The New World ( TV story ) The New World was the first episode of the fourth series of " Torchwood " . It showed the first meeting between Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper since his departure from Earth at the end of " " . It introduced new major characters Rex Matheson , Esther Drummond and Oswald Danes . It also introduced Gwen and Rhys ' daughter Anwen , whom Gwen had given birth to since Jack departed for space and returned . It was the first episode in the " Torchwood " series to not display the name onscreen . Discounting flashbacks in " Small Worlds " , " Adam " and " Exit Wounds " , it was the first " Torchwood " television story to be even partially set outside the United Kingdom . It was only the third DWU episode ( in terms of date of release ) to feature first unit principal photography in the United States , following TV : " Day of the Moon " . It was the first episode in the history of the DWU to feature any work done in the state of California . Synopsis . One day , nobody dies . All across the world , nobody dies . And then the next day , and the next and the next . People keep ageing , they get hurt and sick , but they never die . The result : a population boom , overnight . With all the extra people , resources are finite . It ' s said that in four month ' s time , the human race will cease to be viable . But this can ' t be a natural event – someone ' s got to be behind it . It ' s a race against time as CIA agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy . The answers lie within an old , secret British institute . As Rex keeps asking , “ What is Torchwood ? ” , he ' s drawn into a world of adventure and a threat to change what it means to be human . . . forever . Plot . Oswald Danes is about to be put to death by lethal injection . As he receives the fatal concoction , he thrashes on the gurney . At the CIA , the word Torchwood has appeared conspicuously in numerous places . Esther Drummond is on the phone with Rex Matheson , who keeps asking , " What is Torchwood anyway ? " As Esther speaks , he is impaled by metal rods that fall from the truck ahead of him . Suddenly , the word " Torchwood " is wiped from the system . Esther claims it must have been a virus . Gwen Cooper , former Torchwood agent , has woken from a nightmare . Oswald is talking to a governor ' s assistant . Oswald says he can ' t be held and executed again because of the Eighth and Fifth Amendment s . In rural Wales , Gwen is telling her daughter , Anwen , about a singing alien she once met . Rhys walks in , upset she is talking to their baby about Torchwood . They complain about the helicopter s that fly over their private estate . Suddenly , the doorbell rings . The two pick up guns . Gwen opens the door , concealing her pistol as Rhys hides near Anwen , holding a shotgun . At the door are two hikers , who ask for directions . Gwen dismisses them , ordering they leave , shutting the door in their faces . Rhys quickly placates Gwen as she has a panic attack , telling her the Torchwood days are over . Outside , as the two hikers leave , they glance at the house , almost as if confirming suspicions . Soon after , Andy Davidson phones to say Gwen ' s father is in hospital . They rush back to Cardiff , despite Rhys ' warnings . Andy escorts them in , informing them about the Miracle . They find Geraint is still alive due to the Miracle but unwell . Gwen ' s parents tell her that she shouldn ' t have come , as they ' re worried someone might have seen her . She insists she had too , leaving Anwen and Rhys with her parents , who haven ' t seen them since Anwen was born . Gwen and Andy privately research the Miracle , surmising it is causing havoc around the world although only humans are affected . Afterwards , Gwen and Rhys talk about the Miracle and the affect it could have on their daughter when she grows up . Rex Matheson is taken to hospital , and Esther is told by Doctor Vera Juarez that his survival is a " miracle " . There have been a lot in the last day . Soon all the headlines are naming this Miracle Day . No - one on the planet has died . Rex is soon recovering and talking to Esther on his mobile . The Torchwood files were uncovered at the exact moment the last person died . Esther looks for hard copies of the lost data , all categorised under 456 . She finds the buried hard copies of the data in boxes and files , and pictures of Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen , but is interrupted by Jack , scaring her at his unchanged appearance despite his profile picture in the data stating it was taken during World War II . She runs away and finds that someone has " killed " the archivist and is set upon by an armed man . Jack appears and shoots the man , who opens his coat to reveal bombs strapped to his body , which he detonates . They escape by jumping from a window into a fountain below . Jack tells Esther everything about Torchwood , Gwen and extra - terrestrial lifeforms . He also tells her the virus " Torchwood " was him ; a piece of software he setup to get his attention , calling him back to earth to ensure he can protect Gwen , the last living member of his team . He gives her a dose of the " smart drug " retcon — a selective amnesia pill , ensuring she forgets all about him and what she learned . Esther wakes up and finds a bruise on her body from jumping from the CIA building into the fountain with Jack . In pain from his fall , Jack checks the bruise he suffered and discovers it hasn ' t healed — an indicator he has lost his immortality . Jack goes to the hospital Rex is in , where they have the remains of the suicide bomber . He poses as FBI Agent " Owen Harper " for the exam , also attended by Vera . The man is still alive even though his whole body was burnt in the explosion . At Jack ' s suggestion , the doctor heading the exam tries to take off his head to see if he will live . Rex secretly watches the operation , hacking into the security cameras at Vera ' s instigation . Meanwhile , Esther is granted the last file on Torchwood by her co - worker , given she was asking about it yesterday . However , the retcon causes Esther to dismiss the file . Once done , Rex gets in touch with Esther , asking about Torchwood . Esther tries to dismiss it , vaguely believing it connected somehow . Intrigued , Rex asks for more information on the organisation , leading her to check the file . He soon pieces Torchwood and the currant Miracle phenomenon are connected as the Torchwood malware was triggered at 22 : 36pm - the last time in days a human died on Earth . He jumps to action , telling Esther to book him a flight to the UK . He begins to unplug himself from the hospitals monitors and gets dressed . He struggles through the hospital , as staff and Vera insist he get back to bed . However , Rex has had a revelation : he can ' t die . Once out the hospital , he commandeers a taxi using his CIA badge . He reaches the airport , his neighbour having delivered his passport for him . He gets on the flight as he instructs Esther to find out what she can about Torchwood . He also requests a requisition 15 - clearance to take a handgun on a plane - but the airport refuse , but they agree to provide one once he lands . On the plane , he demands Esther find out all she can on agent Gwen Cooper as Jack Harkness ' file is practically lost . One air hostess informs him he can ' t engage calls while in flight . Despite using his ID , a man next to him takes his phone , enforcing the hostess ' order . Hours later , Rex arrives in Britain , where Esther informs him about what she learned and Rex retrieves his pistol from the airport security . Through Esther ' s digging , they learn Gwen was put on the witness protection scheme with Andy Davidson as her liason ; they trace the call he made the day before - Rex locates Gwen and Rhys ' s house in Wales . He hires a car and drives there and demands they tell him about Torchwood , holding them at gun point , Gwen refusing to comply despite him being CIA . However , his wound overwhelms him and he passes out . Not long after , Rex awakes tied to a radiator , Gwen and Rhys preparing to flee the house , frantically packing their bags . He breaks free from his restraints but Gwen holds him at gunpoint . Not long after , a helicopter flies up and the pilot fires a missile at the house . Protecting her daughter , Gwen engages the helicopter , shooting out the gunman , forcing it to retreat . The three flee outside , finding Jack firing at the helicopter atop an open - head army jeep . Befuddled , Rex recalls Jack as the man on the plane who took his phone , realising he was following him . As they drive away on the nearby beach , Gwen shoots the helicopter down with a bazooka . The helicopter goes down in flames and goes belly - up in the sky as it falls down to the beach below , its spinning rotors forcing the group to duck to the floor of the Jeep . Jack and Gwen gaze at their victory with relief and nostalgia , but Rhys and Rex look a bit unravelled . The group arrive in Cardiff , where Gwen instructs Rhys to take their baby Anwen to her mother ' s home so she can be safe , and asks Jack if they ' ll be rebuilding Torchwood . Gwen still has the Eye - 5 s , but all their other technology was obliterated with the Hub . Rhys grows testy with Gwen ' s choice to follow " Captain Jack Bollocks " , and Gwen reprimands him , saying , " What choice do I have ? " However , Jack is not in the nostalgic mood like Gwen is . He makes her pay attention to the wound on his forearm that has not healed . While the Miracle Day has made the world immortal , Jack has become mortal again , a normal human being after centuries of never - ending deaths . Rex , completely in the dark , doesn ' t comprehend the apparent nonsense . Jack snaps at him for sticking his nose where it doesn ' t belong , and notices Rex has popped his stitches , bleeding profusely . Rex knows he cannot die , making little effort to abide by Jack ' s concerns to get it checked . His attention is more focused on a cluster of wailing sirens from the distance . A cavalcade of police cars surround the group , with the officers filing out before them with guns and rifles drawn . Andy steps out among the crowd and apologises to Gwen , having been forced to do this by orders from above . Rhys states Rex has no jurisdiction on British soil to make an arrest . Rex corrects him — this is " not " an arrest , but a rendition . Torchwood ' s services are being legally handed over to America . Story notes . Filming locations . " to be added " Home video releases . This episode was released worldwide in a box set containing all ten episodes of " Torchwood : Miracle Day " . In the United Kingdom , it was released on Region 2 DVD and Region Free Blu - ray on 14 November 2011 . In Australia , it was released in Region 4 DVD and Region B Blu - Ray on 1 December 2011 . In New Zealand , the same sets were released on 7 December 2011 . In North America , it was released on Region 1 DVD and Region Free Blu - Ray on 3 April 2012 .