S02E04: 'Meat'

There is a road accident involving Rhys' colleague from the haulage firm he works for. The Torchwood team arrive on the scene, with Rhys noticing Gwen. The team believe that the meat is not from Earth, which Owen later confirms after conducting tests in the laboratory.

Tosh calls Rhys posing as the police and uses his information to track down the remote warehouse where the meat was picked up from. Gwen goes home to Rhys feigning ignorance about any knowledge of the incident. Rhys follows her when she leaves and sees her arm in arm with Jack - and follows them to meat warehouse. He is accosted by the villains harvesting the meat. From afar, Gwen and Jack see this and wrongly believe that he is working with the villains.

Rhys, fearing for his life, strikes a deal to work with the crooks at warehouse. He sees the source of meat - a vast, whale-like creature that howls with pain as its blubber is scythed off. When he returns home, he has a furious row with Gwen after she admits the truth and claims she withheld information about her activities in order to protect him.

Gwen takes Rhys to meet her colleagues at the Torchwood Hub and a plan is concocted to send Rhys into the warehouse undercover and smuggle the team inside his lorry. Tosh attempts to woo Owen by making him sandwiches and asking him out, but these advances are brushed aside.

The team sneak inside the warehouse and see the creature, which Jack believes to be a sentient being. He is desperate to ensure that it doesn't die. Everyone is captured by the villains and Dale shoots Rhys when he jumps in front of Gwen to save her.

The beast, which is growing, breaks free from its shackles and causes a diversion, allowing Torchwood to use their stun guns on the villains. Owen believes he has no choice but to conduct a 'mercy killing' and pumps the distressed creature full of drugs.

Rhys' wounds are later patched up and Gwen refuses Jack's order to give him a 'retcon' pill to wipe his memory.

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