I’ve had this article in draft mode for weeks. May as well get it out of the way.

I’d hoped that the Torchwood: Miracle Day story would get meatier as time went on. Instead we got science fiction action flotsam and jestam. There were some likable things about T:MD namely guest stars John DeLancie and Nana Visitor. Gwen was really awesome because we got to get an intimate look at her and her family. Jack was all but useless. A lot of people didn’t like Mihkai Phifer but I enjoyed his grumpy demeanor.  I’m also glad he didn’t die at the end. T:MD did not have intensity of Torchwood: Children of Earth. Everyone agrees that there were too many episodes and it seems like the writers stretched a thin story over too many episodes. The worse part is that the Miracle was a let down and was barely understandable. Not because the audience is stupid but because a vaginal slit in the earth controlling the life span of humanity was hacked to give us everlasting life but because ff this was the end result we sure took the scenic route to get there. I love Bill Pullman as much as the next ID4 fan but why did we need a serial killing pedophile cult figure that was used as bomb in the end? We thought that using a pedophile murder as a spokesperson had some deep underlying meaning or at least would make sense in the end. It did not. The sad mask cult went nowhere, the however-many-stories it-takes-to-die jumpers, Fhe Family who’s motives were never clear, the useless Alejandro Cassanto story, the random Ghostbuster appearance; Torchwood: Miracle Day was a mess. What surprises me more is that some people liked this show. I have to assume that they American lovers of the show missed previous seasons of Torchwood. I also have to assume that they’ve never seen FlashForward and don’t know how similar they were in that they we both awful. I’ve watched a lot of science fiction TV and T:MD was Syfy’s Flash Gordon bad. In fact, I’d rather re-watch Flash Gordon AND Pain Killer Jane than to ever watch T:MD again. I hope to never see a news anchor used to tell a story ever again. I most definitely hope to never see a hooker used as a plot device in my lifetime. I totally felt like dying with all of the other miracle receivers in the breath hear across the world.

As far as ratings, Broadcast & Cable states:

“Torchwood: Miracle Day drew 1.51 million viewers for two Friday night airings – the premiere episode averaged 819,000 viewers and an 11 p.m. repeat garnered 657,000 viewers, according to Starz officials.

Torchwood‘s debut fell just short of the Starz record 1.57 million viewers generated by the April 1 premiere of Camelot. That series, a retelling of the King Arthur tale, was recently cancelled by the network.”

TV By the Numbers give these stats for the finale:

“Torchwood: Miracle Day (STARZ, 10 PM)
-0.640 million viewers
-0.29 A18-49
-0.31 A8-34

Torchwood: Miracle Day (STARZ, 11 PM)
-0.310 million viewers
-0.11 A18-49
-0.11 A18-34″

These numbers show that Torchwood lost over half of its viewers by the finale.

I’ve heard rumors that Torchwood is coming back but no time soon. Doctor Who TV posted a statement from John Barrowman and he says the Torchwood series has “pushed the pause button .” It is a wise move because they need time to determine the direction of the show. With enough time and diligence, I believe Torchwood can return and recover from Miracle Day. I’m going on record as saying that I will give Torchwood another chance.

 

Torchwood: Miracle Day aired on STARZ and the season is now complete.