Source: TV Guide [follow link for complete column]
TORCHWOOD: MIRACLE DAY - TV GUIDE: Ask Matt: August 1, 2011
Ask Matt: Breaking Bad, Torchwood, Ringer, Glee and More!
Aug 1, 2011
by Matt Roush
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... Question: I was wondering what you thought of the new season of Torchwood. I've actually been very disappointed. I knew it would be hard to top the brilliance of Children of Earth, but so far, Miracle Day doesn't even come close. Although the charming Jack and the kickass Gwen are still awesome, I can't stand any of the other characters. They are all tedious and/or annoying. And where is the witty dialogue from previous seasons of Torchwood? Anyway, since you are able to see future episodes before the general public, I'd like to ask you: Does it get better? — Camille
Matt Roush: I've only seen through this upcoming Friday's fifth episode, which builds to an awfully grim (though for me, not terribly surprising) reveal, and I'm afraid at this point I can't disagree with your assessment. The season's fantastic premise — a world in which no one can die, except the immortal Capt. Jack — still strikes me as an audacious one, but they haven't made the most of it. Seems like they're telling more than showing when it comes to the mass hysteria in the world at large, and as creepy as his performance is, Bill Pullman's serial killer-turned-messiah doesn't make a lot of sense. It's taking too long for the "big bad" behind it all to reveal itself, because I can't believe Torchwood is really going up against evil pharmaceuticals in a health-care scheme. (This Friday's reveal indicates something much larger and uglier is afoot.) Completely agree that the American counterparts are either bland (Esther) or irritating (Rex), and I'm not sure what to make of Lauren Ambrose's giddy Jilly. But we're only halfway through the story, so I'm not giving up hope altogether yet. It does seem clear, though, that doubling the length of the incredible Children of Earth may not have been the best idea.
