Quite similar to single concept movies such as Jurassic Park ( dinosaurs come to life ) or Jaws ( shark attack), Torchwood’s latest series – Miracle Day, seems to build upon a single concept – Imagine a day when nobody dies, and the next day, and the next day. Of course, taking off from a very successful and widely appreciated 3rd series – Children of Earth (which also had a similar single concept embedded within the wider storyline) always meant that the new series had some big shoes to fit into. Also, the whole online hoopla generated by so-called “dedicated” fans worrying over “Americanisation” of a very loved indie Sci-Fi series produced by BBC Cymru, enacted by Brit actors and written by a Welsh writer, did create some sort of initial apprehensive feelings in my mind. But when that Welsh writer is Russel T Davies, all those worries go straight down the drain as soon as frame 1 emerges on screen. The only problems I have is with the American cast, as they have not yet been able to win my heart, and that’s quite unfair on my part as they have just a single episode so far. This first episode, fills in enough plot, characters, questions and mysteries to please the Torchwood fanbase, includes introductory knowledge for people who haven’t followed Torchwood so far, as well as highlight the badass Gwen Cooper shooting through a broken window. This is by no means your run-of-the-mill SciFi tv. This is an RTD product, and judging by episode 1, I am absolutely psyched about the following 9 weeks, coz he might have just pulled it off once again.

So, here I am, discussing some points about the show which I loved, and some that I really loved, and others which I believe are worth the discussing.

Warning: Spoilers and Plot points from Episode 1 after the jump.



1. The plot reveals :



Miracle Day gets down to business straight away, with the central plot revealed as we meet convicted paedophile Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) on death row, as his execution is being carried out. But unfortunately, he fails to die. And then, yet another case of a death escape, this time by a CIA agent Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer) who survives a fatal car crush. News starts to pour in from all corners of the world of no reported deaths in the last 24 hours, and it seems like no human is dying. What looks like a miracle, of course turns into a nightmare.

2. Oh so many scary ideas :



The basic scare of the no-one-dying scenario can be depicted as a concept of Malthusian catastrophe, where the population growth out paces agricultural growth (or in general terms food and other basic resources). With limited resources of food and space on planet Earth, the human race will be at war with itself. Where will these non-dying population live? And even though they are starving due to lack of food, they will not die of starvation, but continue to live in the pain of starvation, of sickness, of injury et al. As one of the doctors rightfully says, ‘Death is a part of life’, but with this miracle, death, as we know it, has been totally altered, and is out of human comprehension. Is death How messed up is that!

And then, across the world, people are reacting in different ways. Somalia has stopped fighting as no one is dying. But some conflicts are bound to get even worse.

3. Torchwood 101, and awesome references:



There is enough filling in material for those who are new to this universe. This is done quite effectively through the characters of CIA junior agent Esther Drummond (Alexa Havis), who is digging up information of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), her husband Rhys (Kai Owen) and the Torchwood organisation’s history. Good thing, she can hack into any phone line, GPS satellite, the works really. And when she visits the Grand library for some archived files for cases 456 (a reference to the 456 from Children of Earth) and above, she meets Captain Jack. Jack tells her everything, but in true Series1 Episode 1 style, he repeats what he did to Gwen – give her a dose of Retcon. But being the persistent gal that a CIA agent entails, Esther keeps digging in, and with help from injured agent Rex, manages to find out Gwen Cooper’s location.

4. The humour:



RTD is a fine writer, and even in a seriously nightmarish situation, the little laughs replete with typical Welsh humour, that are induced come across as examples of why we love Torchwood so much. e.g. Gwen’s mother complains of how baby Anwen looks like she has been fed on Lard (LOL!). And like most Londoners, new-to-the-country Agent Rex, even in a very grim situation, complains about the bridge, and about the toll he paid. He even thinks Wales to be like New Jersey 😛

5. Trying to make sense of it:



There is no science bit to it so far, and that comes through in the sheer frustration expressed by the autopsy specialist as he tries to make sense out of how a completely burnt patient could still be alive. He completely breaks down, failing to explain the phenomenon, and when Captain Jack asks to decapitate the man, he does not refrain from doing so. Is this a living man, or have the dead transformed into a different never-dying species?

6. Kaching, Kaboom, Kapow:



So Torchwood has moved from being a BBC Cymru production to now being funded majorly by America based cable channel STARZ. And the moolah spent on this production is quite obvious, especially in the action scenes.



There is an awesome chopper chasing jeep scene, and Gwen gets her Lara Croft moment as she bazookas down that very chopper.



But the most awesome scene of the episode was when Gwen, having just survived a misfired bazooka, even with her baby wearing earmuffs, fires fearlessly through a broken window. Its stuff that instantly remind you of Chow Yun Fat in Hard Boil. And look at cute baby Anwen totally liking that gun.

7. Finally, the questions:



The basic question is – who is doing all this and how? As the many indications throughout the premiere episode point in the direction of a force not known to Earth, this is positively going to be a case of Alien. The next question is why, and what they want from us.

The other question is the reverse phenomenon that has hit Captain Jack. He has been converted from being an immortal to a mere mortal who can get injured, bruised and taking from the trailers of the next episode, die. Also, who’s hunting down Torchwood?

There is a whole array of characters who have been thrown in the mix, and my next question is about them. Does Oswald Jones somehow connect to the whole big picture? Of course he does. Bill Pullman’s menacing and almost-lisping portrayal is instant-hate generating, and it is an obvious guess that this character fits a big part of the puzzle. But how?

At the end of the episode, Agent Rex succeeds in extraditing Torchwood to the US of A. Now how the hell are they going to fight death which never comes? To put it simply, who is the enemy? Yeah, I am repeating my first question.

9e3k rating: 4.5 Bazookas out of 5

[So there you go. Those were my thoughts on the first episode. What did you think about it? If you are new to the Torchwood universe, although this episode provides some background information, it is totally worthwhile in investing your time to catch up on the previous episodes. C’mon, there are only 31 of them so far. That’s like one season in American season terms innit.

For those wondering about the Children of Earth references, please visit my post on Torchwood: Children of Earth.]