Theory:Torchwood television discontinuity and plot holes/The Blood Line

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This page is for discussing the ways in which The Blood Line doesn't fit well with other DWU narratives. You can also talk about the plot holes that render its own, internal narrative confusing.

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• It was stated on many occasions by Jack that his blood was unbale to transfer his immortality but why was Rex Matheson able to heal after being shot?

His blood didn't transfer his immortality—otherwise, Rex would have been healed before they got to the Blessing, and removing his bandage would have had no effect. It was the Blessing that transfered his immortality. It's not made clear how this works, of course, but all the technobabble about the Blessing was about it locking onto blood, configuring itself based on blood, etc. So, the Blessing recognized Rex as Jack, or a member of Jack's otherwise-unique species, or whatever, and applied the immortal morphic field to him accordingly.

Partially... It was also pointed out that the Blessing worked on a sort of duality. The "flaw" in Jack's plan as far as the Family was concerned was that his blood has to hit both sides of the Blessing at the same time for it to activate. Once it reset the morphic field, it would have also reset Jack and an equal on the opposite end.

Jack's blood wouldn't transfer his "immortality" yet, since the whole point of that "plan" was that Jack's "Mortal" blood would be both places. Jack would have "transferred" his "mortal" blood to Rex - and indeed, Rex was looking much more mortal that usual. The idea that Rex wasn't dead after the Miracle ended (like Jack) may or may not have had anything to do with his immortality (were his wounds life-threatening at that time).

I agree with the initial post. You'd think, that if immortality were as easy as transfusing Jack's blood, someone else would have tried that (hoping to become immortal) in Jack's long (tortuous & bloody) history. It looked to me that Jack was as surprised (if not more) to see his immortality transfer as everyone else - no explanation given.

Theoretically, Rex must have had a mix of his own blood and Jack's blood. How could Esther have separated them? Unless she drained Rex completely of blood, before filling him with Jack's blood... Even if she transfused blood in and out at the same time, it would mix within Rex's body. The idea that there was some quantity of someone's (mostly Rex's) blood in the suitcase just helped the ruse that the transfusion hadn't happened. BTW, various websites report that there are 10-12 pints of blood in an average human (each one of those full blood-bags is typically a pint, the amount of a blood donation).

• This is a trivial one, and it's probably more of a production error than a discontinuity, but: The CIA has 703 area codes, and always has (unlike most other government agencies in the area, which still have 202 area codes even if they're outside the District). And many CIA employees choose 703 cell phones instead of 202 (or 301) no matter where they live, as a sort of "Company pride" thing—when your phone rings with 202, it's probably that DIA liason you're working with or that Congressional committee flak who keeps bugging you, not a fellow agent who actually matters. So, when that first "2" popped up on the screen, it would have narrowed down the suspects consdierably, and someone probably would have commented on it.

Perhaps, it may have narrowed down the suspects, but why do anything when you'll find out exactly who the mole is in a matter of seconds?

Maybe I was misled by the "tension music" in the soundtrack, but it seemed like they were pretty impatient waiting.

Two possible and related things: 1) It's a spare/special phone like Friedkin's red one. 2) Charlotte as a member of the Family likely would not operate on "CIA pride" outside of what is explicitly necessary.

Surely once the initial numbers were known, it would narrow down the possible combinations. So would other CIA agents have a phone number of which the last digit is the only difference?

Realistically?

If running a mole hunt like this the CIA could come up with a filter list for "dumb" moles. That list would be, at the least, all the phone numbers know or suspected to be within the facility. This could be thinned down to those associated with personnel associated with the compromised ops. But it presumes 1) the mole is using a phone that is registered with the CIA and 2) the mole isn't the agent charged with compiling the filter.

If the phone isn't on the "list", and it is likely that it wasn't, the search wouldn't produce a reliable suspect until it got all 10 digits. Starting a search/round up on 1/10, 1/3, or 2/3 of the number in hand could be seen as warning the mole.

• Also, if he knew there was a mole, why was the CIA agent so forthcoming to Charlotte about the trace? Surely he should have known that no-one could be trusted?

Idiot ball?

Is you're asking why Rex trusted her: It could have been established better, but it seems like we were supposed to get that Charlotte was Esther's closest and most trusted colleague. Rex and Esther would as soon suspect Shapiro as Charlotte.

If you're asking why Shapiro trusted her: If you know or suspect who the mole is, or even if you just know you have a handful of people you can trust, a mole-hunt is easy; if you have a few dozen good people and one mole and no idea which is while, the only thing you can do is get different groups of agents involved in the hunt in different ways. And yes, that's bound to alert the mole, but what alternative is there? He can't do take over the entire department's job himself. If he called in outsiders to hunt the mole, that would be just as likely to tip someone off, and it wouldn't help unless he could be sure there were no moles in the other department he brought in. (And how could he believe that the rest of the CIA was clean when they'd just caught section head Friedkin and then discovered they had another mole?)

• Wouldn't it also make more sense for the Families to give Charlotte a seperate phone to contact them with. One which wasn't linked to her name?

Yes... it would. And that would have been more inline with the Family's MO. And wouldn't have left a way for the writers to "neatly" tie up that loose end.