The Middle Men (TV story)

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The Middle Men [1] was the sixth episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

Synopsis

With Gwen, Rex and Esther trapped on different sides of the Atlantic, it's a race against time as Jack goes straight to the heart of the conspiracy.

Plot

Stuart Owens (Chief Operating Officer of PhiCorp), working late with his secretary Janet in Phicorp Central, Los Angeles, reviews paperwork on Phicorp acquisitions. He calls Zheng Yibao in Shanghai, China to investigate a large land purchase near Shanghai center. Zheng warns that Stuart might not like what he finds, then proceeds into the guarded building on that site. Seven hours later, Stuart calls Zheng for a status report, but Zheng reports he found nothing and then jumps from a tall building with no apparent signs of distress.

There are news reports on the existence of a 45 Club, people who believe that jumping forty-five floors is now the only way to lose consciousness forever.

Rex Matheson is still speaking into his video camera in San Pedro, reporting what he's seen (burning of Dr. Vera Juarez in "The Modules"). He reports that Category 1 patients are burned and suggests that "they" will burn "anyone they just don't like".

Esther Drummond (from her desk at the Camp) attempts to call Dr. Juarez on her cell phone, but the call fails to connect. She then investigates Colin Maloney who is acting suspiciously while intimidating Ralph Coltrane. Colin claims that he has just finished playing badminton. Colin plans to "drop" Dr Juarez's car at Constitution Mall to thwart investigation, then puts the camp on "Lockdown". Colin tells Esther that Dr. Juarez had left while saying that his camp was "very good indeed" (which sounds suspicious to Esther).

At Cowbridge, Gwen Cooper (disguised as a nurse) confronts Dr. Alicia Patel about Gwen's father Geraint Cooper who has been labelled "Category 1". Dr. Patel says, "There's a fine line between category 1 and 2" and that she was following governmental guidelines and she is too busy to revisit patients. Gwen points out that those patients are being burned, and Dr. Patel replies that "It's the law." Gwen accuses Dr. Patel of running a "concentration camp" and of being a coward, and tells her, "Don't call yourself a doctor," and "Shame on you."

Gwen finds Rhys Williams (her husband) working as a driver for the camp, and makes plans with him to help her father escape.

At a bar in Los Angeles, Jack Harkness finds Janet and coerces her into helping him, also revealing (through Torchwood's hacking) that Stuart intended to send Janet away (against her desires).

Jack finds Stuart and his wife Elizabeth at a restaurant, and sends Elizabeth away while he talks with Stuart. Stuart suggests that he is just a middle man in "all this", and that even Phicorp is just a pawn. Stuart suggests that "this pattern" started "maybe five years ago" based on "Market Share Projections". Stuart also says that he found an Italian document which said, "They have found the Blessing" but he doesn't know what it means. Jack then leaves Stuart before security arrives.

Back in San Pedro, Rex attempts to leave the camp by knocking out a guard and putting on the guard's uniform. Rex is captured (in disguise) after wandering into a checkpoint. Colin interrogates a handcuffed Rex alone. Rex tells Colin his intention to go public with his videotape evidence in order to expose events at the camp, including Dr Juarez's incineration. Colin looks for a method of silencing Rex, and decides to slowly push his ballpoint pen into Rex's heart through his open wound. Rex screams in pain and points out that he can't die because of the Miracle, then faints.

Esther finds the interrogation area, but is confronted by Colin before finding Rex. Esther tells Colin that she had just spoken with Dr Juarez (which Colin knows is a lie), and Colin attempts to grab Esther. Colin initiates a fight. Esther chokes Colin into unconsciousness, then she leaves Colin on the floor to hurry to Rex's side. Esther returns to Colin to get the handcuff keys, but Colin grabs her and proceeds to choke her. Ralph Coltrane arrives and shoots Colin into unconsciousness.

Rhys steals a truck to get into Cowbridge, and meets Gwen with her father (on a gurney). Gwen overhears that sick people are arriving in Wales like "boat people". Gwen and Rhys load Geraint into the truck, then Rhys rams the truck through a gate to escape. Gwen uses the Torchwood contact lenses, then steals some explosives and blows up part of the Cowbridge Camp as a message, "This is the truth for the whole world to see, we let our governments build concentration camps. They built ovens for people in our names. Now I don't care if the whole of society bends over and takes this like a dog. I'm saying no." She sets the camp in flames. While watching in America, Jack laughs and says, "That's my girl."

At San Pedro, Rex says, "The regular army is coming in, they'll shut it down". Esther points out that the camp was sanctioned, and she'd used her real name to gain entry.

In Venice Beach, Jack congratulates the Torchwood team for getting the word out, as the White House refuses to apologise for the camp and compares the camp to a state of emergency in time of famine or pestilence. Jack says that they need to look at the bigger picture, while they search the internet for "the truth".

Gwen arrives at Los Angeles International Airport and is paged to pick up a phone-call for her that says "lenses". Gwen puts in her Torchwood contact lenses again, and receives the text, "We have your mother. We have your husband. We have your child. Bring us Jack."

Cast

Crew

General production staff


Camera and lighting department

Art department


 Make-up and prosthetics


General post-production staff

Special and visual effects

Sound

UK crew
General production staff
 Camera, lighting and sound departments

Casting

 Make-up

Costume

Effects


Not every person who worked on this adventure was credited. The absence of a credit for a position doesn't necessarily mean the job wasn't required. The information above is based solely on observations of the actual end credits of the episodes as broadcast, and does not relay information from IMDB or other sources.
          

The Starz broadcast carried a final credit of "Originally Developed and Produced by BBC Cymru Wales". The BBC One broadcast says, instead, "BBC Worldwide Productions for BBC Cymru Wales and STARZ Originals".


References

to be added

Story notes

  • Bill Pullman does not appear as Oswald Danes for the first time since his introduction nor does his name appear in the opening credits.
  • Neither Lauren Ambrose as Jilly Kitzinger nor Arlene Tur as Vera Juarez appear. The episode is the first in the series not to credit any "special guest stars."

Ratings

  • UK: 4.6 million

Myths

to be added

Filming locations

to be added

Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.

to be added

Continuity

to be added

Home video releases

This episode will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on 14 November 2011, alongside the other nine episodes.[2]

External links

  1. ↑ As with all episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day, the episode title was not given onscreen, but comes instead from the official Starz Miracle Day website
  2. ↑ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Torchwood-Miracle-Day-Eve-Myles/dp/B005A5I9V2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314885858&sr=8-1
v • e
Torchwood television stories
Series 1
Series 2
Series 3
Children of Earth: Day One • Day Two • Day Three • Day Four • Day Five
Series 4
Stories listed here are only those that have been officially licensed by the BBC.
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