Episode 7 alternates between the 1920’s with Jack and Angelo and present day with Jack and Gwen. The transitions between past and present are seamless. This has been deemed my favourite episode due to the love and sex scenes between Jack and Angelo and because it finally reveals who’s behind Miracle Day. Well done BBC for being brave enough to show sex scenes between two men! However apparently the BBC shortened the sex scenes between Jack and Angelo as even after the watershed British viewers aren’t ready to see these scenes. Yet BBC America showed the full unedited episode as the writer intended, a slight point of criticism there. Hopefully the full episode, as the writer intended will be on the Torchwood: Miracle Day DVD.
The episode starts in the 1920’s with Angelo claiming Jack’s visa to enter America. Jack catches up with him and Angelo gets detained. Jack chats with him in the cell and decides to take Angelo with him. In New York they get a room together, above a butchers shop. Quickly they become lovers and start a relationship. To Jack two men together is normal whereas to Angelo (a catholic) is racked with guilt. Meanwhile back in the present day, Gwen receives instructions through the Torchwood contact lenses to abduct Jack in the car – and that’s exactly what she does.
Back in the 1920’s Jack and Angelo are stopped one evening by some local gangsters. The gangsters give Jack and Angelo a task. Break into a secure warehouse, steal a box, don’t under any circumstances open it and get it to another part of the country. Jack decides to do this alone, but Angelo insists on coming. Jack mentions the Doctor as always having a companion. This gives an insight into the motivations of Jack’s character: why he’s getting so close to Angelo and why he’s so close to Gwen in the present day. Jack doesn’t want to be alone, he doesn’t want to be lonely, he wants someone by his side. Jack and Angelo break into the secure warehouse, open the box and kill an alien that could have had a big impact on the politics of the time. Then the alarm goes off and as they are trying to escape Jack gets shot. Angelo shocked, gets caught by the police. Present day Gwen continues to follow instructions from the Torchwood contact lenses and Jack wakes up. Jack tries to convince Gwen to release him but Gwen is undeterred – her family is at risk.
In the 1920’s Angelo is finally released from prison to be met by Jack. Angelo can not believe his eyes, he saw Jack get shot and die. Jack tries to play the incident down saying “I came back for you.” Angelo with his religious roots believes Jack’s the devil, but Jack manages to convince him to go back to the room above the butchers shop – the room they used to have together. Angelo gives Jack the opportunity to tell him what he is but again Jack plays it down. Finally Angelo (convinced that Jack is the devil) kills him with a knife, only to see Jack come back alive. Angelo gets the butcher from below and kills Jack so that they can see him come back to life. It quickly spirals out of control with Jack being hooked up on butchers hooks in the cellar of the butchers with people able to come and watch him be killed and come back to life again. The old butchers wife collects the blood. Jack is also vaguely concious when three men agree to buy Jack off the butcher, thinking they are essentially buying immortality. Angelo saves Jack one evening, cleaning him up and giving him clothes. Angelo wants to go with Jack and start a fresh. But Jack disagrees and escapes off into the night.
In the present day Gwen and Jack finally arrive at the destination given by the Torchwood contact lenses. They exchange some past experiences together as well as the most beautiful thing Jack’s ever seen, which turns out to be a rather touching moment. Cars arrive with a woman and men with guns to take Jack. But unknown to them Rex and Esther have been following and have a sniper gun on the woman. At the same time Esther calls Gwen’s Police friend in Wales who saves Gwen’s family. The woman explains that Jack will still want to come with her as she knows whose behind Miracle Day and that she knows Angelo.
That brings Episode 7 to an end this week. You can read previous Episode reviews I’ve wrote here:
Write soon,
Antony