7. The Pacing
Miracle Day was far too long. Ten consecutive episodes (which was a number presumably ordered by the American backers) is far too long for a single story arc especially when some of the episodes are just filler. By the end of the sixth episode, we still barely know anything about what caused the Miracle or who’s masterminding it.
As mentioned, there’s a massive amount of filler. Almost all of the second episode could have been cut without much bearing on the story but because they’ve got to make the required episode count and have at least one budget-saving episode, we get almost an entire episode of Gwen and Jack on a plane being rendered. Admittedly, part of the episode is the discussion of how the world’s medical system needs to be completely reformed because of the Miracle but that could have easily been shifted into a more streamlined second episode beginning with the rendition flight landing in America.
As well as this, we get two episodes spent investigating the Overflow Camps (camps set up to treat and/or destroy people that overstretched medical facilities can’t handle) which, other than featuring recurring character Vera Juarez’s death and revealing what happens to peole that have been designated Category One (people who are braindead but physically can’t die are incinerated), has no effect on the rest of the story. After two episodes spent infiltrating the Camp, in which the only significant thing that happens is Vera dying, we’re told about massive public outrage over the Camps but don’t really see it (which breaks the golden rule of “show, don’t tell”) but nobody does anything about it after the purpose of the camps are revealed to the public which makes the whole thing a bit redundant.
Episode Seven could have been massively stripped down as well. Cut the subplot of Jack and Italian immigrant Angelo’s relationship (which went nowhere and made the episode feel a bit like Queer As Folk meets The X Files) and instead have a much shorter flashback in which Jack gets seriously injured in a fight and then heals which someone sees and thinks he’s the devil, thus leading into the plot of him being held prisoner, killed repeatedly, and his blood being harvested and sold. Plus it would have much more of an impact on Jack to come face to face with his captor and repeated murderer on their deathbed in the present than him seeing an ex-lover in the same situation. After all, there’s got to be quite a few of those scattered around time and space.
Also, we’re only told about the destruction of blood banks in Buenos Aires and Shanghai (facilities that were controlled by the Three Families (the people behind the Miracle) and held stocks of Jack’s blood) that took place immediately after the Miracle in episode nine. Once again we’re told not shown and it’s only slotted in a few lines of dialogue right when it’s relevant, with no foreshadowing whatsoever.
Like I said though, there were just far too many episodes (five would have been perfect) and to meet that episode count there was just way too stuff much shoehorned in there that was either too drawn out or not developed enough. Which leads me to the next issue…
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16 Comments
I’d have put Rex’s immortality first. I could have just about watched Miracle Day and thought – maybe there is something salvageable. Maybe they could fix this. But that one single moment in that ending – ruined the entire reality (or reality as far as continuity goes) behind Jacks immortality. Definitely RTD’s weakest work (and thats counting Doctor Who’s Love and Monsters).
You’ve Hit the nail on the head here.
The Rex immortal was rubbish, HATED IT, as soon as that happened I didnt watch the rest, fair enough it was like 5mins left but didnt watch it. Glad it ended if they are going that way, Series 2 was the best
I decided to leave it off the list because (as stupid as it was) it happened in the final scene of the last episode which thankfully meant it had no real impact on the story as a whole.
THANK YOU for calling out the small matter of Jack’s immortality being altered when it’s convenient to the plot. Torchwood’s odd relationship with Doctor Who was always going to end up betraying long term fans, what with veering from denying its connection to completely embracing it. Also, I too waited for Miracle Day to somehow tie everything together, assuming that Jack’s flashback to Angelo would begin the reveal. When that panned out to nothing, I pretty much dreaded things would play out exactly as they did. I’d love to see some complete honesty from Davies on the end result, but I’m sure for the time being he’ll need to play nice in the interest of future cross-productions….such a shame that because of Miracle Day, Torchwood probably won’t be one of them.
Agree with pretty much everything you say but would have included some over dramatic acting-I cringed at some points -and sadlly the included John and Eve–there was scene where CJ is popping up all over the stadium-just pointless and there was nothing in the acting to make it remotely intersting.Equally when Gwen knocks some books offf the table as she exits after a rant-it was childish and embarrassing for some one who was suppose to be this warroir mother-not necessarily their fault-thats whar directors are for -to insure the acting is credible
“(though thankfully there’s no Ianto substitute for fans to get needlessly worked up about and literally build a public shrine to)”
Well considering that Ianto/Jacks relationship was replaced with unecessary sex scenes designed to titilate I would rather have had the original witty take on CJ’s gay side and the more innovative charactor that was Ianto.The comment above let down what could have been a balanced and well reasoned argument.
I was merely making an offhand comment about the hugely disproportionate fan response to Ianto’s death, in particular the fact that in Cardiff Bay there is a massive shrine to the character despite him being fictional. I personally don’t see how it affects the validity of my argument but to each his own.
Firstly I want to say that I thought that this idea was simply genius. it’s the sort of story that really forces you to consider your own mortality and the descions you would have to make if placed in such a volatile situation such as this.
But unfortunately the idea came from BBC, and on Torchwood. I have no problem with the show, but I felt this was far too ambitious and definitely a bridge too far.
I only wish that this story had been conjured from the mind of Stephen King, who I believe would have made this into both an incredible epic novel as well as a brilliant film/miniseries adaptation. Still, one can dream.
An excellent review, and I think you’ve raised valid criticisms of “Miracle Day”. It certainly didn’t seem as tightly-scripted as “Children of Earth”.
The CIA connection seemed over-done. (Aside from which, it’s illegal for the CIA to operate on US soil. FBI agents might’ve worked better. Or even a fictitious American version of Torchwood? Perhaps the US arm of UNIT?)
I suspect that that one reason that “Miracle Day” seemed to meander is that the concept of undeath and social implications was just so incredibly radical. How do you write about something that is so utterly beyond human experience? (Even most aliens in “Dr Who” and sf are simply ‘people’ in different forms. The motivations of aliens are still recognisable to us.)
Could it be that Russell T. bit off more than he could chew and deliver up to us?
The concept of “The Blessing” perhaps should have had an additional twist… Maybe aliens, who themselves were discovered near the end to be manipulated by… humans! Using massive social unrest and collapse would be the ideal means by which covert conquest would take place (has worked well for Imperial powers colonising South America, Africa, etc).
As for not knowing what “the Blessing” was… I kinda like that. Aside from leaving something for a future story for “Torchwood”, it makes sense that often there simply aren’t answers to everything.
I’d have said the big problem with Miracle Day is that it even exists at all. Torchwood had ostensibly had its grand finale in Children of Earth and had nowhere else to go after that. Then the RTD era ended, and for two years we had no Torchwood. By the time it came back, it was redundant already, and the bulk of the first two episodes then had to contrive to undo the ending of Children of Earth to get the team back and get them relocated. It was the farthest thing from natural storytelling, and really gave the whole thing a cold, mechanical feeling.
Reason no.9: it’s boring
I honestly thought it wasn’t that bad at all.. but granted, I only made it through the first 5 episodes.
The series was so unfocused. The idea that someone could be a charred body and still awkae, but that someone who had a stroke would just be like a vegetable was stupid.
Don’t you think that if the blessing was part of the torchwood universe than it would be part of the doctor who universe . There for if everyone’s lives were prolonged forever than the doctor would had of handled this personally .
was there actually anything you enjoyed about it?
It was quite gripping at times and there were some pretty exciting bits. As a character, Oswald interested mea lot because of the whole “Dark Messiah” image he was building. But, for me, the good was massively outweighed by the bad.