The season finale of Torchwood: Miracle Day is sure to divide viewers. It wasn’t the same feel as even the best episodes of the season, nor was it akin to ‘Children of Earth.’ If I went into this episode needing it to be one of those then I would be horrible disappointed.
While not the revelatory legendary conclusion I had hoped to encounter, ‘The Blood Line’ delivered a solid ending to an up-and-down season. It brought closure, emotion, and asked almost as many questions as it answered.
In the finale, Rex and Esther circled back to the tension that had previously brewed between them, including Esther having unrequited feelings for Rex. To still acknowledge those feelings even in the dire and serious situation they are in was a ballsy creative decision. It could have come off as extremely cheesy and forced, but it was reserved enough to be pulled off as believable.
On the other side of the world, Jack, Gwen and Oswald shuffle through Shanghai following Jack’s blood to their end of The Blessing. Gwen goes solo and travels through the back alleys of Shanghai only to come to the entrance of The Blessing and cower in fear. To anyone just jumping in to the series this may go overlooked, but Gwen has been the rock of Torchwood for a long time so to see her crack in the face of fear was shocking.
I don’t want to ruin all of the finale reveals, but I will say that Oswald’s dialogue at the end of the episode may be some of the best I’ve heard on television in a long time. It tells you so much about the character and what his motivation has really been throughout the run of the series.
Rex’s resolution may be what bothers Torchwood fans the most, but I’m telling you if they do pick this up for another season and Rex is part of the cast, it will pay off. It may have taken the entire season, but I liked Rex in the finale and really do hope he stays in the Torchwood universe.
There is a sense the writers ran out of space while concocting ‘The Blood Line’ as there’s too much forced into it. I don’t blame the writers so much as whoever it was that determined the finite number of episodes for this season, or paced out the previous ones. There was too much that needed to be addressed in order for any kind of finale to make sense. Given what they had to work with, the final result can be considered successful.
One note of spoiler-esque business: When Jack mentions that The Doctor told him about Silurian mythology and Racnoss energy, he was correct. In fact that little line to any Whovian makes the entire business of The Blessing and how it works much more understandable.
– James Zappie
