Rate and Discuss 4.1: The New World

[Anthony Williams]

So, tonight is Torchwood's US broadcast, so for the next week or so, I imagine that this will be predominantly for those who watched in the US, or acquired it through other methods

What did we all think of the first episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day!?

[Anthony Williams]

I've just watched it.

And to be honest, it was bloody brilliant. What a fantastic way of re-starting a series that was pretty much rounded up.

I can't wait to hear what those of you in the UK think of it, but it was everything Torchwood should've been from the beginning - bold, and with a clearly big budget! The bigger budget was very much to its benefit. Really, it shows.

To be honest, there isn't too much in the way of spoilers. The basic premise was well publicised, and as the first part in a 10-part series, it's very much setting it up - re-introducing Jack, Gwen and Torchwood, introducing the new characters, and the overall concept of the story arc.

We're in for quite a ride.

And by God, have I missed RTD's dialogue-writing skills.

[Jeff]

I watched it in the US AND acquired it by other means! I admit that I am curious as to what the differences are between the US and UK versions, but not enough that I plan to acquire the UK version, so hopefully someone somewhere will do a write up covering it.

I really liked the episode. I think it has the potential to be the best series of Torchwood yet.

[SiHart]

That was great- better than it had any right to be. Like Children of Earth, suddenly they know how this show should work and it works really well.

[Rob McCow]

Laughed like a donkey when that helicopter went down. Torchwood are back back BACK! With a budget.

[duncan]

Great to have the show back and my fears of it being Americanised were very soon dispelled.

[Alex]

I gave it 7/10, which might be a bit harsh but after Children of Earth it was a bit of a disappointment. For me it had a bit of a slow beginning, and Gwen's still a weak link at times which it's frustrating as I think Myles is a decent enough actress, but 35 minutes in she was crying away. Maybe Rusty thinks she's a superb sobber or something, but he really needs to cheer the poor thing up - when she's allowed to do cool stuff like blow up a chopper, or shoot at it whilst holding her baby, she's a lot of fun, so I hope she continues along these lines and Davies doesn't torture her too much this year.

On to the good stuff, plot wise it shows an awful lot of potential, and whilst the supporting cast aren't all that (Generic Blonde / Black Guy, at least), Bill Pullman's ultra creepy paedophile will hopefully spice things up, bomb explosion corpse fella was fun, as was the helicopter shoot out, so I've hope for the time being it'll be an enjoyable weekly watch.

I'm guessing it's cutting all links with Who though, given that the American doesn't know about aliens, as extra-terrestrial life is pretty much part of every day life in Blighty in the Who-niverse, isn't it?

[Nyder]

Yep it's back alright! Glad they've kept it nice and Welshified boyo Or should that be Gwlad... I'm so pleased I'd just finished my (late) dinner just before the autopsy.

My word that was a mighty long, cinematic trailer at the end! I'm guessing that wasn't in the US version?

Great stuff - welcome back Torchwood

[shada pavlova]

I think the next nine weeks will be quite enjoyable.

[The456]

Pretty good, truly dreadful acting from the black CIA guy. I'd have thought learning to do a fake limp properly with a crutch was acting school basics, not liking him at all !

[Nyder]

It might have been because I was viewing in HD, but did they apply John Barrowman's makeup with a trowel??

[Simon R]

It was okay but quite slow and all over the place to begin with. Some rather ropey cgi on when the helicopter shot the house and the eye on the burnt skull!

[Dino]

It bought tears before the opening credits and made me aware I hadn't had a single negative thought for 13 whole minutes.
Voted 9 and I'm looking forward to the episodes that push it up to full marks!
I found there was a bit of drag around 34 minutes in.
Fantastic way to comeback, I really really should go for 10, the only thing I can fault it is there will be even better episodes of it to come...
And some episodes that will just drag and drag!

[The456]

When you're in Wales with all the hills and valleys and bendy roads and forests and you're being pursued by a chopper the obvious thing is to drive onto a wide open beach exactly where you can be got at !

[Andrew Curnow]

I agree with Alex, I found it a bit slow - not as gripping as Children of Earth, but to be fair it's got another 9 episodes to run over so I didn't expect it to hit the ground running in quite the same way. It will take a little getting used to I think, the more US-y style, but the clips for the rest of the season certainly look very exciting.

The one thing that I was struck by, though, was that if I didn't know it was by RTD I would never have guessed. That's not particularly a criticism, just that it didn't seem to have so much of his usual style to it.

Anyway, it's good to have them back!!

[Larry]

absolutely brilliant episode Gwen, baby in one arm blasting away with a gun Torchwood, is well and truely back - and wonderfull twist in that Jack, is seemingly mortl again while every one else can't die can't wait to see how that one works out.


8/10

[Si Hunt]

I enjoyed it, the main draw being the central premise and the way they extrapolated ideas out of it; for example if people couldn't die, how the species would increase; if it affected insects (and if it dead that we'd be over-run in hours); what would happen to people sentenced to execution (though the threats made by the criminal to sue the Government apparently securing his immediate release were a little unlikely) and, no doubt, in the weeks to come the inevitable decision to start trying to pulvarise certain demographics (old people etc).

The most gruesome scene was the still alive exploded body, eye blinking in its charred, severed head. What else is there to put on TV after this?

The surge in action towards the end was welcome, even if some of the effects were a bit dicey. When the helicopter exploded just feet from Gwen and Jack, it barely ruffled their hair, never mind Gwen standing in her fake exploded house. And as for that saintly baby! The babies I've been near cry if you pull a slightly unpleasant face at them, but Gwen's baby was dragged from an exploding house onto a jeep, fired at and then had a chopper burst into flames a few metres away... and not a murmer!

Si.

[chalkie]

a good starting point, i gave it 7. i have faith the series will reach the quality of previous eps

[Perry Vale]

Well, that was pretty enjoyable. A very slick production, Pullman was uber-creepy, and it was so refreshing to have scenes that had NO incidental music drowning everything out. I hope we might eventually see that in DW too. The episode was well written too, I thought, it'll be interesting to see how the others fare.

No juvenile humour, in fact very little humour at all, really. Not up there with CoE, and I doubt it ever will, but very promising overall. Those first two seasons just seem like a very bad dream now...

Can anyone who watched the US version confirm if it had the interminably long 'season preview' at the end?

[Anthony Williams]

Can anyone who watched the US version confirm if it had the interminably long 'season preview' at the end?

The version I saw didn't, but I saw it online.

[Rob McCow]

did they apply John Barrowman's makeup with a trowel??

They should have started doing that after he spent 2,000 years buried under Cardiff! Now it looks like he didn't age from two millenia underground, but a couple of years in space have put decades on him.

Eve Myles is looking older too and Rhys has a bald patch

the main draw being the central premise and the way they extrapolated ideas out of it

Russell T Davies? Thinking things through to their logical conclusions? Who'd have imagined it after 'Last of The Time Lords?!'

[Larry]

Eve Myles is looking older too and Rhys has a bald patch


'

I actually thought Eve, looks like she's put on a bit of weight since chilldren of Earth.

[Antony Cox]

Very enjoyable!

I did think that the most gruesome bit was the exploded man, but on second thoughts I've decided it was that close-up of John Barrowman about half way through..!

[Jeff]

Can anyone who watched the US version confirm if it had the interminably long 'season preview' at the end?

The version I saw didn't, but I saw it online.

There was a trailer at the end, but I don't remember it being overly long... I think it was just a 'next episode' trailer, but I'm not 100% sure. I can watch it again tonight if I remember. (I don't think I've deleted it yet.)

[Perry Vale]

I turned the volume off, but it seemed to go on for at least two minutes, possibly three.