Sci-fi normally isn’t my cup of tea. But I’d heard nothing but good about the Torchwood series, not to mention the fact that I have a bit of a thing for John Barrowman. About halfway through the MIracle Day cycle I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for each new installment.
The premise is a novel one: what would REALLY happen if we lived forever? Turns out to be one of those careful-what-you-wish-for scenarios. The already overtaxed resources of Mother Earth can’t stretch far enough to accommodate a population multiplying at an exponential rate. Living forever means people are forced to live with the injuries and illnesses that should have caused them to die. Not only does this create an opportunity for totally cool SFX, it offers the gruesome yet poignant situation of someone burned beyond recognition doomed to perpetual misery, even when his spinal cord is severed. The government’s solution? Become the arbiter of life and death and assign everyone a status. Category 1, consisting of those who would have died in the old world order, are sent to de-facto concentration camps for incineration.
Naturally, question #1 becomes who or what is behind the "miracle". All roads seem to lead to PhiCorp, the sinister pharmaceutical company that appears to have had advance knowledge of the event, indicated by their massive stockpiling of antibiotics and painkillers. Oswald Danes, a convicted pedophile/murderer whose failed execution kicked off the miracle, has been recruited to be their cultish spokesperson, and his public appearance take on the aura of religious revivals.
Enter Torchwood, a now defunct agency that investigated paranormal threats. When evidence indicates that the group is a target of whoever is behind these events, the sole remaining members, Captain Jack and Gwen, get pulled back into action. (In a twist, the immortal Jack has now become the one human who IS mortal.) They’re assisted by a framed CIA agent and his data analyst associate as they try to figure out the endgame.
Barrowman and Eve Myles (Captain Jack and Gwen) were the backbone of previous seasons of Torchwood, so the one disappointment is seeing them take a backseat, at least so far. This could be a result of Starz picking up the BBC production for the American market. Mekhi Phifer is a fine actor, but as CIA agent Rex Matheson he tends to be a bit annoying, while data analyst Esther (Alexa Havins) gets the short end of the stick. Where Gwen is every bit as capable as the men, Esther is stuck with lots of boring exposition in the more traditional female role. The always dependable Bill Pullman takes the character of Danes and gives him complexity and depth.
Those quibbles aside, Torchwood: Miracle Day blends action, political and social commentary, and welcome touches of humor to create a science-fiction show for people (like me) who aren’t sci-fi fans. It airs on Starz with new episodes debuting each Friday at 10 pm EDT (also available via Starz On Demand).
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