On First View: Torchwood: Miracle Day
Guest contributor Harpal Khambay shares his views on the 4th series of the spin-off.
Miracle Day excited me, as at its heart was a huge humanitarian crisis, which I knew would pose many thought-provoking ideas and questions. I know that the series wasn’t greatly received, but upon watching it I couldn’t understand why.
‘The New World’ is one of my favourite Torchwood episodes. Before the new, slick titles even aired, three dramatic scenes were shown. Danes’ ‘execution’ was horrific, as was Rex’s shocking car crash, and it was great to see Gwen back. Her situation and state of mind was what it should’ve been, but it was sad to see Gwen isolated. It was good to include Gwen’s father in the story as it kept the link with Wales, allowing Gwen to be put to the test. I felt the episode successfully established the themes and characters of the series, particularly Vera, Esther and Rex. I instantly liked all three, and found them to be different from each other and worthy additions to the cast due to their curiosity and drive.
Many people reacted negatively towards Rex, but did people really want all characters to be like Esther? I had no problem with her, but my point is that if everybody were like her, a dimension and different perspective would be missing.
The special effects were phenomenal, and the scenes that took place at the CIA archive were explosive. Jack stepping out of the shadows was a fantastic comeback. The horrors of the miracle were explored when Vera saw the suicide bomber. Upon seeing he was still alive after decapitation, it was clear that the miracle was going to have bigger repercussions than I anticipated. This contributed to another aspect I loved about the series, which was that it was an epic, global story. It had a cinematic feel to it, and I felt this format sent out the message that Torchwood was different to Doctor Who. To me, it felt more realistic to have stories that lasted more than one episode, as that was the format of Who. It worked at the time, but upon viewing Miracle Day I felt this format was better. I enjoyed watching Rex and Esther track down Torchwood and the tension quickly built when it was apparent Gwen, Rhys, Rex and little Anwen were in danger. Jack returned to Wales in dramatic style and I couldn’t help but smile at Gwen’s announcement, during a thrilling helicopter chase, that Jack and her were ‘Torchwood.’
I thought ‘Rendition’ was a tense, exciting episode as the consequences of the Miracle began to appear, and the anticipation of what would happen in America built. Esther’s getaway showcased her critical thinking, Jack’s poisoning proved Vera’s intelligence and Lyn’s villainy posed more questions as to who was linked with the miracle. Her demise was stomach-churning and fantastically executed, and it was great to see Torchwood rebuilding. Jilly Kitzinger is my favourite Miracle Day character, and her klutziness, persuading nature, heels and scheming ways were all exhibited in the episode.
‘Dead of Night’ focused on whether the new Torchwood team could work together, and I felt this was an example that proved Rex was a fantastic character. It planted the ‘PhiCorp seed’ well. I also found this episode explored Danes successfully and presented a well thought-out character. Vera’s character was well used in the episode, and it was good to see the return of the contact lenses. However, I would’ve liked to see the Soulless explored a little more.
‘Escape to L.A’ explored Esther’s caring side and the question on what the ‘dead’ really were. There were high stakes in the episode as Torchwood’s espionage went wrong. The idea of the over flow camps was well related to the Nazi concentration camps and associated horror with the miracle. Interestingly Oswald became the face and product of the miracle. The demise of Monroe was quite unique and the hint dropping as to those behind the miracle continued.
‘The Categories of Life’ presented humanity as if they were playing God, with disastrous consequences. With the established incinerators, halfway through the series it was made clear how destructive the miracle had made the humanity. Vera was a perfect addition to the Torchwood team, but sadly this was short lived. I think Vera’s ‘death’ was the most horrifying scene of the entire series, and it was symbolic of human corruption.
Rex, Esther and Gwen were in difficult situations in ‘The Middle Men’ and Esther’s one stuck with me the most. Her showdown with Maloney had me on the edge of my seat and it was right that her character was thrown into a dangerous situation, as she now knew the extremes of Torchwood. Gwen had some epic moments in this episode, and her defiance echoed the audience’s feelings. We steadily began to find out more about Phicorp, and I believe the pacing of the unravelling of the miracle was well plotted and built to allow massive revelations at the end of the series.
Following her orders, in ‘Immortal Sins’ Gwen was faced with a massive dilemma. When I saw the trailer for this episode, I was certain it would be great or terrible. I found it to be very good, and the juxtaposition of love and conflict worked extremely well. However, it was very obvious Angelo was the person who knew how the miracle happened…
My favourite part of ‘The End of the Road’ was the interaction between Jilly and Oswald. Both showed tremendous fire and I was excited to see that Jilly’s significance was growing. Jack’s theory from ‘Rendition’ came back with a vengeance, and the end of the episode showed the Torchwood team scattered and in despair. However, I found it odd that after Jack mentioned morphic fields previously, they were not managed again, making me believe they were unimportant. However, his theory cropped up again, and I felt that it should not have appeared once, been ignored, but then turned out to be the answer. It appeared a little lazy.
‘The Gathering’ provided us with more answers that had been staring us in the face the entire time. Esther displayed her worth at recognising Oswald’s message of Harry Bosco. The story of Gwen’s father cemented the fact that not everybody might survive and added to the drama and tension. I was excited to see Torchwood were going to embark on a worldwide mission, and was pleased to see Rex and Esther working together. I found my mouth hanging open upon seeing Charlotte’s betrayal, and Jack’s independently moving blood. I was excited to see Jilly in Shanghai, and I felt that the Blessing had an enormous presence. The music and acting added to the atmosphere indicating that the Blessing had immense (even God-like power).
I had high expectations for the finale, ‘The Blood Line,’ and it didn’t disappoint. Charlotte’s bomb shocked my sister and I (Who also watched Miracle Day with me and loved it). Gwen was central to the story, and her own personal conflicts were well displayed and written. Her monologue before the credits gave us a glimpse of Gwen’s relationship with her father, which hadn’t been done before. I found Gwen and Jack’s interaction with the Blessing to be magical, and the feeling to the episode was quite spiritual thought provoking. I’ve often said I love how Torchwood explores the darkness of humanity, and the corruptness of the Three Families to be interesting. I personally found the explanation of the miracle to be quite… satisfying. However, if someone asked me about it, I would say: ‘It happened because three families put Jack’s blood into a crack at the centre of the Earth.’ I think it worked, but there wasn’t a lot to it, and part of me thinks Davies came up with the explanation in meetings, saying exactly what I just said. Some fans noted that Jack’s blood was nothing special, but maybe there are some things about Jack’s immortality he doesn’t know about? Maybe?
Rex and Esther also proved their worth by performing the blood transfusion. I screamed when Esther got shot, and it was clear not all would make it out. Gwen turned to utilitarianism and her personal conflicts came to a head. The next few minutes were utterly exhilarating, and Gwen’s monologue was thought provoking and emotional. When Jack woke up I cheered, and I found the furious action to be a fitting end to Oswald Danes and the miracle. Unfortunately Miss Drummond didn’t make it, and I felt this was a poor decision. I see Miracle Day as a reboot, and I ask, why kill a central character at the start of a reboot? Thankfully Charlotte got her come-uppance, whereas Rex got immortality. I like the idea, as now Jack won’t be lonely forever. However, if the Blessing drained him dry, wouldn’t Rex have died instantly, as he had no blood? Thankfully, another series was successfully set-up.
Miracle Day is my favourite series, and I hope, after reading, those who dislike it give it another go!
