Torchwood: Miracle Day
By
Benchpresser,
Posted on: 2011-07-08 11:47 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
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They specifically said they were lying in the scene where they said it was biometric.
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Originally Posted by Kiken
Didn't they say that the I-5 contact lenses were biometric? It certainly looked like Rex was using Gwen's, the way she sort of patted her pockets. I suppose they could have been lying in the earlier episode, not trusting the CIA people yet and wanting to be sure it was Gwen who did the infiltration of the building. But still...
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The new episode gives new meaning to following a blood trail.
The first step in being sane is to admit that you are insane.
Ok watching it and watching Episode 3.
Did any else think the 'translation' scene (explaining the British to American) was put there specifically for American audiences...it seemed really out of place.
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A real showstopper!
I gave up on this series around Ep 6. Just seemed like it was taking a very long time to get where it's going. Maybe this should have been 5 episodes like Children of Earth.
The attempted critique of American politics and health care just didn't work. Even if it was attempted as satire, and I think the show is far too earnest for that, it falls flat.
Also, the character of Oswald Danes is one of the biggest missteps I can think of in any major show. We're reminded that he's a serial pedophile rapist murderer, and yet he ends up teaming up with the good guys, possibly helping to save the world. Davies is plain crazy if he expects anyone to accept a redemption story there.
This was a good concept to begin with that was stretched too thin and apparently goes nowhere.
I definitely think the series suffers purely for being more 'Americanised'. I can't really put my finger on it but it seems a lot different to your standard UK series or rather it feels like a UK series made purely to be sold to Americans.
Children of Earth was just right at running only 5 episodes, it didn't outstay its welcome and gave the story arc time to flourish while keeping it fairly snappy. Miracle day seems over stretched and would probably have been better if it had stuck to the 5 episode limit.
As someone else in the thread said, Story arc seasons only really work if not EVERYTHING in the season is about them, reference them here and there in other episodes otherwise it just drags along. I watched the entire run up until episode 5 on the BBC Iplayer and I just wanted the plot line finished with, I don't know it just kind of bored me, definitely not going to bother watching the rest of the series.
Agreeing with Marsquake on the Oswald Dane character, if they even attempt a redemption arc with him (not having watched the last 3 episodes) then that was just a waste, the man is, put simply, a monster. He enjoys what he did and is unrepentant for it, the guy doesn't deserve redemption.
Definitely not Davies best by far, while he is not Steven Moffat I still enjoyed Children of Earth.
Badge Earned: Wing Clipper
A real showstopper!
Honestly, I think it was a mistake to stretch the series out this long.
As has been noted earlier, one of the reasons the original show WORKED was because they HAD to work within the hour time frame to tell the story.
The expansion of essentially a single story to an entire season did the show no favors. Had it been a seasonal ARC with various loosely connected, but individual stories, it might have worked better. They're spending too much time on the dying father arc (they've revisted this "threat to the family" what, four or five times now?) The social commentary on the health care system is getting grating as well.
And yes, we understand Jack likes boys too. I'm not homophobic or anything but GOD! MOVE ON!
Children of Earth worked, sorta. I still prefer the episodic format more.
Hopefully Miracle Day doesn't kill the franchise, because there's a lot of good work that can still be done with Torchwood. The current format is like stretching "See Spot run. Run Spot! Run!" out into something roughly the length of the entirety of the Belgariad and the Malloreon and all adjunct novels.
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I agree. I wasn't a huge fan of CoE. It still, mostly, worked. But even it felt stretched. Davies writes best in an episodic format. Both CoE and ESPECIALLY Miracle Day are suffering because of this. It's the TV equivalent of stretching "See Spot run. Run Spot! Run!" out into a group of novels roughly the size of the combined books of the Belgariad and the Malloreon with all supporting books included.|
Originally Posted by Dr_MechanoEU
I definitely think the series suffers purely for being more 'Americanised'. I can't really put my finger on it but it seems a lot different to your standard UK series or rather it feels like a UK series made purely to be sold to Americans.
Children of Earth was just right at running only 5 episodes, it didn't outstay its welcome and gave the story arc time to flourish while keeping it fairly snappy. Miracle day seems over stretched and would probably have been better if it had stuck to the 5 episode limit. As someone else in the thread said, Story arc seasons only really work if not EVERYTHING in the season is about them, reference them here and there in other episodes otherwise it just drags along. I watched the entire run up until episode 5 on the BBC Iplayer and I just wanted the plot line finished with, I don't know it just kind of bored me, definitely not going to bother watching the rest of the series. Agreeing with Marsquake on the Oswald Dane character, if they even attempt a redemption arc with him (not having watched the last 3 episodes) then that was just a waste, the man is, put simply, a monster. He enjoys what he did and is unrepentant for it, the guy doesn't deserve redemption. Definitely not Davies best by far, while he is not Steven Moffat I still enjoyed Children of Earth. |
I could deal with a season of loosely connected, but still individual stories each week. But Torchwood is kinda falling apart trying to stretch a single story over this long.
The dying father issue has consumed most of 3-4 episodes now.
And while I'm not homophobic, the whole "And Jack likes boys too! SEE!" is getting stale due to overuse.
The social commentary on the government and the medical care situation in the US was grating around the end of the third episode.
Essentially the bigger budget and lax oversight on Davies has done the series no favor. Which is a shame. Torchwood still has MASSIVE potential. But it needs to go back to it's original format, and they need to get multiple writers in on the series again.
The series worked when:
- Torchwood was a shadow organization. Right now Torchwood is essentially public knowledge at this point.
- When they were fighting alien/paranormal enemies.
- When the crisis of the week was solved in that week, or at least by the next week.
- When they were trying to tell a STORY not make statement.
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I'm wondering if one of the "goals" of this whole story is to specifically strip off Jack's immortality because Barrowman wants to keep playing the role but is starting to visibly age.
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Originally Posted by Lightning_Rod
Overall, I think it's off to a good start, but I'll be kinda sad if they don't restore Jack's immortality at the end. I kinda like that trait about the character.
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That was another bit of sloppy writing. How do they even know he's mortal, since he had not sutained a mortal wound? Never mind, just take our word for it and move on.
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Originally Posted by ThugOne
I'm wondering if one of the "goals" of this whole story is to specifically strip off Jack's immortality because Barrowman wants to keep playing the role but is starting to visibly age.
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Might be intentional. Last episode: Jack receives mortal wound. Jack jumps back up and saves the day. Sorry, we where wrong, we thought Jack's immortality was gone, be we where mistaken.|
Originally Posted by Marsquake
That was another bit of sloppy writing. How do they even know he's mortal, since he had not sutained a mortal wound? Never mind, just take our word for it and move on.
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Messianic returns are very typical of RTD's writing style.
I really should do something about this signature.
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I think perhaps his arm doohicky had readings which showed it? But if not it's also because he just plain wasn't healing like he should.|
Originally Posted by Marsquake
That was another bit of sloppy writing. How do they even know he's mortal, since he had not sutained a mortal wound? Never mind, just take our word for it and move on.
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As for the explaining his aging comment someone made - I do not think they ever said he wouldn't age, just perhaps not age as we know it. After all, the possibility exists he ends up as a giant bloated head... Some kind of aging must happen if that is possible enough to give the doctor a second thought?
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Yes, it was mentioned in Doctor Who. He IS ageing, but very slowly. Presumably a temporary removal/reduction in his immortality would allow him to age at a normal pace for the duration of the effect.
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Originally Posted by Caemgen
As for the explaining his aging comment someone made - I do not think they ever said he wouldn't age, just perhaps not age as we know it. After all, the possibility exists he ends up as a giant bloated head... Some kind of aging must happen if that is possible enough to give the doctor a second thought?
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I really should do something about this signature.
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Didn't see that one, just read the review. The reviewer said the show glossed over how he got better. Just skips ahead and he's better. Doesn't even explain how he got out of the country, just "some people" helped. Sounds like more lazy writing.|
Originally Posted by PRAF68_EU
Might be intentional. Last episode: Jack receives mortal wound. Jack jumps back up and saves the day. Sorry, we where wrong, we thought Jack's immortality was gone, be we where mistaken.
Messianic returns are very typical of RTD's writing style. |
The writing also takes too many things for granted, skipping over obvious questions raised. Another example, from an episode I did see, is when Gwen blows up the health care/internment camp. She spends most of the episode trying to get her dad out, berating staff for not caring how Category 1's will be exterminated in oven modules. She then sets some bombs and rides away watching the explosion in her rearview mirror. How many people, the sick and staff alike, were in that facility that she just exterminated? Are we even meant to be bothered by her actions? I don't think Davies cares. It makes for a big explosive American action movie cliche that directly contradicts her earlier concern for human life.
Really atrocious writing.
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Really though, it seems to be a staple of his writing. How many times was the 10th Doctor portrayed as the moral high ground when he had or later would kill.|
Originally Posted by Marsquake
How many people, the sick and staff alike, were in that facility that she just exterminated? Are we even meant to be bothered by her actions? I don't think Davies cares. It makes for a big explosive American action movie cliche that directly contradicts her earlier concern for human life.
Really atrocious writing. |
Or imprison someone for eternity.
Or kill their babies.
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Good point. Maybe he should be called the Judge, instead of the Doctor. It's a legacy Moffat has to deal with in the newest incarnation, where apparently the Silence is a number of species bound together in the belief that the Doctor is a very dangerous being.
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Originally Posted by Zikar
Really though, it seems to be a staple of his writing. How many times was the 10th Doctor portrayed as the moral high ground when he had or later would kill.
Or imprison someone for eternity. Or kill their babies. |
So all this hub-bub was about a giant windy crevice?
In the last episode, will all of Jack's blood get pulled into the crevice and coalesce into a giant scabby head?
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
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Jack's naked again?
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Originally Posted by Tenzhi
So all this hub-bub was about a giant windy crevice?
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Sorry, I should have said "crevasse" to avoid confusion.
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Originally Posted by Zikar
Jack's naked again?
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Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
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And they seemed to imply that it went straight through the middle of the planet. Which doesn't work; we already know the center of the Earth is filed with giant drowned spiders :-)
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Originally Posted by Tenzhi
So all this hub-bub was about a giant windy crevice?
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It is over. Everything goes back to normal with the minor exception as Jack lost his title of Only Immortal Man on Earth. They also opened up the possibility of a sequel where the game of Torchwood vs. Family continues.
The first step in being sane is to admit that you are insane.
Just watched the finale and I enjoyed it.
Not as good as Children of Earth, felt it was too long at 10 episodes, would have been better at 5 or 6, and the Oswald Danes storyline didn't really go anywhere, although I suppose it did shine a different light on Torchwood and what they do to achieve their ends.
Still, got much better in the last few eps, and a nice change at the end as well, could make for an interesting next series 
We built this city on Rock and Roll!
I was meh about the whole season. And I've come to realize that if this is the last season then I'm glad it went out this way. When I still absolutely love shows that are cancelled then I find myself still wishing for new episodes years later. Firefly and Defying Gravity being prime examples. Stargate Universe being the latest.
But when shows have a terrible ending (BSG and it's moronically literal Deus ex Machina) or a mostly dull season like Heroes or Torchwood then I don't really care if they come out with something new.
Don't count your weasels before they pop dink!
Didn't they say that the I-5 contact lenses were biometric? It certainly looked like Rex was using Gwen's, the way she sort of patted her pockets. I suppose they could have been lying in the earlier episode, not trusting the CIA people yet and wanting to be sure it was Gwen who did the infiltration of the building. But still...
However, it turned out that Smith was not a time-travelling Terminator