Editing The Three Families

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{{Infobox Organisation
|main alias    = The Families
|image         = The Three Families.jpg
|leader        ={{il|[[Frines]] family|[[Costerdane]] family|[[Ablemarch]] family|[[The Mother]]}} 
|aka           = 
|affiliation   = [[The Committee]], [[The Blessing]]
|bases         = [[New York City|Little Italy]]
|type          = 
|first mention = 
|only          = 
|first         = Rendition (TV story)
|appearances   =''[[Dead of Night (TV story)|Dead of Night]]'', ''[[Escape to LA (TV story)|Escape to LA]]'', ''[[The Categories of Life (TV story)|The Categories of Life]]'', ''[[Immortal Sins (TV story)|Immortal Sins]]'', ''[[End of the Road (TV story)|End of the Road]]'', ''[[The Gathering (TV story)|The Gathering]]'', ''[[The Blood Line (TV story)|The Blood Line]]'' 
|members       = [[Jack's kidnapper]], [[Charlotte Wills]], [[The Gentleman (Escape to LA)|the Gentleman]], [[the Cousin]], [[Brian Friedkin]], [[Blue-eyed man]]
|size          = 
}}
The '''Three Families''' (also known as '''the Families''') were a powerful organisation derived from three different families: [[Frines]], [[Costerdane]], and [[Ablemarch]]. They systematically manipulated the [[human]] race over the [[20th century]] for their own purposes. It was believed that one family was centred on politics, one had entered into the economic world and the other had gone into media. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Gathering (TV story)|The Gathering]]'')

According to [[Jack Harkness]], the Families were actually being controlled by [[the Committee]], a group of aliens from the planet [[Erebus]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Forgotten Lives (audio story)|Forgotten Lives]]'')

== History ==
In [[1928]], [[New York City|Little Italy]], men belonging to the [[Ablemarch]], [[Costerdane]], and [[Frines]] families purchased the immortal [[Jack Harkness]] and took samples of his blood. He later escaped their custody, thanks to the man who had first kidnapped him, [[Angelo Colasanto]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Immortal Sins (TV story)|Immortal Sins]]'') Colasanto's granddaughter [[Olivia Colasanto]] later stated the families refused to work with Colasanto because of his homosexual relationship with Harkness. Despite this, he would keep a close eye on the families and Harkness throughout his life, up until he slipped into a permanent coma. ([[TV]]: ''[[End of the Road (TV story)|End of the Road]]'')

Through the 20th century, the Families would remain hidden, but would manipulate events on a global scale. Their influence was so large that they altered and erased data on a global scale. All factual reference to the families disappeared. ([[TV]]: ''[[End of the Road (TV story)|End of the Road]]'')

In [[1998]], when technology had developed so numerous records could be analysed quickly, they found people living within a two-mile radius of the Blessing in [[Shanghai]] lived the exact average lifespan of the rest of the world. The Families discovered and gained control of the [[Blessing]], a secondary pole running through the centre of the Earth, connecting Shanghai to [[Buenos Aires]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Middle Men (TV story)|The Middle Men]]'', ''[[End of the Road (TV story)|End of the Road]]'', ''[[The Blood Line (TV story)|The Blood Line]]'')

In [[2007]], [[Jack's kidnapper|a family agent]] kidnapped [[Jack Harkness]] and took him to [[Chernobyl]], testing his [[immortality]] several times along the way. The agent removed a significant quantity of Jack's blood before the appearance of [[Gwen Cooper]] allowed Jack to kill the agent. The Families subsequently used [[retcon]] gas to erase Jack and Gwen's memories of the experience. ([[WC]]: ''[[Web of Lies (webcast)|Web of Lies]]'')

Having discovered the Blessing, the Families set about planning to cause and control what would come to be known as [[Miracle Day|the Miracle]], stopping people from dying over the entire planet. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Blood Line (TV story)|The Blood Line]]'')

[[Rhys Williams]] suggested that the Families may have instigated the [[credit crunch of 2008]] as the first stage of their plan. [[Gwen Cooper]] conceded that it was possible, believing the Families' manipulations to have gone back [[decade]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[End of the Road (TV story)|End of the Road]]'')

They caused the Miracle in [[2011]] by simultaneously putting Harkness' immortal blood into both ends of the Blessing. This was only the beginning however; they planned to use their influence and wealth to control the human race. The same day, they sent an [[email]] to the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] consisting of just one word: "Torchwood". Harkness erased all records of the [[Torchwood Institute]] and all of its living members to protect Gwen Cooper. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World (TV story)|The New World]]'')

Through [[PhiCorp]], they employed [[Jilly Kitzinger]] to tell history the way the Families wanted.

In [[September]] of that year, they intended to seal the Blessing by collapsing the caves at each end, stopping anyone from interfering with it again and rendering the Miracle permanent. This was interrupted by members of Torchwood. After a standoff, Harkness and [[Rex Matheson]] released Harkness' blood (now mortal due to the Miracle) into the Blessing again, reversing its effects.

The "[[The Mother|Mother]]" of the Families was subsequently killed by [[Oswald Danes]], who blew up himself and the Shanghai complex while holding onto her, in Buenos Aires Rex Matheson killed the "[[The Cousin|Cousin]]" by throwing him down into the Blessing. The Families didn't see this as a defeat, more as a trial run; they had a Plan B. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Blood Line (TV story)|The Blood Line]]'')

Before Miracle Day, their plot was discovered by conspiracy theorist [[Miles Mokri]]. Miles' best friend [[Nick (Web of Lies)|Nick]] was an agent to a rival group to the Families who wished to snatch the key to the Miracle from the Families so that his own group could get the power the Families had. Using clues left by Miles, [[Holly Mokri]] found the key to the Miracle: vats of Jack's blood stored on Comey Island by the Families in case the Miracle was negated. With the vats of blood, the Families could restart the Miracle if something happened. The blood was destroyed by Holly which prevented the Families from ever using it in the future. ([[WC]]: ''[[Web of Lies (webcast)|Web of Lies]]'')

[[Yvonne Hartman (Pete's World)|Yvonne Hartman]] mentioned the Families as one of several groups who used [[Deadcoin]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Heistland (audio story)|Heistland]]'')

== Influence ==
The Families were able to operate without the PhiCorp CEO, [[Stuart Owens]], learning of their existence. His own attempts to discover who was manipulating his company were largely fruitless.

The family had high-ranking moles in many organisations, including at least three within the [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World (TV story)|The New World]]'', ''[[End of the Road (TV story)|End of the Road]]'')

== Members and employees ==
The Three Families originated from [[Frines]], [[Costerdane]] and [[Ablemarch]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Immortal Sins (TV story)|Immortal Sins]]'')

During the outbreak of the Miracle, key members of the Family included [[The Cousin]] and [[The Mother]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Escape to LA (TV story)|Escape to LA]]'', ''[[The Gathering (TV story)|The Gathering]]'') Other members during this included: [[The Gentleman (Escape to LA)|the Gentleman]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Escape to LA (TV story)|Escape to LA]]'') the [[Blue-eyed man]], ([[TV]]: ''[[The Categories of Life (TV story)|The Categories of Life]]'') the [[Young man (The Gathering)|Young Man]] ([[TV]]: ''[[The Gathering (TV story)|The Gathering]]'') and [[Charlotte Wills]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World (TV story)|The New World]]'', ''[[The Blood Line (TV story)|The Blood Line]]'')

The Families used [[Brian Friedkin]], although he claimed to sometimes refuse to do things for them. ([[TV]]: ''[[Rendition (TV story)|Rendition]]'', ''[[End of the Road (TV story)|End of the Road]]'') During the events of the Miracle, the Families recruited [[Jilly Kitzinger]], who was later asked to participate in their "Plan B". ([[TV]]: ''[[End of the Road (TV story)|End of the Road]]'', ''[[The Blood Line (TV story)|The Blood Line]]'')
{{TitleSort}}

[[Category:The Three Families| ]]
[[Category:Human families]]
[[Category:Human criminal organisations]]
[[Category:Miracle Day]]

[[ru:Три Семьи]]