The hunted and haunted Torchwood team continues trying to find out what really happened when Miracle Day struck in “The Categories of Life,” the latest episode of the miniseries. The title refers to government classifications of the now undying human race. The panicked Gwen flies back to Wales to try and rescue her father from one of the “Overflow Camps” that PhiCorp has set up. Her very relentless mother has joined Gwen’s cause, making a formidable team, backed up by Rhys and the ever-reliable Constable Andy, Gwen’s friend from her pre-Torchwood days.We see a bit of the camps, and, disturbingly, no one is allowed to go in or out. A huge throng has gathered outside to protest, and even Gwen’s force of will avails her nothing. Back in California, the team is joined by Dr. Juarez, as Jack and Rex continue to butt heads and the team scrapes for leads. They finally decide to use Rex as their infiltrator to get into the camp with his should-have-been-mortal wound. Esther and Dr. Juarez manage to get in to the camp as well, leaving Jack to his own devices. Naturally, he continues his virtual stalking of Oswald Danes and Jilly Kitzinger.As the others explore the increasingly ominous camp, Jack lures Oswald away from his handlers and guards at the rally he is to appear at. Across the sea, Gwen finds her father in the camp with Rhys’ help, but he has another heart attack in mid-rescue. The “Category One” people are those who have “no brain functions,” and the camps seem to have been ordered to spend no further resources on them. Juarez pushes the weasel-like camp director too far and he shoots Juarez when she takes exception to this.

Oddly, the scene with Jack and Oswald doesn’t seem to go anywhere, as the rally goes on and Jack watches from the catwalks above, while Jilly has an odd meeting with an unnamed man who assures her the “right people” are noticing her. Later, Jack finds Oswald and tries to persuade him to do the right thing at his big speech and reveal what PhiCorp has done. Oswald elects to use neither Jack nor Jilly’s speech, likening the current “Miracle” to the so-called “Great Leap” of 50,000 BC, when man started gaining civilization and advances that set him apart from the animals, even goes so far to name the undying humans as angels.

Back at the camp, Vera learns first hand what the “Module” is for at the camps, as the director covers his crime by triggering the mechanisms early, incinerating everyone within, including Vera. Gwen figures this out at the same time Vera is killed off, and is more than likely too late to save her father, as the realization dawns while the episode ends.

So… we have an extremely charismatic leader (Danes), camps that people are forced into, and ovens to dispose of the “patients.” Sound familiar? I wonder when PhiCorp is going to break out the swastikas and be done with it? Miracle Day has given birth not to a New World Order, but a very sickening old one, dressed differently.

What I liked and what I didn’t:

Bill Pullman continues to do a masterful job as the creepy Oswald Danes. I really think he’s turning in some of the best performances on the series. They certainly moved the plot along this time, and PhiCorp is even sicker than I thought. What truly scares me is this time the whole world is “just following orders” as the Categories of Life were accepted by about everyone but China (when’s the last time THEY had the moral high ground?). This could actually happen so very easily in the modern world of the near blind following of rabid political leaders. It’s terrifying, but believable, and they do a good job with the idea.

Jack Harkness, to me the embodiment of Torchwood, seems to be taking less and less of a role. In a way it makes sense, as he’s now the sole mortal we know of on the planet, but it’s still a bit odd. I also can’t figure out what in the world the scene with Jack and Oswald chasing around through the corridors was about, as they never seemed to meet and nothing came of it.  Similarly, Jack is not usually naive, and his appeal to Danes seemed to be, as did his somewhat out of character moment of “I don’t know what to do now.”   And, while one should expect such things on Torchwood, I really liked Dr. Juarez, and am not sure she needed to go, especially not how she did.