Torchwood - Miracle Day

[Loztastic]

It is getting fairly low viewing figures here in the UK (well, compared to Children of Earth), bouncing between 3.4 and 5.8 million - Children of Earth generally got 6.7

The general feeling is the plot is too unfocussed and has too much filler - whole episodes so far could have been done at a 10 min montage

another thing a lot of people are saying is that the fun is gone, and it is too serious

[Nevynxxx]

Loztastic wrote:

It is getting fairly low viewing figures here in the UK (well, compared to Children of Earth), bouncing between 3.4 and 5.8 million - Children of Earth generally got 6.7

The general feeling is the plot is too unfocussed and has too much filler - whole episodes so far could have been done at a 10 min montage

Star's introducing thisngs to make sure they don't just get Past Torchwood, Who fans?

Loztastic wrote:

another thing a lot of people are saying is that the fun is gone, and it is too serious

This I can agree with, although the last episode put a bit of that back.

Definitely not as happy with this as I hoped I'd be. But still intreguied enough to keep watching.

[Kthulhu]

Of the seven episodes I've seen so far, I think they could easily be condensed into three episodes without hurting the pacing. In fact, I think the pacing would have been vastly improved.

[Cartigan]

I haven't seen a lot due to having D&D late on Fridays and Starz pulling their West Coast time-shifted channels (everyone has DVR my ass, I'm going to have to get it just so I don't keep missing all the good shows on Sci-fi), but I'd have to agree.

[Matthew Koelbl]

Kthulhu wrote:

Of the seven episodes I've seen so far, I think they could easily be condensed into three episodes without hurting the pacing. In fact, I think the pacing would have been vastly improved.

The fact that we are nearly 3/4 through the series and still don't actually know what is going on... yeah.

There have been a lot of episodes exploring the ramifications of this event, and that has led to some good moments - but it feels they are going over and over the same ground, and never actually moving forward.

I've largely enjoyed the episodes, I like all the characters, but... compared to the genuinely good storytelling and suspense and tension in Children of Earth, this definitely has fallen somewhat short.

[deinol]

The pacing is definitely off. Episodes 1 and 7 have felt good, but 2-6 should be re-cut into 2 episodes. What really gets me is:

Spoiler:

Gwen spends way too much time in the UK trying to work with the system.

She even almost breaks him out, but then they put him back in so they can have another episode of filler. When he starts having a heart attack or whatever she should just stuff him in the van and break out anyway. They already know the staff are just basically going to put him in storage.

So you really could splice the end of six earlier and cut all the wasted time where she tries to get her father reclassified.

[Matthew Morris]

John DeLancie stealing the show again.

Oh, and I like Nana Visitor, would have liked to see a bigger role.

One thing I'm wondering...

Spoiler:

Why didn't Jack step into the null field and 'heal up'. If it negates the morphogenic field, it should have re-enabled his 'fixed point' status while he was in it.

Oh, and...

Spoiler:

Did I understand correctly the null field thing was from the Hub? Does this mean that more toys were salvaged from Torchwood 3? Makes me wonder about Gray.

[Crimson Jester]

Cartigan wrote:

I haven't seen a lot due to having D&D late on Fridays and Starz pulling their West Coast time-shifted channels (everyone has DVR my ass, I'm going to have to get it just so I don't keep missing all the good shows on Sci-fi), but I'd have to agree.

Check and see if your cable operator has On Demand programing. It typically airs the day after. So Saturday you can watch the new episode. Also Starz has a contract with Netflix and you can catch up there by streaming the old episodes.

[Cartigan]

Crimson Jester wrote:

Cartigan wrote:

I haven't seen a lot due to having D&D late on Fridays and Starz pulling their West Coast time-shifted channels (everyone has DVR my ass, I'm going to have to get it just so I don't keep missing all the good shows on Sci-fi), but I'd have to agree.

Check and see if your cable operator has On Demand programing. It typically airs the day after. So Saturday you can watch the new episode. Also Starz has a contract with Netflix and you can catch up there by streaming the old episodes.

Apparently Starz2 runs it on Saturday an hour after the time it runs Friday, so I caught the last episode (most anyway)

[Robert Little]

Crimson Jester wrote:

Check and see if your cable operator has On Demand programing. It typically airs the day after. So Saturday you can watch the new episode. Also Starz has a contract with Netflix and you can catch up there by streaming the old episodes.

It won't be on Netflix streaming for like 3 months. You can watch it live on StarzPlay on Netflix (only on a PC using IE) at the same time it airs on Starz (East Coast), but not on any of the other Starz channels.

(I know because this is how I've had to watch it, since I don't have cable. At least Dr. Who is available for purchase the day after for $2 on iTunes).

[Cartigan]

Robert Little wrote:

Crimson Jester wrote:

Check and see if your cable operator has On Demand programing. It typically airs the day after. So Saturday you can watch the new episode. Also Starz has a contract with Netflix and you can catch up there by streaming the old episodes.

It won't be on Netflix streaming for like 3 months. You can watch it live on StarzPlay on Netflix (only on a PC using IE) at the same time it airs on Starz (East Coast), but not on any of the other Starz channels.

(I know because this is how I've had to watch it, since I don't have cable. At least Dr. Who is available for purchase the day after for $2 on iTunes).

Forget that, I just watch Dr Who on the British BBC site as soon as nonsensical programming delays in America causes Britain to get weeks ahead (I pay for BBC America, they can bite me).

[Crimson Jester]

I just DVR them. I prefer the BBC versions, no commercials and about 5 minutes longer.

[Nevynxxx]

Ohhh, this gets interesting a little.

Spoiler:

Loved what Jack's blood does near The Blessing. Isn't it convienient that they now have Jack's blood at both ends of the thing?

Question though, why is it called The Blessing? It seems to do nothing, or drive you mad? Nothing interesting...

Unless of course this is a second time vortex......

[Loztastic]

do you mean Time-Rift?

the Time-Vortex is the big swirly outside space-time alternate level of reality :-)

[Cartigan]

There's no telling what the hell that thing is. They better explain it in the last episode here.

[Matthew Morris]

Cartigan wrote:

There's no telling what the hell that thing is. They better explain it in the last episode here.

For once I agree with Cartigan. I was shocked to find out this is the last episode.

[Cartigan]

Matthew Morris wrote:

Cartigan wrote:

There's no telling what the hell that thing is. They better explain it in the last episode here.

For once I agree with Cartigan. I was shocked to find out this is the last episode.

It will either turn out they could have done this in one episode or the miniseries was too short. Those are the only two real choices because from what I have seen of the rest of the series, it is wholly irrelevant to the main plot thread which they are going to have to wrap up almost entirely in the last episode.

[Nevynxxx]

Loztastic wrote:

do you mean Time-Rift?

the Time-Vortex is the big swirly outside space-time alternate level of reality :-)

I mean the thing that Timelord children look into that drove the Master Mad. It's a silly idea on a lot of levels, but at the same time, has a strikingly similar effect....

[Nevynxxx]

Cartigan wrote:

Matthew Morris wrote:

Cartigan wrote:

There's no telling what the hell that thing is. They better explain it in the last episode here.

For once I agree with Cartigan. I was shocked to find out this is the last episode.

It will either turn out they could have done this in one episode or the miniseries was too short. Those are the only two real choices because from what I have seen of the rest of the series, it is wholly irrelevant to the main plot thread which they are going to have to wrap up almost entirely in the last episode.

I entirely agree....

Perhaps the rift is the result of too many people agreeing with Cartigan all at once...... :D

[Cartigan]

Nevynxxx wrote:

Loztastic wrote:

do you mean Time-Rift?

the Time-Vortex is the big swirly outside space-time alternate level of reality :-)

I mean the thing that Timelord children look into that drove the Master Mad. It's a silly idea on a lot of levels, but at the same time, has a strikingly similar effect....

That was my first impression of what it was, when she said some who look into it go mad and kill themselves.

[Shadowborn]

Well, it was a good ending, as endings go, and the first time this entire season where it felt like the pacing was back on track.

[Kthulhu]

Spoiler:

Note: Haven't seen episode ten yet.

Anyone else think it's rather hilarious that apparently the greatest and most fearsome evil that RTD could think of would be a giant vagina?

[LazarX]

Kthulhu wrote:

The funny thing is, that interview only states that he realized that he's done a poor job showing that Jack has any heterosexual tendencies...he doesn't say they'll actually attempt to do any better in the future.

Showed plenty of them in Dr. Who...to the point of making The Doctor himself rather jealous. I'm just going to put this down to the effects of pavement. :) (assuming of course they're still "the guys under the pavement" as the Dr Who RPG refers to them.

[Cartigan]

Shadowborn wrote:

Well, it was a good ending, as endings go, and the first time this entire season where it felt like the pacing was back on track.

Other than several plot points set to act as cliff hangers not making the remotest amount of sense, sure it was a good ending.

Come to think of it, the plot itself doesn't really make that much damn sense once explained.

[Shadowborn]

Kthulhu wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

Anyone else think it's rather hilarious that apparently the greatest and most fearsome evil that RTD could think of would be a giant vagina?

I'm glad I wasn't the only one that caught that.

[Shadowborn]

Cartigan wrote:

Shadowborn wrote:

Well, it was a good ending, as endings go, and the first time this entire season where it felt like the pacing was back on track.

Other than several plot points set to act as cliff hangers not making the remotest amount of sense, sure it was a good ending.

Come to think of it, the plot itself doesn't really make that much damn sense once explained.

No, the plot doesn't make any sense. The cliffhangers seemed to though.

Spoiler:

[list]

The three families are still out there, which means they're still plotting. (I don't know why the redhead lived though; looked like she got cooked to me.)

They made a new immortal man. (This one was stupid. He should have died of the massive shock of having incompatible blood in his system. The end.)

I have to say though, that Rex is the worst covert operative I've ever seen. He's more reckless than Gwen and less subtle than Jack. He should be working in the CIA mail room.

[Cartigan]

Shadowborn wrote:

Cartigan wrote:

Shadowborn wrote:

Well, it was a good ending, as endings go, and the first time this entire season where it felt like the pacing was back on track.

Other than several plot points set to act as cliff hangers not making the remotest amount of sense, sure it was a good ending.

Come to think of it, the plot itself doesn't really make that much damn sense once explained.

No, the plot doesn't make any sense. The cliffhangers seemed to though.

The cliffhangers made LESS sense than the plot

Spoiler:

Jack's immortality was granted by Rose using the power of the TARDIS to do.. something, whatever, he can't die. But somehow this extends to his blood cells themselves? He slowly ages, but is otherwise immortal. Eventually, blood cells have to go away. It makes a very tiny amount of sense that the blood could be used to do whatever the nonsense the plot was about, but how is it keeping Rex alive? He got a blood transfusion, not a bone marrow transplant. There is not even a timy-wimy explanation for why Jack's blood would give Rex the same reboot style immortality Jack has.

[seekerofshadowlight]

As to why it effects REx

Spoiler:

The tunnel effects both ends. If Jake was immortal then it stabilized the over end's donor making it also immortal as the thing is a massive scale morphic field and those two were at connected ends. Not sure how that worked really, but I can see it doing that. They never explained just what it was to start with other then a massive morphic field.