My Review of Torchwood's 4x04: "Escape To LA"

Written by John Shiban And Jim Gray
Directed by Billy Gierhart

Gwen (re shot assassin): “He was just about to tell us.”
Rex: “Thanks, anyone? Thanks?”

Oh, Rex, I really do believe if you could go five minutes without being such an asshole, people like Gwen might be more appreciative when you come to their rescue. Granted, its good thing Rex did shoot that guy – the assassin was absolutely rubbish, wasn’t he?

Okay, so he presumably used dirtier methods to break into PhiCorp than Jack and Gwen did and he certainly had a glee during his scenes with Jack and Gwen but as an episode threat, he wasn’t that very engaging to be honest. I didn’t doubt for a second that would’ve slit Gwen’s throat but it still didn’t make me care about him as a villain.

On the plus side, at least he actually served a purpose with the info dumping exchanges between him and Jack in this one. This episode seemed to practically confirm that Jack’s responsible/connected to the miracle and there are families out there who have an axe to grind with the now mortal Mr Harkness.

Who they are exactly we didn’t find out, thanks to Rex shooting the trained assassin in the throat but I have a feeling that this series is finally going to get to the point and soon enough, we’ll find out who exactly is responsible for the miracle and why. At this point, PhiCorp only seem to be benefitting from the miracle rather than being the cause behind it.

Ah, PhiCorp – until someone other than Jilly steps out as a representative, they’re still very much a faceless group. Still though, their level of nastiness hit an impressive if scary this week when they found a unique way of dealing with politician Ellis Hartley Monroe.

I might have disagreed to a certain point about her whole ‘Dead Is Dead’ philosophy but even I didn’t expect that it would come to bite her on the ass so soon. Ellis believed that those who should’ve died should be segregated from the rest of society and now, thanks to PhiCorp, she’ become one of ‘Dead Is Dead’ herself given that she was crushed in a car.

Then again, things were going wrong for Ellis even before all of that, thanks to Oswald. Oswald was able to use his own ‘Dead Is Dead’ status to show a beacon of support for the same people in his position and managed to win himself some more press coverage, much to Vera and Ellis’s disgust and Jilly’s delight.

Four episodes in and Oswald is still a strange villain for me. On one hand because he’s a paedophile, he still makes my flesh crawl but on the other hand, I’m still not as compelled by him as I should be. Bill Pullman is doing a decent job with the character but at the same time, something about Oswald is lacking for me and this series to an extent.

Jilly on the other hand completely works for me in the villain stakes though. While she might be openly disgusted with Oswald in general, she’s also more than happy to be a good little PhiCorp lackey and benefit from Oswald’s successes with the general public. It certainly makes for a more interesting character in an episode devoid of decent villains too.

And when we’re not dealing with villains, our main players are also remembering they’ve still got families out there. Seeing Rex confront his angry and sick father should’ve made me feel bad for him but Rex blew it when he let his hypocrisy getting the better of him and started yelling at poor Esther.

Yes, it was reckless for Esther to go and see her sister and nieces and maybe even more so for causing her nieces to be sent into care but I can’t help sympathising with Esther’s plight more than I should do. Maybe it’s just nice that we finally got something on Esther’s background for a change.

As for Gwen – her phone conversations with Rhys were lovely, seeing Anwen was lovely but having her father taking off to Wales’s version of the Overflow Camp at the end of the episode made for a predictable cliff hanger. That being said though, I guess it was to be expected though.

Meanwhile the only character in this episode that actually felt short changed was Vera. The endless hospital scenes might be needed but they are becoming something of a chore to watch and Vera needs more to do than just churn out exposition. The sooner she joins Torchwood at this point, the bloody better for all of us.

Also in “Escape To LA”

Esther’s sister was named Sarah and her nieces were Alice and Melanie. Sarah was put into psych I think during this episode.

Esther: “Can I see them?”
Sarah: “Esther, I’d never hurt them.”

Rex’s gay jokes and comments – are they supposed to highlight homophobia or is it him trying to be funny?

Jack (to biker landlord): “We’re travelling circus folk.”
Rex (re Jack): “Yeah and he’s the clown.”
Gwen: “I’m the bearded woman but I’ve shaved.”
Jack: “Yeah, you missed a bit.”

Jilly (re Ellis): “Looks like you got a rival. You better think of a line, Oswald or you’ll be yesterday’s news.

I had to laugh at Jack using the John Smith alias during his interaction with Nicholas but Gwen’s attempts of an American accent were terrible.

Jack (to Gwen): “You are so never doing that accent again.”

Oswald: “Dead is not dead, no, not anymore. Life is life. Look at her and I can promise you with all my heart, this little girl is going to live forever and ever and ever and ever.”

Four episodes in and at this point, we could really do with some more scenes outside of the US – particularly in Wales.

Vera (re Oswald): “This is disgusting.”
Jilly: “I know.”

Gwen: “Who are you?”
Assassin: “Names aren’t important right now.”
Gwen: “Oh great, he’s cryptic.”

Chronology: A couple of hours from where “Dead Of Night” left off. No further signs of the Soulless in this one though.

Easily the weakest out of the four episodes aired so far. Though it’s nice that “Escape To LA” progressed some stuff, the episode itself wasn’t as engaging as the previous one and I still doubt that whether or not this whole premise can be sustained for such a lengthy time period.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Torchwood - Comic Con 2011 Clips Season 4

And here's a look at the Torchwood panel from this year's Comic Con ....

Nearly all the cast are there bar Kai Owen, Lauren Ambrose and Arlene Tur but it's wonderful that Jane Espenson was also presented and accounted for in absence of Russell T. Davies and Julie Gardner.
The session didn't exactly reveal anything too new (though fans got to see Dead Of Night before Starz) aired but aside from a nice trailer that showed us what else was due to happen in the fourth season and the cast talking about pranks, we still don't know if the series is coming back for a fifth year.

Comic Con Panel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAoIQEdn2h8
Season 4 Trailer: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xk2g6h_torchwood-miracle-day-comic-con-preview-2011_shortfilms

Torchwood: Miracle Day continues to air on BBC1 on Thursdays at 9pm and on Starz on Fridays at 10pm.

My Review of Torchwood's 4x03: "Dead Of Night"

Written by Jane Espenson
Directed by Billy Gierhart

Jack: “What I wanted to say was – we’re good, aren’t we? You and me, good team. I missed you.”
Gwen: “I was thinking if this happened a bit sooner.”
Jack: “I know.”
Gwen: “He’d be here, Ianto.”

See, Jack/Ianto shippers – Ianto is not forgotten. He ain’t coming back to the series and the recent audios that featured him were obviously a compromise but the show hasn’t forgotten his existence and that’s good because this is the first episode we’ve had that felt like the show I watched from 2006-2009 and hopefully that bodes well for the remainder of the season.

I know there’s been controversy about this episode because the BBC are going to edit out Jack’s sex antics with Brad the barman and my personal opinion? I think they’re wrong for doing so. Maybe it’s not relevant to the overall storyline (but neither is Rex and Vera at it either) but it speaks some bad volumes to me.

To me, its like the BBC are pandering to the narrow minded morons who see the slightest hint of same sex affection and go whinging to the likes of Ofcom when stuff that’s genuinely abhorrent is not acknowledged. That level of hypocrisy annoys me to no end but this is not Points Of View, so I’ll get on with this review.

The sex scenes in this episode to me served as a breather of sorts. Both Jack and Rex are trying to deal with various problems and like every TV show on the planet, sex is seen as a temporary solution but I think people would be complaining a lot more if it had been Jack and Gwen having sex rather than him and a fir bartender.

Still though, he did call Gwen up after his night with Brad and pretty much confessed how deeply he felt about her. It’s a scene that can be construed in a lot of way but the truth is simple – Jack does love Gwen and they’ve been through so much together that for me, it’s a scene that works.

What also works excellently about the scene is its cut in to Gwen’s brief reunion with Rhys and Anwen and that just seems to prove that regardless of what she might feel for Jack, it’s her husband and child who come first in Gwen’s world. That’s right, isn’t it?

It would’ve been nice to have seen a little more of Rhys and Anwen here but the episode amends that with the absolutely brilliant rapport between Gwen and Esther in this one. I know I complained about a ‘UK vs. US debate’ but it was actually done in a fun way here.

Esther clearly has a lot of affection for Jack and Gwen and it’s actually nice to see Gwen interact with another woman. She and Toshiko weren’t exactly that close and we didn’t get enough of her and Martha during the second season, so if I have to pick something that’s the highlight of the week, it’s going to be Gwen and Esther’s friendship.

Equally fun is the pithier dynamic with Jack and Rex. Much as Rex annoys me (though surprisingly less in this episode), he had every right to voice doubts about signing up for Torchwood but I nearly cracked myself up when Jack managed to get in that comment about Rex not liking his jokes too gay. If the show keeps up the humour like this one did, it will help the series a lot more than being serious all the time.

As for moving the plot along this week, Vera does seem to be largely in a position where she gets to point out a lot of crap. This week idiot cops banging on about not being able to call an attempted murder for what it is and then there’s the whole fact that she managed to get herself sucked into helping Rex by spying on PhiCorp.

Three episodes in and I’m still struggling to see how and why a company like PhiCorp want or need Oswald Danes on their side but with Jilly Kitzinger around the place, at least this company has an interesting face representing it. Jilly really is a breath of fresh air in this episode too.

I swear for every medical scene and for every scene revolving around pharmaceuticals, we need Jilly. Her presences of klutziness, her false sincerity, her way of getting under Oswald’s skin – I think she’s actually the more charismatic character we’ve had in this series and she’s usurping Oswald a lot in my opinion. I want more of Jilly and less of Oswald if I’m being honest.

Don’t get me wrong – Bill Pullman is doing a great job and I liked the way Oswald turned on Jack during their meeting but aside from that and deservedly getting beaten up by the police, I am struggling to see how people are getting sucked in by this guy. He’s a paedophile for flip’s sake. Doesn’t that count for anything?

Still, it’s nice that Jack and the new gang have made the connection with the miracle to both PhiCorp and Oswald. I just hope that whilst they’re dodging capture they don’t wait until the last minute to actually stop the baddies and the miracle either. Oh and Vera is totally joining Torchwood by next week, isn’t she?

Also in “Dead Of Night”

This episode was written by the legendary Jane Espenson, whose TV credits really are worth bragging about.

Friedkin: “Listen, Rex, you’ll never find them, I never did. They’re everywhere. They know everything.”

Rex was surprisingly lenient with Friedkin during their meeting but damn, Friedkin just turned out to be another minion.

Esther (re knocked out security guard): “You’ve done this before?”
Gwen: “So many times.”

Vera (to Jilly): “We don’t deserve the miracle. We’re gonna screw this up like we always do. Human damn being and I’m including myself.”

Esther admitted to Gwen that she had an older sister who cannot cope. I assume we’ll be meeting Esther’s sister later on in the series.

Rex: “As far as I can see, you got all your staff killed.”
Jack: “They were my friends.”
Rex: “Yeah, dead friends.”

Jack: “Jack. You like the coat?”
Brad: “Brad. Passionately.”

The gay bar Jack visited in this was called the Golden Gopher and Gwen encountered a V For Vendetta style group called The Soulless as well.

Jilly: “These are the times that make men, Oswald, so it’s your choice – stay where you are or stand tall and stride across the skin of the world. Which is it?”

Rex: “You aren’t impaled.”
Jack: “You should see the other. Ooh, that face. Rex doesn’t like his jokes too gay.”

Oswald backed PhiCorp’s plot to give free drugs without prescriptions. It should be interesting to see how quickly that incites chaos.

Esther: “What are you smiling for?”
Rex: “I think we got them worried.”

Chronology: This episode more or less picked up where “Rendition” left off.

After two somewhat shaky episodes, I think “Dead Of Night” might be our first solid episode of the new season. Okay, logic gaps with the miracle plot are still there and people can argue about the relevance of the sex scenes in this one, but overall, I liked this one a lot.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Torchwood's 4x02: "Rendition"

Written by Doris Egan
Directed by Bill Gierhart

Gwen: “That was your last chance.”
Lyn: “Yeah, what are you gonna do about it? If you’re the best that England’s got to offer, then God help you.”
Gwen: “I’m Welsh.”

Okay, and great punches aside, this was something of a farcical episode for me. There was fun to be had in some parts but a fair chunk of this episode also frustrated me for some reason as well.

Rex, being the biggest example of frustration. If we’re supposed to root for this guy, then the series is going a horrible way about it. I don’t expect Rex to instantly like or even trust Jack and Gwen but he kind of went above and beyond being an asshole as well. The sort of glee he took in separating Gwen from her own child really left a bad taste in my mouth.

Granted that almost might seem like less of a deal considering the comments he made about a co-worker’s sick wife in the previous episode but it just felt Rex was being unnecessarily nasty for the sake of it. If he didn’t believe that Jack and Gwen were criminals or knew anything about the miracle, then why treat the both of them with such contempt?

For all we know, Jack could very well be responsible for this ‘miracle’. He’s the only person who can actually die now and Lyn certainly had no problems in trying to test that theory when he got Rex to actually think outside the box with the morphic field theory.

John Barrowman’s acting in that scene where Jack was battling being poisoned with Gwen, Rex, Vera and even Danny and Greta all trying to save him was unintentionally funny. I should’ve felt danger during that scene but the only time I really did was when Lyn tried to stop Gwen from administering the antidote into Jack.

As for the punch up between Gwen and Lyn – you can tell the Joss Whedon influence is being felt in this show and not just because Lyn was played by Dichen Lachman from Dollhouse but because even Gwen has never been that kick arse before on the show. It was a good little fight scene though.

It’s amazing as well that in last week’s episode, it took Rex very little time to get into the UK but here it took him and everyone else ages to get back into the US though. Arguably too long, even if the plane journey did mean that Jack and Gwen had a chance to hash out some issues with each other and be teased by Rex in relation to their closeness.

Even more fun was had at the airport when Rex finally copped on to answer Esther’s calls and realise that he was walking into a trap. I have to admit I did laugh at the irony of the situation – Rex being framed and booted from the CIA by Friedkin because more importantly was the interesting position that Lyn was left in as well. I guess someone on this show is a fan of a certain Meryl Streep classic, aren’t they?

Whereas Rex was frustrating in this episode, Esther was actually a god send this week. The issues about her being forced into taking sides by Charlotte very much meant that she chose (or had to choose) Torchwood by the end of this episode but at least she was clever and nice enough to escape from Friedkin’s clutches. I guess it really did pay to be nice to the security people this week.

As for Gwen’s opinions on Esther’s choice of car for them to escape with – is this going to be a recurring theme now? The American characters ridiculing Britain/Wales and the Welsh characters doing the same to America? It will wear thin after a while and considering that both parties need each other thanks to the miracle, maybe it’s time to get on with trying to combat the plot now?

The only person who seemed to be sort of doing that this week was Vera and I have to admit, I’m not great with medical jargon most of the time and this episode made me want to snooze through certain scenes. It seems despite the miracle, people can still age, diseases can still spread and there’s a mess load of pills that Vera could do with getting in her possession if Jilly’s comments were anything to go by.

And then there was Jilly Kitzinger. By far the best thing in the whole episode (and she was only in two scenes), Lauren Ambrose is also by far the best casting we’ve had this season as well. Jilly is certainly a woman who knew how to go after her targets. Bumming a fag off Vera was one thing but playing on the knowledge of pills was another and you just know that whatever Jilly wants Vera for; it’s probably not that good.

Similarly, I can’t wait to see what her true intentions are towards Oswald as well. I doubt for a second she believes or cares about his public apology but she certainly seemed keen to get Oswald on side though. Oswald managed to give her the brush off for now but Jilly strikes me as being relentless and will probably keep pursuing Oswald until he caves in.

Now as for Oswald – I wasn’t touched or sympathetic by his public breakdown and apology for killing poor Susie Kabina and I doubt for a second that I was meant. I loved that while some people considering forgiving him, the news presenter and even one of Esther’s colleagues were still disgusted by his actions to soften their opinions on him. See, it’s nice not to see people being swayed by a sob story. I sure as hell don’t forgive Oswald and I definitely don’t believe he’s sorry at all.

Also in “Rendition”

Both Arlene Tur (Vera) and Lauren Ambrose (Jilly) are credited as “Special Guest Stars” for this episode.

Jack (re the miracle): “Great, so this is my fault.”
Gwen: “Can’t be a coincidence, Jack.”

It made sense that Rhys and Anwen wouldn’t be arrested/kept until Rex’s custody. I hope Rhys has somewhere safe to hide though.

Esther: “Oh my God, Rex is coming back.”
Charlotte: “Well some things we can predict.”

Jack: “Did you miss me?”
Gwen: “Yes. Started to think it’d be like some kind of fairytale. I’d be an old woman and you’d come by out of the blue to visit my granddaughter. I’d be ancient, and you’d still look exactly the same. Where did you go, Jack?”
Jack: “A long way away.”

Like some viewers, even I thought the episode went a little overboard in lamenting about Danny’s sexuality.

Vera: “You sound like my ex-husband.”
Rex: “Really, so does he call wanting drugs and sex?”
Vera: “Yeah.”

Oswald: “I don’t need you.”
Jilly: “I disagree, Mr Danes. You have what we call a high media quotient.”
Oswald: “Oh, everybody hates me.”

Rex’s low sodium level is apparently the least of his problems and Vera realised that the golden hour no longer applies thanks to the miracle.

Jack: “You are not giving me formaldehyde.”
Gwen: “You can shut up.”

Jack: “Rex, you have got to work on these escape plans.”

Chronology: If it’s 2011, is it before or after Oprah Winfrey finished her show? A specific date would actually be nice to know.

“Rendition” had it’s moments but it was also something of a mess in places. Too much of the action scenes that should’ve felt high octane came across as silly (and this is considering how much I love the bazooka action of last week) and the Friedkin character needs to up his game as a chief villain as well.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Torchwood's 4x01: "The New World"

Written by Russell T. Davies
Directed by Bharat Nalluri

Rex: “Who the hell are you people?”
Gwen: “We’re Torchwood.”

It’s been two years since “Children Of Earth” and with this show; it’s a case of some things never changing and virtually everything changing. In other words, it’s a case of seeing an episode that is deliberately serviceable for newcomers and long term viewers alone.

If you’re a newcomer and blissfully ignorant of what has happened before in this show, then the opening episode of “Miracle Day” brings you up to speed about what Torchwood stands for and how it has to be connected to the current dilemma of no-one in the world being allowed to die.

Russell T. Davies won’t win awards for throwing out the “death takes a holiday” trope but it’ll be interesting to see how he will be able to sustain this concept for the remaining nine episodes in this series. Right now, no-one is dying and it’s pretty horrific and this episode actually delved into that nicely.

I mean you have nurses that are so disgusted with patients who won’t die that they’re happy to bitch about it on national TV and call them “living corpses” and there are enough scenes where characters discuss the inevitable overpopulation obstacle that will certainly brew in the next few days, mainly from Gwen and Andy themselves.

As for the scene with the decayed suicide bomber – thank you, show. Every time I feel the slightest desensitised by television, then all I need to see is something rather gruesome to snap me out of it. A mangled, functioning body still alive, even when his head was removed from the body did that for me in spades.

And then there’s Jack. Boy, I’ve missed him and not just because John Barrowman does my head in as a TV presenter but also because there’s no character on TV quite like him, especially in a leading man as well. This episode isn’t Barrowman or even Jack at his most charismatic but it serves as a nice reminder that he was needed again.

Of course Jack was going to get involved in this world wide event and not just because he is now susceptible to dying, which as a plot twist goes, actually makes an alarming amount of sense. If no-one else can die, then surely Jack must be able to die. Which could mean that he’s both the cause and/or solution to setting the world right again.

Jack did his usual bout of trying to keep Torchwood as secret as humanly possible but the way I see it, he just needn’t have bothered. Gwen and Rhys were being hunted down regardless and I really struggled to see what the point was in Jack giving Esther retcon as well when it didn’t stop her from pointing Torchwood in Rex’s general direction.

Gwen and Rhys as characters have not changed from the last time they were seen. Sure, they may be in hiding with little Anwen and sure, Gwen’s parents might have drawn them out along with Andy but both of the characters have thankfully not been toned down for American viewers.

Much as I loved Rhys’s snarky banter about Jack and understood his opposition into Gwen wanting to investigate the miracle, the truth is, I was on Gwen’s side in this debate. Rhys wants to protect his family and that’s understandable but so does Gwen and honestly, she’s been put in a situation where she has to investigate the miracle.

The dilemma with her father aside, there’s also the possibility that baby Anwen is affected by the miracle too and there was no way in hell that Gwen would spend the rest of her life in hiding, doing gardening and scaring off tourists. Like anyone who’s ever travelled in the TARDIS, Gwen really cannot distance herself from the fantastical world that Jack introduced her to with Torchwood, regardless of the risks.

I loved the meeting between Jack and Gwen in this episode. I will never, ever ship them romantically but John Barrowman and Eve Myles do have such a lovely rapport with each other and now that Jack, Gwen and Rhys are being shipped to America thanks to Rex, none of them have any choice but to get involved in solving the miracle.

As for the American characters of this piece – Rex is divisive for me. In parts of this episode, he’s rather funny and charming but in other bits, he’s sort of annoying and foolhardy. I’m not gonna write the character off because I think Mekhi Phifer works well with Jack and Gwen so far but the others we met were a little better. And Rex was also impaled in this episode and survived but will he still live when the miracle stops?

Esther Drummond was an absolute delight. I loved her snooping into Torchwood, meeting Jack and fighting through the retcon to tell Rex about Torchwood as well. I think she’s definitely a very promising character and Vera the doctor was also a joy to watch. I definitely wasn’t disappointed with the new ladies introduced into the mix.

As for Oswald Danes – convicted paedophile/child killer who didn’t die during his execution? Already Bill Pullman is making the character as repugnant as humanly possible. I still think it’s a bit implausible that Oswald would’ve gotten released from prison but I am interested in seeing where the character goes from here on out.

Also in “The New World”

The subtitle for this series is “Miracle Day” and Starz are airing the episodes six days ahead of BBC1. Apparently there are also different versions for US and UK viewers, episode wise.

Rhys (re Anwen/Torchwood): “You promised me we’d keep her away from this stuff.”
Gwen: “Yeah, well to be fair, she’s too young. She thinks this all sounds like a fairytale.”

The credits are new and very white and added to them are Mekhi Phifer (Rex), Alexa Havins (Esther) and Bill Pullman (Oswald). I don’t like them but that might change next week.

Vera (to Esther): “Twenty four hours and no-one’s died? What do you think of that? One lucky day.”

Oswald (re governor): “Condolences. You can’t just say sorry?”
Alexander: “You have to respect his position. You’re a convicted paedophile, sir and a convicted murderer.”

Oswald’s defence was that his victim should’ve ran faster. That was actually more disturbing than removing suicide bomber’s head.

Rex (to Vera): “Do I get better? Do I heal or do I just hurt for the rest of my life? Because if this thing keeps going, the rest of my life is forever, right?”

Jack: “I hurt my arm.”
Esther: “Considering what we just went through, I’d say that was a miracle.”
Jack: “Yeah, another one.”

Jack posed as Owen Harper, FBI when he was watching the suicide bomber having his head removed. The 456 were also frequently mentioned as well in this episode.

Gwen: “What’s Miracle Day?”
Andy: “Are you kidding me? Where have you been?”

Rhys (to Gwen): “It’s different now. You’ve got a daughter and you can’t put her in danger.”

The miracle is only affecting human life. Plants, insects and animals are unaffected. At least that part of the mystery is out of the way.

Rex: “CIA.”
Gwen: “Yeah, so what?”

Jack (to Gwen): “I can’t leave you alone for a minute.”

Chronology: I think it’s been two years since “Children Of Earth: Day Five” but there’s no specification. We did learn that Gwen joined Torchwood in October 2006, the same time when the series first launched.

As a return episode, “The New World” is certainly getting Torchwood: Miracle Day off to an interesting start. Yes, a lot of time is spent re-establishing the show but there was definitely a lot in this episode to enjoy and as a summer series goes, it’s good to have Jack, Gwen, Rhys and the newcomers back on our screens.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Doctor Who/Torchwood - Comic Con 2011

Okay, it's not so long for Miracle Day and the second half of Series 6 of Doctor Who but both the main show and it's spin-off will be having an active presence at Comic Con 2011.

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Steven Moffat, Toby Whithouse, Piers Wenger and Beth Willis will be attending the event on Sunday July 24th from 12.30pm to 1.30pm and attendees can expect some exclusive footage from the second half of Series 6. Elsewhere Albert Welling has been cast as Hitler for the season's eighth episode, Let's Kill Hitler while Mark Gatiss has announced that the ninth episode will be called Night Terrors and Tom McRae has similarly confirmed that the tenth episode will not be called The Green Anchor. Episode 11 remains as The God Complex and the last two episodes are yet still untitled.

Torchwood will also have an active presence at Comic Con 2011. July 22nd will see John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Mekhi Phifer, Alexa Havins, Lauren Ambrose, Bill Pullman and Jane Espenson fielding questions from fans and at 9.30pm, there will be an exclusive showing of the third episode of the new season - Dead Of Night. Wish I could be there.

Miracle Day 11 Minute Preview: http://www.combom.co.uk/2011/06/torchwood-miracle-day-interview.html

Torchwood - Miracle Day UK Airdate

Well, BBC1 have announced that the fourth season of Torchwood (aka Miracle Day) will air shortly after Starz - Thursdays at 9pm from July 14th. So, I'll be watching it at American pace then. On the plus side, at least every date for the new series has been announced now.

Torchwood - Miracle Day Teasers

Starz have the synopsis for the first 7 episodes of Torchwood's Miracle Day ....

1.When death itself comes to a halt, the whole world faces its greatest danger yet. CIA agent Rex Matheson has only one clue - Torchwood.

2. As the Torchwood team is reunited, Jack realizes he's the most vulnerable man on Earth. A flight to the United States turns into a desperate battle for survival.

3. Torchwood goes on the run and finds a new enemy, but as they launch a raid on PhiCorp headquarters, Jack must confront the mysterious Oswald Danes.

4. The fight against PhiCorp takes the Torchwood team to California, where a trap is waiting. Meanwhile, Oswald and Jilly find themselves with an enemy of their own.

5. Torchwood goes undercover and discovers the terrible truth behind the Miracle. The enemy is closing in, and death is about to make a shocking return.

6. With Gwen, Rex and Esther trapped on both sides of the Atlantic, it's a race against time as Jack goes straight to the heart of the conspiracy.

7. Gwen must fight to protect her family and takes a terrifying journey, covering both miles and decades, as the long history of the Miracle is revealed.

Miracle Day airs on Starz, Fridays at 10pm from July 8th. An airdate for BBC1 has yet to be confirmed.

Torchwood - Miracle Day Character Videos/New Images

Okay, there's a month to go and the ante is being upped for promoting Miracle Day. Starz have released some interesting character trailers yesterday for the characters.

Jack, Gwen, Rex and Esther's character trailers all seem to indicate the same thing - disaster. Jack talks about being unable to try and stop it, Gwen laments about her life and family and both Rex and Esther are seen to be wounded and bloodied during their character videos.

Only Oswald Danes seems to be relishing in his new lease of life but for anyone doubting, Bill Pullman, the character video for Oswald indicates a real nasty piece work and I for one, can't wait to see how him and Jack interact in the series.

Best character trailer for me though was for Jilly Kitzinger. She's quite a ruthless madam and Lauren Ambrose seems to be veering into scary bitch and camp villain in equal measures. I think I'm going to enjoy her character a lot during Miracle Day. Oddly though, there are no character trailers for Rhys, Vera or Andy but maybe soon, eh?

Pictures: http://ie.media.tv.ign.com/media/949/949538/imgs_1.html
Character Trailers: http://www.spoilertv.com/search/label/Torchwood

Torchwood - Miracle Day New Trailer/Spin-Off Web Drama

And with a month and a half left before Miracle Day hits the airwaves, Starz are upping the ante with this enticing trailer from Access Hollywood ....

The minute and a bit trailer released some newish clips. The first few including the world announcing of Miracle Day itself as well as Rex and Esther both actively pursuing Jack and Gwen. I had to admit to laughing when Gwen was unimpressed with Rex being from the CIA and gasping a little with Jack and Esther landing in a fountain.

I found this scene a little creepy but also rather similar looking to V For Vendetta as well. I guess this is one interesting way for the world to respond over death being taken out of the equation. Also both Rex and Oswald were, erm, injured looking (well, Oswald was set to be executed) in the trailer as well. And Gwen - shooting a gun while holding your baby - might look stylish but it ain't practical.

Oswald is set for fame and the bits we saw in the trailer, it definitely looks like Jilly wants a slice of the action. I'm actually looking forward to the Oswald/Jilly relationship and I also hope that Andy is better utilised in this series than he has been in the past too.

Hot on the heels of Miracle Day will be a web spin-off called, Web Of Lies, which is set to be a precursor for the events that unfold in the fourth season. Also if Jane Espenson's tweets are anything to go by, that little gem might be featuring Eliza Dushku. What are the odd that if this is true that will mean that if Dushku's character in the web spin-off does survive, she'll either pop up later in the fourth season or be held for the fifth season? I could see it happening myself.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U9_fsoWwrc

Miracle Day airs on Starz/BBC1 from July 8th.

Torchwood - Miracle Day Cast Shots/Episode Titles

Apart from my urge to say 'where's Andy?' I gotta say that I am liking these cast pics of Miracle Day. About time we got something to gawk at. Now updated with episode titles.

Jack Harkness: He's back and playing a pivotal role as he becomes a part of events when the world stops dying. Looks like Torchwood can never go away for the handsome hero.

Gwen Cooper: Living in seclusion with Rhys and her daughter, Gwen is now back into the world saving fray once again and there are some terrible decisions coming her way.

Rhys Williams: Still unconfirmed if he's related to a certain Centurion but once again, super husband will be Jack and Gwen's right hand man during this season's major crisis but even he has his limits.
Rex Mathieson: Golden boy CIA agent who gets caught up in the crazy world of Torchwood when the world ceases dying and the consequences are at the fore and he gets quite trips including Wales, Washington and Shanghai amonst many.

Esther Drummond: An innocent woman caught up in a world of zaelots, assassins and liars but she's also going to be a valuable asset to Jack, Gwen, Rhys and Rex throughout the series. Holds a torch for Rex.

Vera Juarez: An attending surgeon in Washington, on the frontline for the cure of Miracle Day. Vera's life soon becomes entangled with Rex's as she too is drawn into the world of Torchwood.

Oswald Danes: The villain of the piece. A convicted, unrepentant child killer whose death was halted due to Miracle Day and now a celebrity as a result of it. Could be one of the best villains ever to be created by RTD.

Jilly Kitzinger: Ruthless and ambitious PR lady who sees Oswald's rising popularity as her means of becoming more famous as well as a great understanding of human needs as well. Definitely not to be trusted.

Episode titles are as follows ..

1. The New World
2. Rendition
3. Dead of Night
4. Escape to L.A.
5. The Categories Of Life
6. The Middle Men
7. Immortal Sins
8. End Of The Road
9. The Gathering
10.The Blood Line

Miracle Day airs on BBC1 and Starz from July 8th 2011.

Torchwood - Miracle Day First Look

Well, there's three months to go but we're getting some progress on Torchwood's fourth year, otherwise known as Miracle Day.

This poster pretty signifies that death is not an option and the trailer released during the weekend also plays on the notion of death's end being a bad thing for the world as well. In terms of more spoilers, I can reveal that Academy Award winner Gregory Nicotero is designing an alien for the upcoming season.
Above is a picture from possibly the first episode with Jack, Gwen, Esther and Rex but more cast shots are expected to surface pretty soon as well. Also, another thing that can be confirmed is that Murray Gold will be scoring the fourth season as well. Below is also the trailer that Starz are using to promote Miracle Day as well, which will air on the channel and BBC1 from July 8th.

Season 4 Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDZkF8gTXAA

Doctor Who/Torchwood - Promo Pictures

Okay next week I will be doing something more on spoilers for both shows but for now, here's some more recent updates. Doctor Who: The first promotional image of Series 6 has been launched and it's to promote the two part opening story, The Impossible Astronaut/Day Of The Moon with the Doctor, Amy and Rory being reflected inside the visor of an astronaut with the TARDIS as well. A similar themed trailer was released on Wednesday with the Doctor and a rather creepy Silent in the background. The Silent can also be seen in the released prequel for the opening story where President Nixon gets an interesting phone call and doesn't spot the monster in the Oval Office. A longer trailer will surface on Tuesday on BBC1, time yet to be disclosed.

Torchwood: Okay no trailers yet and while the above promotional poster is pretty basic, there will be new posters and promotional shots of the cast released after the Cannes Film Festival next month where John Barrowman will be heading over to promote the series. Starz have confirmed that Miracle Day will debut on July 8th 2011 and we can assume that will be the same date for the BBC1 transmission as well.

Series 6 Trailer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/videos/p00fvcnt
The Impossible Astronaut Prequel: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/dw/videos/p00fxf06

Peace On Earth - Torchwood Season 4 Filming Spoilers

It might be hard to believe it but at this rate, Torchwood has been filming for five weeks now in relation to it's fourth season and here are some updates ...

First of all, unlike Children Of Earth, Miracle Day will comprise of individual titles per episode. Russell T. Davies is writing episodes 1 and 10, Doris Egan has scripted episode 2, Jane Espenson has tackled episodes 3, 5, 7 and 8 (with Ryan Scott for the last one) and John Shiban has written episode 6. The writers for episodes 4 and 9 have yet to be announced. Bharat Nalluri is still directing the first episode but Bill Gierhart is helming the second one.

In filming during Cardiff last week, we saw banners saying, 'peace on earth' and 'miracle day' as well as scenes filmed with Gwen and Rhys in hospital and visiting their old pal Andy with baby Anwen in tow. Not only that but later scenes hinted at some tension between Jack and Rex (Mekhi Phifer) as well as later scenes involving both SWAT teams and a kidnap but I'm not sure who. Either way, this is getting delightfully action packed. Here's an exchange as well worth noting ...

Gwen: "Hold it there! [to Andy]
Did you call them!? [the CIA]".
Andy: "They're in charge."
Jack: "Say's who!?"
Rhys: "He can't arrest us, he's American!"
Rex: "This isn't an arrest (he then goes on to say
something about it being a plead for help)
Now get me out of here! Get me home, go!"

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure this is the first filming pictures with Six Feet Under actress Lauren Ambrose as well. This scene seems to be one between PR lady Jilly (who definitely is representing Oswald Danes) and Laurie (Rachel Leah Cohen), whose character is also due to be intimidated by a character played by Wayne Knight. Filming this week resumed in LA after the Cardiff shoot from last week. Looking forward to seeing Jilly in action with the creepy Oswald pretty soon as well.

There was also some scenes this week filmed with Dichen Lachman, Lauren Ambrose and Arlene Tur (Vera Juaraz) and a more detailed set report can be found at the link below. Either way, Torchwood is really shaping up.

Filming Info 1: http://www.doctorwhonews.net/2011/02/dwn090211120008-torchwood-week-fourfive.html

Torchwood - Season 4 Filming Spoilers

This week has been a good one. Not only are pictures of filming for Doctor Who's sixth season are coming in but so are ones for Torchwood's fourth year.

First thing is that Tom Price's character Andy Davidson has now gone from PC to Sergeant since the last time we've seen him and with filming in Cardiff this week, it seems that a lot of action is happening with him and the regulars. It'll be interesting to see how big Andy's role in the fourth season is. It'll also be a miracle if both him and Rhys are still alive by the end of the season as well.

I can't be sure what episode is being filmed - it's possbily the first one, considering that Life On Mars director Bharat Nalluri was seen on set for this one. Also joining the regulars apparently during filming in Cardiff was Mekhi Phifer and Dichen Lachman, whose role has not been disclosed yet. Here's hoping for some pics of Alexa Havins, Bill Pullman and Lauren Ambrose in the next batch, eh? I really want to see Esther, Oswald and Jilly in action already.

Returnees for this season of Torchwood also include actors William Thomas and Sharon Morgan as Geraint and Mary Cooper. I wonder if that means we'll be seeing Rhys's family as well if Gwen's are returning. Ian Hughes as also been cast as a character called Ralph Finch. Lena Kaur (Leila from Hollyoaks) will be playing Dr Alicia Patel, Danny Szam is listed as Surveillance while Daniel Adegboyega is listed as playing a guard as well. The casting is certainly growing. Maybe True Blood should watch out. I jest of course.

Russell T. Davies has also hinted that he might not remain with the series after the fourth season is finished. From an interview, he quoted ...

It's brilliant to return to Torchwood - in a way for me Torchwood never went away because it always lives in my head, really. The chance to take those characters, take Eve Myles's character Gwen Cooper and obviously Captain Jack, played by John Barrowman. It's their fourth year of stories now, it's kind of like they have become modern legends, I love that. And I think people of Wales have enjoyed it, everyone's in on the story, they're kind of in on the fun of it all, it's great to keep going.

And on what he'll do afterwards:

It's interesting as to how long I can stay in the science fiction world. Personally I think I'm coming to the end of it now and I've saved the world and blown up the world too many times, and I hope I leave Torchwood in rude health, and then I'll probably move onto something else then

It's time to write something just where people talk in kitchens, at least for me. But I hope we literally leave the franchise in in a very strong position that other writers come in and take it over.

I'm as critical of Russell's work as the next person and while he probably should move on from the sci-fi world, I'm not sure if the series could completely could go without it. Who'd take over? Maybe Jane Espenson if her and Drew Greenberg's remake of Randall And Hopkirk for SyFy goes balls up. What does everyone else think?

Filming Pictures 1: http://www.sfx.co.uk/2011/02/02/torchwood-filming-pics/

Filming Pictures 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/alun_vega/

Best Casting Ever - Doctor Who/Torchwood Spoilers

Um, excitement for both Doctor Who and Torchwood's upcoming seasons is reaching fever pitch right now, especially with casting for the latter ....

DWM Issue 430 have given us these little nuggets in relation to Season 6 ....

- Mark Gatiss's episodes has been pushed from episode 4 to episode 9.
- Steve Thompson's episode will now be episode 3.
- Neil Gaiman's episode will be episode 4.

Recent set pictures for the opening two-parter have indicated that Rory too is covered in tally marks along with Amy and River, so I'm wondering if the Doctor gets infected at some point as well in that story.

Steven Moffat has also written several endings for episode 7 so that the plot isn't given away. With any luck, they'll all be filmed and included on a Series 6 DVD as well.

Episodes 3 and 7 are the episodes currently being filmed in the same block as well.

Karen Gillan has also said that Amy is "going to be involved in the most traumatic thing - like, emotionally traumatic. She's been quite guarded, and doesn't like to show vulnerability, but we're going to see that start to crack in a massive way".

It's also been hinted that it will be episode 7 that will be featuring Cybermen and that they will NOT be in Steve Thompson's episode after all. A poster on GallifreyBase has also suggested that the new-series Cybermen might be foot soldiers of an old-series officer class of Cybermen and that they will be scary, they won’t say “delete” or “upgrade” and they may look different.

Even better than that is that Torchwood have Six Feet Under actress, Lauren Ambrose in the role of PR girl, Jilly Kitzinger, who happens to be a 'sweet-talking PR genius with a heart of stone who's just concerned the most important client of her career..and maybe all of time'. As for the client - Oswald I presume but either way, I am so stoked to be seeing her on this show. Lauren will appear in seven out of the ten episodes for the new season as well.

Exciting times, yeah?

Torchwod - The New World Becomes Miracle Day

As of tomorrow, Series 4 of Torchwood begins filming and contrary to previous reports, the header is now Miracle Day instead of The New World. Not really keen on the title but here's a general synopsis nonetheless ....

One day, nobody dies. All across the world, nobody dies. And then the next day, and the next, and the next, people keep aging -- they get hurt and sick -- but they never die. The result: a population boom, overnight. With all the extra people, resources are finite. It’s said that in four months’ time, the human race will cease to be viable. But this can’t be a natural event – someone’s got to be behind it. It’s a race against time as C.I.A. agent Rex Matheson investigates a global conspiracy. The answers lie within an old, secret British institute. As Rex keeps asking “What is Torchwood?", he’s drawn into a world of adventure, and a threat to change what it means to be human, forever.

Nobody being able to die? That's a TV trope that's been done to death (pun so definitely intended) but if RTD can manage to not kill off any other major characters I love (Rhys better make it out of this season alive) and there's some humour along the way, this could be a very enthralling series. I loved Children Of Earth but it was so bleak that I really don't want another misery fest throughout Miracle Day. Also some other bits - Gwen/Rhys's baby is called Anwen, Esther's surname is now Drummond, Oswald's surname is Danes, Vera's life becomes entangled with Rex, a lot of the action through the 10 episodes takes place in the US, Shanghai and Cardiff (filming in Wales is due later) and at some point, Jack has a tryst with a bartender. Thoughts anyone?

Torchwood - Season 4 Latest Castings

And with filming set to begin in five days, we've got two more pieces of casting for Season 4 of Torchwood.

All My Children actress Alexa Havins has bagged the role of CIA Watch Analyst Esther Katusi and while I've never heard of the actress before, I'll be intrigued to see how Esther fares as a character. Is it weird that I get Owen/Toshiko vibes off both Esther and Rex?

Former Dollhouse actress, Dichen Lachman has also bagged a role on the new series and while there's no official word on who she's playing, we do know that her character is in the CIA as well. As disappointed as I am that Enver Gjokaj didn't get to play Rex, I'm delighted that Dichen will be on the series.

Season 4 begins filming on January 11th with an airdate for both Starz and BBC1 due for July 1st. Yay for a confirmation.

Torchwood - Season 4 Major Castings

You wait ages for something in relation to Torchwood and then two whoppers land on your doorstep at once.

ER and Lie To Me's Mekhi Phifer has been cast in the role of CIA agent, Rex Matheson and while he's a fine actor and all, I was actually expecting someone slightly younger for the role for some reason. Still, it'll be interesting to see Rex stands alongside Jack, Gwen and Rhys as filming for The New World begins in January.

Elsewhere Independence Day/Sleepless In Seattle's Bill Pullman has snagged the role of murderer Oswald Jones who manages to become a media sensation after breaking out of prison whilst getting involved in events. Pullman's casting is definitely a big coup for the series and I guess it won't be too long before Esther's casting is announced. So, what does everyone think of our guys?

Doctor Who/Torchwood Spoilers

Okay, some latest spoilers for the upcoming seasons of both Doctor Who and Torchwood. Normally I would've done seperate blogs but both stuff was just enough for one this time around.

Doctor Who - Last night, Arthur Darvill, Karen Gillan and Matt Smith were there to put on the Christmas lights in Cardiff but from November 17th-19th, they'll be in Utah along with Alex Kingston to film for the season opener of Series 6. Other spoilers from Moffat have surfaced in NyMag in regards to River's identity being revealed. It's also been mentioned on Gallifreybase that Amy will learn something about River in the opening episode that she won't be able to tell the Doctor. Closer to that, Children In Need on November 19th will give fans a teaser for the Christmas special, which means a title should be pretty imminent as well. EDIT: The episode will be called A Christmas Carol. I'm smiling because of that.

Torchwood - Arlene Tur has been cast in the recurring role of Dr Vera Juaraz. So far, she's the only casting for the new series but RTD has mentioned that The New World will take place two years after the events of Children Of Earth. Filming is set to begin in January 2011 with both Starz and BBC1 due to air the series in the summer.