Weevil (Torchwood)
| Weevils | |
|---|---|
| Torchwood alien | |
| Type | Man-eating humanoid |
| Home planet | Unknown |
| First appearance | Everything Changes |
Weevils are a fictional extraterrestrial species from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, first appearing in the episode "Everything Changes". As Jack Harkness explains in that episode, the name "Weevil" is applied to them by Torchwood, but as communication with them is limited, the true name of their race is not known. The behind-the-scenes documentary series, Torchwood Declassified, describes them as the "resident alien of the show". Torchwood Three has a captive Weevil which Owen studies. Jack first considered the name Barbara, but "It didn't seem right" so they named it Janet.
Weevils are thought to be extraterrestrial in origin, but a population of a few hundred live in the sewers of Cardiff, having travelled through a spacetime rift running through the city. They usually live off sewage, but occasionally one will go rogue, come to the surface and attack humans using their sharp . They typically are seen wearing Torchwood embroidered boiler suits, so it is probable that they frequently escape from the facility. In "Everything Changes", a Weevil kills a hospital porter, but is captured and imprisoned in the Torchwood Hub. Jack also states that the frequency of these attacks has been increasing, but the cause is still as yet unknown. In the Torchwood Declassified episode accompanying "Combat", John Barrowman speculates that Weevils attack humans out of fear that they will be lured into the Weevil fight clubs. The tie-in website, a fictional radio station DarkTalk.co.uk features call-ins from Cardiff locals who have begun to notice the existence of the Weevils.
The Torchwood website states that 1930s New York City suffered an infestation similar to the Weevil infestation of Cardiff, which was covered up by the well-known urban legend of sewer crocodiles. The Torchwood website also speculates they may have been in the sewer pipes of 4th century Byzantium, where they were described as "crocodile-like creatures".
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