Torchwood: Miracle Day

The Plot

One day death stops.  Prisoners on death row can't be killed. The terminally ill stay terminally ill forever and even individual pieces of dismembered corpses remain in their own shocking way, alive.  At the same time a single word is emailed to intelligence agencies across the whole world - "Torchwood".  But before an investigation into this phenomenon can occur a mysterious computer virus wipes all evidence of it.  With the world quickly descending into panic, Captain Jack Harkness returns to Earth to investigate The Miracle.

The Characters

Captain Jack: I always had a problem with making Captain Jack the leader of Torchwood because he was a loner, not a leader.  I felt that Torchwood needed a Picard or Professor X type of character as Torchwood's leader, with Jack the hot headed second in command.  With Torchwood effectively being no more, Jack gets to be well used here as he runs off wildly trying to save the world and his independent nature is at times an asset to the story.  The only problem I had with his characterisation was the lack of wise cracking and his overly sombre mood.  However this can be explained by the terrible events at the end of Children of Earth.  Nevertheless this is still the Captain Jack who first showed up in The Empty Child.

Gwen Cooper: Gwen knows her past with Torchwood will catch up with her so she's hiding on the Welsh coast and trying to lead as normal a life as possible.  Gwen's transition back into the mad world of Torchwood is well written and once she realises the world is counting on her, the old Gwen kicks back in.  Eve Myles is as wonderful, as always.

Rex Matheson: The cool black dude.  I envy him!  Rex is the best of the American characters and Mekhi Phifer really brings this character to life.  Years of military and CIA training have made him a hardened character but he still has his sense of morality and is able to see the big picture except for the last scene with Esther, when he unexpectedly goes all emotional.  I guess that's what women can do to guys I suppose.

Esther Drummond: The obligatory dumb blonde, I really hated her.  Esther puts the entire mission in jeopardy multiple times yet they keep her around and even high five her when she finally turns out to be useful.  I was almost cheering when she died at the end.  Bastard that I can be.

Oswald Danes: Contender for the Worst Person Alive award, this psychopath is expertly played by veteran actor Bill Pullman.  Watching Danes go from despised child killer to superstar showed how mad The Miracle made the world go.  The story would have been much poorer without him in it.

Thoughts

Miracle Day starts of brilliantly as the implications of The Miracle are explored, often in horrific detail.  Hospitals quickly overflow with the already dead, some wars end while others descend to a new level of cruelty.  Then the cults start up, politics takes a naty turn and even a convicted child rapist and murderer becomes a superstar.  Exploring the impacts of deathlessness on the world is incredibly thought provoking and by far the best aspect of Miracle Day.

Unfortunately by about half way the story starts to run out of steam as we get lots of running around, questions, more questions and very few answers.

Miracle Day feels very different due to the US co-production which gives the whole story a different tone and look to previous series.  There are somewhat unnecessary explosions and actions scenes that all scream "AMERICAN!".  Maybe it's just because I'm just used to change by now but this Americanisation didn't bother me one bit.  Miracle Day really isn't Torchwood as the organisation is no more, and Torchwood acts more like a code word binding the rag tag team of heroes together.

Which brings me to the most disappointing aspect of the story.  The new Torchwood have to be the dumbest group of heroes to grace TV in a long time.  They run around with little to no plan, get caught, escape because of implausible plot contrivances and then decide to ignore what little plan they had.  I think the universe was on their side, because the sheer amount of good luck that allowed them to not get killed (sorry, be turned into Category Ones) was beyond unbelievable at times.    

Thankfully the final episode gives all the answers and satisfying conclusion to the Miracle storyline, although the Three Families plot has been deliberately left open for future series.

The Verdict

Overall Miracle Day is a marvellously thought provoking, yet flawed story that never lives up to the promise shown in the first few episodes.  Compressing the story to five or six episodes would have improved Miracle Day considerably but this is still a brilliantly thought provoking series worth watching, although you'll have to persevere through a few episodes in the middle.

3.5 / 5

So, will there be more Torchwood?  Starz Entertainment have said it depends on whether Russell T Davies commits to continuing with the show and he's been non-committal one way or another.  If this is the end for Torchwood it's not a bad one but it doesn't live up to the quality of Children of Earth.

The Man With the Child in His Eyes: A Review of A Christmas Carol

It's Christmas Eve and Amy and Rory are on a starliner hurtling to their death as they, along with 4001 others, plummet through the icy clouds of a planet run by the bitter old man, Kazran Sardick.  Only Kazran can clear the clouds and save the lives of 4003 people, but even The Doctor can't talk him into it.  With time running out The Doctor attempts to alter Kazran's history and change him from the bitter old man he became.

A Christmas Carol is the first Christmas special written by Steven Moffat and it has his fingerprints written all over it.  The entire plot revovles around wibbly, wobbly time travel shenanigans which provide plenty of laughs as well as moving the story along.  Accepting that a planet in the far future has architecture and fashion resembling Dickensian London requires one to completely suspend their disbelief, but behind this absurdity is a rather brilliant story about the loss of childhood innocence and reclaiming one's soul.  Although it's been many years since I read it, I think this is a very loose adaptation of Continuity Errors, a short story Steven Moffat wrote for the third Decalog collection in 1995.

Amy and Rory feature only briefly but are used effectively and to humourous end.  Matt Smith is on perfect form as The Doctor, showing the wisdom of the Time Lord as well as playing his eccentric side to the maximum.  What struc me in this story is just how different the show and the main character are from what they were in the Russell T Davies era.  The Doctor as a lonely wanderer is definitely gone, and rather than focusing on the melancholy aspect of the story the humour and adventure takes centre stage.

However the real star of the show is the esteemed actor Michael Gambon, who gives a brilliant performance as Kazran.  Gambon brings this well written character to life perfectly.  Kylie Minogue may be the highest profile guest star to appear in a Christmas special but Gambon's performance is one of the best of any guest star in Dr. Who yet.

The production is almost flawless and Kazran's planet is a wonderfully realised bit of steampunk.  The only effect that is less than flawless is the shark, but even this is quite effective.

A Christmas Carol is undoubtedly the best Christmas special yet.  Roll on December 25, 2011.

5/5

The song for this review is a rather ordinary number from Kate Bush's otherwise brilliant first albumn, The Kick Inside.

An old review of The Curse of Fenric

Lookie what I came across!  A review of The Curse of Fenric that I submitted to the Dr.Who Ratings Guide in October 1999.  Have a read and I'll post my revised thoughts on this story afterwards.

Best story ever? by Jai Parker 20/10/99

Imagine a Doctor Who story about the Doctor facing evil itself. Can you already hear the "boo ha ha's!" sounding pathetic? So it's quite impressive that the one story where the Doctor did face evil itself is definitely one of the series' finest. Some have said that this is the best Doctor Who story of all time and I tentatively agree. For starters the plot is so grown up that it is hard to imagine that this is even technically, or ever was, a kids show. The first time I saw Fenric I was only 11 and understood little of what was going on. However when I hired out the video a few years later I was impressed by Ian Briggs' script. The level of tension conveyed and the well thought out plot, along with a twist at the end made Fenric a challenging and enjoyable story.

The Curse of Fenric's other strength attributable to Ian Briggs is the characters. Millington is a believable human villain who you can almost feel sorry for and works well with the pitiable Dr.Judson, while Reverend Wainwright adds a mixture of hope and sadness to both lighten and dull the tone at once. All three characters are suberbly played by their respective actors.  Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred give great performances and Ace really comes of age while The Doctor at his darkest and most manipulative. Even Fenric, evil incarnete, comes across well and  is totally believable.

Despite all the low budget limitations The Curse of Fenric is well produced.  The musical score sets the scene perfectly, the special effects are quite effective and there's some great location work that sets the feel of the second world war.  The climax is almost perfect, with the Doctor's last gamble saving the day.  All of this combines to make The Curse of  Fenric one of the most impressive and consistent Doctor Who stories that still holds up to repeat viewings today.

In retrospect I was quite generous to The Curse of Fenric. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very good story. It is well produced considering the budgetary and time constraints and it has a good plot and some well drawn characters. But over time I've realised that Dr. Who should be more accessible to the casual viewer and Fenric is tries to be just a bit too clever for its own good. It's also interesting how in 1999 I seemed to want Dr. Who to be recognised as a more adult programme. Since then that attitude to Dr. Who has completely reversed and I'm quick to point out that it should be written primarily for kids. Around the time I wrote this review I remember hiding my Dr. Who videos when a girl I was keen on came over, as I was worried my chanceswith her would immediately disappear if she saw I owned videos of some cheap kids sci-fi show!

Overall I stand by most of what's written in that 11 year-old review, but in retrospect the plot is a bit too clever for its own good and I've gone off the idea of the dark, manipulative Doctor portrayed in Series 26. I give Fenric a revised rating of...

4/5

A review of Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith

I'm writing this review on my 31st birthday. Now I'm sure some of you are thinking 'Youngster!' while others are marvelling at how anyone can possibly be so old. Truth be told 31 is far from old, but in the past year I have felt myself slowing down somewhat. For the first time I'm getting the inescapable sense that I will get old and that I won't be around forever...

Sarah, Rani and Clyde investigate an alien meteor and meet Ruby White, a woman remarkably like Sarah. She's also aware of alien life and deals with extra terrestrial incursions on a regular basis. But unlike Sarah she is young, fit and she drives a hot car. Ruby is every bit as capable as Sarah and even more so. With Sarah exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease, has she found someone to take responsibility for defending the Earth?

Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith is a story about really getting old and reaching the end of your usefulness. If your life is your work, what do you have left when you can't keep working? After Sarah's reintroduction in School Reunion (just pretend The Five Doctors never happened...) she has really found her place in the world but this story explores how she would react at having to give it all up.
This premise is a tantalising one and in some ways it's a case of the story imitating the reality of the show's production. Liz Sladen is getting on and the previous two series have featured the title character less to accomodate her increasing filming limitations.

This is the third story this series in which the kids have to save the world without help from the lead character and it was great to see Luke back. Some of the interaction between Luke and Rani really stands out and demonstrates just how far Luke has come from the socially awkward struggler of Series One.

Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith has a few weaknesses which marr an otherwise excellent story. The idea that Sarah and Rani were so quick to trust Ruby is absurd and for someone who considers herself an investigator Rani displayed no inquisitiveness about a remarkably unusual situation. The acting by Julie Graham (Ruby) was quite weak and Anjili unnecessarily camped up the scene where Rani bluffed Ruby.

In spite of a few flaws Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith is a very good end to Series Four. With the first half of Series Five already in the can and excellent viewing figures for the current series I think this show has a fair bit of life in it yet.


4/5

P.S. I wrote this review and watched both episodes on the Nokia E63 that my wonderful Wife gave as a birthday present. Forget touch screens, I love my qwerty keyboard!

A review of Lost in Time

Sarah, Rani and Clyde are tempted to investigate a local shopkeeper's report of a massive alien creature, but it turns out they have been lured there because the shopkeeper needs them to complete a quest. Three pieces of chronium, metal forged in the Time Vortex itself, have been spread across Earth's history and now all three are needed to stabilise time and stop Earth from being sucked into the Vortex. Sarah Jane, Rani and Clyde are then dispatched to separate time zones to complete their quests, and if they fail to do so in time, Earth is doomed.

It's no secret that former BBC One Controller Peter Fincham was impressed with Series One of The Sarah Jane Adventures, and he made Russell T Davies the offer to have it's status bumped up from being a CBBC show to a Saturday evening BBC One programme running in the same timeslot as Dr. Who, Robin Hood and Merlin. Davies declined, believing that Sarah Jane Adventures was perfect for CBBC and that in some way Dr. Who should have a presence on the channel specifically catering to children. I agree wholeheartedly with him, although this series has been surprisingly adult in tone and is dealing with issues and displaying incidents that would never have appeared in Series One. For example the developing romance between Clyde and Rani would never have been developed when these characters were younger. But Lost in Time in particular deals with some very adult themes, such as the execution of The Nine Day Queen, small children dying in a house fire and displaying Nazis running around with automatic guns. One of the strict rules when Sarah Jane Adventures started was "No guns!". How much this little show has grown up along with the characters!

Lost in Time has a tantalising plot which is cleverly resolved, although the main strength is the drama. The scenes with Lady Jane in particular stand out as Rani deal with her inevitible fate although Sarah Jane's storyline in early 20th Century also has a fair bit of dramatic oomph. The nature and identify of The Shopkeeper and his parrott is never explained, and it doesn't need to be. Nevertheless I find the idea that whoever or whatever has stepped in to fill the vacant role as time's guardians are disguising themselves as parrotts to be somewhat bizarre!

The only signficant issue I have with this story is the lack of humour. There were plenty more opportunities for Clyde to have a laugh at the Nazi's expense and although the segments featuring Rani and Sarah Jane were deadly serious a few more gags would have helped break the tension of this unusually serious story.

Even so Lost in Time is a superb story. It's cleverly plotted, dramatic and heartbreaking. Anyone who won't watch this because it's a CBBC programme doesn't know what they're missing.

5/5

A review of The Empty Planet

Clyde and Rani wake up one morning to find that they're the only people left on Earth. Nobody else, and no mobile coverage, TV, radio or anything. But then they discover another another human and when robots appear out of nowhere things get even stranger…

Gareth Roberts has proven himself to be an invaluable addition to the Dr. Who writing team. In the 1990's he wrote about a dozen Dr. Who novels and all were heavy on humour but tended to have ropey plots and The Doctor, Benny, Roz and Chris often acted out of character. Roberts has come a long way since then, and The Empty Planet is a good example of the knack he's developed for clever plotting as well as his ability to write excellent character pieces.

As Sarah Jane is missing for almost the entire story The Empty Planet focuses almost entirely on Clyde and Rani, who have to work out what is going on and save the world without any help. This is handled exceptionally well and their, er, relationship starts to develop some more. Much of the point of this is to give Clyde and Rani a chance to realise that they're not second best, they're not just sidekicks. In fact they're just as important as Sarah and Mr. Smith. It's also good to see the gradual evolution of Clyde and Rani from kids into adults. They're now in Sixth Form (the UK equivalent of Grade 12) and are really young adults, so the production team is being clever by not pretending they're still 13 year-olds.

Asides from it's strength as a character piece, The Empty Planet is remarkably eerie and has to be one of the most atmospheric pieces of children's TV ever. Seeing Rani verge on panic as she realises there may be nobody else left and watching them chased through the deserted London streets is a sight more at home in a sci-fi horror film than a CBBC programme, but it's handled in a way that shouldn't freak small children out too much. Oh, and there are cool robots. I like robots.  :)

It's hard to say more about the plot than what's shown in the trailer without giving away too much, let's just say I didn't see the twist coming and the resolution really is very clever.

Overall The Empty Planet is another excellent story. Starting to sound like a broken record, am I? Well that's because this series is just so good!

5/5

A review of Death of the Doctor

UNIT shows up at 13 Bannerman Rd with terrible news. The Shansheeth, known as the intergalactic carers of the dead, have returned a body to Earth and DNA tests confirm it's the Doctor. Sarah Jane, Clyde and Rani attend the funeral and there they meet Jo Jones, formerly Jo Grant, and her grandson Santiago. Sarah Jane is convinced it's a setup while everyone else puts her reaction down to denial.

Of course The Doctor isn't dead and the whole thing is a trap but it's fascinating to see how people would react to the Doctor's death and this makes for interesting viewing.

Like The Nightmare Man this is an excellent character piece, as we see Sarah Jane's reaction to the mere possibility of the Doctor being dead and how her life compares to that of Jo Jones, played perfectly by Katy Manning. I was never a huge fan of Jo but Katy Manning plays the role as perfectly as she did 37 years ago. Jo is still the scatterbrained, bouncy character she always was, just much older and is a perfect example of the ageing hippy. Bringing Jo back was clever because it allows the audience to see the massive contrast between her life and Sarah Jane's. While Sarah was childless and somewhat lonely for most of her life Jo married and has a huge family. Yet both women spent their lives after travelling with The Doctor missing him dearly and hoping he would come back for them.

And on the topic of The Doctor, Matt Smith is, as you would expect, wonderful! Russell T Davies has particular fun with his appearance as he plays havoc with established continuity by discarding the old 12 regenerations rule and in a pleasing moment he The Doctor states that he doesn't have to be white. And listen carefully for the revelation that the scenes of The Doctor saying goodbye to his companions in The End of Time was only the highlights. He actually went back and saw all of them.

The Shansheeth are an interesting villain and reasonably well realised considering the budgetary constraints of a CBBC production. The plot holds together quite well and at first it seemed The Shansheeth's plan was a bit ropey, but upon reflection it makes perfect sense.

In terms of fan pleasing references this takes the cake of any and every episode of Nu Who or Sarah Jane. Not only are there flashbacks to Doctor in his First, Second, Third, Fourth and Tenth incarnations, but everything from Aggedor to Zygons gets a mention or a brief clip. And if that wasn't enough no less than six former companions have their stories closed off in the final, touching scene and it's revealed that Liz Shaw is stationed on UNIT's Moonbase! As with The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, it's sad that The Brigadier was unable to make an apperance and meet The Doctor again, but Nicholas Courtney's health problems have prevented him from working, so it appears that we've sadly seen the last of The Brig.

But all these flashbacks and references work within the story, and are anything but gratuitous and unnecessary. Because ultimately Death of the Doctor is a story about the power of nostalgia and the impact positive memories can have to keep one going through a difficult present.

Despite the strength of the plot and well drawn characters the best aspect of Death of the Doctor is that is's just plain FUN! Yes, this is a thoroughly enjoyable story filled with aumusing situations and sparkling dialogue that could elicit a chuckle from even the sourest viewer.

Death of the Doctor is another very good story, just don't get too caught up obsessong over the continuity references and remember to laugh!

5/5