How will we ever like Miracle Day’s Rex Matheson?

Where the premiere of Torchwood: Miracle Day was all kinds of fun, the momentum didn’t necessarily carry over to the second episode. I’m still on board, don’t get me wrong, and am hoping that this is just a little stumble on the way to a really great series. The concept itself, and the plot that we are just getting the hints of, is a solid set up. Throw in the amazing pre-existing universe that Torchwood lives in, and I’m confident that the series will move past this one average episode.

They are really going out of their way to make the audience not like Rex Matheson. It almost seemed like he was enjoying separating Gwen from Rhys and their daughter. He may have started his road to redemption by helping free Jack and Gwen, but he’s got a long way to go. How will he be redeemed? I’m not sure, but look at it this way? What’s the first thing he did after freeing Torchwood? He blew off Dr. Juarez, who did nothing but drive across town to bring him pain meds. Classy dude, this Agent Matheson.

The introduction of Lauren Ambrose’s Jilly Kitzinger was not at all what I expected. In reading about Miracle Day in advance of the premiere, I was left with the impression that she would be involved with Oswald Danes, and not much else. When she showed up in D.C. talking to Juarez, it proved that she is not just a simple PR flack trying to help her career by helping him. It seems that she’s has a greater role to play. Plus, between the hair, and that red jacket, I’m getting all kinds of Satin vibes when she’s on screen.

Other than that, though, the rest of the episode seemed a bit off, no?

• The interview with Danes: As if I don’t hate Nancy Grace enough, the interview came across as a cheap, wooden rip of. As he was hounding Oswald with the “What good does sorry do” questions, I wanted to ask him what good his interviewing was doing?
• The meeting of “the Doctors:” Putting aside the idea of walk-up, save the world meetings (in the movies, these meetings are always held in a bigger room, with a round table, and a bunch of people in uniform), the whole scene just played out odd. Then, they turned into the guys from NASA Mission Control in Apollo 13 with creating the chemicals to save Jack.
• I’m afraid that I’m going to have to imagine Wayne Knight as a non-comedic bad guy. Considering I’ve recently watched Jurassic Park, I’m not sure that this will be possible.

Notes & Quotes

• Loved that Rhys was defending Jack, and that Jack called him out on it.

Clacked by Ivey West
on Jul 16, 2011 @ 02:03 EST5EDT