Torchwood: Miracle Day: The New World

Looking forward to an episode of Torchwood is to take something of a gamble. It can either be very good - awesome, gripping fantasy entertainment - or half-baked sci-fi that mistakes humping for making a show truly adult. So the start of Miracle Day provoked some rather ambivalent feelings in me - especially since it is a co-production with a US company. After all, the last time a Doctor Who (and Torchwood remains part of that world) was produced in part by a company from the US it didn't go tremendously well.

So what to make of The New World? Well, it works. It is much more in the vein of the great Children of Earth than the reprehensibly poor Meat. Part of this is the pace - because we have a story spread over numerous episodes rather than just 45 minutes installments, the characters and the plot lines have time to breathe and it doesn't all feel desperately rushed. It also allows a sense of anticipation to build up as you start to wonder where different plot strands are going. In particular, the Oswald Danes (a strikingly repellent character if ever there was one) storyline seems intriguing, and I wonder where that plot strand will go and how far they will be willing to push the envelope with it. Of course, the slower pace means Gwen gets nothing to really do for the first half hour, but that's not a major problem - the American characters have the potential to be far more interesting than the UK ones.

Furthermore, the central conceit of the show - that everyone has stopped dying - initially appears to be less threatening than the coming of the 456. But the episode works hard to show why it is not as positive as it might first appear, and why the absence of death will actually create a dystopia rather than an utopia. The episode subtly suggests that things are radically changing - possibly forever. Whatever problems there may be in RTD's writing, you have to hand it to him - he certainly thinks on a grand scale.

And then we have Captain Jack. Ah, the Captain - a mixed blessing it ever there was one. He has the potential to be a great character, but prior to this episode he has always been something of a superman, and just as bland. Here, as a man who shouldn't exist anymore, he is forced to rely on his wits and cunning, rather than his reputation and that of Torchwood. I particularly like Jack pretending to be a FBI agent to investigate - not least because he uses a pseudonym that is a subtle, yet great, nod to the fans. And I can't help but love the moment when Jack turns up in Wales to rescue Gwen et al. It's more than a bit cheesy but fuck it. It's cheese that works.

But this is more than just Jack's show - the character of Rex, for example, is a great addition to the Torchwood universe. He's determined, ruthless, intelligent and questioning - at the same time as being obsessive to the point of being very funny. His departure from hospital, and his complete ignorance of the UK, is nicely handled in a way that is humourous but not too obtrusive ("you mean I've got to pay for this bridge? Goddamned Wales"/"Wales is insane!"). If this is Jack's last stand, then Rex deserves to become the new star of the show.

And the episode also has some striking images - the nightmare that is the man who was blown to a pulp but still lives (and then was decapitated at Captain Jack's request) is a great example of this. Not all of it works of course - the missile sequences are just poor CGI. But the whole thing has the feel of quite a big budget production, and Torchwood deserves a big budget.

Is it truly great? Well no - not yet. But it feels like it has thought out, properly plotted and is genuinely intriguing. I want to know why Jack is vulnerable again, why Torchwood as a concept was sent to the CIA at the same time that death stopped, and just what has caused the immortality gripping, and threatening to destroy the world. So congratulations to RTD and the Torchwood crew - you've avoided the potential curse of Torchwood, and it looks like you've got a hit on your hands.