Torchwood (UK): Season 4
User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 31
  3. Negative: 7 out of 31

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  1. DanHoelck
    Jul 13, 2011
    1
    I confess that I started watching the 4th season without having seen any of the previous seasons, and without knowing much about the show's background (something about an anagram for Doctor Who?). So it's possible that I'm watching this show without the correct context.

    However, as a NEW viewer, and under the impression that the seasons were more or less self-contained, I was intrigued by     the premise. A world where no one dies, and the agents that had to track down the source of this mystery: it sounded like it could be interesting.

    So boring.

    So ridiculously bland and uninspired, I was amazed at how much they'd spent on the marketing. With that kind of budget, you'd think they could have hired some decent writers.

    The revelation "miracle day" event is really dry, and the exposition is completely unimaginative. A nurse tells a CIA agent that she's checked with other hospitals, and no one's died. People just won't die. Even in the UK, no one's dying. It's a miracle. I thought it was luck, but obviously something is interfering with life. No one's dying. And on and on and on for a few more minutes.

    No one bothered to do any kind of fact-checking, so you're continually "taken out of" the show by the obvious inconsistencies made by the production team. A CIA agent spells Torchwood over the phone (to another agent), letter by letter, rather than using the phonetic alphabet (which I'm pretty sure the CIA uses). The fluid in a lethal injection IV is neon green, since we're all too dumb to understand that clear liquid could be poison. A rifle with a gigantic suppressor on it is just as loud as the rifle firing back at it (without a suppressor). The list goes on.

    Did I mention how boring the show is? The dialogue is wooden, the actors try way too hard (or not at all), and any sense of danger or suspense that might be generated by the many action scenes is lost because we don't know who these characters are, so there's really no reason to care if they live or die. And they can't die, so now there's even less of a reason.

    The characters are lifeless, all attempts at intrigue or suspense fall flat, and even the "what if no one could die" premise starts to feel played out by the end of the first episode.

    If you're new to the show, do yourself a favor, and don't waste 51 minutes of your life on this.    … Expand
  2. notasailorboy
    Jul 31, 2011
    0
    i've seen the first 3 seasons of Torchwood and they are serviceable, but utterly forgettable kids fluff (ala Doctor Who) which is to say they're fine...

    ...season 4 of Torchwood is the worst television i've ever seen...it's **** may be the worst thing i've ever seen.

    I'd love to write a more thorough review about the horrible writing, direction and editing of the show, but i would be wa    sting my time, which is what you'd be doing by watching this show.… Expand
  3. ilovewilfred
    Jul 10, 2011
    0
    Boring, dull and full of mistakes. Bad acting and over acting abound. The writers also make up their own rules as to how the USA does things, such as in the 'whole pedophile gets out of jail' plot--our judicial system doesn't work like that.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jul 15, 2011
    70
    Our heroes' new companions may be less than electrifying, but there's plenty of action to compensate--and, as always, sex (though Capt. Jack now asks about protection)--and a chilling adversary in Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman), a psycho killer who survives execution and becomes a perverse cult hero in the media.
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  2. The Huffington Post (formerly AOL TV)
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    Jul 8, 2011
    60
    The way to keep both casual and hardcore sci-fi fans in the fold is to tell stories that revolve around memorable characters, to take on compelling questions and to give the tales intellectual and emotional plausibility. Torchwood: Miracle Day doesn't quite have all those elements nailed down all the time, but it gets reasonable chunks of those things right--enough to keep me tuning in and hoping that the story gains coherence (and not just speed) over the course of the season.
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  3. PopMatters
    Reviewed by: Lynnette Porter
    Jul 8, 2011
    80
    The most effective scenes focus on characters' interactions, the sorts of moments Torchwood always did well.
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