Torchwood: Miracle Day Episode 7

• Courtesy of Starz
• FOR AN EVIL CABAL, WE HAVE A PROGRESSIVE HIRING POLICY.

This week, J.J. Abrams, creator of “Lost” and “Fringe,” inadvertently kicked off a lively internet discussion about the supposed challenges of introducing a gay subplot to the Star Trek film franchise:

It's a tricky thing, because it’s the right thing to do and sometimes so is a story about something that also has some kind of meaning but do it and if it in a way that doesn’t feel like you’re doing it in order to make that point because then it’s almost a disservice. Because then it feels like “Oh that stupid distracting subplot about you know, you know, that minority. Or those people…”

The Daily Dish has some interesting threads on the topic, which I bring up because "Torchwood" in general and the new episode "Immortal Sins" in particular seems to achieve exactly what Abrams is trying to articulate. "Immortal Sins" introduces a passionate, emotionally resonant connection between Jack and Angelo (Daniele Favilli) that wouldn't work at all if they were a straight couple. By a wide margin, "Immortal Sins" feels like the best episode of "Miracle Day" so far and completely breaks the pattern of previous episodes. Oswald and Jilly sit this one out, while the flashback structure feels more like a "Lost" episode.