Immortal Sins
Flashbacks reveal Jack's 1920s lover and the Miracle's origin.
"Immortal Sins" is the eighth installment of *Torchwood: Miracle Day*, the fourth series of the British sci-fi show *Torchwood*. It first aired in the United States on Starz on 19 August 2011. The story takes place after humanity has become unable to die, with much of the episode set in flashbacks to 1927 New York.
In July 1927, Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) catches an Italian immigrant named Angelo Colasanto (Daniele Favilli) stealing his visa at Ellis Island. Jack falls for Angelo and helps him settle in Little Italy, where they become lovers and pretend to be minor bootleggers for the Catholic Church. Their actions anger mobster Salvatore Maranzano (Cris D'Annunzio), but Jack convinces him to spare them by retrieving a crate his bosses want. Jack tells Angelo to leave for his own safety, but Angelo refuses. When Jack opens the crate, he finds an alien parasite that lays spores in the brain, causing insanity. Jack explains that Salvatore’s bosses were hired by the Trickster’s brigade, who plan to infect future Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt so he cannot lead America during World War II, allowing Nazi Germany to win. Jack destroys the parasite and escapes with Angelo, but is shot in the head by police while Angelo is arrested. A year later, Angelo is released from Sing Sing and is shocked to find Jack alive. Jack claims he survived the shooting and wants them to be together, but Angelo, remembering Jack’s “death,” stabs him, believing he is the devil. The neighborhood learns of Jack, and a crowd repeatedly kills him in a butcher shop. Mrs. Giardano collects Jack’s blood in a bottle during one of his deaths. During a blackout, Jack sees three mob bosses buy him from the butcher and make a pact. Angelo later helps Jack escape, hoping to start anew in Los Angeles, but Jack feels betrayed and abandons him, unwilling to watch Angelo age and die.
In the present, Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) kidnaps Jack to meet those holding her family hostage in Wales. At a meeting point in California, they encounter a woman (Nana Visitor) who knows about Jack. Rex (Mekhi Phifer) and Esther (Alexa Havins), suspicious of Gwen’s behavior, learn the truth from her contact lens recordings and snipe the mysterious group. Esther contacts Andy (Tom Price) in Wales, who leads a police unit to rescue Gwen’s family. With the woman at gunpoint, Jack demands answers about the miracle.
Quick Facts
- Number
- 38
- Serial Name
- Immortal Sins
- Show
- TW
- Cast
- John Barrowman – Captain Jack Harkness / Eve Myles – Gwen Cooper / Mekhi Phifer – Rex Matheson / Alexa Havins – Esther Drummond / Kai Owen – Rhys Williams
- Director
- Gwyneth Horder-Payton
- Writer
- Jane Espenson
- Producer
- Kelly A. Manners
- Executive Producer
- Russell T Davies · Julie Gardner · Jane Tranter · Jane Espenson (co-executive) · Vlad Wolynetz (co-executive)
- Composer
- Murray Gold
- Production Code
- 107
- Series
- Miracle Day
- Length
- 55 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In July 1927, Jack Harkness catches an Italian immigrant named Angelo Colasanto, who stole his visa at Ellis Island. Jack falls in love with Angelo and helps him move to Little Italy, New York, where they become lovers and pose as minor bootleggers for the Catholic Church. Their activities earn the wrath of mobster Salvatore Maranzano, whom Jack convinces to spare them by helping him obtain a crate containing an alien parasite that lays spores in the brain, causing insanity. Jack destroys the parasite and escapes with Angelo, but is shot in the head by police while Angelo is arrested. A year later, Angelo is released from Sing Sing and, shocked to find Jack alive, stabs him, convinced he is the devil. The neighborhood learns about Jack, and a crowd viciously and repeatedly kills him in a butcher shop.
Reader's Guide
In the present day, Gwen Cooper kidnaps Jack to meet the people holding her family hostage in Wales. After waiting in California, they meet a woman who knows about Jack. The mysterious group is surprised when Rex and Esther, who became suspicious of Gwen's behavior, snipe them. Esther had contacted Andy in Wales, who leads an armed police unit to rescue Gwen's family. With Torchwood holding the woman at gunpoint, Jack demands answers about the miracle. She tells him the man who knows how the miracle began is Angelo, who is still alive. The episode deepens the Miracle Day narrative by focusing on Jack's past and his relationship with Angelo, while reducing screentime for other characters. It references earlier Torchwood and Doctor Who continuity, including the Trickster's brigade and Jack's daughter Alice Carter.
Did You Know?
- This episode features the first direct reference to the Doctor in Miracle Day.
- Jack tells Angelo about the Doctor and that he travels the world with a companion.
- The parasite in the warehouse appears to be the same alien species that kills Owen's fiancée in the Torchwood episode 'Fragments'.
- Andy states that he had never before shot anyone; he was unarmed as a PC partnered with Gwen.
More in Torchwood episodes 1-24
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