Promethia Does Torchwood Wrong: Miracle Day Edition

[promethia_tenk]

Feeling in the mood for a bit of recreational RTD hatred, I took the evening to watch what's been aired so far of Torchwood: Miracle Day. Given the generally dismal state of the reactions I've read, I figured I was all set for a satisfying run of fuming, eyerolling, and exaggerated gestures of disbelief and annoyance, relieved only by mad bouts of Gwen adoration. Well, surprise, surprise:

I think I kinda love it? I'm still working out exactly why, but it's a bit like this: When Kill Bill came out, critics described it as a baroque meditation on the aesthetics of violence. And, oh, I do love anything baroque. Miracle Day is something like a baroque meditation on the aesthetics of Russel Davies' misanthropy. It's every narrative tic and cliche and failing and sentiment of his that I've ever hated, pushed to the point of . . . art. It's a bit magnificently appalling.

I'm going to bed now. Let's see if I regret admitting this in the morning . . .

Comments

[elisi]

This amuses me a lot. :)

[promethia_tenk]

I'd be more huffy about you being right, but frankly, it amuses me too.

You know that crack-y TV trope of "how [character X] sees the world" where suddenly you cut to character X's p.o.v. and everything is all skewed and comically exaggerated in line with their perceptions? Well, I feel like I'm watching "how Promethia sees RTD" . . . and I more believe that that's intentional than not on the part of the production! Whereas usually watching Rusty I feel like he's well-nigh oblivious to his usual narrative trainwrecks. This feels, dare I say?, self-aware. Like he's taken ownership of the trainwreck and is now deliberately working it over and playing with the form.

And the result is not me loving to hate RTD, but something I actually . . . really . . . like. I think.

[da-phoenix13.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm nowhere near fandom so I have no idea what others have been saying, but I fucking LOVE Miracle Day. It's just so dark and twisted and, other than last weeks episode which was pretty dull other than the last three minutes, really really exciting to watch. And Gwen is almost tolerable most of the time! If only there was more Jack, I'd call it my perfect miniseries, and it's almost certainly my favorite Torchwood installment. What can I say? I dig misanthropy every now and then.

[promethia_tenk]

Your icon is genius!

Well, I've not done an exhaustive survey, but there's a whole lot of "meh" out there, recently upstaged but complaints of offensive OTT-ness, so it's great to hear someone else is loving it too!

I'm not usually much one for misanthropy (and RTD's particular brand tends to put me off quite badly), but this is just such an overblown cracky orgy of it that it's . . . a bit beautiful. And I mean that genuinely. It's also quite gripping in an action/suspense way, although I think marathoning the episodes helped on that front--I might think it dragged a little if I was watching week to week?

I might still like season two a bit more because I really loved the dynamics of the whole team as it was, but MD is giving it a serious run for its money!

[honeynoir.livejournal.com]

Miracle Day is something like a baroque meditation on the aesthetics of Russel Davies' misanthropy. It's every narrative tic and cliche and failing and sentiment of his that I've ever hated, pushed to the point of . . . art.

Okay, might have to watch it now, because these sentences are beautiful.

[promethia_tenk]

Haha! Thank you <3 I think it's worth giving a go to see if it does anything for you. You do need to approach it with the slightly indulgent attitude you would have given the first two seasons, though.

[shadowturquoise.livejournal.com]

Yay! Another vote for Miracle Day! I personally love it and am getting so sick of all the TW hate going around. I think a lot of people were determined before they even saw it that they were going to hate it and flame all discussions they can find. (No, we've never seen that before, have we?) I can't even find a reliable community to squee in.

Personally, I can't believe I'm sticking up for RTD because I was so glad to see him leave DW. But I really like the plot and the ramifications of no one dying. Danes is mega-creepy and Rex is one I just love-to-hate. Of course Gwen is the awesomist awesome rocket-launching-baby-toter ever!

[promethia_tenk]

\o/ I'm so pleased people are coming out of the woodwork. It's not a show I'm particularly fannish about, and the feeling of "doing Torchwood wrong" is one I tend to get any time I try to read discussions of the show on LJ, so I'm not really bothered about the comms. If you *are* wanting to squee, though, I can see how this would all get old fast. I would wish that the people who really are hating it that much would just move on, but we all know how that goes . . .

Heh. Me and RTD are more or less oil and water, so I can't believe I'm sticking up for him either, but here we are ; ) *waves banners*

GWEN <333333

[beerbad.livejournal.com]

I love you.

[promethia_tenk]

*blush* Awww, thanks <3