Articles Episode Breakdown: Miracle Day: Rendition by DJ Forrest

The second episode of the ten-part story, is one of my favourite, mostly because of Jack Harkness and the reality that the arsenic poisoning could potentially kill him!

Heathrow Airport, London, at 11am, the plane is ready to transport two prisoners and Rex Matheson to Washington, DC. Rex can’t wait to board the plane and return home, so is a little disappointed to see Agent Lyn ready to take over the Renditions.
It’s a heartfelt moment for Gwen Cooper when she realises that Rhys and baby Anwen will be staying behind, and she isn’t going to go without a fight and a lot of feisty Welsh behaviour. Jack is also unimpressed by the way they’re being treated, more so because of his VM being taken from him by Matheson. He has no idea what he’s dealing with.

In Washington DC, Watch Analysts sit around a large screen watching the Oswald Danes’ death sentence play on YouTube. Matheson informs Esther that he and Torchwood are heading home. She lets Friedkin know. From the off you know this is a a man to watch. He’s got a lot of skeletons in his closet.

With bodies coming into hospitals with major injuries, Dr Vera Juarez instructs the medical staff to turn things on their heads and do things backwards. Instead of treating the worst cases first, deal with the minor injuries and release them. Those that should be dead, are still alive. They won’t be going anywhere in a hurry. Vera also discovers the Dean of Medicine who is meant to be in the A&E is on a panel, and heads off to join her. If it’s a case of helping to sort out the chaos, Vera wants to be involved.

Oswald Danes has his first television interview since his ‘death’ at WWCN Studios in New York and alters people’s perceptions of him when he apologises to the mother of the girl he murdered; Suzie Cabina.

It pulls in a lot of sympathy for the man and more people wish to interview him, including Oprah Winfrey. PR agent, Jilly Kitzinger wants Danes on her books but as the interviews are coming in without any outside help, Danes ditches the business card, leaving Kitzinger out in the cold.

Jack, thirsty during the long flight requests a beverage but is denied. He kicks up a fuss, and Danny, assisted by CIA agent Lyn prepare him a nice fizzy cola, with an extra kick!

A short time later, Jack is feeling worse for wear. He’s pale and looks like death.

Rex Matheson is still querying his sodium levels after the VM bleeps every few seconds.

Discovering that Jack has been poisoned, it’s down to a phone call to Vera at the panel to find a cure, something that while they’re in an aeroplane do not have access to the drugs required, and are going to have to MacGyver it. Jack grows weaker by the second. Agent Lyn is handcuffed to her seat after it’s discovered the poison came from her. Jack’s condition worsens. He’s scared he’s not going to make it. Gwen can’t think of that. She needs to find a cure, and Rex has to find it.

Through a series of suggestions from the panel, the airplane crew and Gwen concoct an antidote.

Agent Lyn kicks the prepared needle from Gwen’s hand as she’s about to inject Jack, firing the needle into the wiring. 

Gwen deals with Lyn, knocking her out cold, while Danny plucks the needle from the floor and fetches it over. Jack is brought back to life. He cries out as the liquid burns through his system. It’s like a scene from ‘When Harry Met Sally’.

Gwen is cuffed back into her seat alongside Jack and the journey progresses to Washington without any more hitches….

Esther discovers two agents removing Rex’s hard drive from his computer, and discovers two more agents taking information from her own station, and shutting her out of her computer. She receives a phone call from the bank informing her about the $50,000 paid into her bank from an unknown source. Alarm bells begin to ring and switching over her ID with Charlotte Wells, Esther makes a clean get away, much to the annoyance of Friedkin and his agents.

Matheson reports back to Friedkin about Jack Harkness being poisoned by Agent Lyn. Curious, Friedkin wants to know if Lyn said anything about who put her up to the job, but as Rex confirms, Lyn is out cold!

In one of the panels, Dr Bell, Simran, Jim and Monroe are studying a dismembered arm which is open and partially dissected, yet still alive, fingers opening and closing. Dr Bell confirms that although immortality seems to be present, the ageing process is still continuing.

After hearing Juarez’ comments regarding more medicines be released to help those who should be dead, Jilly Kitzinger approaches Vera outside, and offers her services. Initially Vera rejects the card after seeing the Phicorp logo but when Jilly asks her if she considered January 15^th, Vera takes the card.

Panicked but still able to keep a level head, Esther heads to the airport to meet Rex off the plane. Having not heard back from him after sending countless messages, she calls him again. This time he answers. She relays what has happened in the office and about her initial deposit of $50,000 by an unknown benefactor. Matheson checks his messages and finds one from his bank for double that amount. 

Walking with CIA agents he begins to see a much wider picture than extraditing two Torchwood agents to America. Something else is afoot here. He halts the proceedings and uncuffs Jack and Gwen as he explains his reasoning behind the uncuffing.
   ‘Hey, you know, I just remembered there's one final piece of legislation needed to make this a full and proper rendition. And according to recent amendments to US code section 3184 and section 3185 on transferring prisoners from airside to landside, the law clearly states that once they touchdown on American soil, they have free and easy access to one very important thing. Bullshit.’

Rex throws a punch and connects with one of the male agents, Jack and Gwen use this time to throw a few punches and escape, leaving Rex with Lyn, whose neck he snaps. 

Regaining control of the situation again, he hastens after Jack and Gwen who are wandering around baggage claims for domestic flights. It takes a few minutes for him to convince the Torchwood team that he’s the good guy in all of this. They head outside to see Vera with a bag of pills and think she’s the getaway driver. Calling them over to Esther’s vehicle, Gwen is a little put out that they’re escaping in a Mini, not a large SUV.

As they’re about to depart, Agent Lyn blocks their way, her neck twisted, she’s all back to front and eventually collapses after Esther drives around past her. Jack and Gwen with Esther and Rex are now officially on the run. As Esther asks what the hell is going on, there’s only one thing Gwen can say.

   ‘Welcome to Torchwood.’

Next month: Dead of Night