TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY Recap: ‘Dead of Night’

With the initial set-up complete, TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY was ready to get down to business in last night’s episode. From late-night break-ins to some seriously premium cable-grade sex, it was a busy evening for the Torchwood team.

Rex traced the CIA’s betrayal back to one guy: Friedkin (Wayne Knight). They corner him at home and learn that Friedkin is pretty much in the dark, too. He’s been paid off for years by an unknown entity that contacts him on a direct line with instructions. Rex confiscates the cell phone and makes a getaway with the help of the rest of the team; reenergized, he says, “Whoever made the miracle — now we’ve got contact.”

By hour’s end, the phone hasn’t provided any answers. Tracing previous calls leads only to “vines,” numbers that lead to numbers that lead to nowhere. And although Rex and Esther are able to answer an incoming call, they can’t trace it, and the other end isn’t talking.

Meanwhile, all roads point the investigation toward PhiCorp, which has quickly started profiting from the Miracle. A major policy change is being considered—making all medicine available without a prescription, ostensibly to alleviate pressure on medical professionals. And although Oswald Danes (who’s quickly becoming a global celebrity, when he’s not getting kicked in the junk by justice-seeking cops) initially proposes free drugs for everyone, he later makes a deal with PhiCorp and changes his tune — he’s now okay with companies turning a profit, if that’s what it takes. Investigating leads Torchwood to a warehouse in Southwest DC, and after breaking in, they discover a huge stockpile of pain medication. One thing’s for sure now: PhiCorp was ready for the Miracle.

Later on, while the Torchwood gentlemen take a night off for some busy-getting (Rex with Dr. Juarez and Jack with a bartender), the ladies hold down the fort and form a friendship. I was glad to see my concerns about Gwen’s faithfulness put to rest, and to see everyone relax for a minute. Gwen even got to Skype with Rhys and Anwen!

Actually, while we’re on the subject — a post-coital Jack calls Gwen, feeling wistful about his mortality. They commiserate about dead friends and the strength of their partnership, but right as Jack wants her to confirm that they don’t need anyone but each other, Esther brings Rhys and Anwen into view. It’s a beautiful moment that spotlights a major theme of this series: the love triangle between Gwen, family, and Torchwood. Gwen, like plenty of working moms, needs both to feel fulfilled, and she feels torn between the two. There’s a distance between Jack and Gwen that has never been there before — and that distance is an irresistible little girl named Anwen. This scene reminds us that this story is very human, even when it’s about aliens.

Is it about aliens? Jack muses some more on the nature of the Miracle. He says it’s as if there’s “consciousness” behind it. People aren’t just not dying —- they’re “so alive.” People who should be dead aren’t even allowed to be unconscious; Rex was awake through his entire death-defying experience, and Lyn kept on fighting even after her head got spun around. There’s still no indication of who’s behind it — it’s not clear if PhiCorp had the resources or the wherewithal to orchestrate this alone — but some newsfolk are beginning to speculate it’s extraterrestrial.

Finally, there’s a showdown between Danes and Jack. Both men, in one way or another, are childkillers, but the difference between these guys is extremely clear. Danes believes he’s been forgiven for his cold-blooded murder of an elementary schooler, but Jack is clearly still grieving the sacrifice he made in Children of Earth. (Also, Oswald Danes has crazy eyes like nothing I’ve ever seen before.) Danes tells Jack that when he murdered Susie Cabina, “Right then, at the end, I felt her life leave and she left through me… And I relive it, every single night, because that was the best moment of my life.” If last week made Danes a smidge sympathetic, this week put him right back in Scary Creepmonster territory.

As the episode draws to a close, Rex thinks he’s got Friedkin’s contact spooked, but with a trace likely placed on the mobile (cell!) they answered, it’s time to get out of DC. He and Esther pack up Torchwood’s tech and prepare to move on — just another day at the office.

Do you have a theory on who’s behind the Miracle? Share your speculation in the comments!