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Torchwood: Miracle Day

Black Dragon

Black Dragon

Staff
Administrator
I've been following the development of Torchwood: Miracle Day, and it looks promising. It's the continuation of the popular BBC series, but it takes place in America with a new Torchwood team. John Barrowman reprises his role as the immortal Jack Harkness, and the series will be airing on Starz later this year.

I was a fan of the original show, and was very impressed with Torchwood: Children of the Earth. I'm optimistic that this new version, which is also produced and written by Russell T. Davies, will be similarly epic.

Your thoughts?
 
Chilari

Chilari

Staff
Moderator
I'm always hesitant about stuff being moved to America. If anyone has seen either the US pilot of IT crowd, which was a travesty and WHAT IS DIRECTOR VANCE DOING BEING DENHAM RENHOLM? or the BBC comedy series Episode,s which is about a series which gets remade in the US but ends up completely different. But I don't know the full story: is it just the setting and a few characters that are moving, or is the entire production of the show moving across the pond? Is the BBC still in charge?
 
Kelise

Kelise

Maester
It'll have to try hard to keep me. I was a fan of the original show, but RTD's writing was starting to leave me unimpressed in the end.

But as long as Gwen's not in it either, I'll probably hold my interest for longer. Her character really, really irked me.

This post has been brought to you by someone who's already grumpy, and it probably sounds harsher than she meant it. As a note to make it sound lighter, John Barrowman will probably manage to make me watch everything. He's pretty amazing.
 
Map the Dragon

Map the Dragon

Sage
I'm about to move. What do you guys think? Should I cut cable altogether, or get basic plus one good movie channel that has some good series. If so, which? Do I go with HBO, Showtime, Starz? Honestly, I've never even heard of this show.
 
kennyc

kennyc

Inkling
Well I dumped it altogether almost a year ago and really don't miss it much, but I'm not a huge tv watcher either -- I put a laptop/digital tuner in place for about the cost of one year of cable (already had an antenna) and I record the local new and PBS programs using MS Media Center. It works great. I do miss Dr Who and Torchwood, but will either watch them on line or from dvd later.
 
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K

kimmyfanscape

New Member
Hey guys!

My name's Kimmy, and I'm actually working with Starz to help get the word out about Torchwood: Miracle Day - glad to see so much interest! I just wanted to give you all a heads-up that Starz will be streaming the first episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day for FREE starting at 12:01 AM ET/PT on July 8th on the show's page, so now you've got no excuse to miss out!

The episode will be available from 7/8 – 8/21 on Starz.com.

We've also got a Foursquare page up and running - check it out, follow us, and stay tuned for some big news coming soon!

Like I said, I'm working with Starz - if you have any questions about Torchwood (aside from spoiler requests, :) ) just let me know!
 
Kelise

Kelise

Maester
What do we think of it so far?

Sadly, I'm incredibly bored by it. Very disappointing, and that's even from not expecting much from it in the first place. A pity, really, I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
 
Chilari

Chilari

Staff
Moderator
starconstant said:
What do we think of it so far?

Sadly, I'm incredibly bored by it. Very disappointing, and that's even from not expecting much from it in the first place. A pity, really, I was hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
Click to expand...

I think the first episode was rather slow paced. I understand that the writers have to introduce the characters for the new viewers who haven't seen Torchwood before, but for those of us who have, well, they already shot themselves in the foot when they killed Ianto in Children of Earth last year. Gwen is annoying, more so than in the earlier stuff, and Rhys is worse still. I just don't understand him arguing against action when they've just been told that food will run out in four months, on the basis that their daughter will live forever. It's not logical. It's like the writers decided he was going to act like that so there was some sort of conflict between them, but there doesn't need to be and it feels fake.

The preview bit at the end of what to expect in the rest of the season looks intruiging, so I hope it picks up a bit, but I feel that with Torchwood in general, they've got too serious ever since Owen and Tosh died and especially with Children of Earth and, it seems, Miracle Day. The series 1 and 2 stuff was generally darker than Doctor Who, with more mature themes, and that worked, but it didn't take itself too seriously. It was fun, even when dealing with this stuff. With the deaths of all the other characters, Jack's decision at the end of Children of Earth, and the producers' failure to introduce new interesting characters to the Torchwood team (and I mean actual team members, people who work there, not side characters), the whole thing has become too dark and serious.

The problem, as I see it, is that this is the same universe, the same conceptual framework, as Doctor Who. But while there are some pretty scary storylines and mature themes in Doctor Who - like for example the two parter at the start of the recent series - it's still fundamentally fairly lighthearted, as evidenced by episode 3 of the recent series, with the pirates. It's about a guy who travels around with his friends, protecting Earth, fighting aliens and having a great time while doing it. Torchwood began as a more mature spin-off, a post-watershed version without the time travel. What it's become is a bleak commentary on human nature that happens to use aliens as a kicking-off point to spur the conflict.
 
C

Celtic_Jewel

New Member
Chilari said:
Torchwood began as a more mature spin-off, a post-watershed version without the time travel. What it's become is a bleak commentary on human nature that happens to use aliens as a kicking-off point to spur the conflict.
Click to expand...

I agree with your post, but the last two lines just sum it up, really. I used to love Torchwood, though I suspect I was way younger than their projected age-range (me and my sister started watching with the promo of Series 2 - a quick google tells me that must've been late 2007/early '08, so I was 14 and my sister 12) but, although COE was a very well put together, had amazing acting and was mostly well done, it simply was too different. Instead of feeling excited at the end of each episode, I felt depressed. That change of tone has carried on with Miricle Day. It feels like COE said, and Miricle Day is saying, that humans are dreadful and no matter what happens, good or bad, we'll always be out to get each other.
And then there was the weird religious add-in, which just make me personally feel uncomfortable and also are a little hard to believe in - how many of that crowd are religious? But then, of course, I have no knowledge of the religious demographic of LA. ;)
However, I still love Jack and Gwen (though it's really hard without Ianto) and so I'll still watch it. I'm reserving judgement really on this whole Series. According to several reviewers, it picks up the pace in the sixth episode so hopefully I'll start liking it properly again.

The new characters are, again, alright (although of course this is just my opinion, plenty of people seemed to love it) but for most of the first three episodes I was just annoyed at Ester and Dr. Juarez for running around in stupid high heels, and didn't listen to a lot of their lines because I was too busy being incredulous at their choice of shoes. Rex is... hard to judge, for me. He seems ridiculously stupid and forthright to be a CIA agent, particularly in the first two episodes, and the scene with his father just felt randomly added in for no reason at all. Oswald Danes was really good until his speeches became expected, and what with the strange, suddenly inspired thing he does I wonder if it's a plot point or if there was just meant to be no transition. Jilly is an awesome 'baddie', although some things feel a little cliched but that might just be because of the different setting of the show, since I don't really know what the cultural norms are.

Sergeant Andy wins, although a little less this series that the last three, because he mysteriously sided with the Americans when it came to Rhys, Gwen and Jack's arrest (and, of course, the baby's 'arrest'! What the hell?). Plus Rex seems to just be mean for the sake of it to those who won't/can't talk back, Rhys and Ester with her sometimes obvious sometimes non-existant infatuation with him. O.O

Anyway, I will keep watching but I won't make it a priority, and I hope the series ends up winning me over, I really do, I just (sadly) doubt it will. On the upside, I bought the box sets of series' 1 & 2 today, so looking forward to that! :D

Dr. Juarez's death was horrible but predicable as soon as she stormed off towards the 'storage' in ep. five. She was a character I actually knew I liked, despite her choice of footware. But even the flame jets were not unexpected, although what the hell was Rex doing, peering at her for ages and just watching her burn and then filming the fire after about ten seconds? Surely there wouldn't be much left then? (Speaking as someone who gave up science after GCSE level)
 
C

Cheryl

Dreamer
I've been a fan of Torchwood since it's first season and I'm actually enjoying the latter parts of the season! The first few eps were meh but understandable because new crowd, new characters, explanation of old characters, etc. I'm just worried about how the season will end since there are still so many questions left unanswered and I have a feeling i'll be disappointed with how they will handle the ending :-|
 
Allyssianne

Allyssianne

Dreamer
I've been following Torchwood for a while, (Well, I kinda followed Jack away from Dr Who to be honest). I loved the first two series. They were dark, yes, but they also had the humor to lighten it when necessary. Children of Earth was ok, not my favourite, but a new way of presenting the series (essentially being one really long episode cut into sections). I had high hopes when I found out that Miracle Day was coming out. I went to watch it and... shock horror, I find that it has been 'Americanised'! (No offence to the Americans intended, seriously). The basic story line is ok, but I don't really like the way it's being developed. I'll reserve final judgement for once I've seen the last episode, (given that I don't get british or american TV, stupid France).
 
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