Immortal Sins (TV story)

 was the seventh episode of Series 4 of Torchwood. It was written by Jane Espenson, directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton and featured John Barrowman as Jack Harkness, Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, Kai Owen as Rhys Williams, Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson and Alexa Havins as Esther Drummond.

For the most part, it consisted of a flashback in pre-Depression era New York City. It importantly introduced the character of Angelo Colasanto, a lover that Jack Harkness met while standing in line at Ellis Island. Colasanto's granddaughter Olivia — played by Star Trek regular Nana Visitor — also made her debut. Rex Matheson and Esther Drummond were resigned to cameo roles, while Gwen Cooper played an important part in the final acts of the episode. From a continuity standpoint, it was clearly the single episode of Miracle Day which made the most references to the broader DWU, even giving a shout-out to a Sarah Jane Adventures character. Narratively speaking, it was the only episode in the Miracle Day arc to feature the appearance of an alien.

This showed a first in Jack's long life, albeit a flashback. Jack had wanted to take Angelo along with him as both his lover and companion, having been inspired by how the Doctor (a near-immortal) made the loneliness of a long life more bearable by having someone to share some time with.

Synopsis
Gwen must fight to protect her family. She takes a terrifying journey covering miles and decades with Jack as the long history of the Miracle is partially revealed.

Plot
Gwen drives Jack through California to bring him to the people holding her family.

Flashbacks are seen of Jack's past. In 1920s New York City, he awaits his visa at Ellis Island. Angelo Colasanto steals it. Jack confronts him, retrieves his visa and visits Angelo in his cell. They talk, and Jack uses technology to create a visa for Angelo.

Angelo is freed and enters a relationship with Jack. At one point, they are retrieving an alien from a base when Jack is shot dead. Angelo is captured and imprisoned. Jack returns to America after Angelo's release. Angelo is terrified by Jack's immortality.

Angelo takes Jack to the butcher shop beneath their room. There are people terrified of Jack. They sadistically attack him with knives, guns and meat hooks to kill him and collect his blood. Three men visit Jack. They seem to know something about his immortality. Angelo, overwhelmed with horror and guilt, eventually lets Jack go. Jack quickly recovers and flees with Angelo to a rooftop, where he explains his immortality before jumping off to his "death". When Angelo reaches the ground, Jack is gone.

As Gwen and Jack arrive, Rex and Esther have contacted Andy Davidson in Wales. He has freed Gwen's family. They train snipers on the three people who want Jack. Jack says he has won, but they say that Jack will come with them anyway. They have the information about the Miracle he wants. Angelo is still alive. He has something to do with the Miracle.

Cast

 * Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
 * Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles
 * Rex Matheson - Mekhi Phifer
 * Esther Drummond - Alexa Havins
 * Rhys Williams - Kai Owen
 * Inspector - Pat Asanti
 * SWAT Member - Michael Chomiak
 * Salvatore Maranzano - Cris D'Annunzio
 * Young Priest - Will Green
 * Costerdane - Paul Hayes
 * Ablemarch - Everton Lawrence
 * Young Man - Griffin Matthews
 * Mr. Giardano - Frank Medrano
 * Girl in Crowd - Angelica Montesano
 * Frines - Shawn Parsons
 * Elderly Woman - Vanna Salviati
 * Mrs. Giardano - Jayne Taini
 * SWAT Leader - Darren Dupree Washington

Story notes

 * Jack explains that the brain parasite would rewrite history by enabling the Third Reich to win the Second World War. One week and a day after this episode was broadcast in the US and only two days after it was broadcast in the UK, the Doctor Who episode Let's Kill Hitler featured Adolf Hitler in a cameo role and was set in Nazi Germany in 1938. In this episode Melody Pond expressed an interest in killing Hitler.
 * This is the first time that Jack is killed onscreen during Series 4. He is killed at least seven times in this episode, including being shot, being stabbed, being disembowelled, having his throat slashed, and falling from a high place.
 * Writer Jane Espenson cites Immortal Sins as her favourite thing she's written.

Ratings

 * UK: 4.48 million

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * The Seventh Doctor, the Fourth Doctor and the Captain also mentioned Clarke's Law. (TV: Battlefield, TV: The Pirate Planet)
 * Jack had a dialogue with Angelo similar to the one the Ninth Doctor had with Rose Tyler. (TV: Rose)
 * Gwen talks about when she first joined Torchwood. (TV: Everything Changes, Day One)
 * Angelo thinks that Jack has been possessed by the Devil. Jilly Kitzinger and Oswald Danes would later (or earlier, depending on what you mean) reference the Devil. (TV: Rendition) Stuart Owens would also say that Jack seemed to think he was the Devil in suit. (TV: The Middle Men)
 * The Tenth Doctor would also meet the Beast who claimed to be the origins of the Devil/Satan. (TV: The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit)
 * The Doctor and his way of travelling with companions is mentioned. (TV: An Unearthly Child et.al.)
 * Jack told Angelo that he is a "fixed point in time" (due to the events on Satellite Five). (TV: The Parting of the Ways) Although the Tenth Doctor did not tell him this until Malcassairo, eighty-one years later in his personal timeline, (TV: Utopia) Jack had prior knowledge of temporal theory. (TV: Boom Town, The Parting of the Ways)
 * Jack stated to Angelo, "Men like you kill me.", a reference to his former lover Captain John Hart. (TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang; Fragments; Exit Wounds)
 * The creature Jack and Angelo found was intended to infect Franklin D. Roosevelt and disrupt history for the Trickster's Brigade. (TV: Turn Left, Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?, The Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith, The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith)
 * When Esther opens the Eye-5 computer programme, past dialogue can be found. (TV: Escape to LA, The Middle Men)
 * A brief video clip was shown of the "death" of Vera Juarez. (TV: The Categories of Life)
 * Jack was subjected to similar torture aboard the Valiant, where killed him repeatedly for fun. (TV: Last of the Time Lords)
 * When Angelo asks what other secrets Jack learned from the Doctor, Jack tells him to run. (TV: Rose, The Doctor's Daughter, Amy's Choice, A Good Man Goes to War)

Home video releases
This episode was released worldwide in a box set containing all ten episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day. In the United Kingdom, it was released on Region 2 DVD and Region Free Blu-ray on 14 November 2011. In Australia, it was released in Region 4 DVD and Region B Blu-Ray on 1 December 2011. In New Zealand, the same sets were released on 7 December 2011. In North America, it was released on Region 1 DVD and Region Free Blu-Ray on 3 April 2012.