Torchwood: The Gathering Preview

We're nearing the final episode of Miracle Day, and thus with regards to the overall story arc of the season things are going to take big strides forward this week in the penultimate instalment, The Gathering. As you may remember, the Torchwood team were left in less than favourable positions last week, with Jack mortally wounded, Gwen deported from America and Rex left to deal with the CIA and investigate the truth behind the Miracle. Now, fast forward two months later, and everything's gone wrong on a global scale- the Three Families have plunged the Earth into recession, and any Category One patients being illegally housed by their relatives (wasn't Gwen's father one of those...?) will now be taken to the overflow camps by force. Expect dark twists aplenty in the new episode...

WHY JACK?- For reasons still to be established, Captain Jack Harkness is vital to the story of the Miracle's inception, and it seems to be his blood which everyone thinks is making him immortal. We know otherwise, that Rose used the Time Vortex to do so, but if the 'chemical for immortality' has been found in his blood, then has that been used to trigger the Miracle? And if so, why?

CATEGORY ONE- Gwen will spend most of her time this week protecting her father, as the police invade her household and search for the illegally held Category One patient. Will we find out a little more about why the Three Families wanted the dead to be burned?

OSWALD DANES- "I know the name of the man who began the Miracle." The official synopsis for the episode says that Torchwood must strike a deal with the devil himself, so we'll be returning to the character of Oswald Danes, now a street-dweller after his actions in End of the Road. Perhaps the truth behind PhiCorp will be unveiled, or perhaps Danes has an even greater role to play, such has been the series' focus on the mad paedophile and rapist throughout the run...

THE BLESSING- But in the end, it all must come back to the nature of 'the Blessing', the mythical discovery of the Three Families that has been teased for over a month now. Jilly Kitsinger has been offered a chance to see the aforementioned gift to mankind, so presumably when she does, we will too, and with any luck it'll be an alien of some kind, as bar the weird clawed creature in Immortal Sins there's been nothing extraterresterial in the entire season!

Torchwood: The Gathering airs this Thursday at 9pm on BBC One.