Torchwood - Miracle Day - Immortal Sins

Ok, so this was very typical Torchwood: Miracle Day in a number of ways. It progressed the overall story arc in a slight way (Jack's ex is behind the miracle, apparently, or at the very least knows how it started) but at the same time felt like an exercise in padding. But in other respects this was atypical for Miracle Day. Set largely in the past (other than the present day row between Gwen and Jack), this felt a lot like old school, pre-Children of Earth Torchwood.

Let's look at the evidence. The story involves a minor alien* conspiracy - minor, at least, in the sense that it is very easily dealt with by Jack. The rest of the story focuses on Jack's immortality and Jack's insatiable appetite when it comes to humping. So far, so much normal, old-school Torchwood.

And this is very much old Torchwood, but in fairness, it is old Torchwood done well. The relationship between Jack and Angelo is not simply casual titillation; the exploration of Catholic guilt and how people might actually respond to an immortal man is surprisingly intelligent. Indeed, the scenes where the mob turns on Jack are horrific and genuinely compelling. And I do wonder whether the trio of men who bargain over Jack and the vial of his blood taken in those scenes will figure later. That could be truly intelligent story telling (and therefore something this series needs a lot more of).

Plus it is nice to have the universe in which this series resides acknowledged. It was good to hear a mention of the Doctor (although any such mention does serve to highlight the extent to which Jack is a lacklustre substitute for the last of the Time Lords). The nod to the Trickster was also brought a smile to my face. This sort of references are nice for the fans but not too much for the casual viewer.

But, again, I'm left with the feeling that we lose something when we try to deal with the Torchwood team interacting with the Miracle. The scenes between Gwen and Jack, although played with gusto by the regulars, just feel a bit tedious and strangely out of character. Gwen has been built up to be almost a superhero so far in this series, but at the first hint of a threat (backed up with remarkably little proof) Gwen's attacking Jack and handing him over to his death. Furthermore, both Rex and Esther somehow managed to be irritating in this episode - no mean feat given just how little screen time they actually had. And the whole thing - the whole sodding episode - pretty much ignored the Miracle. It would be great, it would be fan-fucking-tastic, if we could focus a bit more on the world-changing event than Gwen tearfully emoting in the front seat of a car.

So a welcome distraction of an episode, but nothing more. Any chance we can start getting some sort of progress in the overall story arc sometime soon? Preferably before the final episode?

*Is this the first alien we've seen in this series so far? I think it might be.