The Shark Tank's Doctor Who Reviews

Tree Aliens

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:32:00 +0000

Story: The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe
Written By: Steven Moffat
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

This year's Christmas special is a decent effort, it isn't as good or as Christmassy as last year's special had been, but it is still an entertaining hour of television for the holidays.

The Doctor attempts to help a mother and her kids have a wonderful Christmas during World War II after her husband is declared dead after his plane goes missing. They are transported into a snowy world with trees that naturally grow with ornaments, and others that are alive.

It is fun, just go with it and enjoy a decent Who adventure. I liked it.

NEXT TIME: TBA

The Sarah Jane Adventures - Series 5 Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:14:00 +0000

Sadly, Series 5 is both unfinished, and the final series for The Sarah Jane Adventures, as Sarah Jane Smith herself (the wonderful Elizabeth Sladen) passed away from her battle with cancer before shooting could start back up. Luckily they had completed 6 episodes, 3 complete episodes, and we get to enjoy Liz Sladen one last time as the immortal Sarah Jane, who was introduced to Doctor Who 38 years ago in “The Time Warrior”. She was one of the most popular companions, which is why she warranted being brought back for a failed spin off (K-9 and Company), the 20th anniversary special (The Five Doctors), a reintroduction in the new series (School Reunion), and leading up to this wonderful children’s series.

SJA started off a little too kid-cheesy for me. Now I like cheese in doses, thats why I love things like Classic Who, Flash Gordon serials, Star Trek, Dick Tracy, and the Rocketeer...but that first season was pretty lame and cheesy and it talked down to kids. Never talk down to kids, kids want to be treated like adults...and when you treat them like adults they grow up to be adults.

The second improved on the first, losing the weak link character of Maria and replacing her with the far more natural Rani...as well as losing the talking down to kids factor. It even brought back the Brigadier! (Nicholas Courtney another wonderful Who vet also passed away just slightly prior to Sladen). The only sad thing is the second half of the finale fell short, and the season ended on a mediocre note. Then there was the uneven but ultimately watchable third season, before landing an absolute perfect (from beginning to end) season in Series 4.

And here we are with Series 5, the unfinished and final season to take place on Bannerman Road. It is a nice run of episodes, obviously the big finale wasn’t shot, and the story of Sky, which I’m sure would have been completed, didn’t get too much closure...but I think the episodes were solid enough. Series 4 was definitely the peak of the series but the truncated Series 5 was rather enjoyable...and the producers did a solid bit of extra editing to close the series off on a high note.

So ends the tale of Sarah Jane Smith, she will probably live on in spin off material I will never really see...but Elizabeth Sladen was a great big part of the Who universe, and she got a decent run in this surprisingly enjoyable kids show.

NEXT TIME: Christmas During the War

End of the Bannerman Road

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 21:13:00 +0000

Story: The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Man Who Wasn’t There
Written By: Gareth Roberts
Length: 2 Episodes
Year: 2011

The final story of the Sarah Jane Adventures is a decent little adventure of Sarah and the gang taking on a sort of Apple Computer corporation. The actual founder hasn’t been seen in the flesh for years, because he actually had died in an accident years prior (sort of weird that Steve Jobs passed not long after this episode aired). The man has been kept alive through the use of a hologram, controlled by an evil company leader and a group of alien slaves.

Sarah, Sky, and the visiting Luke take on the company on the inside, while Mr. Smith, Clyde, and Rani take it on from the outside. It is a decent episode, certainly enjoyable with a nice little family story about Luke and Sky learning to become sudden brother and sister. And a family story between the Smiths is a decent way to go out for this series.

Clearly this was not originally meant to be a finale, it was meant to be just an episode in the middle...the finale was never shot before Sladen passed, but the producers managed to end the show with a nice little adventure with a family subplot...which actually quite naturally fit the final few moments of the second episode: a series of clips from the past 4 and half years, seeing the characters on adventures and being this little family unit they became, with Liz Sladen narrating that she found family on Earth (most of the seasons have begun and ended with little “finding adventure and family on Earth” narration by Sladen), and I think the series ends on a rather nice note, with text saying the adventure goes on forever.

It definitely was a happy note to end the show on, and I’m glad Luke was involved as well.

NEXT TIME: SJA Series 5 Recap

Hetocumtek

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Story: The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Curse of Clyde Langer
Written By: Phil Ford
Length: 2 Episodes
Year: 2011

Fish rain from the sky, and the investigation leads Sarah Jane and Co. to a museum housing a totem pole, which has a legend of doing something similar. Clyde pricks his finger on it and soon anyone who hears or says his name hates his guts.

The story is decent, and the performance from Daniel Anthony drives the whole thing as the rest of the cast get angry and shout nasty things at him. I liked this, slightly better than I liked the premiere story, and I think the character of Sky is nicely integrating into the cast as a sort of psuedo-replacement for Luke. I’m glad they went the opposite route, a somewhat alien kid who has no concept of the world around her, as opposed to the boy genius that was Luke. I think the episode did a decent job of handling the homeless issue, without making it too preachy for the kids.

So decent episodes, no the best, but certainly not the worst the show has offered, at its very least it was entertaining.

NEXT TIME: SerfBoard

Baby on the Doorstep

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 17:49:00 +0000

Story: The Sarah Jane Adventures: Sky
Written By: Phil Ford
Length: 2 Episodes
Year: 2011

Sarah Jane’s final season begins with a baby being left on Sarah’s doorstep. The baby is actually genetically engineered to grow up fast and is a bomb to destroy the enemies of the Fleshkind. The Fleshkind are essentially humans from another world, who have long been at war with the inhabitants of another planet nearby, The Metalkind (people made of metal).

So it becomes up to Sarah and the gang to try and stop the Fleshkind from activating this innocent girl and destroying an entire race. The episodes are fun and decent, which again feature a cameo from Luke at school via webcam, nicely introduces a new lead character who is now playing the part of Sarah Jane’s foster daughter, and a reappearance at the end of The Captain and the Shopkeeper from “Lost in Time”. Admittedly things like CLyde and Rani figuring out to shut down a nuclear reactor is pretty damn ridiculous...but the episodes were enjoyable enough that I suppose I can let that go.

NEXT TIME: Everybody Hates Clyde

Doctor Who - The Revival: Series 6 Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:25:00 +0000

Series 6 was fantastic. Series 5 had that lag in the middle that drags the experience down. That season had been plagued with this sad little fact: with the exception of “Amy’s Choice” and “The Lodger”, if Moffat did not write it the episode was mediocre to just plain bad. Luckily this season doesn’t share that distinction. “The Curse of the Black Spot” was decidely average, if not a tad on the weak side, while “Closing Time” was average through in through. The latter wasn’t really terrible, but after so many great episodes like “The Girl Who Waited” and “The God Complex” it just couldn’t hold up, certainly not like “The Lodger” had.

The season had some great little arcs, from the Doctor’s death to Amy’s pregnancy and the answer of who River Song is, and they were all wrapped up fairly nicely...and their are still some questions left to be answered. Silence still needs to fall, we still need to learn why the TARDIS exploded in “The Pandorica Opens”, and while we know the question...I know we will never learn the answer of Doctor who?

Mostly I just found myself enjoying every episode more than I had enjoyed the series last year. I kept feeling somewhat disappointed by episodes during series 5...the vampires episode, the terrible Silurian two parter, the sort of humdrum anti-climax in “Victory of the Daleks”, and even the much heralded Van Gogh episodes left me disappointed (and I’ve rewatched it and still feel it isn’t nearly as “beautiful” as so many fans have claimed). This go around I was mostly pleased after episodes...loved the Silence, enjoyed the Flesh, “The Doctor’s Wife” was fantastic, as was “The Girl Who Waited” and “The God Complex”. Then you get things like “Night Terrors”, which was almost like a good version of “Fear Her”. There was also the wonderful Christmas special, and a few extra prequels and mini episodes, which was fun. Sure “The Curse of the Black Spot” was kind of a clunker, and “Closing Time” didn’t really hit all the right marks....but the highs were so often and tremendous that those two lesser episodes barely even scratched the integrity of this season.

Bravo, Moffat...and bring on Christmas.

NEXT TIME: The Final Chapter for Sarah Jane

The Confidential Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:25:00 +0000

Story: Death is the Only Answer
Written By: The Children of Oakley Junior School
Length: 4 Minutes
Year: 2011

So Doctor Who Confidential held a contest for schoolchildren to get the chance to write their own Doctor Who story. They were given a few guidelines to keep it’s budget down, and the winners story was to be shot and starring Matt Smith.

Death is the Only Answer is a silly short little story with the Doctor in the TARDIS with a Fez, and Albert Einstein who turns into an Ood and quickly changed back again. It is kind of confusing...but it was written by a whole host of students together at a school...so you can kind of forgive the silliness (and kind of confusing nature) of it all and just enjoy the fact that you get four more minutes of Matt Smith.

Oddly, this episode aired along with what is now the final episode of Doctor Who Confidential, as BBC budget constraints have lead to the cancellation of the episode by episode documentary series. While some may lament the passing of the hit and miss “making of” series, I totally see where BBC is coming from...you can’t spend a whole chunk of money for two shows when only one is really helping make money and bring in viewers.

So this four minute short is sort of like the final thing Confidential brings to Who fans, and I think it is a nice little way for that particular series to go out. A fun and silly little story written by actual child fans of the program.

NEXT TIME: Series 6 Recap

The Oldest Question

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:19:00 +0000

Story: The Wedding of River Song
Written By: Steven Moffat
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2011

Oh Steven Moffat...I love you. The man know how to spin a complex web of a story. This finale nicely wraps up the major plot threads of Series 6, though not all of it. I think it wrapped up the major plot-line of Lake Silencio and the Doctor’s death quite nicely, and with a twist I really should’ve seen coming but couldn’t (despite trying to figure out how he doesn’t actually die for a good chunk of the episode). The alternate universe was interesting, and the conclusion with the Doctor choosing to try and lay low for a bit, as opposed to how overly popular the character has become within his own universe, was a nice touch. Moffat makes a wise choice in dialing back the Doctor’s powers and hoards of friends with that little element. He is going to keep moving, but try not to be the big universe destroying entity he has sort of become as of late.

I really liked so much from this episode...from the Silence, to the alternate timeless Earth, to the man eating skulls, or the nice little return of Dorium’s head, the sad little moment of the Brigadier’s death (I’m glad the Brig and Nicholas Courtney got their tribute in Who proper), and the wonderful little end of what the question is...that oldest question: Doctor Who?

Smith and Co. yet again deliver great performances, and the visuals these days are so top notch for TV (I mean from Series 1 on the visual effects have been pretty great but that CG looks so weak compared to what they can do now), and the pots continue to be winding and almost to the point of confusing before being perfectly explained by Moffat. This was a proper universe and time spanning fantasy adventure, and I enjoyed every moment of it!

NEXT TIME: From Oakley Junior School

Stormageddon

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 07:15:00 +0000

Story: Closing Time
Written By: Gareth Roberts
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2011

Decent episode, but not as good as the rest of this season has been. I’d say it is a cut above “The Curse of the Black Spot” in terms of quality. It doesn’t really match the level of entertainment I found in last season’s “The Lodger” which introduced Craig, and it also isn’t the best Cybermen tale (but then again I’ve seen worse as well).

The episode really has the Doctor worrying about his impending doom, while trying to stop the Cybermen and teach Craig to be a dad. The ending is a little too simple, with Craig managing to stop his Cyber-conversion and destroy the Cybermen with “love”. I know Roberts tried to write around the fact that it wasn’t really love...but really it is essentially the solution. Shame.

The very end, with hints of next week and answering who the Impossible Astronaut was (if you were unsure of your suspicions, yes it really is River) was well done and got me ready for next week.

I’m not sure this episode kept the momentum this second half had going as strong, but it worked for me enough, I enjoyed it, and I’m still excited for the exciting conclusion to come next week.

NEXT TIME: To Lake Silencio

Praise Him

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 03:42:00 +0000

Story: The God Complex
Written By: Toby Whithouse
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2011

This season, particularly this second half, has been pretty fantastic. I think apart from “The Curse of the Black Spot” every episode has ranged from fairly decent to damned amazing. The pirate episode itself was only just sort of average and nothing special (but really it wasn’t terrible).

This episode is scary, funny, and thrilling as the Doctor, the Ponds, and some new folks work their way through a hotel where everyone has a door...and behind that door is something they fear more than anything. The episode has plenty of philosophical ideas and genuine scares ,and a decent monster (which I kept thinking in all the promo stuff that it reminds me of the Nimon and the episode happily repaid my nerdiness with a little reference citing the minotaur to be a distant cousin of the Nimon).

All in all another solid episode, with next week looking pretty good followed by what I’m sure is to be a thrilling finale written by the main Moff...I think we are in for what may be the most consistent season since Series 2.

NEXT TIME: Working in a Shop

Amy’s Quarantine

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:37:00 +0000

Story: The Girl Who Waited
Written By: Tom MacRae
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2011

Great episode. The Doctor attempts to take Rory and Amy to a beautiful planet, but unbeknownst to him the planet was hit with an alien plague. As a result they end up in a sort of visitors center/hospital thing. Amy ends up in a faster moving time stream while Rory and the Doctor do not.

It has some cool robots, some decent action, and a really solid emotional story with Rory and Amy/Old Amy. It really brings what their relationship is about to the forefront. I liked that the Doctor was for once stuck on the TARDIS as Rory is sent out to sort of save the day. It was a nice change of pace.

The episode was entertaining, and had plenty of good plot points and character moments to keep the regular fan happy. Solid Effort.

NEXT TIME: Hotel of Fears

What Are Little Boy’s Made Of?

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:11:00 +0000

Story: Night Terrors
Written By: Mark Gatiss
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2011

Mark Gatiss has finally hit a home run. Before this he had only really written one episode I truly liked, which was “The Idiot’s Lantern”. Beyond that episode he’s written the average but forgettable “The Unquiet Dead” and the really lackluster “Victory of the Daleks”. I get this sense that Moffat may be prepping him now for an eventual replacement as showrunner, even if that day is far off...I personally feel that Gatiss isn’t up to the job. I’d rather someone like Paul Cornell took over, as he is always top notch.

That is neither here nor there though...because finally Gatiss has written something I really liked in “Night Terrors”. The story is strong, the script is interesting and has enough twists and turns, and the monsters and characters are all quite good.

Strong episode, although I wish the Melody/River storyline were touched on, I mean we get a strong story about parents and their kids...shouldn’t the fact that two parents who are missing their child on board the TARDIS play a little bit into the plot? I’m not saying it should dominate...but maybe a little thing at the beginning and end of the episode, to sort of bookend it, would have really worked for not just the episode but the series in general.

Luckily the episode still works, and I enjoyed this one the first time around more than I have most standalone episodes since Moffat took over (barring “Amy’s Choice” and “The Doctor’s Wife”). Hopefully Gatiss can continue to grow stronger as a writer, especially if my suspicions of Moffat and Co. building him up as a potential successor are true (at this point it is all speculation on my part...but I do think that because Moff was the natural successor to RTD, they are hoping that when he leaves they too have some easy choice again...I just wonder if Gatiss could handle it).

NEXT TIME: Alien Plague

Mels

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:11:00 +0000

Story: Let’s Kill Hitler
Written By: Steven Moffat
Length: 50 Minutes
Year: 2011

While not as strong as “A Good Man Goes To War”, or many of the previous Moffat-penned episodes (both in the Davies and Moffat eras), this episode is a strong start to the second half of the season. It raises a few more questions regarding the Silence and the events of “The Impossible Astronaut” and “The Day of the Moon”, while answering a few more about River and the Doctor.

I definitely liked the episode, but it didn’t hit the high marks as well as Moffat’s other efforts. I think some of the questions that went unanswered need to definitely begin getting answered. You can only play that game so long...luckily I do really think this is the last time we will play that game, and that in the finale of the whole season, we will get many things cleared up.

While I wasn’t as impressed as I hoped to be, I still think this episode was quite good. Maybe a rewatch could change all that.

NEXT TIME: House Calls

Torchwood - Series 4 Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:10:00 +0000

The biggest problem with “Miracle Day” is structure. Don’t get me wrong, for the most part I enjoyed the season, I liked many of the elements and twists, and the characters...but there are too many characters, and groups, and plotlines that get started up and go nowhere. I mean Danes is hyper interesting but gets shoved into the background of many episodes, then early on there are things like “The Soulless” which ends up never being talked about and seen of again. Later the “45 Club” is mentioned, but not really explored. We get characters who come and go, plots that start up and end up unresolved, and questions that are thought provoking that get dropped without a second thought. Its a shame, because I think that if Davies was paying the kind of attention and focus he paid during his reign on Doctor Who, or even just Children of Earth, in terms of rewrites...then this season might’ve been far more focused and enjoyable all around.

This season wasn’t as fun as Series 2, and it lacked the sharp, tight, level of quality of writing that Children of Earth had...luckily it never fell so far as to be bad as the first season, and even so it still feels mostly average throughout. The sense of how much time is passing between episodes usually remained unclear, and the sense of urgency that CoE had is gone. Miracle Day feels like a mess, and it is a mess. I found plenty to like and enjoy in this mess, and I think it was a far better mess than what Torchwood was in its first terrible season, but it is a mess nonetheless.

I think Children of Earth should still have been the end of the show. For some reason Torchwood had to prove itself in that third season (despite pretty good ratings in both the US and UK), and despite having critical acclaim and ratings that topped all before it...BBC still hesitated in bringing it back. Only when Starz stepped in for a co-production did this season even get off the ground. It took 2 years!

So here’s Miracle Day, a mixed bag of a season with too much to say and not enough focus to really say it. If your lenient like I am, you will find plenty to enjoy, but I can see why most critics have lost interest and the ratings are taking a dip (BBC ratings aren’t reaching the same levels as CoE, and the fact that Starz is not an always available channel in the US mean its ratings aren’t ever going to be as high as they might of been on BBC America).

I think this may be the final season of Torchwood. It had a good run, with two great seasons after a bad start, but now comes this humdrum end. With the critics losing the love, and the ratings not being what they were...and Russell T Davies announcing that he is done with Sci-Fi for the foreseeable future (he left Who, SJA is ending following Sladen’s passing, and he is not returning to Torchwood whether or not it gets picked up for another season), I’d say there are enough strikes against the show to say it probably won’t have the same level of people mourning its passing as there were after Children of Earth.

I said after Children of Earth I wouldn’t be sad if the show didn’t come back, and I think having seen this I was right. I still didn’t hate Miracle Day, but I see plenty of problems that could’ve been fixed, but I think this season at least proved that Torchwood has very little left to say.

Despite finding things to like each episode, I found myself waiting for the end too often, and that is a shame. It wasn’t like Children of Earth where I wanted it to end so I see how it all played out, it was like I was just trying to get this over with....and the conclusion wasn’t satisfying enough to really make it all worth it.

So there it is. I think that Torchwood SHOULD be done. I don’t really know if it will be, but I think there are legitimate reasons on both sides as to whether it will ever return or not.

NEXT TIME: Time Runs Out

End of the Miracle

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 03:10:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - The Blood Line
Written By: Russell T Davies & Jane Espenson
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

The end of Miracle Day is somewhat satisfying for a season that was pretty uneven overall. Do all the questions and threads begun in this series get conclusions? No. If so many random threads hadn’t been started there wouldn’t be so many left dangling now. Does the series wrap up everything in a nice neat bow? Not really. It is still kind of hard to rectify the events of the several months this series took place in with much of what we have seen in Doctor Who. These are the same universe...why does this one seem so completely different?

I enjoyed the conclusion with Jack and Rex giving the blood to the Blessing to end the Miracle, I thought it worked, even if the whole Blessing thing is rather hard to grasp. Too many thing felt vague up until the end. Esther’s death was somewhat sad, but necessary.

I think that they shouldn’t have had a few cliffhangers, hints of things too come at the end of this one. The series was no guaranteed hit, and I’m not sure its viewing figures or audience and critic reactions really warrant another season...we’ll see if I’m wrong. But essentially this ended with Jilly seemingly joining the Three Families for “Plan B” and the discovery that with Jack’s blood running through his veins, Rex is now immortal.

NEXT TIME: Torchwood Series 4 Recap

Mission on Opposite Ends of the World

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 01:42:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - The Gathering
Written By: John Fay
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

While I have found the last several episodes to be engaging, including this one, I still feel as if something has been missing this season. Maybe it is too long, or maybe its the lack of focus on all the many ideas thrown about this year...but Torchwood just isn’t as gripping as it should be.

That said I feel that in this mostly middling season this episode is quite well written and does a lot to finally advance the plot. I feel like the reveals of the last couple of episodes should have been revealed sooner...or at the very least been hinted at earlier. Maybe if instead of bringing up so many extra go nowhere plots and red herrings they actually focused on the families and the cause of the miracle, instead of all of the many repercussions of the miracle....then this season might have had a chance to make Torchwood back for good.

I’m ready for the finale, I want to get the final answers, and to just finish this season. It has had its moments, its good ideas, but its worn out its welcome and I am ready for Torchwood to come to an end, which I really believe will happen after the finale...I think the show has run its course.

NEXT TIME: The Unstoppable Three Families

The Families

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:15:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - End of the Road
Written By: Jane Espenson & Ryan Scott
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

I would say a few more answers...and a few more twists and mysteries are added in this installment of Torchwood. The Torchwood team are taken to Angelo, who is now an old man in a coma. But as Esther waits outside, slowly guards are being taken out...and then finally Esther has a gun held to her head...by William Friedkin.

The episode gives us some answers, like revealing that those behind the miracle must be “The Families” originally three people who made a deal in the 20s to find the secret to immortality through Jack. It also gives us a nice finale for Friedkin, who blows himself, and sadly Angelo’s granddaughter (played by Nana Visitor), up while under arrest.

We’ve had nothing but great work yet again from Bill Pullman as Oswald Danes and Lauren Ambrose as Jilly Kitzinger, but this episode also adds another great character in John De Lancie (Q!) as Shapiro, a top brass man from the CIA, who is hilariously arrogant and bossy...something you know De Lancie is good at.

The most important element of the episode is of course the fact that Angelo dies...DIES. He seemed to have some kind of null field around his bed, which might have been salvaged from the ruins of the Hub...but the question remains who may have the other null field...and who REALLY is behind the Miracle.

Theres plenty of twists, character moments, mysteries and plot points to keep anyone who is still digging Torchwood (from what I can tell many fans seem to have dismissed this new season, I have not...even if it isn’t quite as sharp as Children of Earth) wanting to see what happens next.

NEXT TIME: Deal with the Devil

Angelo

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:20:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - Immortal Sins
Written By: Jane Espenson
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

To change gears a bit, episode seven focuses on a dual story, of Gwen taking Jack to whoever has her family, while mostly focusing on Jack's exploits in the 1920s and his relationship with a young Italian man named Angelo Colasanto. Jack meets Angelo on Ellis Island, and begins a sexual relationship with him...but after Jack is shot and killed in front of the Catholic Angelo...and then comes back to life...Angelo assumes Jack is the Devil.

It all leads to a showdown in which Gwen and Jack meet up with some of the conspirators of the Miracle (presumably)...luckily Esther and Rex follow and help save Jack and Gwen, and manage to work with Andy to rescue Rhys, and Gwen's mother and baby.

I liked this episode, it had a lot to offer in terms of Jack...mostly hes been in the background this season, so it was nice to get a bit more of his history and nicely worked into the cliffhanger...in which we find that one of the major people behind the Miracle is in fact Angelo. I didn't totally buy the rescue lead by Andy (I don't feel as if there is a lot of reason for Rex or Esther to contact him specifically, it just felt disconnected to me). That said who cares, I liked the episode for the most part...and the Angelo cliffhanger is quite good. Plus we have DS9's Nana Vistor now!

NEXT TIME: Shapiro

The Blessing

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:06:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - The Middle Men
Written By: John Shiban
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

The stride continues, while I still don't feel like Miracle Day has (or quite frankly will) topped Children of Earth, I think it has been a solid story so far, and the episodes are finally starting to just keep on track and move swiftly. This episode introduces Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore himself!) as Stuart Owens, a COO of PhiCorp, who himself is investigating his own company's involvement in the Miracle. The interesting thing he explains to Jack is that PhiCorp is really just one of the pieces of the puzzle...and that the Miracle must be controlled by someone else, and that they aren't just controlling PhiCorp for the Miracle..they've been controlling politics and economics for years leading up to this Miracle Day.

The episode also closes up some of the loose ends (like Vera's death, letting the people know what is happening in the Camps, Rex and Esther getting out of the camp, and Gwen getting herself and her Father out of the Welsh camp), and Rex and Gwen both release material exposing what has really been happening with the Overflow Camps.

Luckily the pacing is fast and things are happening, so I am feeling as if the milling around pace of episodes 2 and 3 is gone for good (or now). This episode had plenty to offer, and ended with yet another nice little cliffhanger, as someone calls Gwen while she is in the airport, has her put in the Torchwood lenses...and tells her they have her Mother, Rhys, and her baby...and they want her to bring them Jack.

NEXT TIME: Taking Jack

Overflow Camps

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:55:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - The Categories of Life
Written By: Jane Espenson
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

Torchwood has (hopefully) its its stride in Miracle Day. This episode involves the major plot element of Overflow Camps, what they are for, and why PhiCorp is paying for them. It also introduces the Categories of Life, which categorize people into 3 sections of living...and its kinda scary.

Rex goes undercover into the camps, using his wounds as a mean to get entered into them, and begins to record what he sees on camera. At the same time Vera Juarez joins the team by using her medical panel status as a way to tour the facilities with a really creepy camp director. Unfortunately that guy is creepier than you think from first impressions (lets face it he was pretty creepy from the start)...and he shoots Vera twice and she plans to prosecute him for his poor running of the facility. He puts her in one of the modules and BLAM: she gets burned alive. It was a hell of a shocking end, and the creepy way humans have been pushed into Nazi-like territory is chilling to watch unfold.

One smaller storyline (in terms of screentime) involve Gwen heading back to Wales in order to remove her father from a camp...but unfortunately her plan leads him to have another heart attack, one more fatal than his last...and he gets moved to Category 1: thus the living dead. He is sent into a module himself.

The other smaller storyline involves Jack attempting to get Danes to use his Miracle Rally time slot to out PhiCorp...unfortunately Danes is a total creepy prick and does not out PhiCorp as evil, and manages to gain an even larger following from the looks of it.

Definitely a good episode, the best since the opener of the season. I hope this season keeps it up.

NEXT TIME: The Truth

Infiltrating PhiCorp

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:35:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - Escape to LA
Written By: Jim Gray & John Shiban
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

Escape to La is definite success as an episode. It had enough character moments to keep you interested in our heroes and villains, and it had a clear plan and mission...and less meandering around. Hopefully the setup stuff is starting to fade away as the actual action begins to take place for the series.

Once again Bill Pullman shows his skills as Danes, but we also get some better moments from people like Kitzinger, Esther, and C. Thomas Howell as "The Gentlemen". Some plot elements of the larger picture like the "Overflow Camps" and Gwen's father being put in one, are a nice touch as well.

Most of all I just liked that the episode had a clear plot. It didn't feel like it was several random pieces of the larger puzzle...it still was a definite part of the puzzle, but the real PLOT came from Torchwood playing Mission: Impossible with PhiCorp and trying to steal some of their computer hard drives.

Solid episode, lets hope that the series keeps up the pace this and Dead of Night have begun to showcase.

NEXT TIME: Gwen Heads Home

The Soulless

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 18:27:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - Dead of Night
Written By: Jane Espenson
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

The third episode is definitely better than the second. It isn't a home run, but this one was definitely more consistent and had far more strong moments than the previous episode. Elements introduced are PhiCorp (a drug company that is well stocked with painkillers, which implicates that they were well aware and prepared for the Miracle long before anyone should have been), the Soulless (a new cult that believes without death their are no souls, and seem to be following the word of Oswald Danes), and adds Danes new status as a leader in the new world with his affiliation with PhiCorp.

I liked the Bill Pullman stuff, every scene he has in this series so far has been captivating and top notch. He is out acting everyone, and it is tremendous. Jack's behavior wasn't totally interesting, but it worked to a point, and the climax of the episode was quite interesting.

Definite improvement over last weeks episode, and hopefully they will keep the show moving and not slow down like "Rendition".

NEXT TIME: Dead is Dead.

Jack's Poisoned

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - Rendition
Written By: Doris Egan
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

After the great start to this season, we get a middling, average, humdrum episode. It has some decent moments, a good performance from Bill Pullman, a nice introduction to Wayne Knight as Brian Friedkin and Dichen Lachman as Lyn Peterfield...but it lacks tension. It drags its feet and feels like filler for a good chunk of the time.

That's not to say it was a total loss, as I said there were some good moments...just not enough. Hopefully the series can pick itself back up and go full steam ahead, as there are plenty of great ideas still floating around in this season to be explored.

NEXT TIME: PhiCorp

Rex Matheson

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 04:30:00 +0000

Story: Torchwoood: Miracle Day - The New World
Written By: Russell T. Davies
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2011

So the new BBC/Starz co-production of Torchwood has arrived, and it was a tremendous start. Torchwood is still inactive after the events of Children of Earth (but while old fans would definitely know the reason, the reason doesn't matter or pertain to the episode so new fans can enjoy the show for different reasons), and as a result Gwen and Rhys and their infant child are living in solitude. But when no one dies for a whole day, and then the next day and the next...Torchwood is suddenly needed.

Enter Rex Matheson, WONDERFULLY portrayed by Mekhi Phifer, a CIA agent who gets impaled during a car accident and survives. He, with some help, manages to find Gwen (while it seems Jack has found both of them), and recruits the Torchwood team for America.

I also really liked Bill Pullman as the creepy and scary Oswald Danes, a convicted (and self confessed) child rapist/murderer who manages to get out of jail by surviving the death penalty. He only has a little bit to do in this first episode, but I am confident (since he is in the opening credits now) that he will have a much larger role in episodes to come.

There is plenty of setup in this episode, and it feels almost like a pilot for an all new show, but with the added benefit of already having some characters and premises tried and true...so a pilot where you don't have to find your feet. That is a great place to be when you've got a really solid idea like death ceasing to exist. I'd give this episode definitely an A or A+ for a solid episode that manages easily play for brand new audiences while not boring old fans with details they already knew or catering to old fans with too many callbacks. It stands on it's own, and it is a great piece of drama. Kudos to Davies and the whole cast for a great start to a season I am quite excited about.

NEXT TIME: The Torchwood Team Heads Stateside

His Darkest Hour

noreply@blogger.com (Tremendous Kendous) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:12:00 +0000

Story: A Good Man Goes To War
Written By: Steven Moffat
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2011

Incredible. Crazy. Madness. Spoilers to Follow, so if you wish to wait for surprises please skip reading ahead:

So Amy was flesh. We leave her smashed to goop in the TARDIS and waking up to find herself in labor. Now the baby is born, and the Doctor and Rory assemble an army to rescue her and the baby, Melody Pond. It was cool to round up people who owed the Doctor a favor, from all sorts of races. Cybermen, Sontaran, Silurian...you name it someone in any race is bound to owe the Doctor a favor. And the army is cool, and while not a LOT happens in this episode it is tons of fun to watch.

Despite being a mid-season finale, it actually takes its time in finally bringing in the star of our show. It is kind of fun waiting in anticipation for his big triumphant return, and when he finally does arrive it is gangbusters from there.

Then that end. Oh Moffat knows how to make an end. Melody is flesh. BLAM. River finally arrives. BLAM. And she finally tells us who she is. BLAMBLAMBLAM. She IS Melody (Song). Because the only water (pond) in the forest...is the River. BIGGITYBLAM!

Then the Doctor runs off and we won't find out what happens until the fall (September to be exact I believe). So I will hold off on any season recaps until the complete season is finally out and consumed and figured out.

NEXT TIME: Nobody Dies