Very soon after Torchwood: Children of Earth came to its conclusion, rumors started surfacing that Torchwood would be headed to the United States. First, it was thought that an American Torchwood would be coming to FOX; that didn’t pan out. Then, word came in that premium channel Starz would be taking over the franchise… and that it would include stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Kai Owen. Does it succeed? Mostly.
The new series of Torchwood, which is titled Miracle Day, takes place after the most recent mini-series. Gwen and Rhys have a child and have taken on a new, quieter life. Torchwood is all but gone following the events of Children of Earth. But there are still references made to it as a major miracle happens in “The New World,” the first episode back.
I don’t think it’s a spoiler – as it has been in all of the press material – that as a result of “Miracle Day,” people cannot die. But Jack, who has been immortal for the entire run of Torchwood… he can now die. How does this change the world? Isn’t it part of the natural order for people to die?
One of the best additions for Miracle Day – and although I say “best” I still hate him, though I’m supposed to – is Bill Pullman as a pedophile and killer named Oswald Danes who is greatly affected by the events of Miracle Day. I see some similarities between Danes’ fate and the recent Casey Anthony case, which might bring even more emotion to an already-hateworthy character. Pullman plays the role creepy, and as some of the actors have said in interviews, he’s almost scarier than any alien monster Torchwood has ever faced.
What doesn’t work for me as much is Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson. I know Phifer is a good actor but his moments – at least in the three episodes I’ve seen thus far – seem like he’s almost shoehorned into the group. Although he himself goes through an extraordinary situation I don’t really care about him as much as I care about some of the other characters. Oddly, Alexa Havins as Esther Drummond doesn’t feel as shoehorned in, and I’m not quite sure why there’s a difference, but there is. Arlene Tur plays a doctor who is in the middle of all of this, and I liked her character a lot too.
It’s fantastic to see Gwen and Rhys again, and it’s respectful to the Torchwood that came before, while at the same time creating something new for people who have never seen it. Gwen Cooper is still one of the most kick-ass, feisty characters on television. We even get to see Deputy Andy again, so that part of the “family” still exists. Listen carefully and you might even hear references to other past Torchwood favorites.
Those worried that Captain Jack Harkness would be watered down for American TV should not fear. He’s the same Jack we saw for three seasons of Torchwood and several episodes of Doctor Who. Who knows, in those first three episodes we might even see him doing something naughty rather than just hearing about it. (Spoiler alert: It’s episode three. You’re welcome.) On the subject of naughtiness, though, the show seems to be a bit more balanced as far as adult content goes, compared to what has come before. I felt like Torchwood in Season One especially was naughty for the sake of being naughty; here, any violence, language, or sexual content seem to just go with the story. I prefer it this way.
There’s a subplot involving a character played by Russell T. Davies lookalike Wayne Knight of Jurassic Park fame (also Seinfeld’s Newman) that reminds me of something you’d see in classic Doctor Who. I admit, I kinda like seeing familiar faces popping up in Torchwood and I’m sure more are coming. It’s also nice to see the characters in a new setting – familiar to us but places that we’ve never seen Jack or Gwen in. Some of those places feature some really bad acting in smaller roles, but hey, cable has a budget, I guess.
Of the three opening episodes, my favorite is probably the July 15 episode, where a lot of the action takes place on a plane and Dollhouse’s Dichen Lachman guest stars. There’s a lot of great material for Jack and Gwen, some danger, and even some humor thrown in as well. It’s really strong.
Ultimately, if you’re a Torchwood fan, you’ll probably dig it, though you might still miss Owen, Tosh, and Ianto. If you’ve never seen the show before, it’s a decent jumping on point. All in all I’m curious to see where the remaining seven episodes go, so I will be watching.
Torchwood premieres Friday night on Starz, and a countdown thread is already set up on our Torchwood sub-forum. Come join us!
You can find a whole lot of Torchwood coverage, including some trailers and behind the scenes video, here at KSiteTV.
