Torchwood (TV Series) Miracle Day: The New World (2011) User Reviews

What a great series!

[jimjimjimjim-167-495946 · 9/10 · 23 September 2011]

There are very few series that have successfully navigated the dangerous waters between cult UK series and good US equivalent. Doctor Who itself failed in this mission with the sparkly-yet-pointless McGann/Roberts remake in the '90's. The fact that Torchwood has managed to cross the water is a huge achievement thanks to some brilliant writing and gifted actors.

If you could make a sci-fi "24" this would be it! I've really enjoyed the series to-date and, contrary to some previous posters, I haven't watched any of the original Torchwood series (so obviously had no idea what was going on...oh wait, yes I did!) There are definitely episodes that make this a new chapter. Without giving out spoilers it's safe to say you'll find out your own piece of the story, and for an adult viewer of modern sci-fi it's good to discover something different.

The only difference between a 9 and a 10 on this review would have been the realism of the US side. I'm not a US citizen as you'll note, but something tells me not all CIA operations rooms look like the set of 24 nor do all "clandestine" operations work in the same way (I assume!). This, and only this was a draw back.

I suppose really this could have been an awful lot worse and still received a good review. Just for having the bravery to tackle a series predominately about death sets this apart as an original piece of viewing. No longer do you have to watch the predictable "girl next door" sitcom or the wildly unrealistic possibility of alien invasion. Sci-fi found philosophy, and they made this, and it'll make you think!

The Torchwood team is back and they're ready for action sort of.

[june-carlenecarter · 8/10 · 14 July 2011]

The new "Miracle Day" episode opens in usual Torchwood style—a series of should-be deaths and multitudes of TV reports claiming that nobody in the world has died. As a result, the CIA begins to investigate 'Torchwood' because, well, Torchwood used to deal in this sort of thing. And this is where the new show is ruined for long-term fans.

If you're a returning fan, be prepared to hear an overuse of the word 'Torchwood' as twenty different Americans incorrectly explain the institute's history long after the audience understands. The amount of provided Torchwood background information is redundant to the point it ruins the plot. New fans may be turned off to the series due to the sheer amount of over-explanation whilst bored, returning fans will eagerly await the first glimpse of their surviving heroes, Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles).

After too long into the episode, we first meet Gwen who, almost unbelievably so, is living in a cottage on a remote island in Wales with her husband, Rhys (Kai Owen), and their now year-old baby. Rhys, as usual, is left complaining about the dangers of Torchwood although it's been a year since Gwen's heard anything from Jack. Again, this seems to be a ploy to introduce new audiences to the history of Torchwood, yet returning fans will wonder just how many more complaints Rhys can devise against Gwen's past line of work.

Jack is then introduced as the familiar hero and retcons an overly interested CIA agent in an attempt to eradicate the word 'Torchwood.' Frustratingly, the Retcon doesn't work and no explanation is provided as to why. This will irk returning fans who have never witnessed the failure of Retcon and make new viewers wonder just how incompetent Torchwood was. The still-informed CIA decides to track Gwen through PC Andy Cooper's phone records and Jack, of course, beats them to Gwen's hidden household. There ensues a gunfight.

Torchwood hasn't lost its snarky humor and we can see Gwen shooting at a sniper with one hand and holding her baby in the other. Aside from a few tender moments between Gwen and her father, Gwen's character is completely lost in the explosions and action of this new episode. The amount of fiery carnage in the many battles is uncharacteristically forced, but it's nice to see that Gwen hasn't completely given up on Torchwood, as she first led us to believe.

The reunion between she and Jack was overshadowed and horrid. It didn't do the characters (or the fans) justice because Jack has finally found someone to complain to—he is injured… and he isn't healing. To longtime fans, this revelation is monumental, and to everyone else, well, it's confusing. The show missed the perfect opportunity to explain Jack's back-story.

The show also missed the perfect opportunity to reel in a new audience. Torchwood has been taken from its gritty, perceptive, humble beginnings to just another show with Blockbuster appeal. In trying to make the show more understandable and exciting for a wider audience, we've lost what the show is all about. Torchwood is no longer making beautiful or terrible statements about humanity or desperately searching for what happens after death. Torchwood is now mainstream and American.

I'll continue to watch just because Eve and John are still utterly brilliant, but I think that it will take a lot to change my dislike for this new series.

Better at second viewing

[mrobe48942 · 8/10 · 11 February 2021]

Caught up with Torchwood as a binge watch during second COVID lockdown. As on original view back at first transmission thoroughly enjoyed season 1-3 but sceptical about season 4. However with time, although very long storyline in comparison with previous series, I found it much better on second viewing, with some scary comparisons to the worlds current situation.Would love it to be renewed, but not hopeful.

Great Concept and Start to a New Torchwood Season!

[Matt-Nguyen · 10/10 · 21 August 2014]

This episode introduces a unique idea from the beginning and sets up the rest of the season. The idea that no one could die even if they wanted to makes your mind think. Of course, there could be advantages to immortality, but there are also so many consequences.

It's great to see Gwen and Jack back once more, as well as Andy, Rhys, Anwen, and new characters! Parts I love include Jack making Esther forget, like Gwen, and using Owen Harper as an alias. Gwen in action with her child is epic, too, and Rex cursing Wales as an American was amusing. Also, the reunion between Jack and Gwen as well as the action scenes afterward was fantastic.

Overall, this season and concept could go in many directions, and I'm looking forward to what's to come next.

Good start to the forth series

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 15 July 2011]

When I heard that Torchwood would be returning I was pleased if a little concerned that it would be a joint production with a US channel… not that I dislike US TV but because I feared it would lead to too many changes; after this first episode I am less concerned. Obviously it is quite different when compared to previous series but that is inevitable given that all but two of the original characters are dead and Gwen is in hiding in a remote corner of Wales with her husband and baby daughter. The episode starts in the United States where a convicted murder and paedophile is about to be executed; simultaneously a CIA officer is talking on the phone as he drives along… the execution takes place and the officer crashes his car; both men should be dead but neither are; in fact nobody is dying! At the time the CIA man crashed he was talking about a one-word message that appeared on CIA computers; that word was 'Torchwood'… then the computers crashed and all record of Torchwood was deleted. Another CIA officer searches down paper files regarding Torchwood and passes on the information to her injured colleague who then leaves hospital and heads to Wales to seek out Gwen and find out what the connection is between Torchwood and the fact that nobody is dying.

This was a surprisingly good opening episode with some good shocks, an interesting story and some genuinely funny moments. John Barrowman and Eve Myles return to their roles as Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper and are joined by newcomers Mekhi Phifer and Alexa Havens as CIA agents Rex Matherson and Esther Dummand; both old and new actors do well in their roles. It looks as though partnering with a US channel has brought in quite a lot more money as the episode featured several dramatic explosions including one that involved a helicopter. The episode also included well-known actor Bill Pullman in a relatively small role as the murderer; I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of him in future episodes. It is too soon to judge the whole series yet of course but I am fairly optimistic that this will be a good one.

Solid Start

[Angel-Ireul · 16 July 2011]

For the record I'm an American but I have family in the UK and have watched Torchwood regularly from the first season on including the audio dramas.

Considering that this is an extraordinarily British show trying to make the tremendous leap to the transatlantic mainstream the writers have done a competent job of defining what Torchwood is while introducing the complexities and unforeseen problems inherent in a world where no one dies.

Critically injured patients, horrifically maimed and burned patients, the cancer riddled etc not only don't die but also appear to fail to heal. It is projected that within as little as four months human society will have collapsed as no one continues to die and babies continue to be born leading to a world wide food supply failure.

The opening episode is necessarily exposition heavy but most of the exposition is handled competently during high action sequences such as when a CIA Agent Rex Matheson played by Mekhi Phifer takes two lengths of steel pipe to the chest while driving in the rain at night and yammering away to his assistant Esther, he survives a punctured heart and collapsed aorta. Later he and Esther also relay a great deal of exposition via phone while Rex races around tracing the term and eventually the institute Torchwood. A lot of the exposition occurs via phone calls between the two while Matheson traces Gwen Cooper to an isolated cottage in Wales. Jack Harkness himself even shows up and provides more background while speaking with Rex's assistant after she digs up information on Torchwood and the two survive an assassination attempt, until, of course, he Retcons her.

The opening episode closes with Jack pointing out that while the rest of humanity is no longer dying he is no longer healing. The remnants of Torchwood are then rounded up by UK police officers and transferred into Matheson's custody to be transported to the U.S. in order to investigate Miracle Day.

A few things that were nice continuity wise were that Jack claims to be an FBI agent and introduces himself as Agent Owen Harper at one point and while investigating Torchwood it is revealed that they have authority over 456 cases and above. Whether that is literally a reference to the villains from Children of Earth or not hasn't been revealed yet but was a nice nod either way. There were also a couple incidents of Wales 'bashing' by Rex Matheson (who, to be fair, is established to be a prick as in the opening he is crowing over a job opening he will receive as his rival's wife has been diagnosed with cancer) which I assumed was meant to be a shout out to the area but it was a bit weird. They did convey the perpetual American confusion over the U.K. vs. England Vs. Wales etc which was cleverly done.

For me, there were a couple of inconsistencies.

One, the apparent failure of the State of Kentucky to schedule the execution of one character at 12:01 AM on the day of his execution. While it is not a requirement that a prisoner be executed as soon as possible on the scheduled date that is usually how it is handled AFAIK.

The second was the fact that somehow the CIA not only had the unilateral ability to capture or draft citizens of the UK (Jack states in the opening episode of Torchwood season one that he's a citizen) but that they can do this to persons privy to extremely secure highly classified information and activities. How the hell does that work? Rex does refer to the action as a 'Rendition' which is further confusing as a rendition is usually defined as a translation or interpretation unless someone is making soap or otherwise dealing with animal fat. In a word, WTF? Further, Matheson cites what is evidently a U.S. code of some kind to do so, one would think that, if the CIA were able to legally do this, they would cite some kind of U.N. or U.K. law in order to do so as it's awfully difficult to argue for U.S. sovereignty on foreign soil over foreign citizens. O.o Third, after being Retconned Esther shows up late to work and brushes it off as 'I had some things to do' at the C.I. freaking A. I mean, really now, I worked fast food in High School and that excuse wouldn't have flown THEN.

The final niggling point was the apparent failure of the Retcon Jack uses on Esther. It may be that this is an unforeseen side effect of Miracle Day, that is just as people don't seem to be healing from fatal injuries or conditions they also are now immune to Retcon? Alternately it could be that the episode actually occurs over more than 24 hours which is reasonable as in the opening Rex is driving at night, roughly a third of the episode later Esther is digging through the CIA archives at night (this may be the same night) and later after a roughly 8-10 hour flight by Rex the remnants of Torchwood are taken into custody by Rex Matheson - at night outside the old Hub in Cardiff.

Additionally Esther's memory may be jogged when someone brings her a file about Torchwood the following day when she arrives late to work. She seems to be confused about the role of Torchwood shortly thereafter while speaking with Rex over the phone but not as confused as one might expect after being Retconned. Finally this is the first episode of 10 it's entirely likely that this will be addressed in the next episode Rendition.

All in all a very watchable and surprisingly well handled opening episode complete with a helicopter chase and rocket launchers. Good times :)

How did they see it coming!!??

[andrew-asher · 9/10 · 11 November 2023]

Humanity struck down but a strange never seen before affliction with unknown origins and all roads lead back to a nefarious pharmaceutical company with a familiar sounding name.....

These writers had access to a Time Machine for sure and all they needed to do was change some names and sprinkle some Dr Who style weirdness here and there...

I'm unashamedly a Dr Who fan and I enjoy Torchwood as it is similar and shares some occasional references but it doesn't do happy endings and calls a spade a shovel!

This season Miracle Day is americanised for sure, I reckon it works and they have blended it in nicely with the first three seasons which are well produced but in that clever budget style that is a BBC show. The American influence ups the production and includes some great new characters that are serious as opposed to the UK side characters which are often comical relief.

Brilliant writing and story, imagine the cause of a problem also has the solution ready in waiting... who'd a thunk that could be a thing.

Interesting premise but shameful Americanisation

[laurasadler2011 · 4/10 · 13 June 2020]

The premise of the first episode seemed intriguing and had this been any of the other series of Torchwood I would have been excited and looking forward to watching how the story played out. Unfortunately, however, after watching the first episode I no longer have any intention of following through with the rest of the series. The Americanisation of the show means it has lost all of it's original charm, that revolved around British locations and landmarks that we knew and recognised and familiar British faces as cameos. The first episode was jam-filled of clichés, incessant over-acting and the non-stop gun slinging that reminded me more of a cheap Hollywood action movie than the Doctor Who spin-off the British audience has grown to love. Such a shame for it to end on this point, I'm just going to pretend that Torchwood ended after series three. Plus, since I was shown almost the entirety of the season in the 'next time' at the end of episode one series four, there really is no point watching more anyway.

Torchwood: Miracle Day review.

[alyssia418 · 1/10 · 30 January 2012]

I'm English and ever since the BBC relaunched Doctor Who and launched Torchwood I have been a dedicated fan.

When the BBC first advertised Torchwood: Miracle Day I was excited. Torchwood is an amazing series which I adore but, unfortunately Miracle Day was rubbish. I watched the entire series in hopes of it redeeming itself but it didn't. I blame the US company Starz for this decrease in quality. Because of the co-production between the BBC and Starz, this series was 'americanised' and lost its charm. It tried to make a quintessentially British program appeal to the US market and as a result lost many British fans.

I found that Miracle Day featured the overused plot of a CIA agent going on the run in an attempt to avoid arrest and clear his name after being wrongfully accused of a crime he did not commit. The action was mediocre and a bit boring in places. However, I did find the fact that Gwen was constantly telling Americans who kept on calling her English that she is Welsh, faintly amusing as this is quite a common mistake.

One other thing that irked me about this series was that it was aired in the US, Canada and Australia nearly a week before it was aired in the UK. I mean Torchwood is British, it should be aired in Britain first or at least on the same day it is aired in the US. To be honest, I think the BBC should stop trying to cater to the US market. It is, after all, the British Broadcasting Corporation. British TV shows are great, they don't need to be altered to fit a foreign audience. So what if the US has a bigger market? If they don't like it, tough luck! You don't see Glee or the Vampire Diares being altered to suit a foreign audience, do you?

dos torchwood have to kill everyone ???

[gavparkay · 10 September 2011]

Dos torchwood have to kill everyone ? I mean like poor Esther i thought Rex and Esther where supposed to be the new torchwood but no bang and shes dead just at the end its really gotten dark remember when jack killed his grandson gezz talk about heavy TV give me doctor who any ole day I liked the show but it just seems to get darker and darker and i was a bit sickened with the whole Oswald Danes thing i don't think he was crucial to the story and he seemed to be thrown in there just for shock value also Torchwood and doctor who are meant to be linked isn't it a bit odd that the doctor never noticed that the entire human race couldn't die ? seems like something he should have picked up on all in all it was griping but a bit to dark for my taste watch it if you have a strong stomach but not if your looking for a doctor who pick up

Just a repeat of Series 3

[cmorss-71067 · 3/10 · 20 July 2022]

The third series had Torchwood hunted by an enigmatic government agency for unknown reasons. It ended with Jack sacrificing his grandchild to save millions, which should have ckeared Torchwood's name. Now Series 4 finds them hunted by another enigmatic government agency for unknown reasons and following the same mini series format instead of giving us the stand alone style episodes which made the show great. I see why it ended at Series 4.

Come on, Torchwood is better than this !

[elton-cultice · 2/10 · 5 October 2013]

Love all the previous torchwood episodes, no matter how wild they seemed, they all had a bit of 'it's possible' about them. sure some were out there, but isn't that what sci-fi is all about?

this new show lacks that however, I don't think there is any possibility that the whole world (except Jack) is going to change all at once, and now it just seems like another bad sci-fi horror series. Tell me, are the writer's the same ones who have been writing Torchwood all along? Did someone bump them on the head? I'm beginning to not care whether I see the next episode.

shame, I liked all the other episodes enough to buy them, or something. tonight's ending suggests that maybe this story line is coming to an end soon so I'll tune in next week and hope for a new plot.