Okay, now I feel better. Thanks again, Ms. Espenson.
The latest episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day titled ‘Immortal Sins’ SCREAMS Torchwood in so many ways. Time travel, aliens, last minute saves. At the heart of it all there’s Jack’s constant search for meaning and an end to his loneliness.
All the beloved bits whose absence made episode 6 ‘Middle Men’ so utterly horrendous are now back and I couldn’t be happier. The quick little snippet about Oswald’s take on what is happening that is heard on the radio is classic Espenson, as are the sly religious undertones throughout such as Angelo pulling a Mary Magdalene with Captain Jack’s bloody feet. I really liked Angelo here, and another bit about his eye reinforces what makes Espenson’s writing so wonderful.
Another plus to this episode is there’s very little Esther and Rex. I’m actually enjoying Esther, but Rex is still bugging me to no end.
Even though Esther and Rex’s screen time is slim, their inclusion comes across as feeling a little forced. I like the Tarantino effect showing us how they ended up to save the day, but I would have made it even quicker and less detailed. Maybe have them as the episode’s deus ex machina.
Interplay between Gwen and Jack is superb. They both love each other and would lay down their lives for one another, yet they also have things that they value above everything else. The dialogue between them is fast paced and you can almost smell the intensity.
The usage of the lenses is fantastic as well. I thought them being hacked was one of the lone bright spots of episode 6, but rather than being a played out and trite plot device in this episode, they remained fresh.
While I thought it was pretty clear who the “Bad Guys” were going to be, here comes genius writing that throws us totally off track again to thicken the plot. A jump back to 1927 is executed nicely and the period wardrobes and sets are near perfect. I will admit, when Jack referenced The Doctor and then told Angelo to “Run!” I totally marked out like a nine-year old wrestling fan. I kind of figured all of this had something to do with Jack’s blood, but how they got to that point is jaw dropping.
The mystery-woman-in-yellow’s coolness and calmness, even though her team got completely one upped and she had a sniper scope on her, is very enjoyable. It is always fun to watch someone match Torchwood members’ strength of will. Her tying into the triumvirate who may or may not, probably may, be the ones originally behind the Triangle controlling everything to Angelo and Jack’s past perfectly set up next week’s episode.
– James Zappie
