Torchwood up to miracle day ?

iMax

Half way through miracle day & thoroughly enjoying it. Is it worth watching the previous series ?

DirtyBollox

Season 1: BIG meh
Season 2: Getting better
Season 3: Thats it, change nothing

Jessibelle

DirtyBollox wrote: »

r
Season 3: Thats it, change nothing

This, this x 100000:)

aidan_walsh

The only reason to watch Season 1 is to understand what Stark is talking about if you go back and read the episode threads, and even he only really warmed up half way through its run.

Bloody brilliant conclusion to the season though. Stark, not the show. That was cack.

Sonics2k

It's worth watching the earlier episodes to get a bit of background on Gwen and Jack.

Whilst you can get some details of Jack from Doctor Who, you can clear it up while watching Torchwood.
Also Season 3 was a fantastic season, it's a bit of a shame Miracle Day isn't as good.

Can you just start by watching season 3? Season 1 is cack. Got about 3 episodes and could do no more.
A few people have told me season 3 is good.

Jessibelle

Deleted User wrote: »

Can you just start by watching season 3? Season 1 is cack. Got about 3 episodes and could do no more.
A few people have told me season 3 is good.

I view seasons 1 and 2 as a bit of fluff. I love 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang' and the other Captain John episodes, but that has to take into consideration my 'James Marsters is a god' obsession. season 3 though is a thing of beauty, it is wonderful science fiction, even if it wasn't Torchwood, the story alone is fantastic! If you can, watch it either over 5 hours or over 5 consecutive nights like the original broadcast, never was I in such a hurry to get home than on those nights. Season 4 I have to admit , I'm beginning to hate, not because of teh story, compared to seasons 1 and 2 it's Shakespeare in parts, but when you watch 'Children of Earth' and realise what Torchwood could have been, and then see what it has become...
but thats just my 2c:o

vitani

If you're really enjoying Miracle Day, then probably best to avoid S1. I'm the opposite - I loved S1 & S2, thought S3 was great TV but didn't enjoy it as much and am finding Miracle Day tough going.

Richard Dower

I started watching Torchwood based on Miracle Day, i watched all of Children Of Earth in one day, blast through the 5 eps. - great stuff, blazing pacing....intense and highly interesting scenes with the 465.

Decided then to start on season 2, shocked to find out it's got 13 eps.!....love it so far!, for a BBC show it's adult, decent enough budget, funny, stories are pretty good. I'm upto episode 9.

Having seen S2/3 i now *get* what folks have been saying about Miracle Day....not a patch on the BBC stuff.

Doctor DooM

S1 is downright bad, with a couple of vaguely interesting episodes.

S2 is not amazing but is certainly watchable. I think it actually really gets going towards the end and is worth a punt.

S3 is easily some of the best tv I've seen and I often bring it up when someone is fanboy slaying RTD.

iMax

Ok have season 3, in hd ready to go

Mr.Saturn

Just to continue the sentiments above, I sat down the watch CoE, just to give it a chance, watched all 5 episodes there and then, turned around and
watched it all again not long after, and again. You get the picture.

iMax

Started on Season 3 last night. Got confused when I found out Jack is a

grandfather

, so I'm getting 1 & 2 now so that I can delve in...

Damn it, I haven't got time to commit to a new TV series right now !!!

Stark

iMax wrote: »

Got confused when I found out Jack is a

grandfather

, so I'm getting 1 & 2 now so that I can delve in...

Actually they just dropped that in for season 3, no mention was made of it in previous seasons.

Cyndaquil

If you're really interested in the back story of Captain Jack, and Torchwood itself, it might be worth checking out his original Doctor Who appearances too. For ease of reference these would be:

Season 1 (2005) episodes 9-13 (9/10 being the two parter in which he first appears, 13 being the episode which sets up him becoming a "fixed point in time"/immortal. 11 and 12 probably aren't that important in terms of character back story but he appears in them nonetheless.

Season 2, episode2. Provides the origin story to the Torchwood institute itself.

Season 2, episode 12, 13. Shows what becomes of Torchwood's London branch. Provides background for the events of TW Season 1 ep.4.

Not so much backstory but further appearances of Jack in Doctor Who.

Season 3 episodes 11-13 (takes up Jack's adventures literally right after the Torchwood season 1 finale).

Season 4 episodes 12-13 (the surviving (post TW season 2) Torchwood members crossover into the parent show).

He makes a very brief cameo (set between TW: COE and TW: Miracle Day) in "The End of Time Part 2" (David Tennant's last episode) but if you're not into Doctor Who probably not worth watching.

Believe it or not I was actually a fan of Torchwood before the parent show and got into Doctor Who that way.

Doctor DooM

It's worth pointing out that Captain Jack is almost a different (more likeable) character in Dr. Who. Storyline wise they explain this away as the Doctor being his personal inspiration and him wanting to be a better person when he's around him (which, to be fair, bares out when you consider his dialogue in torchwood, needing the Doctor to "fix" him, and that whole I should try living like the Doctor with a companion thing) but really it is because Dr Who is a family series, and you couldn't do half the stuff you do in TW on it.

iMax

Watching the very first episode right now. Thoroughly enjoying it.

Mr.Saturn

Doctor DooM wrote: »

you couldn't do half the stuff you do in TW on it.

Which is fortunate, when confronted with early Torchwood gems such as this:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887098/quotes?qt=qt0253962

Doctor DooM

Mr. Saturn, you're officially on the list for reminding me of that one

iMax

Completed the first two series. For the most part quite good.

Waiting a little while before the third.

iMax

...and finally got around to watching them all but one episode. Have the final episode of series 3 to go tomorrow. Thoroughly enjoyable series. The writing got better & better & I liked the dark side of Jack (1965) being introduced. Now thoroughly in love with Gwen Cooper.

Would like to see a couple of episodes set around Jack't past, rather than flashbacks & wish the Doctor would do a crossover.

Doctor DooM

iMax wrote: »

Would like to see a couple of episodes set around Jack't past, rather than flashbacks & wish the Doctor would do a crossover.

They crossed over all the time, it's just Jack or whoever appears in Dr Who, it'll never happen in reverse though because a lot of kids seek out the Doctor in whatever program he appears, and BBC don't like "BAN THIS FILTH" headlines.

Mr.Saturn

There was, however, some hutzpah during series 2 that a Doctor appearance wouldn't be all that out of spec, since BBC went out of their way to do a second edit of each episode, to be shown earlier and bringing it in line with PG standards. I think, in hindsight, that was more to accommodate younger viewers wanting to follow Martha Jones than anything else.

Anyways, I think now with the separate production crews, departments and ties with American companies, Torchwood has severed ties with its parent show, and the links between them shall become somewhat more blurred as time goes on. Maybe a Captain Jack showing in Who, at some stage, and whatnot.

iMax

Just finished CoE. Incredible.

K-9

iMax wrote: »

Just finished CoE. Incredible.

Might look out for the box set for over Christmas, excellent television with added Peter Capaldi, the finest British TV actor going for me.

pixelburp

iMax wrote: »

Just finished CoE. Incredible.

And I advise you to stop right there; don't bother with season 4 "Miracle Day", it starts off well, but by eps 4/5 it just about-turns into utter rubbish. Not even in the fun, trashy-pulp manner seasons 1 & 2 were; Miracle Day is just subpar drama.

iMax

I actually watched Miracle Day first pixelburp., that's what got me interested in it in the first place. I admit to enjoying it (bar a couple of episodes).

I think it's failing is it's too long. Hopefully the American budget combined with a shorter season will make a better fifth season, although afaik nothing is committed to yet which means its unlikely we'll see anything next year.

Das Kitty

iMax wrote: »

I actually watched Miracle Day first pixelburp., that's what got me interested in it in the first place. I admit to enjoying it (bar a couple of episodes).

I think it's failing is it's too long. Hopefully the American budget combined with a shorter season will make a better fifth season, although afaik nothing is committed to yet which means its unlikely we'll see anything next year.

I think it's unlikely there'll be anything more in the near future. Russell T Davies is taking time off from writing because his partner is ill.

ebbsy

I thought anything TW pre Miracle Day was excellent myself, and I would prefer to see them go back to that style.

Miracle Day, great idea, terrible implementation. I only kept watching because of Bill Pullman.