Torchwood - Doctor Who spin-off

[Matt See]

Miracle Day Comic Con trailer:
http://news.whoviannet.co.uk/2011/07...-at-comic-con/

[Matt See]

4 x 4 - Miracle Day: Escape to LA:
Teleplay by Jim Gray and John Shiban (who is also a co-executive producer). Story by Jim Gray.
A delicate teaser scene between Esther and her sister Sarah made all the more saddening by what happens to the latter later on.
A very good guest cast in C Thomas Howell and Mare Winningham.
C Thomas Howell was extremely creepy as the hitman, whose name we never found out, especially in his scenes with Frumpkin and then with Jack and Gwen.
Mare Winningham as Ellis Hartley Monroe was presented well as a rival to Oswald. Presented so well as Oswald’s rival that she even got her own Goldfinger scene.
Jack and Gwen pretends to be a couple with the former using the name John Smith (wonder what made him use this particular name) and the latter speaking with an American accent, something I hope she doesn’t do again.
Oswald in that hospital is the most impressive Oswald scene I have seen so far complemented well by the music.
Gwen looks really good in the black dress she wore at PhiCorp. She uses the name Yvonne perhaps a reference to Yvonne Hartman head of Torchwood One in Army of Ghosts/Doomsday.
The PhiCorp scenes was very good and very exciting and these scenes were served well by the incidental music.
Despite being a benchwarmer, Rhys still manages to unintentionally do something wrong at the end of this episode.
Overall this has been an exciting trip to LA.

The Next Time trailer for The Categories of Lies the fifth episode of this season seems to indicate a repeat of something that was done in the fifth episode of the previous season, the concluding episode of Children of Earth and that is Gwen recording a video message.

[Matt See]

Rift War:
Rift War is a ten part comic strip and was published in Torchwood Magazine issues 3 to 13. It is essentially the best story the original Torchwood team never had in the TV series.
The team faces new adversaries when the Harrowkind, troopers for the Sanctified, came through the Rift causing havoc to the Cardiff populace.
The team soon receive help from the creature called Vox but is he what he seems to be.
The nature of Vox’s character has been presented well across the chapters of this story. The presentation of Vox’s character helps to deliver a remarkable conclusion to the story.
Other aspects of the story that’s worth mentioning are the appearance of the words ‘Bad Wolf’ (even though Rose Tyler was nowhere to be seen in this story), the sign saying Monster Sale and this is amusing as this sale soon became very literal, how two directors of the TV series got to be namechecked here and the appearances of two guest characters from the TV series.

[Matt See]

4 x 5 - Miracle Day: The Categories of Life:
Written by Jane Espenson.
Directed by Guy Ferland.
A well played episode dealing with overflow camps on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
As a curio we get a brief look at Australia from a computer screen.
Interestingly Gwen’s video message shown in the trailer for this episode is not included in the episode itself.
As soon as Colin Maloney turned up I had the feeling that he was slimey and that I was not going to like him and was proven right when to my shock he shot and then burned Vera alive.
Quite impressive the presentation of Oswald’s speech including when he said the word revelation which was complemented well by the music.

[Matt See]

4 x 6 - Miracle Day: The Middle Men:
Written by John Shiban.
Ernie Hudson appears in this episode as Stuart Owens. Curiously his name appear in the end credits and not in the front credits. I mean it is not like he appeared out of the blue during the course of this episode as he appeared at the beginning way before the credits.
I would say that as Stuart Owens, Ernie Hudson is on par with other characters that I have seen him playing.
Wonder why Wai was spooked that it made him jump off the building after his last phone conversation with Owens. The only clue that we got was Owens telling Jack later on about hearing something called The Blessing.
Extremely impressive when Gwen recorded her message followed by that explosion.
Esther seems to learn an important lesson about being undercover and that is never use your own name.
Very surprised to see Jason Brooks as the White House Press Secretary. Had no idea he would be here.
A shock that Gwen received at the end. Had an inkling something was wrong when Gwen could not get hold of Rhys by phone.
This episode was a no show from Oswald and JIlly and it was strange not seeing either of them here.

[Matt See]

4 x 7 - Miracle Day: Immortal Sins:
Written by Jane Espenson.
Directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton whose previous credits include an episode of Fringe a show not unlike Torchwood.
No Oswald and Jilly for the second episode in a row and Esther and Rex have a limited appearance. The plot of the episode did not require the former two’s presence while the latter two still has a helping hand at a critical point in time.
Guest star Nana Visitor. The presence of this DS9 alum marks the first time that a regular cast member of a Star Trek TV series has appeared in televised episodes of both the Doctor Who and Star Trek universes. Not meaning to take anything away from Immortal Sins itself but I have found Ms Visitor’s presence to be the most significant aspect of it even though she does not turn up until at the end.
This is actually not the first time that Nana Visitor has appeared in a TV episode written by Jane Espenson as Espenson had written the DS9 episode Accession.
Intriguing the flashbacks to 1927 and 1928.
A warehouse appears here just like one had appeared in Jane Espenson’s earlier episode Dead of Night which rather confirms my speculation of her making a sly reference to her co-created series Warehouse 13.
Ah…the Doctor finally gets a mention here on Miracle Day and it just happens to be one featuring said Star Trek alum.
The incidental music was quite upbeat especially when Jack and Angelo arrived at the warehouse.
The time changing parasite is similar to the time-changing beetle seen in Turn Left as they are both part of the Trickster's Brigade. Quite a disturbing thought of what would have happended had it succeeded in attaching itself to Franklin D Roosevelt.
Quite horrifying seeing all those people killing Jack. Then again it is not every day that anyone can get away with murder.
Those three men was sure mysterious. Wonder who they are.
Quite a revelation that Angelo was looking for Jack since he must be over 100 years by now. I think that someone from a major character’s past as seen in flashbacks revealing to be central to the present situation was used before on Angel and Jane Espenson was a writer on Angel.

Next Time trailer for End of the Road – Another Star Trek alum appears in Torchwood and therefore the Whoniverse and that is John De Lancie.

[Matt See]

4 x 8 – Miracle Day: End of the Road:
Story by Ryan Scott. Teleplay by Ryan Scott and Jane Espenson.
Glad that after her brief appearance at the end of the previous episode Immortal Sins that Nana Visitor got more to do here in this episode. Someone at the Trek Today message board speculated that she was playing Angelo’s granddaughter and this person has been proven correct.
There are two Star Trek alums here with John De Lancie finally making his appearance on Miracle Day.
This is not the first time that Nana Visitor and John De Lancie has been in the same TV episode as De Lance guest starred as Q in the Deep Space Nine episode Q-Less but I don’t remember whether he and Nana had any scenes together there like they do here in End of the Road.
There is a revolving door with the Star Trek alums because not long after John De Lancie comes in as Shapiro , Jane Espenson gets to do what she was not able to do when she wrote on DS9 and that is to kill off a character played by Nana Visitor. Poor Nana. Angelo’s granddaughter Olivia didn’t deserve it. I certainly cannot say the same for Friedkin.
Oswald and Jilly are back but after being absent in the previous two episodes it felt they did not appear as much as their previous episodes as they were barely in half of this one.
This is where Oswald and Jilly part ways with them ending things violently. If they were married they would have made a good match for a loveless marriage.
In hindsight Shawnee was not going last very long and surprised about the mole at the CIA. Then again the Families are very rich and with their stakes on the Miracle it made sense they would have someone inside the CIA to keep them up to date of things there.

Next Time trailer for The Gathering: This is the one in which Frances Fisher finally appears on Miracle Day.

[Matt See]

Jane Espenson talks about her work on Miracle Day:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2011/0...acle-day.shtml

[Matt See]

4 x 9 – Miracle Day: The Gathering:
Written by John Fay. Apart from Russell T Davies, Fay is the only writer to have written for Torchwood, pre-Miracle Day.
Penultimate episode of Miracle Day.
Also the name of a Fifth Doctor Big Finish story.
Quite a surprise the time jump to two months after the previous episode End of the Road.
Frances Fisher finally appears here on Miracle Day but like Nana Visitor in Immortal Sins she does not turned up until the end. If Nana Visitor in End of the Road is any indication, I would expect Frances to have more to do in the Miracle Day finale The Blood Line.
Gwen sure showed restraint albeit for a few seconds before she assaulted Oswald at her home. If it had been any other mother with a young child then Oswald would have gotten an immediate whacking.
Impressive with Rhys figuring out what Shanghai and Buenos Aires have in common.
Also a very tense situation with Gwen’s father and absolutely baffling that the police were in Gwen’s place without having to arrest Oswald.
Jilly Kitzinger meeting the Families and having a change of name has led us to finally see the Blessing but what exactly is it. Hopefully The Blood Line would be able to answer this.
What a way to end this episode with Jack’s blood moving on its own.

[Matt See]

4 x 10 – Miracle Day: The Blood Line:
Teleplay by Russell T Davies and Jane Espenson. Story by Russell T Davies. The end credits gives thanks to Chris Chibnall. So it would seem that Chibnall had some input here.
Miracle Day finale and what a spectacular finale it was.
Anticipated the explosion at the CIA the moment Charlotte put her bag on the desk and leaving without it. Among the casualties were Shapiro (John De Lancie). This means that after Nana Visitor in End of the Road, Jane Espenson has once again killed off a character played by a Star Trek alum.
Surprising to hear Jack mentioning the Doctor, SIlurians and the Hu-on particles but only because he couldn’t come up with an explanation for the Blessing.
Surprising revelation of Jack’s blood in Rex.
Had an “Ahh…” in a terrified way when Esther got shot. Very sad that she got killed.
Extremely climatic and very good scene when the Blessing got destroyed.
Nice little fight between Gwen and Jilly
Initially I thought that Jilly got killed in the impact of the Blessing explosion but she survived and I am glad that she did. The Families are not quite done with her as they recruit her for Plan B.
Barely had time to wonder what Plan B is when The Blood Line ends with Charlotte shooting dead Rex only for him to come back alive again and the Tenth Doctor’s “What… What” reaction migrating here on Torchwood. Rex asked the question what everyone wants to know, what Jack has done to him.

Quite surprised to see at the end of the credits:
“Jack Will Be Back – January 2012”

Quite unexpected that the fifth season (assuming it is a fully fledged season that it was referring to) has been announced on the show itself.