Torchwood: Miracle Day (Episode Seven: Immortal Sins)

Starz, Fridays, 10/9 Central

Aug 19, 2011 Web Exclusive By Laura Studarus

This week’s episode picks up where last week left off, with Gwen Cooper ready to deliver Captain Jack into the hands of an unknown group to save her husband, mother, and daughter. (Clearly hell hath no fury like a family woman scorned.)

And that is where the similarly ends between the previous two satisfying episodes and this week’s installment. It’s always a pleasure to have Jack front and center—but must getting our Captain fix come at the cost of bringing the action to a screaming halt with a cumbersome, episode-long flashback? If we’re being honest, it can be summed up in an entire sentence rather than an hour of action: Jack is a playboy and a heartbreaker. There, done. Give the show runner the weekend off.

The bigger question: With ten episodes in the season, wouldn’t advancement of the plot be a central concern—making it more logical to parcel out subplots over the course of the season rather than create what’s essentially a narrative roadblock?

There’s a sweet moment worth sticking around for near the end—where another layer of poignancy is added to Jack and Gwen’s relationship, but ultimately the episode is a mere ember in what should be a roaring narrative fire. Wake us when Oswald Danes returns. (www.starz.com/originals/Torchwood)

Author rating: 4/10

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Cjl
August 20th 2011
6:37pm

The flashback very obviously *was*advancement of the plot. “Plot"doesn’t mean “the parts of the story I happen to be interested in”.

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