Miracle Day

[Xanthe]

Sadly, for me, Miracle Day was just pretty awful  I'm not sure why Russell failed so epically but the pacing was very slow and the characterisations seemed off, and the overall story turned out to be a giant damp squib. Far too much time spent in the camps and not enough on developing the villains whose motivations seemed unclear and whose endgame seemed pretty trite by the time we understood what it was.

[sexycazzy]

I have to agree with you on some points, Xanthe. Like you, I was left unsatisfied with how it ended. I couldn't believe that Esther has died at the end...I mean what was that??!!??

I agree with the storyline - it was confusing at times and I ended up wondering how Jack was important to whatever that was in the Earth 'valley' and why the villains wanted it so badly...that was very confusing.

But overall, I enjoyed the pace and I also loved having an insight into Gwen's family - Gwen is not my favourite character - but her family interested me, esp. Rhys. I thought he was great in this, he was prototyped a better image in Miracle Day than the previous Torchwood episodes/series.

No matter what, I will always watch Torchwood as long as Jack is in it!

[pfyre]

Personally, I really liked Miracle Day - was it the best 'Torchwood' ever? Hardly, but in comparison to so much of the absolute drek and rubbish offered on television - it was a gem to be treasured. Also the first two series of Torchwood definitely had more than its fair share of clinkers. It could've used a bit of tightening of the plot especially in the first four or five eps but once the story picked up in the later half of the series/season it took off and for me at least made up for the early slow pacing.

As usual there was way too much Gwen and Rhys and family and too much emphasis on what a kick-ass little ninja, hacker Gwen has become along with her claims of so much experience as a Police Constable and this from a woman that was a freaking rookie when she was transferred to Torchwood. Russell should get his head out of his ass; his continued belief that Gwen is 'the heard of Torchwood' simply proves his delusional status.

I did love the insights into Jack and his past including his lover Angelo. I also loved Jack dealing with the abrupt change from being an immortal among mortals to being the only mortal in a world of immortals. Too many people [in my opinion] kept whinning that they wanted the 'old' flirty, cheeky Jack - but I'll say this until I die - IF Jack had been the same as we saw in the early series/seasons of Torchwood I would have been rooting for Rex to headslap! Jack into the next century. Instead we got a Jack that was different, vulnerable, conflicted, etc. I think we truly saw John Barrowman's talents spotlighted with this Jack Harkness.

jmo

[Xanthe]

Yes - I LOVED the Angelo stuff, Pfyre. That was the best bit of the whole thing for me. But it seemed to drift back after that episode. I totally agree about Gwen as well. She's not remotely the character she first was and I liked her better before she was a sort of leather clad ninja woman.

I just found it all a bit slow and not containing the stuff I love and want more of from Torchwood.

Does anyone know if they're going to make anymore? I'm happy to forgive this one for not doing it for me as it was the first one RTD has done in the US. He might just be finding his feet.

I'm really not keen on more Rex though. Sigh.

[pfyre]

Personally [and I just know I'll be labeled a 'hater'  ] I've not cared for Gwen from the outset of the series. I tolerated her in the first few eps but as the series progressed her character did not. She remained self-centered, self-righteous and just plain moronically annoying and even got moreso. Hell, everyone in the series paid a price of some sort for their actions, their mistakes, etc. or even just for being a part of Torchwood EXCEPT for her! I know that TPTB were going to get rid of Rhys early on but they like Kai too much so they kept him instead they basically gave Gwen everything her selfish little heart wanted - she could flirt, berate, scold and nag Jack to her heart's desire and STILL got to marry a man who deserved much better than a woman that Retconned him before telling him that she had had an affair with a coworker and still would toss him over in a heartbeat if Jack gave her any indication he was ready to hit the sack with her. *guh*

While I definitely did not like Gwen the super agent, hacker they turned her into in 'Miracle Day' - she actually had a few moments where I didn't hate her quite as much as others. Unfortunately things like her berating Oswald and spouting off about her experience as a PC threw me straight out of those scenes - both the writing and the acting on her part were lacking. Then add on the layer of her betrayal of Jack when she was ready to throw him under the bus without qualm to save HER child, HER husband and HER mum! *gag* I get the whole motherhood - mama-bear thing I do! I even get the 'panic' mode she was in when she came and kidnapped Jack to deliver him - BUT it took HOURS to drive to the rendezvous point and all she did instead of getting her head screwed on straight was try to justify herself and that made me nauseous and livid.

As for any more Torchwood - STARZ has said they're waiting to hear from RTD - they treated Miracle Day as a self-contained series and RTD needs to 'sell' them another season/series.

Rex was annoying as hell and I don't want him to be on the same par as Jack with the immortality thing but I'd take a dozen Rexes any day over even ONE Gwen Cooper - self-centered bitch of the universe.

[taylorgibbs]

I can't stand Gwen in general, but I didn't mind her in MD. Taken as almost an AU, MD worked for me...but I dunno. Torchwood lost me, not so much with the Ianto thing, but the very ending of COE.

[Xanthe]

I felt the same TG. While COE was fantastic TV, the ending of ep 5 left me depressed for days. I can see why they did it creatively, but I just don't like watching things that end up so grim. I don't mind being put through the mill if there's a happy ending but that was just horrible.

[taylorgibbs]

It just ceased to be escapist TV for me

[Xanthe]

Precisely - I've reached the stage where I avoid certain kinds of intense movies because they depress me and I feel the same in my TV viewing - life's tricky enough as it is. I want escapist TV!

[taylorgibbs]

You and me both!

[Haggy]

Oh I was so not impressed. The acting I thought was pretty awful and the whole series could have been compacted into 3 or 4 episodes at a push.
 

[pfyre]

Guess it truly is a matter of personal taste. I think the series could've been compacted down to maybe 7 or 8 eps but 3 or 4? Not so much - at least not for me. As for the acting -  really didn't have an issue with anyone's acting with the exception of Eve and I have never ever found her to be all that credible an actress despite RTD's delusions to the contrary.

[chironsgirl]

Well, I could have done without Rex. Really liked Shapiro and Ester. Altho I knew poor Ester's days were numbered. She was an amalgam of Ianto and Tosh, so RTD would be desperate to sacrifice her at his earliest chance.

Why, for the love a Pete, did he make Rex immortal??? Why??

I get the feeling that RTD is toying with us, seeing how far he can go before we all just get together and thro him off the cliff.
I have always maintained that a lot of the fanfic writers  do as good a job as he does, if not better.

Remember, RTD walked away from both TW and DW so he could go off and be a script writer in Hollywood. He never intended to do anymore.  BBC was happy to let TW sit on a shelf and grow moss. The only reason there was an MD, the only way there will be anymore TW, is because Starz thought that there was enough of an interested fan base to make a new TW financially viable. They waved enough money under RTD's nose to catch his interest.  And of course, John and Eve would have jumped at the chance to do something that would get them on American TV. What an opportunity!

As a big Jack fan I can only hope that Starz will want to try again. Maybe with a new showrunner? Maybe delve into the fandom, find some of those really competent writers and give them the chance to actually write a real TW script?  Sigh. I live on hope.
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