Torchwood: Miracle Day thread

[FaxModem1]

So, it premiered last night on Starz, thoughts?

[Crazedwraith]

I'm thinking: What the hell, you yanks get it first? Its not on the BBC until thursday.

[Captain Seafort]

I'm thinking: What the hell, you yanks get it first? Its not on the BBC until thursday.

They've pulled this stunt before - the '96 movie was on in the States before it was shown here.

[Big Orange]

I guess Starz plugged more money into it than the BBC. I'm also a bit miffed about the second half of this year's Primeval yet to be shown on ITV.

[Dartzap]

I guess Starz plugged more money into it than the BBC. I'm also a bit miffed about the second half of this year's Primeval yet to be shown on ITV.

Its on Watch isnt it?

The Ozzies got Miracle Day ahead of us, which is just wrong on so many levels

I have seen it. Its not as bad as initially feared. Similar set up to Children of Earth, Has a few good one liners. Mainly from the CIA agent getting into Wales.
Spoiler

For anyone not too used to squicky horror effects, there is one scene which may make you bolt for the door.

[Enigma]

I'm thinking: What the hell, you yanks get it first? Its not on the BBC until thursday.

They've pulled this stunt before - the '96 movie was on in the States before it was shown here.

Not exactly the same. T:MD is American based show now and Starz has first dibs to broadcast it and as far as I know are co-producing it with BBC Wales and Worldwide.

[Captain Seafort]

So, just like the TVM, which was set in San Francisco and co-produced with Fox.

[Enigma]

So, just like the TVM, which was set in San Francisco and co-produced with Fox.

Except Torchwood stays in the U.S. AFAIK, while DW did not.

The TVM was just a one off, I do not think that the BBC ever considered moving the franchise into the U.S.

[Captain Seafort]

Except Torchwood stays in the U.S. AFAIK, while DW did not.

The TVM was just a one off, I do not think that the BBC ever considered moving the franchise into the U.S.

What they'd have done with the series is anyone's guess, but the fact remains that it was a joint Beeb/US production and it was set in the States.

[Lord Woodlouse]

I was under the impression that Starz and the BBC were equal partners in this, and it was simply bad planning on the BBC's part that had them schedule it in later.

[Crazedwraith]

Dear goodness, they weren't kidding about the disturbing themes. It's not bad. The concept's decent and the consequences are nicely outlined/

Though I'm not entirely sure why this is a Torchwood series rather than a just original series. This sort of thing that doesn't really gel with the Doctor Who verse we see in.. Doctor Who. The americans even seemed rather skeptical of aliens, when in Doctor Who is pretty much a thing that everyone knows and there isn't much of a maskerade any more.

[Captain Seafort]

Though I'm not entirely sure why this is a Torchwood series rather than a just original series. This sort of thing that doesn't really gel with the Doctor Who verse we see in.. Doctor Who.

You could say much the same about Children of Men. Torchwood has never been particularly Who-like, and it seems that the better it gets, the more un-Who-like it becomes.

Regarding the effect, whatever it is, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out not to be aimed at the human race at all, but at Jack in particular, with everything else being side effects.

[Broomstick]

Though I'm not entirely sure why this is a Torchwood series rather than a just original series. This sort of thing that doesn't really gel with the Doctor Who verse we see in.. Doctor Who. The americans even seemed rather skeptical of aliens, when in Doctor Who is pretty much a thing that everyone knows and there isn't much of a maskerade any more.

That's because in the Whoniverse there is proof of aliens!

No, really - a large slice of Americans don't believe their president is a US citizen, and the more evidence you provide to prove it they more they disbelieve it. Thus, if there is proof of aliens they won't believe in them. They'll only believe if there is a lack of proof!

Unfortunately, that mocking satire in the prior paragraph is not as baseless as I would like it to be....

[Eternal_Freedom]

Well, I thought that was pretty good, given I had low expectations after that apalling "Children of Earth" thing. An interesting and well-presented problem so far I think. I also like the fact that people are already getting worried about the effects on global population.

Plus, CIA agent going to Wales, is so funny. "It's Britains version of New Jersey." Hahahahah!

[tortieconspiracy]

Ah, but it looked like he was having to pay a toll to get into Wales. Generally speaking, you have to pay a toll to leave New Jersey. Seriously, a lot of formerly two way tolls between New Jersey and its neighbors were made one way more than a decade ago. Every unidirectional toll I've ever encountered between New Jersey and a neighboring state was levied on vehicles leaving NJ.

[Big Orange]

Well, I thought that was pretty good, given I had low expectations after that apalling "Children of Earth" thing.

I found "Children of Earth" very deadbeat and dark, but also excellent and a vast improvement on most of the first season overseen by Chibnal. And considering the recent scandal where corrupt police officers working glove in hand with corrupt media, kinda cynically realistic with corrupt, paranoid government trading children away to evil aliens.

[PREDATOR490]

Kinda interesting but Torchwood really needs to decide if it is set in the Whoverse or not.

It is going to be monumentally stupid to have both series operating within the same area and not acknolwedge the events of either. Nevermind that Jack has an untouchable character shield regardless of wether he can actually die or not. Boo hoo... I am bleeding and I'm not healing. Yeah, but Doctor Who shows your going to die in billions of years so you have a shield regardless.

Equally kinda stupid when MARTHA JONES has a phone that can dial the fucking Doctor that was 'forgotten' in the last 'dilema'.

Personnally, I think Torchwood was an epic mistake. Should have just made Jack the Doctor's companion then played it through till he dies.
Now they have a situation where either series events will logically clash with one another if they become grand enough. Only way to get around it is to detach Torchwood somehow or prevent the Doctor from ever operating within the same time period as Torchwood.

The episode itself was meh, still feels like the show has no clue what it is doing beyond trying to be morally dubious within the trappings of the Doctor Who upbringing.
Hmmm... Torchwood was created to fight aliens... amoungst which the Doctor is supposedly targeted specifically. This little addition seems to have fallen off the table and I suspect more will be dropped as they try to distance themselves from Doctor Who.

[Broomstick]

Torchwood was created to fight aliens... amoungst which the Doctor is supposedly targeted specifically. This little addition seems to have fallen off the table and I suspect more will be dropped as they try to distance themselves from Doctor Who.

They actually covered that in Doctor Who with the Tenth Doctor and Jack. With most of Torchwood wiped out Jack was able to alter the focus of the group sufficiently that, despite the charter, it was no longer pursuing the Doctor. At least, not with the intent of capturing/holding/treating him as an enemy.

[NecronLord]

Kinda interesting but Torchwood really needs to decide if it is set in the Whoverse or not.

It is going to be monumentally stupid to have both series operating within the same area and not acknolwedge the events of either. Nevermind that Jack has an untouchable character shield regardless of wether he can actually die or not. Boo hoo... I am bleeding and I'm not healing. Yeah, but Doctor Who shows your going to die in billions of years so you have a shield regardless.

It's easily possible to just add a throw-away line that he was just messing with the Doctor, and is not the Face of Boe. He was stranded in a time period where it's such a celebrity it was on the news, and he heard Martha talking about how it gave them the "You Are Not Alone" message.

[NecronLord]

The americans even seemed rather skeptical of aliens, when in Doctor Who is pretty much a thing that everyone knows and there isn't much of a maskerade any more.

Those events got swallowed up somehow by the way the universe cracked when Moffat took over. Rory's not thick, but had never seen an Alien before he saw the Atraxi and the Prisoner, for instance.

[evilsoup]

It's still stupid to have these massive, world-changing events every damned series. But then, nobody accused Rusty of being a good writer.

[Tychu]

Though I'm not entirely sure why this is a Torchwood series rather than a just original series. This sort of thing that doesn't really gel with the Doctor Who verse we see in.. Doctor Who. The americans even seemed rather skeptical of aliens, when in Doctor Who is pretty much a thing that everyone knows and there isn't much of a maskerade any more.

That's because in the Whoniverse there is proof of aliens!

No, really - a large slice of Americans don't believe their president is a US citizen, and the more evidence you provide to prove it they more they disbelieve it. Thus, if there is proof of aliens they won't believe in them. They'll only believe if there is a lack of proof!

Unfortunately, that mocking satire in the prior paragraph is not as baseless as I would like it to be....

Don't give our British stardestroyers misinformation, we don't believe he was born in the United States, that is the key to being president.

As for Torchwood, the second episode just premiered, it is getting more Whovian Spoiler

Kind of has the vibe of the Slitheen episodes, at least that is what I first thought about

. The show does seem to be geared toward American audiences but watch any hollywood movie in the past 50 years and you British fans will know exactly what the subliminal American messages mean.

[Big Orange]

It's still stupid to have these massive, world-changing events every damned series. But then, nobody accused Rusty of being a good writer.

Who in the actual show business, the people who sometimes give him awards and never stopped allowing him to make big budget shows, didn't accuse RTD of being a good writer?

I don't see why some feel there is a severe disconnect between Torchwood and its parent Doctor Who series when so-far the Doctor and his companions in S6 has kept far away from contemporary Earth for many months on end after travelling back to 1969 onwards pretty much, while the events of "Miracle Day" will seemingly happen in the space of several days/a couple of weeks at most and will likely be resolved before the Doctor comes back to present day Earth.

Anyway, inspite of the American input I don't sense a drastic shift in tone and while the events are very strange (hey crispy fried flat henchman with holes in him and he's still blinking!) I don't see the signs of aliens yet, but I'm looking forward to next week.

[2000AD]

Speculation on the plot, Jack is now mortal, everyone else is immortal, it looks like all Jacks special energy stuff that Rose dumped on him has been transfered to everyone else on the planet.
So ...... aliens? Some earth bound organisation? Billis Manger finally re-appearing?

[Iroscato]

So, perhaps we can discuss how far we would have to go to kill someone, if it was even possible, in Miracle Day? What if a person in MD had each and every atom in in their body torn apart and scattered around the universe? Surely they'd be dead then?
And for the record, I loved the episode, especially the baffled american guy in Wales...bless...