by Casey-Leigh Hethers

Created on: September 15, 2011   Last Updated: September 19, 2011

Torchwood: Miracle Day takes an edgy, dark television show primarily targeted at adult viewers and turns it into a disjointed part of the Torchwood series. No longer does it seem like part of the Doctor Who franchise and instead it is almost as if it must be viewed as a separate entity altogether. Of course, Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) returns in the same lovable style as always and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) is again on top form, but the background and atmosphere is missing.

The quintessential British approach to the show is missing and the Americanised approach to the show is evident. Instead of dark, night-time scenes, we have sunny shots of the beach. Cardiff, Wales, is replaced by a global backdrop and, instead of the creatures of the night that threaten the safety of the human race, the understanding of the world itself is completely changed. The preceding Children of Earth can be said to have had some of the same approach, yet to a lesser extent, and Miracle Day completes the transition from the Torchwood of the early seasons into its latest version.

Without taking into account its early days, Torchwood: Miracle Day is still worth seeing. It is an excellent supernatural drama with complex writing and interesting characters. Harkness and Cooper carry the show and new introductions are able to offer able support as well. Without the Torchwood connection, Miracle Day could – in itself – have been a concept worth investing in. The premise of “one day, nobody dies … and the next … and the next” makes it a heart-stopping thriller packed with an underlying sense of mystery and the ongoing unanswered questions are something to keep the audience coming back for more with each episode.

Mekhi Phifer as Rex Matheson is the arrogant CIA agent that pulls Torchwood into the forefront of the events of Miracle Day. He accosts Gwen from her reclusive home with husband Rhys Williams (Kai Owen) and their daughter Anwen. On Miracle Day, Matheson should have died in a traffic accident when metal rods shattered through the windscreen and pierced into him. The injury is something that leaves him borderline between categories one and two - a classification dividing the living and the "dead" of Miracle Day. At the time of the accident, he would have been category one however due to the time he has had to heal, he is category two.

CIA analyst, Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins), struggles with her personal life and is less equipped to deal with the action of events that happen. She is not trained in field work - as Matheson is - yet Drummond provides invaluable technical support. Dr Vera Juarez (Arlene Tur) plays a significant role as Rex Matheson's surgeon on the Miracle Day. Jilly Kitzinger (Lauren Ambrose) and Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) also have interesting parts in the ongoing changes to the world on and after Miracle Day.

The links to the old Torchwood are best seen by the people in Gwen's life: her husband and daughter, her parents, Geraint and Mary Cooper and former partner on the Cardiff Police Andy, who is now a sergeant. Torchwood: Miracle Day emphasises the struggle between humanity and militant forces. Most often seen in Gwen's contrasting roles as mother and fighter, Esther is given the same quandary as she worries about her older sister while trying to find the answers behind Miracle Day. Torchwood retains the strong writing that has made the show what it is and the consistent development of its characters.

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