vaults , he looks at both the captive Weevils , who gape at him with bloodthirsty expressions and hiss at his face . Owen , not willing to be intimidated , hisses back with menacing intent far more pungent and fearsome than theirs . They both groan submissively , recoil , and cower at the superior predator , as Owen looks on with a decidedly satisfied smirk . Story notes . Filming locations . " to be added " Production errors . " to be added "