To lose is to win, and he who wins shall lose…

The above quote from The Five Doctors pretty much sums up events in this episode, as we sort of learn why everything is happening, and the most improbable chances and coincides mean that the majority of loose ends are tied up.

There are some classic Torchwood moments in here – Gwen’s twin voiceovers feel like Russell T Davies at his best, and although it’s shamelessly manipulating the viewer’s emotions, Sergeant Andy’s interaction with a new character does add a human dimension to the catastrophic events occurring in Shanghai and Buenos Aires.

But overall it doesn’t hang together half as well as it should, bearing in mind we’ve sat for nine hours to get here, with one character saying  “The laws of the Blessing are beyond us” which conveniently covers any plotholes! Even the one person with a better perspective on the situation doesn’t have a clue as to what the Blessing is (although at least the script acknowledges The Runaway Bride!).

The episode does come down to the heart of Torchwood though – Gwen and Jack, and what they will do for each other. In Children of Earth, Jack had to make a decision with terrible consequences that saved the world; here, it’s both of them (with a little help from their friends, of course) who have to make that choice. If only the final decision came at the end of five or six episodes, rather than ten, then Miracle Day would have been regarded as highly as Children of Earth.

Verdict: If you’ve come this far, you’ll want to see it through.  6/10

Paul Simpson

P.S. Anyone who doesn’t see the final scene coming, go to the bottom of the class!

Check out our other Doctor Who and Torchwood reviews including our overview of the whole Miracle Day series.

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