Torchwood: Miracle Day continues and finds our heroes separated across the world, until one chance meeting with Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) forces the team to reunite and begin to ask the tough question: What is The Blessing?

As they dig deeper, their questions will take them to separate poles of the Earth where they discover that the blood of Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) may have more to do with The Blessing and The Miracle than they previously had thought.

During TARDISblend 36, we review the events of The Gathering, and find ourselves less than enthused about the episode’s inclusion of elements unconnected to the Blessing and the Miracle, such as the Nazi-style Welsh police trackdown of Gwen Cooper’s (Eve Myles) father, Geraint (William Thomas).

Later, we deconstruct Oswald Danes’ arrival in Wales to confront Gwen, another aspect of the episode that felt somewhat out of place. We also discuss the significance of Jack’s blood thus far in the series, and speculate with some predictions on where this thread will go for the season finale.

Finally we throw in a few Classic Torchwood UK recommendations for new fans to check out, and find out what our listeners recently had to say about the podcasts. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend! [...]

Breaking Bad
Season Four, Episode 8 – Hermanos
Directed by Johan Renck
Written by Sam Catlin and George Mastras
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, Steven Bauer, James Martinez, and Michael Sheets

Sangre por sangre.

Relationships have always been an important component of Breaking Bad, but a key aspect of these relationships are the blood ties that have formed over the course of the show. For good or for worse, our characters have formed connections due to the circumstances they find themselves caught in.

“Hermanos” is an episode that illustrates the full extent of these ties and the dangers that they can lead to.

Note: From here on out we’ll have to go full-on spoilers for this episode. You’ve been warned. [...]

Doctor Who returned last week for the second half of its Series Six run and after the break we’ve got a review of the highly anticipated “Let’s Kill Hitler.”

Doctor Who
Series 6, Episode Eight – Let’s Kill Hitler
Directed by Richard Senior
Written by Steven Moffat
Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston, Nina Toussaint-White, Caitlin Blackwood, Maya Glace-Green, Ezekiel Wigglesworth, Philip Rham, Richard Dillane, Amy Cudden, Davood Ghadami, Ella Kenion, and Albert Welling
BBC America
Air date: August 27, 2011

“Let’s Kill Hitler” makes my brain hurt.

Mind you, it’s a good hurt, but much of the discussion on this episode will have to fall under our spoilers section due to the massive amount of plot that occurs in this episode. Yet, there’s still plenty of non-spoiler stuff to talk about for those that have yet to watch it [...]

Doctor Who is back, and the Time Lord (Matt Smith) returns to Earth following an unconventional summons from companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) to find out his progress in locating their daughter. However, the reunion soon goes awry, as their childhood friend Mels (Nina Toussaint-White) hijacks the heroes and the TARDIS by gunpoint.

What follows is an unusual adventure that takes them to Nazi Germany in 1938, sets them face-to-face with Adolf Hitler (Albert Welling) and reunites them with River Song (Alex Kingston)

During TARDISblend 35, we review the events of Let’s Kill Hitler, and also look at Amy’s and Rory’s childhood relationship with the “new” character of Mels, and how it developed as they grew to adulthood. We discuss Hitler’s brief cameo and writer Steven Moffat‘s allusions and metaphors used in this episode about the character as well [...]

Torchwood: Miracle Day reaches into exciting revelations, as Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and his Torchwood team begin discovering answers to the Miracle, stemming back almost a hundred years, and connected to his previous relationship with Angelo Colasanto (Daniele Favilli).

But while the new Torchwood join forces with the CIA, Harkness unearths some surprising alien technology when they find out there is one other man who can face mortality as the rest of humanity deals with being immortal.

During TARDISblend 34, we review the events of End of the Road, examining how Jack Harkness himself is at the center behind the cause of Miracle Day. Meanwhile, we examine the new character developments of Jilly Kitzinger (Lauren Ambrose), and deconstruct how Oswald Danes (Bill Pullman) could be more connected to those who caused the Miracle than we previously thought [...]

Torchwood: Miracle Day continues, as the team work their way out of the Overflow Camps to get word out to the world of the horrific consequences of becoming a “Category One Patient”. Meanwhile, Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) continues his investigation into those behind Miracle Day. Later, events transpire that pit Jack against Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles), while we discover more secrets behind the Miracle as Jack remembers dangerous choices from his past.

During TARDISblend 33, we review the events of The Middle Men and Immortal Sins, we discuss the surprising appearance of Mr. Winston Ghostbusters himself, Eddie Hudson, and the wonderful exposition scene he shared with John Barrowman.

We also look at Captain Jack’s problems when he tries to emulate the Doctor, as we examine the flashbacks in the recent episodes, and ponder the significance of the Triangle Group making their deal for his blood. Speaking of Captain Jack, we (inevitably) debate his sexuality – is he homosexual, bisexual, or omnisexual – because this IS important of course ;)

Finally we throw in a few Classic Torchwood UK recommendations for new fans to check out, and find out what our listeners recently had to say about the podcasts. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend! [...]

Torchwood: Miracle Day continues, as we find the governments of the world re-categorizing life. Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) returns home to Wales to investigate the segregation of the ill and the injured into Overflow Camps, while the rest of Torchwood is joined by Doctor Vera Juarez (Arlene Tur) to investigate the American camps, under the guidance of Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman).

During TARDISblend 32, we review the events of The Categories Of Life, in which we drill down into many criticisms we have of the episode in addition to the series as a whole. We comment on Gwen’s return to and mission in Wales, and discuss the pivotal moments for the character of Vera Juarez during the episode.

Performances seemed a little off this time around, and even Bill Pullman wasn’t up to his usual best. We also look at some past Torchwood episodes, and make some new recommendations for some of the new fans out there.

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend! [...]

After a short break, the TARDISblend is back, as we take a look at the news for Doctor Who and Torchwood that came out of San Diego Comic-Con, and look at the most recent episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day.

We cover the major news and information revealed to fans at San Diego Comic-Con 2011. From details about upcoming Torchwood episodes, to the big news revelations for Doctor Who, we discuss it all! Additionally we take a look at Matt Smith‘s appearance on the Craig Ferguson Show; and examine what may happen if Toby Jones returned as the Dream Lord.

As Miracle Day continues, the CIA team have captured the remaining members of Torchwood, Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles). However, the CIA have turned against their own, attempting to wipe out any remnant of Torchwood, and Rex Matheson (Mekhi Pfifer) and Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins) find themselves uniting with the ones they have captured [...]

Breaking Bad
Season 4, Episode 1 – Box Cutter
Directed by: Adam Bernstein
Written by: Vince Gilligan
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Giancarlo Esposito, Jonathan Banks, David Costabile and Jeremiah Bitsui
Air date: July 17, 2011

Arguably the best show on television, AMC’s Breaking Bad recently returned for its Season 4 premiere and kicked things off with a bang. We’ve got your spoiler-free review here of the season opener after the break.

Well? Get back to work.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you start a season.

I’m always interested to see how Breaking Bad will reinvent itself as it returns each season, but this season looks to be the most interesting experiment yet. Picking up mere seconds after last year’s finale, we find out the cruel fate of Gale (David Costabile), just minutes after finding out what really did him in. However, Gale was marked for death the second Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) discovered there was a superior product on the market. The best Gale could produce was a 96% pure sample, compared to Walter’s purity of 99%. Whatever the future held for Gale before his death didn’t matter, it seems it would have been short regardless [...]

The TARDISblend returns for the premiere of the first episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day, where the world is facing perhaps its most unusual threat ever: global human immortality. Without explanation, dying ceases to occur among humans on Planet Earth, causing everyone to be immortal – threatening global peace, access to resources, and additional population explosion problems.

When the Miracle Day begins, the CIA is tipped off to a single word: Torchwood – bringing forth a sequence of events that reunite Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) to investigate the cause of the miracle. Along the way, they meet Rex Matheson (Mekhi Pfifer) and Esther Drummond (Alexa Havins), in which it seems inevitable that Torchwood is destined for resurrection.

During TARDISblend 30, we review the events of The New World, the beginning of the 4th series of Torchwood, this time crossing the globe from the UK and into the United States. We discuss what the events of Miracle Day hold for our main hero, Captain Jack Harkness, in a twist that the character will find quite challenging [...]

Game of Thrones
Season One, Episode Ten – Fire & Blood
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Written by: David Beinoff and D.B. Weiss
Starring: Mark Addy, Alfie Allen, Sean Bean, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley, Aidan Gillen, Jack Gleeson, Iain Glen, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Issac Hempstead-Wright, Harry Lloyd, Richard Madden, Rory McCann, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Conleth Hill, and Charles Dance

I hope everyone enjoyed the first episode of Season Two of Game of Thrones.

Confused? Let me explain.

“Fire and Blood” is in a unique position in that it feels more like the first episode of season two rather than the season one finale. The cliffhanger in “Baelor” felt more like a traditional finale, where the majority of this episode sets up our various players for the next round of the game [...]

Doctor Who
Series 6, Episode 7: A Good Man Goes to War
Directed by Peter Hoar
Written by Steven Moffat
Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston, Frances Barber, Charles Baker, Dan Johnston, Christian Chong, Joshua Hayes, Damian Kell, Neve McIntosh, Catrin Stewart, Richard Trinder, Annabel Cleare, Henry Wood, Dan Starkey, Simon Fisher, Danny Sapani, Hugh Bonneville, Oscar Lloyd, and Nicholas Briggs
BBC America
Air date: June 7, 2010

Doctor Who is certainly a show that often raises more questions than it answers and “A Good Man Goes to War” is a perfect example of this. Yet, when the series provides answers, it’s done in such a satisfying way that the various unanswered questions don’t matter. While “A Good Man Goes to War” poses many of these unanswered questions, there’s also a surprising amount of clarity. Before we dive into some of these queries, let’s take a look at the bulk of the episode [...]

Game Of Thrones
Season One, Episode Nine – Baelor
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Written by: David Beinoff and D.B. Weiss
Starring: Mark Addy, Alfie Allen, Sean Bean, Emilia Clarke, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Fairley, Aidan Gillen, Jack Gleeson, Iain Glen, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Issac Hempstead-Wright, Harry Lloyd, Richard Madden, Rory McCann, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Conleth Hill

Game of Thrones has been a slow burn.

There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I much prefer shows that have a tendency to draw things out and build on previous episodes. All the best television series (The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad) do this and when done properly, the results can be astonishing. The latest episode, “Baelor,” was no exception to this rule. The stakes have slowly been rising over the past couple of weeks and it was time for the dominoes to begin to fall.

And boy do they fall [...]

The mid-series finale for Series 6 of Doctor Who is here, and while Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her baby are being held captive by Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber) and the Cleric Military, the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) call upon old debts from a variety of unlikely allies to form an “army,” as A Good Man Goes To War.

The Doctor will rise higher than ever before, and fall so much further – and the true identity of the enigmatic River Song (Alex Kingston) will finally be revealed…

During TARDISblend 29, we review the events of A Good Man Goes To War, the conclusion to the first half of the current season. We discuss the final revelation of who River Song truly is, and the band of companions the Doctor unites for his army to find Amy Pond. We look at the consequences of the Doctor being seen and feared as a great warrior, and speculate on what to expect for the second part of Series 6.

We also discuss the recent news about Series 7 – which now looks like it will be split across the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013. We recommend some Classic Doctor Who, and reveal a spoiler for Torchwood: Miracle Day. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend! [...]

Continuing from the Doctor Who episode The Rebel Flesh, the Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) find themselves face-to-face with a “clone” of the Time Lord, a Ganger-Doctor. Meanwhile, Rory (Arthur Darvill) is searching for the mineworker known as Jennifer (Sarah Smart), but may find himself dealing with more than he bargained for, as the Gangers continue to revolt against the humans they were created from.

The battle reaches its peak, and is leading the Doctor and his companions to an unexpected but inescapable conclusion…

During TARDISblend 28, we review the events of The Almost People, the second part of an adventure written by Matthew Graham – and one that leads directly into Steven Moffat‘s mid-season finale. We discuss the major cliffhanger – and incredible spoiler – of the episode, and its implications for the upcoming chapters [...]

Doctor Who
Series 6, Episode 4: The Doctor’s Wife
Directed by Richard Clark
Written by Neil Gaiman
Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Suranne Jones, Paul Kasey, Adrian Schiller, Elizabeth Berrington, and Michael Sheen
BBC America
Air date: May 14, 2011

Neil Gaiman‘s much-awaited and long-postponed episode of Doctor Who highlights of the great aspects of the show that fans know and love: a mysterious place with unusual people in which our heroes arrive to solve a mystery and fix the problem [...]

It’s the 22nd century, and the Doctor (Matt Smith) with companions Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) arrive on a small island that is home to an old 13th century monastery. The site also happens to be a mining location, where humans are gathering and transporting acid for some unexplained reason.

The mine workers use an avatar system, where they control flesh-grown ‘gangers of themselves. Built from something known as The Flesh, the situation turns awry when the monastery is hit by a solar storm – resulting in the ‘gangers separating themselves from their controllers, causing a tense situation that the Doctor fears may go out of control…

During TARDISblend 27, we review the events of The Rebel Flesh, part one of a two-part adventure written by Matthew Graham. We discuss the cliffhanger at the end of the episode, something that had been ruined and spoiled for some fans by the Daily Mail recently – either way, the ending was a surprise for some, but predictable for others [...]

It begins with a knock at the TARDIS door, while still in deep space, and an important message from a long-lost Time Lord friend. The distress signal prompts the Doctor (Matt Smith), Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), and Rory Williams (Arthur Darvill) to literally leave the universe, and leads them to a junkyard asteroid. The matrix and power of the TARDIS is immediately drained, leaving them stranded on this odd world, where they confront a mysterious entity called the House (Michael Sheen). What secrets does the mad bitey woman known as Idris (Suranne Jones) hold for the Doctor?

During TARDISblend 26, we review the events of the long-awaited Neil Gaiman-penned episode, The Doctor’s Wife, an episode that proves to be much of the best Doctor Who has offered in a long time [...]

Doctor Who
Series 6, Episode 2 (Day of the Moon) and 3 (The Curse of the Black Spot)
Directed by Toby Haynes (Day of the Moon) and Jeremy Webb (The Curse of the Black Spot)
Written by Steven Moffat (Day of the Moon) and Steve Thompson (The Curse of the Black Spot)
Staring: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Alex Kingston, Mark Sheppard, Stuart Milligan, Chukwudi Iwuji, Hugh Bonneville, Lily Cole, and Frances Barber
BBC America
Air date: April 30, May 7, 2011

Exams put my review of the new Doctor Who episodes Day of the Moon behind a bit more than I’d like, so I figured I’d lump it in with my The Curse of the Black Spot review. This ended up being a good thing, cause I have lots to say about one of these episodes and not so much to say about the other. Hit the jump for the full review [...]

After their victory against The Silents, the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions decide to head off into the seas of the 17th century, where in responding to a distress signal they come face to face with the famous pirate, Captain Henry Avery (Hugh Bonneville). But not all is as it seems – for Avery’s ship is stuck in calm waters, haunted by the curse of a Siren (Lily Cole), who comes to claim those that have been marked with the Black Spot…

During TARDISblend 25, we review the events of Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot, and find ourselves to be somewhat disappointed at the poor editing and pacing of what could have been a very fun episode. From missing pirates to “Kenny from South Park” (Arthur Darvill), we find the saving grace to be elements of the overarching story arc and discuss who the mysterious Madame Kovarian (Frances Barber) could possibly be and why only Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) can see her.

We also discuss some in-universe fan debating over the use of the Sonic Screwdriver during this season. Our Classic Doctor Who recommendations this week also tie into ships and/or pirates, and we take a flashback to the Secondary Console Room in the TARDIS during the Tom Baker era. All this and more on the latest TARDISblend! [...]