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Torchwood: Miracle Day (Ep. 1, A New World)
Aka my reward after packing and walking one last time.
I look back to where it all started and can't believe how fond I've grown of this show. I missed everyone (including RTD's writing), the new bunch seems to be likeable (Esther, Rex, female doctor in hospital) and creepy (Oswald) so far, as they should, and the new mysteries (who is responsible for Miracle Day, what's the connection to Jack since he's rendered mortal and vulnerable again at the same time as everyone else became immortal, and most of all, just as the 456 were the outer boogies but the real scare of CoE was how far humans went under pressure, what will humanity do to each other this time around?) are compelling, and I can't wait till the next episode.
Trying to get my thoughts in order:
- no prices for guessing my favourite detail is Jack adopting the alias of Owen Harper when posing as an FBI agent
- my other favourite detail is Gwen telling her baby the story of a singing alien
- and my third is the fact Andy and Gwen worked out a code to talk in.
Bill Pullman does a very effective creepy psychopath with Oswald. (I remember when the first spoilers of season 4 got out and people upon hearing of the existence of a pedophile immediately went "is there no low to which RTD would not sink?", for some reason assuming this would be a new team member, rather than, you know, a villain. Which tells you something about fandom.) In his second scene he also shows himself smart, and while I'm currently at a loss to guess why the "miracle" started with him, I'm really curious to find out.
Esther is the newest of Rusty's bright eyes ingenues, the successor of Lois Habiba and originally Gwen herself, and sure enough, like Gwen, she gets retconned. (Ah, Jack and his moral ambiguity.) As opposed to pilot!Gwen, though, she's working in a team of collegues at that point who help with research and thus Jack's little habit of drugging people out of their memories is of less than zero use. Speaking of Jack and ambiguity, that scene of him suggesting to separate the head of the still living skeleton was a new classic. (And of course of very personal resonance to him, given our Captain Harkness' past, as well as a graphic illustration what a perversion and horror immortality can be.) Incidentally, I also liked the female doctor's protest there and her throughout; RTD can have a very dark look at humanity but he always includes humans that embody the virtues we're also capable of, as the doctor does here.
Rex so far is standard driven CIA agent, but given his should-have-been-lethal accident it's easy to understand why this is so personal to him and he wants to find out what has been going on, and the scenes with out-of-his-depth Rex in Wales might have been Rusty making fun of Americans abroad, but not in a mean way. Taking command is guaranteed to bring him into conflict with Jack and Gwen both, so those should be interesting international dynamics. It also occurs to me that Rex and Jack share a dilemma in reverse proportions, and are both about to be tested for those easily made claims re: (not) wanting to live forever. If the Miracle ends, Rex dies. If it doesn't, he'll continue living in a state of constant pain due to his injuries. As long as the Miracle continues, Jack can get injured without healing and presumably can die. It's something he often, during the harder times of his immortality, claimed he wanted. But... does he? And does it matter what either of them wants given the planet at large?
Gwen and Rhys: I'm a bit torn on whether it was a good idea to have them go undercover and private until the current events start because there is that interpretation of a woman giving up her job after becoming a mother, but then again, under the circumstances and given all that happened it's understandable, especially as long as Annwen is still a baby. (BTW, am ever so relieved the kid has a name of her own and wasn't named after certain departed collegues.) Which is why I also can see the arguments as a good thing. Gwen and Rhys have always had one of the most (to me) realistic m/f relationships on tv, and that included the blazing arguments as well as the shared jokes and adorable tenderness. Rhys supported Gwen-as-action-woman as long as it was her life on the line, but patriarchic or not, I can understand why a baby would make a difference for him there, too. And then again, when the chips come down, he's supporto man there, too. Did I mention I loved seeing them again, being their unidealized, passionate selves? Oh Gwen and Rhys.
Reunion with Jack: ah, Jack and his flair for dramatic entrances. The smile between him and Gwen was perfect, though. LOL about Rhys' "Captain Bollocks".
Now: more, please!
I look back to where it all started and can't believe how fond I've grown of this show. I missed everyone (including RTD's writing), the new bunch seems to be likeable (Esther, Rex, female doctor in hospital) and creepy (Oswald) so far, as they should, and the new mysteries (who is responsible for Miracle Day, what's the connection to Jack since he's rendered mortal and vulnerable again at the same time as everyone else became immortal, and most of all, just as the 456 were the outer boogies but the real scare of CoE was how far humans went under pressure, what will humanity do to each other this time around?) are compelling, and I can't wait till the next episode.
Trying to get my thoughts in order:
- no prices for guessing my favourite detail is Jack adopting the alias of Owen Harper when posing as an FBI agent
- my other favourite detail is Gwen telling her baby the story of a singing alien
- and my third is the fact Andy and Gwen worked out a code to talk in.
Bill Pullman does a very effective creepy psychopath with Oswald. (I remember when the first spoilers of season 4 got out and people upon hearing of the existence of a pedophile immediately went "is there no low to which RTD would not sink?", for some reason assuming this would be a new team member, rather than, you know, a villain. Which tells you something about fandom.) In his second scene he also shows himself smart, and while I'm currently at a loss to guess why the "miracle" started with him, I'm really curious to find out.
Esther is the newest of Rusty's bright eyes ingenues, the successor of Lois Habiba and originally Gwen herself, and sure enough, like Gwen, she gets retconned. (Ah, Jack and his moral ambiguity.) As opposed to pilot!Gwen, though, she's working in a team of collegues at that point who help with research and thus Jack's little habit of drugging people out of their memories is of less than zero use. Speaking of Jack and ambiguity, that scene of him suggesting to separate the head of the still living skeleton was a new classic. (And of course of very personal resonance to him, given our Captain Harkness' past, as well as a graphic illustration what a perversion and horror immortality can be.) Incidentally, I also liked the female doctor's protest there and her throughout; RTD can have a very dark look at humanity but he always includes humans that embody the virtues we're also capable of, as the doctor does here.
Rex so far is standard driven CIA agent, but given his should-have-been-lethal accident it's easy to understand why this is so personal to him and he wants to find out what has been going on, and the scenes with out-of-his-depth Rex in Wales might have been Rusty making fun of Americans abroad, but not in a mean way. Taking command is guaranteed to bring him into conflict with Jack and Gwen both, so those should be interesting international dynamics. It also occurs to me that Rex and Jack share a dilemma in reverse proportions, and are both about to be tested for those easily made claims re: (not) wanting to live forever. If the Miracle ends, Rex dies. If it doesn't, he'll continue living in a state of constant pain due to his injuries. As long as the Miracle continues, Jack can get injured without healing and presumably can die. It's something he often, during the harder times of his immortality, claimed he wanted. But... does he? And does it matter what either of them wants given the planet at large?
Gwen and Rhys: I'm a bit torn on whether it was a good idea to have them go undercover and private until the current events start because there is that interpretation of a woman giving up her job after becoming a mother, but then again, under the circumstances and given all that happened it's understandable, especially as long as Annwen is still a baby. (BTW, am ever so relieved the kid has a name of her own and wasn't named after certain departed collegues.) Which is why I also can see the arguments as a good thing. Gwen and Rhys have always had one of the most (to me) realistic m/f relationships on tv, and that included the blazing arguments as well as the shared jokes and adorable tenderness. Rhys supported Gwen-as-action-woman as long as it was her life on the line, but patriarchic or not, I can understand why a baby would make a difference for him there, too. And then again, when the chips come down, he's supporto man there, too. Did I mention I loved seeing them again, being their unidealized, passionate selves? Oh Gwen and Rhys.
Reunion with Jack: ah, Jack and his flair for dramatic entrances. The smile between him and Gwen was perfect, though. LOL about Rhys' "Captain Bollocks".
Now: more, please!