Torchwood Miracle Day: Review

One day, all across the Earth, nobody dies. Simultaneously, death just stops. People still get sick. They still get hurt, still sleep and eat. Just, nobody dies. Nobody CAN die. The happening is joyously referred to as Miracle Day. Only it doesn't just last a day. The next day, nobody dies. And the next. And the next. So on and so forth. And now its really a little concerning, because people are still being born. Such a thing as still-borns don't even exist because babies can't die within the womb. Victims of horrific car accidents survive, in pieces but sentient none the less. A man sentenced to death lives through the agony of lethal injection while sick wards and hospitals fill to the brim with people who should be dead, people who are in frightful pain but who simply cannot die.

This is the concept for Miracle Day.

Miracle Day is a mini-series considered to be Torchwood's 4^th season. However it is the first to premiere on Starz rather than the BBC. For those not familiar with the series, Torchwood is a spin-off of Doctor Who, starring Captain Jack Harkness, an omni-sexual former Time Agent who can't die. Well, technically, he CAN die, very briefly and painfully. Then he gasps and wakes up and walks it off.

Like A Man

Also, he's played by John Barrowman. Ain't he a looker?

There's also Eve Myles, whose name I had to try to spell three times before I guessed right. Her character's name is Gwen and in the first 3 seasons of Torchwood, I'd say she's easily the least likable character. But Miracle Day is a whole different animal than the original Torchwood and Gwen is a different character. She doesn't have all those namby-pamby surface “feelings” that made a viewer want to suplex her through the nearest table. Instead, she has deep-seeded paranoia that causes her to pull guns on innocent passer-bys and perpetually hide heavy cutting knives behind her back. She's the sort of woman who stands in the back of a jeep as it speeds down a beach, just above the surf, and calmly fires a bazooka at the helicopter pursuing her.

And if you think I'm exaggerating, boy are you in for a surprise. 

Look how happy that freaking baby is.

Miracle Day also introduces a few new characters (it has to because SPOILER every one from the original show is dead except for Jack and Gwen and a show starring both of them would be too filled with angst).

The new characters are 1) Rex, who I tentatively refer to as New-Owen, 2) Ester, who I think of as New-Gwen (Old Gwen is still in the picture, but she's really the New-Jack since she is the one playing leader for most of the show), and 3) Vera, who is clearly New-Tosh. Rex and Vera are even a couple. There's also a murderous pedophile played by...Bill Pullman? 

CURSE YOU LONE STARR!!!

In fairness, RTD did an awesome job writing this character and Pullman did a fantastic job playing him. And by that I mean that there are only a few characters I can think of off the top of my head that I have ever actually loathed as purely and full-heartedly as I loath Oswald. 

In that order

I would also say that Miracle Day has a better sense of direction than original Torchwood does. It could be because Torchwood is usually a Monster-of-the-Week sort of show. Miracle Day is more focused. It has a definite destination that it is heading to, even if it circles around itself and gets lost now and then on the way. Hell, with Rex there being all serious and professional you could almost mistake this for an actual Drama. That is, if Gwen and Jack weren't standing in the background giggling like school girls the entire time.

For newcomers, you won't have to worry about watching Doctor Who or original Torchwood because Miracle Day is kind of built to cater to a new audience. You might want to Wiki Jack Harkness or Gwen Cooper before going in, but even if you don't, you'll probably get by okay. For fans of the show, you'll get a nice big chunk of Jack's history, some character development for Gwen and Rhys, and a mini-series that is about on par with Children of Earth.

There's not a whole lot more to say without giving a whole lot away. So here's the short of it:

PROS:

• The cinematography is just generally better than that of the original show. Probably because of a bigger budget.
• Gwen is an actual, engaging character, instead of just a whiny observer.
• The show is focused around an actual plot instead of sex-violence-sex-violence-sex.
• Those elements are still there. Just, y'know, suppressed.
• New characters are fleshed-out very solidly.

• There's an interesting moral dilemma here. Are dead people who just don't die still entitled to the same rights as the living? What actually defines death? Even taking out the bizarre sci-fi element, what changes when over-population starts to occur?

CONS:

• Jack Harkness is the leader of Torchwood. He should be the center piece of the show but for a long time he's barely more than a sidekick.
• Some of the dialogue is a little clunky or runs on too long. I can't remember if it was episode three or four, but there was like a fifteen minute long conversation. That's a fourth of the episode. Too long.
• Certain bits break my suspension of disbelief. For instance, Rex has a hole that goes all the way through his body (lucky he can't die, huh?). I can't imagine making aggressive love like that would be in any way, shape, or form comfortable but it sure doesn't stop him. Also, these people are ALWAYS on their phones. Rex tries feebly to lampshade it by calling them ridiculous but eventually it IS genuinely ridiculous.

The pros outweigh the cons for me. The first few episodes are kind of weak, but they hold the attention well enough to get to the better ones. I would warn that there's a fairly high amount of adult content, so I wouldn't go watching it if you're easily offended. Also, be aware that it is Science FANTASY. That means it's going to be a little ridiculous at times. Probably no more than the David Tennant years of Doctor Who though.

...Okay, maybe a little more.

But definitely never as bad as “Love and Monsters”.