Rendition (TV story)

Rendition was the second episode of the fourth series of Torchwood.

Synopsis
Jack and Gwen travel to America on a plane, with Rhys left behind in England. Jack is poisoned en-route. Esther discovers more about Torchwood and about those seeking to stop her finding out more. Vera Juarez attends a conference and finds out there will be even more ways that the Human race will run itself to painful extinction. Oswald Danes appears to a national audience, winning, of all things, sympathy.

Plot
Jack and Gwen are bundled onto a plane headed to America, with Rhys and Anwen being left behind. Jack's Vortex manipulator is confiscated, and Jack and Gwen are stuck handcuffed on a plane with Rex and Lyn Peterfield, CIA agent.

Oswald Danes, convicted rapist and murderer, is being interviewed on TV. Prior to the interview, Oswald takes most of the food for the people at the station, much to a female production assistant's disgust. On TV, when asked if he has anything to say, he cries and says he's sorry. Esther and other CIA agents watch on the TV, and Oswald wins some agents' sympathy. After the interview, Oswald and a Police Officer go into a lift, where Jilly Kitzinger congratulates him on his performance, convinced that he was acting. Jilly offers him her card, but Oswald makes a point of tearing the card up outside the lift, after he had received news of another interview.

On the plane, Rex attempts to examine Jack's Vortex Manipulator, but just hears beeping. Jack tells him that he has low sodium levels, and that he needs salt. Rex calls Dr. Vera Juarez, who confirms that he has low sodium levels.

Dr. Vera Juarez then attends a conference in Washington, D.C., where she discovers that the Miracle isn't without problems. People still age, and can be critically injured. Vera overhears that skin cells will continue to grow as old cells die, and that the Miracle is extremely species-specific to humans. Vera also learns that food and medical supplies will decrease rapidly, and the ever growing population could become a big problem.

Meanwhile, Esther discovers her account has been deleted from the CIA database, after she notices agents that she doesn't know in Rex's office. She then discovers she has received a large amount of money from a Chinese bank account, framing her as a double agent, and she gets ready to contact Rex.

Back on the plane, Jack asks for a Coke, but Lyn slips some arsenic into it. When she is discovered, she is handcuffed and Gwen and Rex work together, with help from Vera and the others at the conference, to create an antidote (improvised EDTA). Lyn attempts to stop them and frees herself, but Gwen punches her, knocking her unconscious. Gwen and Rex successfully save Jack and Gwen is handcuffed again.

When Jack, Gwen, Rex, and Lyn arrive, Esther contacts Rex and tells him about his office and her account, and Lyn slowly unlocks her handcuffs. Rex then notices he has also received a large sum of money (larger than Esther's) via a text message. He then lets Jack and Gwen go, knocks the guards out and twists Lyn's neck. Vera and Esther then both arrive in cars outside the airport, and Jack, Gwen, and Rex get into Esther's. Vera drives off, and a Lyn with a twisted neck stumbles in front of their car, surviving still because of the miracle. The four then drive off.

Cast

 * Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
 * Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles
 * Rex Matheson - Mekhi Phifer
 * Esther Drummond - Alexa Havins
 * Rhys Williams - Kai Owen
 * Oswald Danes - Bill Pullman
 * Dr. Vera Juarez - Arlene Tur
 * Jilly Kitzinger - Lauren Ambrose
 * Noah Vickers - Paul James
 * Charlotte Willis - Marina Benedict
 * Brian Friedkin - Wayne Knight
 * Andy Davidson - Tom Price
 * Lyn Peterfield - Dichen Lachman
 * Goeff Reed - Tug Coker
 * Lianna - Halley Feiffer
 * Danny - Finn Wittrock
 * George Sayer - Richard Augustine
 * Bridget Howe - Amy Benedict
 * Airport Security Cop - Antonio D. Charity
 * Man - Sedly Bloomfield
 * Greta - Erin Chenoweth
 * Yu-King So - Ewan Chung
 * Laurie - Rachel Leah Cohen
 * Man - Joseph Eid
 * Assistant - Chrissie Marie Fit
 * ER Nurse - Bari Hochwald
 * Paul Goldstein - Scott Hoxby
 * Simran Baidwan - Ronobir Lahiri
 * Gate Guard - Don Luce
 * Dr. Mandrell - David O'Donnell
 * James Percey - Jefferey Self
 * Woman - Kristi Swensson
 * EMT - Luke White
 * Government Clerk - A.J. Tannen
 * Security Chief - Glenn Taranto
 * Doctor Paul Bell - Richard Wharton

Biology

 * The continued use of antibiotics (and other drugs and medicines) and the lack of people dying will further the production/evolution of drug resistant bacteria.
 * Human flesh affected by Miracle Day continues to age.

Drugs and medicines

 * Rex is given an aspirin on the plane by Danny. It was found in the co-pilot's shirt pocket.

Elements

 * Jack is poisoned with arsenic, and saved by chelation with EDTA, made on the plane from (amongst other things) silver, cyanide, degreaser.

Food and beverages

 * Jack asks for a cola while on the plane.
 * Gwen drinks water whilst on the plane.
 * Rex requests some pretzels while on the plane.

Individuals

 * Jack had a boyfriend who took arsenic for his skin.

Theories and concepts

 * Jack speaks at length about morphic fields, and how that their manipulation may have created the Miracle Day.

Vehicles

 * Esther steals a blue Mini.

Story notes

 * Unlike broadcasts of Doctor Who and previous series of Torchwood this series was broadcast in the United States, Australia and Canada before the United Kingdom.
 * United States - 15th July 2011
 * Australia and Canada - 16th July 2011
 * United Kingdom - 21st July 2011

Ratings

 * UK: 5.75 million

Myths
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors

 * While in the Washington, D.C. City Hall, Dr. Juarez can clearly be seen walking past the Colorado state flag. A Colorado flag would not sensibly be displayed in an official city building not located in Colorado. However, the appearance of a California state flag in the same building in TW: The Categories of Life suggests that it is part of a collection of the flags of all fifty US states.
 * The needle Gwen uses on Jack is far too big to be a standard insulin needle. Instead, it's obviously a standard IM (intra-muscular) needle, which a diabetic like Danny wouldn't carry.
 * While EDTA is a chelating agent, it's not useful for all heavy metals—in particular, with arsenic. (This may have been intentional dramatic license rather than a mistake.)
 * Rex breaks Lyn's neck and she is later shown walking with her head twisted 180 degrees on her body. Standard neck breaks of the type administered by Rex do not spin the head around like that.

Continuity

 * Jack and Gwen discuss Jack leaving Torchwood. (TW: Children of Earth: Day Five, DW: The End of Time)
 * The moon landing is mentioned as being among the things the human race achieved. (DW: Day of the Moon, Blink)

Home video releases
This episode will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on the 14th November 2011, alongside the other nine episodes.