1) Due to a hiccup in our friend's On-Demand, the episode started about 1/2 hour in, and the first scene we saw was the one where Gwen was fitting in the contact lenses and expositing to Rex. We watched the show and were very surprised when it ended 20 minutes later. When we figured it out and watched the first 30 minutes, it confirmed, depressingly, what we already suspected: that we had missed nothing. We followed the plot perfectly without the redundant first half hour. I suspect an entire episode could have been missed without too much pain, and we're only three episodes in.

2) Another friend pointed out what this Paddy Chayevsky fan should have noticed: Lauren Ambrose is modeling her weird, nervous performance on Faye Dunaway in Network.

I'm really fed up with the enormous medical/legal/procedural errors that the show is based on. If they'd spent two minutes on Google or Wiki, they'd have lost most of their show. I'm disappointed that this season has totally lost that indefinable spark that brought it to life in the first two series. It's become flat, and none of the (error-filled) storylines is enough to keep my attention, even if someone decided they had to throw in nekkid sex scenes – seriously, producers, when sex scenes are *boring*, you're doing it wrong.

I expect the message of this series to start with "life's a bitch and then you die" (ha! ha!) and for it to go downhill from there into unrelenting darkness. (Oh, except that I expect Gwen will suddenly be graced with even more expert!mad!super!duper!spy!skilz! and that she and her family will survive and survive to play "happy families in Wales!") I really miss the silly cracky show that I got hooked on, that had a bit of hope wound through the darkness.

“this should have been a stand-alone mini-series about the medical crisis without trying to include the Torchwood characters at all.”

This? Would have been an interesting show. (Mind you, I also think Children of Earth would have been a better show without Torchwood, too.)

Here here!!! To be honest, I have only seen bits and pieces and what I have seen has made me stop watching (and no I haven't seen it on Starz or BBC, HAHA). It feels more like a long drawn out episode of ER or some other medical program that has the Torchwood cast smashed in for no purpose other than to provide the show with bad UK vs US puns. I mean, toll bridges? Rex has NEVER heard of US toll bridges? Every single time I head to the beach I go through at east one and I'm in the US. And the much hyped about Jack/one night stand sex scene was so BORING. If it had lasted more than the minute it did I would have turned it off too. Don't get e started on the Jack's love for Gwen crap. Because that's what it is: crap. My only hope is that after the end of series 2 Gwen finally realized that any non-platonic relations with Jack would completely destroy her. She is much better off with Rhys. If Jack can't have his Tea Boy back then at least he needs to leave Gwen and Rhys alone.

I agree with you about Dr. Juarez being my favorite character, but that just supports my theory expressed last week: this should have been a stand-alone mini-series about the medical crisis without trying to include the Torchwood characters at all.