Torchwood: Miracle Day

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

The BBC have just announced that this is back at 9pm on BBC1 on Thursday July 14th. No idea what to expect, as it's now an American co-production, with cable channel Starz to be exact, home of Spartacus: Blood and Sand (which I haven't seen) and Chris Chibnall's[nb]He has nothing to do with this new series, thankfully.[/nb] abysmal Camelot.

Like all sane beings, I was never too enamoured of Torchwood - which at its worst was responsible for some of the most atrocious television ever ejaculated into the undeserving face of the great British populace - but I was pleasantly surprised and slightly thrilled by the Children of Earth mini-series from a couple of years ago, which was far more intelligent and challenging than the morass of ill-conceived garbage that constitued most of Torchwood's first two series.

Anyway, here's its Wikipedia entry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchwood:_Miracle_Day

So who knows? Might be awful, might be quite good, probably won't be great. But I know that anyone who's bothered to enter this thread will be watching at least. Let's deal with this together.

[mjwilson]

Here's Rusty on his promotional tour:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/26/interview-russell-t-davies

[biggytitbo]

Children of earth was so great because it was a very British sci fi show, carrying all that heritage of Kneale with it. This looks intriguing but I am slightly wary that it's such an American show now. It's a starz production entirely, with some BBC co funding money, has a mostly American cast and settimg and is supposedly much more action orientated too, so it's already beginning to make me think of such high concept stinkers as Flash Forward.  Going by interviews Russia seems to think he's got the US UK balance right, but judging by the amount of Botox and hair weaves he's had since he moved over there I'm not so sure.

I  can't wait to be proved wrong though!

[The Roofdog]

I am greatly a'feared[nb]actually I'm not that bothered, but it'd be nice to have another Children Of Earth though wouldn't it?[/nb] that this will be total arsegravy, not because it's basically an American production but because I've never heard Rusty sound so unsure about one of his own projects before:

Starz own the greater rights, but it has me there to make sure it doesn't become a prostituted version of the show – which nobody wanted anyway, but you've got to have somebody steering the train – and who knows if it will work?

I watched it sometimes myself and some – well a lot – of the scenes were just the Americans without a single English or Welsh note, and you think, how's that going to play out on BBC1?

I mean, he's hardly known for listening to or offering criticism of his work with an open mind is he, but this sounds a bit like he's getting the excuses in before it gets a kicking. A bit.

[phantom_power]

i think this will be as good if not better than children of earth. starz have made some shit but they also made party down, which is awesome. they are just the channel it is on though, i doubt they would interfere much.

plus: jane espenson.

[weekender]

+ lrn shift key for caps k thx

[phantom_power]

no

[BritishHobo]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/jun/28/torchwood-miracle-day

Article on the six day gap and whether people will download ("Personally, having seen the music industry decimated, I have a near zero tolerance for downloading") plus a bunch of hilariously self-entitled 'but I pay the license fee!' griping from poeople who clearly did no research. It's a Starz production, if they hadn't funded it there'd be an infinite wait, because it wouldn't be bloody happening.

I've paid my licence fee. I'm entitled to watch Torchwood as soon as it's available. It would be nice if the BBC weren't being silly about scheduling it on broadcast TV, but it's hardly an illegal download when I've already paid the BBC for it.

Oh, Britain.

[mothman]

I mean, six days. It's not much really. Let's say it's on in the States on a Sunday (it probably isn't, example for illustrative purposes only). By the time I get to torrent it, it'll be Monday night when I get home from work. I won't be able to watch it that night, I'll be too tired. So that's Tuesday night before I might get to watch it. But my wife will want to watch it too, so I either watch it with her on the laptop, or figure out how to play it through the PS3. And that'll probably go wrong somehow, or there'll be something on TV we want to see, or one of the kids won't settle that night, and so on and so forth, and  it'll be the bloody Saturday (see above) when it's on and the whole thing will be moot and we can just watch it on BBC1.

Actually, now I do the math, if it's on here on a Thursday then that surely means it's on in the States on a Friday night. So that's that shafted straight off, then.

[papalaz4444244]

I'm watching this right now....

Spoiler alert

It's surprisingly slooowwww paced so far.

[close]

[HappyTree]

I quite liked the first 2 series of Torchwood, and the 3rd was even better. This new one will probably be "all right" and that's about as much as I expect these days from anything.

[sirhenry]

Apparently "It's Torchwood."

Spoiler alert

Over and over again.

[close]

[pk1yen]

Absolutely no need to

Spoiler alert

shoot a helicopter down from a car with a bazooka on a beach

[close]

, really ...

No wonder the BBC couldn't fund it.

Nice scene with the

Spoiler alert

blown up guy though. That single snip of his neck artery/spine has stayed with me all day.

[close]

Spoiler alert

The black CIA guy seemed like a knob. I found myself feeling a bit like the Doctor while watching it, getting sick with all the fucking (boring) guns in every scene. His scene demanding a handgun to bring with him to the UK was laughable.

[close]

[Rev]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmNApZRy3wk

Starz must either be really sure of their audience on this one, or willing to take a massive punt.  I wouldn't call myself a fan of Torchwood, but I suppose I'm a willing participant, so despite the dreary scene-setting I'd have always stuck through the first episode.  Will any new viewers have the patience?

That said, despite its dodgy pacing and very silly bits (particularly the one mentioned by pk1yen), there's enough to suggest that we might be in for something a bit daffy but enjoyable here.  Let's just hope that there's a story mapped out, and that it doesn't end up getting waved away in the last episode.

[Mildly Diverting]

Despite the huge silliness I quite enjoyed that. Would anyone who knows better than me (ie everyone else) tell me how they get that kind of photoshopped look, where everyone looks freaking perfect? Is it that field removed stuff that I've read on here before or are they still shooting through gauze? :)

[Marv Orange]

Torchwood mushed up with diagnosis murder was my impression.

Spoiler alert

Just how deep was that fountain at that start.

All those gunshots inches away from her head and that baby barely reacting with anything more than a happy gurgle.

[close]

I agree with the others it was silly. Not holding my breath but i'll stick with it.

[sirhenry]

Spoiler alert

Just how deep was that fountain at that start.

All those gunshots inches away from her head and that baby barely reacting with anything more than a happy gurgle.

[close]

I agree with the others it was silly. Not holding my breath but I'll stick with it.

Same here, despite there being loads of points like those two where it wasn't so much suspension as defenestration of disbelief.

Spoiler alert

The one image that will stay with me longest is the look on baby's face as they stepped up to the window. Absolutely gorgeous (and totally destructive of any atmosphere-building).

[close]

[pk1yen]

RTD does his best work with nice, toned down, dramatic dialogue ... so why the hell does he keep doing all these stupid action sequences?

Spoiler alert

The Doctor talking to an old man in a cafe for a bit is infinitely better than bazookas and helicopters and too many guns.

[close]

[Marv Orange]

Forgot to mention the quick 101 on toll bridges and some country called Wales "Wales so its... like New Jersey then". Which is slighty unfair.

[gmoney]

I keep accidentally tuning into atrocious Torchwood episodes on radio 4. What's the score with these? Are they a new series or repeats? I've only just managed to avoid both the archers and gardener's question time successfully, now I'm plagued by this drivel. 

[BritishHobo]

It was okay, not much more can be said, obviously not nearly as good as the opener to Children of Earth (then again, did anyone even think it would be?), just okay.

It's irritating, the episode had some incredibly brave, dramatic and brilliantly written moments similar to Children of Earth, the obvious one being the fate of the suicide bomber, but it's all overwhelmed by RTD trying to 'do' America, with the badass secret agent (or whatever he was) getting out of his hospital bed and crossing the Atlantic ocean to drive to Gwen's house, all but attached to an IV drip, and his attempts at cultural differences humour with the line about paying for the bridge, as if America is toll-booth free, or his attempts at character arcs with what seems to be him setting up another painfully dull devoted boyfriend/frustrated girlfriend/mysterious character love triangle with Rhys Gwen and Jack ("You go running off with Captain Jack Bollocks..."), despite having done the same storyline with the same characters already.

[Mister Six]

Spoiler alert

All those gunshots inches away from her head and that baby barely reacting with anything more than a happy gurgle.

[close]

Spoiler alert

See, I really liked that. As blanks were clearly being fired, it became obvious that the baby's earmuffs were soundproofed. Which means that, 'in-universe', Gwen had soundproofed her kid's own earmuffs for exactly that reason. Which means that she's basically Batmum.

On the whole I thought it was a decent enough, if not particularly mind-blowing, introduction. It feels like they're using the mutability of the Torchwood series (a result of those inconsistent/incoherent first two seasons) to its fullest; Children of Earth existed in a Nigel Kneale-esque grim 70s sci-fi hellhole, while this version fits comfortably into the 24-esque mold of cockwaving US action series.

And that's fine, you know? Because that's obviously what Torchwood wanted to be, way back when. Except this time the concept isn't some rubbish, re-hashed bollocks, the characters make some kind of psychological sense and the action scenes are really, genuinely well-shot and thrilling.

The only downer is the cast, really. Gwen Cooper: Batmum is fine, I reckon. She was always really underrated the first time around, but mostly because the scripts gave her nothing to do. Crazy black CIA guy is fun too, and I can happily accept that he's gone a bit crazy, what with being a zombie stuck in an unceasing cycle of pain. PaedoPax hamming it up is entertaining. But blonde agent's a bit generic and John Barrowman...

The thing about John Barrowman, right, is that he does light and charming really, really well. Flash the ivory, cock an eyebrow and heft a gun - he can do all that fine. And when contrasted with Eccleston's grumpy Doctor it really worked. But he doesn't have enough going on behind his eyes to convince as an angsty, maudlin bastard, and when he's not smiling and quipping he just comes off as bland. The makeup job sometimes makes him look like a Gerry Anderson puppet as well.

Not sure we needed a repeat of Captain Jack using his magic rohypnol on another unsuspecting female, either.

[close]

Still, I'm looking forward to seeing where the rest of the series goes. Children of Earth earned a ton of goodwill with me. I just hope that they have enough story to fill 10 episodes.

Apparently, the UK and US versions of Torchwood are going to vary - will be interested to see which bits are cut for different places. I wonder whether it's just localisation stuff, like having different news anchors for the different countries.

[Phil_A]

The thing about John Barrowman, right, is that he does light and charming really, really well. Flash the ivory, cock an eyebrow and heft a gun - he can do all that fine. And when contrasted with Eccleston's grumpy Doctor it really worked. But he doesn't have enough going on behind his eyes to convince as an angsty, maudlin bastard, and when he's not smiling and quipping he just comes off as bland. The makeup job sometimes makes him look like a Gerry Anderson puppet as well.

I completely agree re: Barrowman. He's fine when all he has to do is play a cocky wise-guy, like how Jack was written in "The Empty Child/Doctor Dances". But the Torchwood writers kept trying to turn him into this dour Batman-like brooding loner character which just didn't work at all. He just can't pull off the heavy emotional stuff with any degree of conviction.

[sirhenry]

And as my pedantic son points out, Captain Jack isn't immortal, he's a 'time constant'.

Spoiler alert

Which presumably means that the Earth has been taken out of our time/space continuum (or the Doctor Who one if we're still being pedantic). Everyone else on the planet can still get injured, so obviously they haven't been made time constants in some kind of reversal, but have had something entirely different done to them and Captain Jack's being taken out of the time stream is a secondary story.

[close]

Now there's a concept that will be hard to get across to new viewers.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Hmmm, well that wasn't too bad I thought, despite a slow beginning. I guess the Americans needed all the exposition, so I can't complain too much, and even John Barrowman looks like he's learnt how to act a little. Only a little, but he definitely looked sad at one point quite convincingly and I've never seen that before. Gwen's still a weak link and it's frustrating as I think Myles is a decent enough actress, but 35 minutes in she was crying away. Maybe Rusty things she's a superb sobber or something, but he really needs to cheer the poor thing up.

Still, it shows potential at least with the plot line, and whilst the supporting cast aren't all that, Bill Pullman's ultra creepy paedophile will hopefully spice things up, bomb explosion corpse fella was fun, as was the helicopter shoot out, and, um, well, Children of Earth was good, wasn't it! So I've hope for the time being...

I'm guessing it's cutting all links with Who though, given that the American doesn't know about aliens, as extra-terrestrial life is pretty much part of every day life in Blighty in the Who-niverse, isn't it?

[biggytitbo]

Are these 50 minute episodes padded out for a 60 minute slot? It started late and finished early even with that endless trailer at the end.

That was fun enough, a good if gimmicky central idea and a lot of goofy bits (stunning how quickly Gwen could be found even though she was meant to be in hiding, ludicrous that a CIA agent would have so much power in the UK etc) as you'd expect from Torchwood. Bill Pullman was entertainingly campy, Gwen and Jack looked a bit ropey in HD (do americans just light better?) and loved the blown up man bits (that was some excellent gore).  It does suffer from the generic American high concept tv sci fi feel though, which strips it a little bit of its unique identity (especially the wonderful children of earth) and the big worry is with such a singular central idea they won't be able to keep it up for more than a few episodes before it starts to lag, a common problem with similar US shows. Glad to see it kept up RTDs grand tradition of unconvincing depiction of computers though.  A promising start, hopefully they keep as much of the welsh stuff as possible in it in future episodes.

And  that baby was entirely CGI if you spotted it.

[mr. logic]

Was there any need for that 'season preview' to be so fucking detailed?

[biggytitbo]

Cos they has 10 minutes to fill I think,one of the problems with it being an American production that has to fit ads in.

[Lt Plonker]

I'm guessing it's cutting all links with Who though, given that the American doesn't know about aliens, as extra-terrestrial life is pretty much part of every day life in Blighty in the Who-niverse, isn't it?

Wasn't the alien 'invasion' in Children of Earth a worldwide event?

Ha!

Spoiler alert

Ernie Hudson's

[close]

in the cast list on Wikipedia.

[eluc55]

Yeah, its been retconned a bit. The public events of Children of Earth must have happened, there was an article mentioning the "pillar of fire" in London. On the other hand, the Dalek invasion has been forgotten about.

I guess Moffat's "crack in time" sort of explains that, even though it makes zero sense when you think about it. [nb]Either Amy would remember the entire universe and its history, or selective stuff, meaning that planets, people and events she never witnessed wouldn't reappear[/nb]