Torchwood: Miracle Day Premiere Review

Overall Season Rating: A
Episode Rating: A

Okay, before you say that rating is too high, and that I'm biased you should know one thing. I am biased. I LOVE Doctor Who more than I can explain, and Torchwood is a Doctor Who spin-off. I've loved John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness since we first met him way back in Series 1 of DW. Don't worry, there will be close to no Doctor Who spoilers in these reviews, but to discuss some aspects of the Torchwood I will need to bring up some Who mentions, so be cautious if you really don't want to know anything.

Why did I love this show so much? Well, I simply think it's a brilliant introduction to a show that already has a few seasons on the books. I have seen a couple Torchwood episodes, but really have no idea what happens in the series prior to Miracle Day. The best part is, you don't need to know anything about that to enjoy the new series. I'm sure it helps to know the relationship between Jack and Gwen, and the reason Torchwood was shut down, but you don't need to know. I read that Torchwood originally was going to be a combination of The X-Files, and Doctor Who, and I think that's so great. Miracle Day shows that that partnership works perfectly, and opens the door to such incredible possibilities. Finally, questions asked about what would happen if no one could die are truly mind-opening. If you're a fan of science fiction shows that are about more than pretty special effects, watch this series. You will love it.

Spoilers below the fold



Much like with the first Falling Skies review, I'm just going to detail what I liked and not to a round up of the events.

The Cast: 

John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness is easily one of my favorite minor characters in Doctor Who, and I think could be one of my favorite characters on TV period. He's heroic, lovable, and he literally flirts with everyone he sees. He doesn't appear until midway through the first episode, but it was worth the wait. His character is further improved by the idea that no one on Earth can die, but he now can. If you're wondering "why couldn't he die?" Watch Doctor Who, the answers are in there.

Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper is so amazing. Unlike Doctor Who where the companion basically is just along for the ride, Gwen is more or less Jack's equal. She's just as badass, and unlike him she could die. Perhaps that made her MORE badass. When we meet her in this episode she's living with her family off the grid just waiting to be found and attacked. Taking out the rocket launcher and destroying the helicopter was truly amazing.

Mekhi Phifer as CIA agent Rex Mathewson looks to be a great addition to the series. He's exciting, brilliant, and has a totally new take on Torchwood. He's the outsider we as new fans need to help us get to know Torchwood, and what it stands for. He reminds me of Olivia in Fringe. A great agent who is pulled into a situation they don't understand, but they soon realize all this craziness is real.

Bill Pullman as ex-con Oswald Danes was so friggin creepy. He's a murderer, a pedophile, a rapist, and probably more. When the world stopped dying, he was the first and is released from prison. I found this to be somewhat crazy, but I guess if no one can die there is not much harm in a murderer walking around. It appears from previews that he will be a big part of a new religious movement. Bill Pullman is a great actor, and I'm sure his journey will be as fascinating as it sounds.

Alexa Havins as CIA Analyst Esther Drummond is sort of the companion. I hope she gets a lot more to do cause I did like her a lot. Her investigation into Torchwood  was great, but then she got her mind wiped by Jack. I do actually think she'll be much more important than it seems, cause right now she's just the person on the phone helping the others.

There are more people in the cast, but that's all I'm going to talk about today.

The Plot: I love how everything was set up in the show. First with Oswald not dying, and the very slow realization that no one else was dying. This leading to total shock, wonder, and calling it "Miracle Day".  According to the characters fighting has stopped in most places around the world as war has no point anymore if no one can die. The shocking part though is that while Jack healed when injured, these people can not. If you get stabbed in the chest you have a huge hole in your body. There's intense pain of course, you're just not dead. The scene with the bomber was great, and right away suggests that even suicide bombers might stop in this new world. Plus, the idea that you're still alive even with your head removed was so Night of the Living Dead I got creeped out for sure.

While everyone is celebrating this new wonderful world, we get a dose of reality. People are still being born, so the population of the Earth keeps going up. According to the show in about four months the population will have risen so much, so fast that food will start to run out, and everyone will turn on each other. We also learn that even the non Torchwood people think aliens might be responsible. This was where I got a little confused in terms of continuity. Since this is the same world as Doctor Who, I figured people would know about all the aliens encounters. I'm sure they just don't want to confuse people even more, but still it didn't sit totally right with me. I can't imagine a smart CIA analyst would have no knowledge at all of the Dalek/Cybermen invasion of a few years earlier. Oh well, not a huge deal.

This show is going to be epic, and is more proof that everyone should be watching Doctor Who!