I really thought I was going to hate it but how wrong I was. WOW just WOW a little americanized but I tell its still British. Excellent cant wait for next week
Meh. I hope the British edits are substantial, because for me it was a little too americanised. Having to point out the transitions between the UK and US? Yes, thank you very much - we know where washington DC is...I'm sure ever Americans could tell you that.
Likening our government to a kindergarden? Funny, considering our administration wasn't the one who led the world into not one, but two illegal wars in recent history - which government is worthy of on screen critique again?
And frankly, I'm getting a feeling of de ja vu; even though RTD has undoubtedly taken writing lessons after sitting down, watching doctor who and realising that moffatt has been doing a way, way better job since he could dispense with the standing orders of RTD's demands for sexual innuendo, gay relationships and melodramatic finales. It's been good really. He's shown some capability of doing more than re-hashing the same basic plotline over and over again. Oh but wait...Didn't we see this before?
Owen Harper can't die - didn't that climax in an event where death was stopped in its tracks? this looks awfully familiar. I'm also not sure the angle with jack getting hurt will make sense to people tuning in for the first time - it makes a lot of assumptions about the viewer.
On the bright side though, the budget is bigger! yay! RTD is no longer writing doctor who and casting the same people in different roles, and passing it off as genetic memory! yay! We don't have condescending Americans all over the place forgetting where the hell they came from in the first place! ya...Oh. Bollocks.
That reminds me. I'm fairly sure CIA operatives can't walk onto sovereign UK territory, commandeer 3 adults and a baby and extradite them to the US, But I guess on the condition that you take RTD with you, and promise to be a good boy and develop the storyline further, I'll let you get away with it.
Severed heads are gnarly...TO THE MAX!.
Bill pullman makes a kick arse sociopath. I never saw THAT coming after ID4.
I guess what really bugs me, is that Torchwood is a good example of the decline of both British and American sci-fi, and even TV in general. In the past, we've had buffy, babylon 5, a cornucopia of star trek spin-offs that most of us remember with much fondness, and while they lacked the undoubtedly sizeable budget that the BBC/Starz crew furnished them with, they had so much more ability in terms of writing, plot development, characterisation and originality. Torchwood already feels like RTD is starting to cherry pick plot points from the original 3 seasons that Americans may not have seen, to re-identify it as an American show - the fact that the BBC is airing it a week later is surely proof that RTD simply doesn't care about the British audience...And nor should he I guess...Good Riddance to both him and Torchwood, and may all who sail in said ship not catch any kind of STD.
Torchwood is very obviously what Doctor Who was - nothing more than a stepping stone for a second rate writer who aspires to greatness that I'm confident he'll never achieve.
I am going to avoid any comments till it airs in the UK, easier for me in truth!! lol. I will say that I loved it - forgot how much I missed Capt Jack!
Just finished watching it. My first thought is that I cannot figure out what scenes would be unacceptable for UK transmission. There were some pretty graphic bloody scenes but you see worse on Casualty every week. It was a very promising start however.
I didn't either. will say I am glad I waited till my son was in bed to watch it, the questions that would have been coming out of his mouth!
I have to say I think it was excellent and I have a full review and opinions Here
I do think comparisons to COE are a little mute, COE was a five part show where the plot would have had to move faster, comparing that against a show that will be what 12 episodes long doesn't really work.
For an opening episode I thought it was well paced and had a good mix of old/new and funny/dramatic.
It didn't feel over Americanised and I think lines such as the dig the British government are more of funny dig rather then an out an out insult. It's what happens in the real world, you have digs at people from other places, north/south in England, America/Canada in the states, it doesn't mean their making it for Americans cos they threw a cheap dig in there, it just means they are writing what happens in real life.
A lot of people wont like Miracle day simply because it is a product of Russlle T. Davis which I kind of find a bit sad that people will let there personal feelings of a specific individual influence there opinions on anything that person is associated with, pityful.
It wasn't without it's problems and a few things could be ironed out over the next few episodes but overall It was a well paced and respectful start to a programme that is trying to bridge a gap between to nations and please both, and I say well done to all involved.
Jack looks tired and a bit world weary. I wanted to hug him as he sat on his own in that loft with just surveillance for company and when he hugged Esther it was almost as if he was missing physical company. A bit more Jackish with the head scene and loved the Owen Harper moment and his introduction of himself to Esther. I thought JB looked a bit thin and the hair was too dark and face a bit orange but then there was the coat and it was Jack and Jack was back and yay but how will he cope with the reality of not healing when faced with it.
Gwen - love kick arse Gwen and the baby is great. Got a bit annoyed at Rhys expecting her to settle after what she's been through although did love him smiling at the baby while handing the gun. The moment she exchanged that look with Jack after taking out the helicopter - it was hey we're both back and isn't it fun.
Esther - I liked the quietness of the character although why do these women always have to where impracticable 4in heels? Researcher not agent - is she Tosh? Not really but I liked her confusion.
Rex - not sure yet. Fan of the actor - ER and loved his view of Wales - believe me I have been with people complaining that you have to pay to get in.
Vera - no real view
Oswald Danes - suitably nasty.
Looking forward to Jilly especially - big 6 ft Under fan
Overall thought the idea was good. The scenes in Wales were fun. Like explosions and car chases and it was great to see Andy and the Plass again. I will watch again before next week.
Not completey awesome but Hey its Jack and that's really all I need.
I rewatched CoE back-to-back this week in preparation. The first episode of MD didn't grab me as much but Torchwood is welcome back anyway. Episode one was slower and much more of a scene setter, establishing the series's premise and getting the characters in place.
It felt like Torchwood, largely I suspect for RTD's scriptwriting penchant for domestic bickering and minor cultural references (Rex complaining about paying for the Severn toll bridge) that play no part in the plot but he seems to think they ground the show in reality from his Coronation Street days. Things I liked:
1. Gwen being a crack shot arms expert
2. Budget being spent on a beach in Wales
3. The return of policeman Andy for continuity
4. The living autopsy
5. Bill Pullman's performance
Things that could be better:
1. The US references. RTD writes American like a Brit who has watched a lot of American movies and TV shows starting with the character names. Mind you, I thought this of the first episode of Doctor Who this series too. Hopefully the introduction later of real American TV writers will help fix this.
2. Rex's acting when he discharged himself from hospital was excruciatingly unbelievable from the exaggerated staggering to the random grabbing of pills that presumably happen to be painkillers. Not a convincing actor for such a lead role.
But on the whole I'm glad it's back. Saturday mornings will be fun for the next ten weeks.
Well, I enjoyed it! I'll watch the first episode again "UK pace" and see what the differences are then decide whether to continue at US pace but, IMO, there was nothing in that episode that couldn't be shown post 9pm on BBC - Luther was far more disturbing!
Well, I enjoyed it! I'll watch the first episode again "UK pace" and see what the differences are then decide whether to continue at US pace but, IMO, there was nothing in that episode that couldn't be shown post 9pm on BBC - Luther was far more disturbing!
K
I agree. Not only that, but this episode at least had far less swearing and sexual content than the average episode of S1 did.
Can you kindly just give it a rest, please? Everyone and their mother knows how you feel about the air date issue. Stop trying to derail this thread. It can't be hard to just vent your rage in the on-topic threads about the air dates. Everyone else manages.
I loved it. I must say the baby in this show is really the cutest baby i have ever seen.
She's lovely, and I adored the earmuffs!!!
I'm glad I saw sense and got over the my issues with the PR surrounding MD. I had a great time watching it last night. I watched the leaked BBC World Wide version, so I'm going to watch the US edit today just to see the differences.
I'm so happy to see Jack, Gwen, Rhys and Andy again and I'm surprised at how much I already like Rex and Esther. I hope the rest of MD lives up to the quality of the first episode.
Oh, and Bill Pullman is so creepy isn't he? Great acting from him.
I loved the first episode, It would have been better if Gwen and Jack hadn't been forced to go back and I will be watching the bbc version to see the difference.
I can't remember who or why Gwen and Jack are being hunted down?
I thought they did a fair job of bringing Torchwood to America. Lest I give the wrong impression here let me say straight out that I did like this first episode and I plan to watch more of them. I thought that there was enough of the old and familiar to prove that it was the same show, and enough new and different to prove that they really want to expand the audience. They introduced most of the characters (though I'm still waiting for the gorgeous redhead) and have begun to work out the relationships between them. They presented us with the problem and hinted at the long term effects to be expected if the problem is not solved. They have shown us, once again, why we should be careful what we wish for. At this point, my complaints are few and rather mild.
Bill Pullman did OK in his part, which was a bit of a surprise. He is a strictly Grade B actor. Been in enough movies to be recognizable, but he's not winning major awards. I guess the fact that he's dropped from movies to television sums that up well enough.
Esther's introduction into Torchwood is almost a replay of Gwen's. She sees something to get her interested, then she meets Jack and his favorite drug, and later her memory is jogged so it all starts coming back.
Rhys is the same hard-headed, loud-mouthed bully that he always was, towards Gwen. Serves him right that his wife sleeps around and I hope they leave him at home (in Wales) to babysit for the rest of the series. After all, he's not really a member of the team; his only real function is to give Gwen a rotten homelife.
I don't understand Rex's problem with the bridge into Wales; we have toll roads and toll bridges in America too.
I live in Kentucky and I can tell you that the only people on the show who were supposedly Kentucky natives did not speak with a Kentucky accent. Also, I know they meant to do this, but just so you know, the prison named in the show does not exist.
Then there's the kind of stuff that all TV programs do and we're all familiar with:
Timelines are speeded up for the sake of the show. Things that should take weeks, months or years (like Oswald Danes' release from prison) happen in a matter of days, maybe even hours.
The main characters cannot be hit with gunfire or artillery, and if they are then it results in a bruise, a scratch or a minor wound that can be ignored as soon as First Aid has been rendered.
There is always a taxi, a boat, an empty seat on an aircraft available at a moment's notice.
Any person who needs to can infiltrate any organization without question and can hack into any computer in the world at will.
There are dozens of these little things that can be pointed out for any TV show you care to name, but I won't go further with it here because it's not really my purpose to tear down Torchwood.
Was half excited half dreading, but i have to admit I absolutely LOVED it!
The episode was slow, but it was to be expected. It wasn't the start of a new "series" of Torchwood, it was more than that, episode 1 was more of an episode 1 to a new series. It worked really well I thought - acted as "catch up" for us British viewers, and served as an intro for the US audience. Like how this is a "reboot" of sorts, but not wiping it out everything from the past.
The new Torchwood has a lot of money to play with...and we got quite a fair bit that we wouldn't have had without the American money in the series opener. How beautiful did the Welsh beach look! And the final scene - loved it!
So many good scenes too! Gwen firing back at the shooter on board the helicopter whilst holding the baby complete with ear muffs lol.
Really love that despite the partnering up with a US audience and the inevitable americanisation of TW, it still felt very us with many things common to TW and British TV production on the whole still there!
Looking fwd to more! And we get 10 episodes of big budget action too!
Just finished watching , and i wish i could say i liked it...
Although saying that, i liked Jack using Owen's name,it was kinda bittersweet because Owen's dead but it's good that he hasn't been forgotten.
I doubt i was ever going to like this season because i can't stand Gwen.
There was only a few moments during the episode where i actually thought i was watching Torchwood. I knew that it would be different but i'm not keen on it.
I was worried the whole "Americanisation" thing would be too much but it still felt like the Torchwood I knew and loved - likely to RTD's imput. I hope that continues throughout. My main concern was that Jack and Gwen would play second fiddle to the Amercain characters but their screen time was handled appropriately, I felt. I hope that continues also and they won't suddenly take a back seat somewhere along the line.
My favourite moment? Rex being more upset about having to pay to use the Severn bridge than anything else that had happened to him, and his "Wales is insane!" line. I also loved Jack using Owen's name as his alias. I knew it was coming but it was still a very sweet moment.
I loved the first episode, It would have been better if Gwen and Jack hadn't been forced to go back and I will be watching the bbc version to see the difference.
I can't remember who or why Gwen and Jack are being hunted down?
I was going to watch the British version but i'll give it a miss and see what other people say about it.
I can imagine some Welsh viewers might be unhappy with the location descriptions. I wonder if those will be altered for the BBC showing. The show feels so much like an American show that it's likely to feel like an American import.
And therein lies the problem for me. The Americanisation has changed the show and it rarely feels like I'm watching Torchwood. I'd have considered that a good thing a few years ago but last series and a lot of the 2nd series were actually quite good and it's a shame that spark isn't in Miracle Day as yet. It's all slick and cool but it's lost it's charm along the way.
The premise is interesting and some of the set pieces were really nice but the episode dragged. Rex is unlikeable at this stage and it's hard to invest interest in this character at the moment.
Hopefully it's just first episode syndrome and things will pick up in subsequent episodes.
Comments
Likening our government to a kindergarden? Funny, considering our administration wasn't the one who led the world into not one, but two illegal wars in recent history - which government is worthy of on screen critique again?
And frankly, I'm getting a feeling of de ja vu; even though RTD has undoubtedly taken writing lessons after sitting down, watching doctor who and realising that moffatt has been doing a way, way better job since he could dispense with the standing orders of RTD's demands for sexual innuendo, gay relationships and melodramatic finales. It's been good really. He's shown some capability of doing more than re-hashing the same basic plotline over and over again. Oh but wait...Didn't we see this before?
Owen Harper can't die - didn't that climax in an event where death was stopped in its tracks? this looks awfully familiar. I'm also not sure the angle with jack getting hurt will make sense to people tuning in for the first time - it makes a lot of assumptions about the viewer.
On the bright side though, the budget is bigger! yay! RTD is no longer writing doctor who and casting the same people in different roles, and passing it off as genetic memory! yay! We don't have condescending Americans all over the place forgetting where the hell they came from in the first place! ya...Oh. Bollocks.
That reminds me. I'm fairly sure CIA operatives can't walk onto sovereign UK territory, commandeer 3 adults and a baby and extradite them to the US, But I guess on the condition that you take RTD with you, and promise to be a good boy and develop the storyline further, I'll let you get away with it.
Severed heads are gnarly...TO THE MAX!.
Bill pullman makes a kick arse sociopath. I never saw THAT coming after ID4.
I guess what really bugs me, is that Torchwood is a good example of the decline of both British and American sci-fi, and even TV in general. In the past, we've had buffy, babylon 5, a cornucopia of star trek spin-offs that most of us remember with much fondness, and while they lacked the undoubtedly sizeable budget that the BBC/Starz crew furnished them with, they had so much more ability in terms of writing, plot development, characterisation and originality. Torchwood already feels like RTD is starting to cherry pick plot points from the original 3 seasons that Americans may not have seen, to re-identify it as an American show - the fact that the BBC is airing it a week later is surely proof that RTD simply doesn't care about the British audience...And nor should he I guess...Good Riddance to both him and Torchwood, and may all who sail in said ship not catch any kind of STD.
Torchwood is very obviously what Doctor Who was - nothing more than a stepping stone for a second rate writer who aspires to greatness that I'm confident he'll never achieve.
3 stars out of 5 for torchwood ep 1.
I didn't either. will say I am glad I waited till my son was in bed to watch it, the questions that would have been coming out of his mouth!
holds up against series 1 and some of 2 but the writing was nowhere near as good as CoE and it just didnt grab me as much as it should have i guess
Will carry on watching in the hope it improves
I do think comparisons to COE are a little mute, COE was a five part show where the plot would have had to move faster, comparing that against a show that will be what 12 episodes long doesn't really work.
For an opening episode I thought it was well paced and had a good mix of old/new and funny/dramatic.
It didn't feel over Americanised and I think lines such as the dig the British government are more of funny dig rather then an out an out insult. It's what happens in the real world, you have digs at people from other places, north/south in England, America/Canada in the states, it doesn't mean their making it for Americans cos they threw a cheap dig in there, it just means they are writing what happens in real life.
A lot of people wont like Miracle day simply because it is a product of Russlle T. Davis which I kind of find a bit sad that people will let there personal feelings of a specific individual influence there opinions on anything that person is associated with, pityful.
It wasn't without it's problems and a few things could be ironed out over the next few episodes but overall It was a well paced and respectful start to a programme that is trying to bridge a gap between to nations and please both, and I say well done to all involved.
Characters
Jack looks tired and a bit world weary. I wanted to hug him as he sat on his own in that loft with just surveillance for company and when he hugged Esther it was almost as if he was missing physical company. A bit more Jackish with the head scene and loved the Owen Harper moment and his introduction of himself to Esther. I thought JB looked a bit thin and the hair was too dark and face a bit orange but then there was the coat and it was Jack and Jack was back and yay but how will he cope with the reality of not healing when faced with it.
Gwen - love kick arse Gwen and the baby is great. Got a bit annoyed at Rhys expecting her to settle after what she's been through although did love him smiling at the baby while handing the gun. The moment she exchanged that look with Jack after taking out the helicopter - it was hey we're both back and isn't it fun.
Esther - I liked the quietness of the character although why do these women always have to where impracticable 4in heels? Researcher not agent - is she Tosh? Not really but I liked her confusion.
Rex - not sure yet. Fan of the actor - ER and loved his view of Wales - believe me I have been with people complaining that you have to pay to get in.
Vera - no real view
Oswald Danes - suitably nasty.
Looking forward to Jilly especially - big 6 ft Under fan
Overall thought the idea was good. The scenes in Wales were fun. Like explosions and car chases and it was great to see Andy and the Plass again. I will watch again before next week.
Not completey awesome but Hey its Jack and that's really all I need.
It felt like Torchwood, largely I suspect for RTD's scriptwriting penchant for domestic bickering and minor cultural references (Rex complaining about paying for the Severn toll bridge) that play no part in the plot but he seems to think they ground the show in reality from his Coronation Street days. Things I liked:
1. Gwen being a crack shot arms expert
2. Budget being spent on a beach in Wales
3. The return of policeman Andy for continuity
4. The living autopsy
5. Bill Pullman's performance
Things that could be better:
1. The US references. RTD writes American like a Brit who has watched a lot of American movies and TV shows starting with the character names. Mind you, I thought this of the first episode of Doctor Who this series too. Hopefully the introduction later of real American TV writers will help fix this.
2. Rex's acting when he discharged himself from hospital was excruciatingly unbelievable from the exaggerated staggering to the random grabbing of pills that presumably happen to be painkillers. Not a convincing actor for such a lead role.
But on the whole I'm glad it's back. Saturday mornings will be fun for the next ten weeks.
It was a pity that there were English characters in it, though. Totally ruined the American atmosphere. :rolleyes:
K
I agree. Not only that, but this episode at least had far less swearing and sexual content than the average episode of S1 did.
Welsh!
K
Can you kindly just give it a rest, please? Everyone and their mother knows how you feel about the air date issue. Stop trying to derail this thread. It can't be hard to just vent your rage in the on-topic threads about the air dates. Everyone else manages.
She's adorable. Especially wearing her little earmuffs.
She's lovely, and I adored the earmuffs!!!
I'm glad I saw sense and got over the my issues with the PR surrounding MD. I had a great time watching it last night. I watched the leaked BBC World Wide version, so I'm going to watch the US edit today just to see the differences.
I'm so happy to see Jack, Gwen, Rhys and Andy again and I'm surprised at how much I already like Rex and Esther. I hope the rest of MD lives up to the quality of the first episode.
Oh, and Bill Pullman is so creepy isn't he? Great acting from him.
I can't remember who or why Gwen and Jack are being hunted down?
She just said she'd never return to this thread - so obviously can't answer you
Bill Pullman did OK in his part, which was a bit of a surprise. He is a strictly Grade B actor. Been in enough movies to be recognizable, but he's not winning major awards. I guess the fact that he's dropped from movies to television sums that up well enough.
Esther's introduction into Torchwood is almost a replay of Gwen's. She sees something to get her interested, then she meets Jack and his favorite drug, and later her memory is jogged so it all starts coming back.
Rhys is the same hard-headed, loud-mouthed bully that he always was, towards Gwen. Serves him right that his wife sleeps around and I hope they leave him at home (in Wales) to babysit for the rest of the series. After all, he's not really a member of the team; his only real function is to give Gwen a rotten homelife.
I don't understand Rex's problem with the bridge into Wales; we have toll roads and toll bridges in America too.
I live in Kentucky and I can tell you that the only people on the show who were supposedly Kentucky natives did not speak with a Kentucky accent. Also, I know they meant to do this, but just so you know, the prison named in the show does not exist.
Then there's the kind of stuff that all TV programs do and we're all familiar with:
Timelines are speeded up for the sake of the show. Things that should take weeks, months or years (like Oswald Danes' release from prison) happen in a matter of days, maybe even hours.
The main characters cannot be hit with gunfire or artillery, and if they are then it results in a bruise, a scratch or a minor wound that can be ignored as soon as First Aid has been rendered.
There is always a taxi, a boat, an empty seat on an aircraft available at a moment's notice.
Any person who needs to can infiltrate any organization without question and can hack into any computer in the world at will.
There are dozens of these little things that can be pointed out for any TV show you care to name, but I won't go further with it here because it's not really my purpose to tear down Torchwood.
That would have required Davies to suddenly have grown up. I'll believe it when i see it.
Was half excited half dreading, but i have to admit I absolutely LOVED it!
The episode was slow, but it was to be expected. It wasn't the start of a new "series" of Torchwood, it was more than that, episode 1 was more of an episode 1 to a new series. It worked really well I thought - acted as "catch up" for us British viewers, and served as an intro for the US audience. Like how this is a "reboot" of sorts, but not wiping it out everything from the past.
The new Torchwood has a lot of money to play with...and we got quite a fair bit that we wouldn't have had without the American money in the series opener. How beautiful did the Welsh beach look! And the final scene - loved it!
So many good scenes too! Gwen firing back at the shooter on board the helicopter whilst holding the baby complete with ear muffs lol.
Really love that despite the partnering up with a US audience and the inevitable americanisation of TW, it still felt very us with many things common to TW and British TV production on the whole still there!
Looking fwd to more! And we get 10 episodes of big budget action too!
Although saying that, i liked Jack using Owen's name,it was kinda bittersweet because Owen's dead but it's good that he hasn't been forgotten.
I doubt i was ever going to like this season because i can't stand Gwen.
There was only a few moments during the episode where i actually thought i was watching Torchwood. I knew that it would be different but i'm not keen on it.
I was worried the whole "Americanisation" thing would be too much but it still felt like the Torchwood I knew and loved - likely to RTD's imput. I hope that continues throughout. My main concern was that Jack and Gwen would play second fiddle to the Amercain characters but their screen time was handled appropriately, I felt. I hope that continues also and they won't suddenly take a back seat somewhere along the line.
My favourite moment? Rex being more upset about having to pay to use the Severn bridge than anything else that had happened to him, and his "Wales is insane!" line. I also loved Jack using Owen's name as his alias. I knew it was coming but it was still a very sweet moment.
I was going to watch the British version but i'll give it a miss and see what other people say about it.
And therein lies the problem for me. The Americanisation has changed the show and it rarely feels like I'm watching Torchwood. I'd have considered that a good thing a few years ago but last series and a lot of the 2nd series were actually quite good and it's a shame that spark isn't in Miracle Day as yet. It's all slick and cool but it's lost it's charm along the way.
The premise is interesting and some of the set pieces were really nice but the episode dragged. Rex is unlikeable at this stage and it's hard to invest interest in this character at the moment.
Hopefully it's just first episode syndrome and things will pick up in subsequent episodes.