Rate Torchwood: Miracle Day Episode 1: "The New World"

Two years after the events of Children of Earth, the Torchwood team is back, and have the mystery of no one around the world dying to sort out.  So, tell us what you thought about the premiere episode of this new series.

Note: this thread will be locked until North American transmission of Episode 1 occurs at 10:00 PM Eastern Time.

I'm voting as I saw it 18 days ago, and won't be back on OW for a couple of days - so there Mr. Fast Living.

4/5 from me, a very promising start with a couple of great set pieces.

A very strong first episode! Oswald Dains is nicely menacing, Captain Jack's reappearance is nicely done, Gwen's paranoia is captivating to watch, and you have to feel for Matheson, being impaled and all.

Trivia notation: the picture of Jack that Esther finds in the CIA archive is from "The Empty Child."

I'm officially hooked. 4/5 from me.

4/5. It was great to see Jack, Gwen, Rhys and Andy again. Bill Pullman was creepy as hell. I liked the little continuity touches and the "miracle" is a nasty bit of business. The line about it what would occur if it happened to insects was a displeasing mental visual. I also enjoyed the way the "miracle" spread so quickly across all the modern methods of communication we possess.

It was also nice to see they've apparently repaired the damage above the old Torchwood Hub in Cardiff. Pity we couldn't see if the Hub itself survived.

So the big question: if Jack didn't send the "Torchwood" email, who did?

Patrick wrote:So the big question: if Jack didn't send the "Torchwood" email, who did?

Indeed. Is it a new character, or someone from past seasons? And what do they know about the miracle?

Early days, Zoltar. No way to know just yet. For all we know, it could be Ianto*. But I have to say I found all the references to "the 456 files" a nice continuity touch.


*I only added that because I'm sure there are some corners of fandom still upset of Ianto's death, 2 years later. Nice to tweak them.

Patrick wrote:Early days, Zoltar. No way to know just yet. For all we know, it could be Ianto*. But I have to say I found all the references to "the 456 files" a nice continuity touch.


*I only added that because I'm sure there are some corners of fandom still upset of Ianto's death, 2 years later. Nice to tweak them.

I liked those references too, clearly that event had a major impact. Ianto, eh? Just how powerful is that miracle, he's pretty dead.

I think the miracle among fandom will be if we get through this series without some speculation that Ianto is back from beyond the grave. Hence the fun of the tweak.

Well, I promised a certain Eocene I'd deliver my thoughts on tonight's episode, so I'd better get to it. He'll find my email when he wakes up in the morning. Night, Zoltar.

Patrick wrote:I think the miracle among fandom will be if we get through this series without some speculation that Ianto is back from beyond the grave. Hence the fun of the tweak.

Oh, I think such speculation is beyond even the power of miracles to prevent, yep.

Patrick wrote:Well, I promised a certain Eocene I'd deliver my thoughts on tonight's episode, so I'd better get to it. He'll find my email when he wakes up in the morning. Night, Zoltar.

Night, Patrick.

The L.A. Times has A REVIEW OF EPISODE 1 which is relatively spoiler free. The writers (it's an uncredited house editorial) seem to like it, but can't resist the temptation do a comparison/contrast with "Flash Forward." They do seem to be quite interested on seeing what happens in upcoming episodes.

One reaction I didn't post last night, but which I mentioned to a certain Eocene in an email I sent him, is the scale of the production. Yes, you have scenes happening in Washington, DC. But you also have lots of scenes happening in Wales, and, indeed some familiar locations in Cardiff. But the scale and scope of the production is eye-popping. Seriously, it has a certain summer block-buster movie quality to how they filmed it.

Patrick wrote:Early days, Zoltar. No way to know just yet. For all we know, it could be Ianto*. But I have to say I found all the references to "the 456 files" a nice continuity touch.


*I only added that because I'm sure there are some corners of fandom still upset of Ianto's death, 2 years later. Nice to tweak them.

Zoltar wrote:I liked those references too, clearly that event had a major impact. Ianto, eh? Just how powerful is that miracle, he's pretty dead.

Patrick wrote:I think the miracle among fandom will be if we get through this series without some speculation that Ianto is back from beyond the grave. Hence the fun of the tweak.

Zoltar wrote:Oh, I think such speculation is beyond even the power of miracles to prevent, yep.
.

Well now, were the pair of you aware that BBC Radio Four is broadcasting three Torchwood plays this week? And that Ianto is in them? I believe they are supposed to be set before Children of Earth - but now you've got me wondering!

Patrick wrote:Seriously, it has a certain summer block-buster movie quality to how they filmed it.

It did have a movie feel to it, I agree.

andrea wrote:Well now, were the pair of you aware that BBC Radio Four is broadcasting three Torchwood plays this week? And that Ianto is in them? I believe they are supposed to be set before Children of Earth - but now you've got me wondering!

I would be surprised if it was Ianto, but stranger things have happened.

Andrea, I would be beyond merely shocked if RTD decided to resurrect Ianto.

Well, I was only joking. The three radio plays are definitely set before Children of Earth.* I think I might give them a listen.

The initial episode gets a 3/5 because it's good, but not brilliant.

It trades on you already knowing who these people are and why we should care about them. The sequences between Gwen and Rhys only make sense if you've seen the previous three series and know what they've been through to make Rhys quite so protective.

Although that said, the scene where they tool up to answer the door amused me greatly.

The American side of the story is interesting. Bill Pullman, in the little screen time he has during the first episode, creates a genuinely disturbing character. You wonder whether someone has briefed him to create a Hannibal Lecter for the small screen, because his bag of tricks extends to unusual rhythms of speech; listening to him is quite creepy. I want to see more of this character.

I'm also looking forward to the rest of the series. I think the RTD hallmarks are in place - at the end of Episode 1, we know pretty much everything we need to know about all the characters we've met, and we know what the consequences will be to them when the mystery is solved. All of those consequences will be deeply personal, and it doesn't look like a fun day out for anyone. Except the audience.

Plus, there are questions to be answered. I'm wondering whether one of the side issues (Who sent the email?) is going to be answered with a name from the past or a shout-out to the parent show.

Dave Webb wrote:It trades on you already knowing who these people are and why we should care about them. The sequences between Gwen and Rhys only make sense if you've seen the previous three series and know what they've been through to make Rhys quite so protective.

Although that said, the scene where they tool up to answer the door amused me greatly.

The American side of the story is interesting. Bill Pullman, in the little screen time he has during the first episode, creates a genuinely disturbing character. You wonder whether someone has briefed him to create a Hannibal Lecter for the small screen, because his bag of tricks extends to unusual rhythms of speech; listening to him is quite creepy. I want to see more of this character.

You know, I made the mistake of venturing over to Gallifrey Base yesterday, and the majority opinion over there is almost 180-degrees away from your opinion, Dave. They craved/loved/thoroughly enjoyed seeing Gwen, Rhys, PC Andy and Jack, and got virtually nothing of an impression from CIA Agents Matheson or Drummond, and convict Oswald Danes. I mean, I certainly agree with your observations about the American part of this story.

This got me to considering that I think the biggest hurdle Torchwood Miracle Day is going to have to overcome with fandom will be the fact that there is a sizeable American presence in this series. I'm not worried about that- because RTD is still writing it- but I can see how a strain of "this isn't classic Torchwood!" thought can easily crop up.

Dave Webb wrote:Plus, there are questions to be answered. I'm wondering whether one of the side issues (Who sent the email?) is going to be answered with a name from the past or a shout-out to the parent show.

I am convinced that who sent that email is at least as important a question as how the miracle happened. So I plan to watch for any and all clues RTD dangles provocatively in upcoming episodes.

Patrick wrote:but I can see how a strain of "this isn't classic Torchwood!" thought can easily crop up.

The moment it was announced this series would be a co-production, the writing was on the wall for that sort of thing. The show still seems to be rating well at the GB though.

It will be interesting to see if that rating at GB holds up after it airs on the BBC Thursday.

Patrick wrote:
You know, I made the mistake of venturing over to Gallifrey Base yesterday, and the majority opinion over there is almost 180-degrees away from your opinion, Dave. They craved/loved/thoroughly enjoyed seeing Gwen, Rhys, PC Andy and Jack, and got virtually nothing of an impression from CIA Agents Matheson or Drummond, and convict Oswald Danes. I mean, I certainly agree with your observations about the American part of this story.

This got me to considering that I think the biggest hurdle Torchwood Miracle Day is going to have to overcome with fandom will be the fact that there is a sizeable American presence in this series. I'm not worried about that- because RTD is still writing it- but I can see how a strain of "this isn't classic Torchwood!" thought can easily crop up.

Rex Matheson is going to be brilliant. I'm a fan of Lie to me in which he plays an FBI agent, and I've seen him work through some interesting stuff alongside Tim Roth. The casting is solid, and the character was really well written.

Without being too spoilery, Rex's entire reason for being involved is that something happened which he doesn't understand and he's willing to turn the world upside down to get answers.

Being more subtle, Rex is clearly a very flawed person and is therefore at the beginning of a hero's journey. It's going to be quite similar to the one made by Jack, although in this case we know that Rex thinks he's very important indeed and I suspect that his involvement with Torchwood is going to show him how wrong he is, and give him a lesson in scale at the same time.

Given the character's energy, and that the guy playing him is bringing a touch of 24 to the proceedings, I can't help but like the guy. But then, what with dramatic irony and all, I know what he's in for and he doesn't have a clue. That's the fun of the scene near the docks, when the team look like they're settling into old patterns and Rex casually disabuses them of their notions.

I also liked the swipes against the UK. I was amused by the idea that the USG views HMG as "kindergarten" - again, dramatic irony ensues because the audience knows damn well what happened with the 456, but also it's a nice thought that the writers are playing on the idea that Doctor Who is a kid's show and somehow the perils we have seen since 2005 are lesser since they didn't happen to America.

Which reminds me...is Falling Skies only lightly ripping off Torchwood: Children of Earth?

I gave it a 4/5 - felt very much like a pilot episode, but a good one, helping to introduce the characters and set the scene. I like the way it took a while for the world to realise the Miracle had happened and the way that Rex was generally an arsehole for the whole episode.

Some fun little touches for the regular viewers as well - Owen Harper, FBI and the 456, for instance. Will definitely be watching the rest of the series, anyway.

I gave it a 3 - it might have got a 4 had it not been for the annoying spoilering in the "trailer" at the end of the episode - I don't mind a few glimpses of what might be coming next time - however the length of the "trailer" was ridiculous - Husband said why not just look away - not really possible! I'm particularly irritated as I've gone to some lengths to remain unspoilt.

That aside the episode was fairly enjoyable, I found the text telling us where and when we were was a little annoying as well, however I suppose new viewers would not necessarily recognise old venues - however I'm sure most of us can tell the difference between Wales and the USA and recognise national landmarks in each country!

I also miss having a story per episode under the bigger story arc - I'm not sure I can stand waiting 10 weeks for the denouement of a story - please will someone tell me I'm mistaken and this is just part 1 of a 2 parter - due to the trying not to be spoilered I don't really want to go searching the internet to check this.

I will be watching again

it wasn't bad- it wasn't great either.

liked the helicopter/rocket launcher bit.

Not as good as Day One of CoE, but there's a lot of potential here. It was funny when it was meant to be, it had good action sequences and the fake blood wasn't used sparingly. I'm glad that Torchwood seems to have got rid of the adult=sex thing that it seemed to obsess over in the first two series and certainly appeared in CoE.

A good start to what could well be a very good series. 4/5.

I gave it a 4 which is slightly too generous, but it's a silly marking system anyway. Not a patch on Children of the Earth, and I watched a couple of those last night for comparison. In parts it doesn't feel like it was even written by RTD - well, at least not the american parts. Whereas the bits in Wales seemed right.

And the way the flight to Wales was edited so that it took minutes instead of days was weird - there was no sense that time had passed for Rex.