And we’re back in Ballroom 20, a little late, but with more than enough time to catch some of the goods from the Torchwood: Miracle Day panel. The event is already underway and from where I’m sitting, I can see John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Alexa Havins, Mekhi Phifer, Bill Pullman and producer Jane Trante.
Apologies in advance for any poor name-spelling as I’m not particularly familiar with the show.
10:20 – Will we find out where Captain Jack went after Children of Earth? Barrowman says no, but perhaps it could be something to explore in another series. “Make up what you want. I just thought Jack had a great time with Alanzo.”
10:24 – Barrowman says “Jack is going to have another involvement” and hints at something coming in episode seven. “You learn a lot about Jack and Gwen in that episode.”
10:25 – Viewers will soon here Gwen’s American accent. Myles does an impression for the crowd. Big cheers.
10:27 – Apparently there’s some love making for Barrowman and Phifer this season. The moderate points out that it’s “no together.” She asks them what they enjoy about the love scenes. Phifer says it seems intimate while you’re watching it, but on set – Myles interrupts with some, well, sexual gestures. Crowd goes wild.
10:32 – Havins says Esther can’t reach “Gwen’s badass level,” but says that she thinks she has the most growth. “Here comes Esther and she’s naive and innocent.” She says she falls for the team and find her place. She makes an emotional and physical journey.
10:33 – Barrowman talks about potentially doing a 50th anniversary of Dr. Who. He says doing that would be an “interesting thing” and he’d love to do it. He says it’d be disappointing for the anniversary to happen without a character like Captain Jack. “I’m totally up for it.” He loves playing Jack whether it’s on Torchwood or Dr. Who.
10:35 – Myles says her experience shooting in LA took her by surprise. “In and Out Burger rocks my world!” She says if they’re lucky enough to get another season or two, perhaps she’ll relocate.
10:37 – Phifer describes Rex as being misunderstood. He’s confident and “he’s a strong character.” You will see him delve into Torchwood and be successful on the mission. Myles adds that there’s a scene coming up that gives insight into why Rex is the way he is.
10:39 – In terms of the rest of the season, Trante says look for flexibility with the timeline, more darkness, romance and some losses. She also says “look for big implications” and describes the series as a show about “big ideas.” She says, “Think of the big picture while you’re watching this.” Is this what our world would look like? “Think hard about what the show is about.”
The moderator welcomes fans to ask some questions.
10:41 – Barrowman says that as for another season, there’s been no word yet, but the plan is to run the course of their 10 episodes and they just hope Starz loves it as much as they do. “We all would love to be doing Torchwood for another five seasons, six seasons.
10:44 – Phifer says he hasn’t had a family atmosphere like this on a show since ER.
10:45 – Someone asks about the show’s effect on Pullman’s acting craft. Pull replies that he found a side of the story that’s his favorite kind of science fiction because it doesn’t dwell on the “weird gory part.” It’s a lot about how humans treat each other and how “they’re loyal to each other in the time of crisis.” He laughs that there are a lot of weird parallels with Independence Day. He says episode five has the reverse side of some of the other movies he’s done.
10:47 – A fan asks Barrowman about his favorite detail about his coat and if the coat is also immortal. Barrowman jokes, “I have a closet full of coats.” He says they’re all labeled. One’s called “The Hero Coat.” It always looks sharp. There’s also one for running that flows a bit better. He says there’s also ones that are there to be destroyed. His favorite details are the epaulettes. He also like the cuff links because they’re actual airplanes. Overall, “I just love the outfit. It’s a great thing to wear on Friday night.”
10:50 – Time for funny stories from the set. Barrowman remembers when Myles comes back to her trailer after shooting a scene and he wants to “scare the crap out of Eve.” He hides in her shower. He waited there for 45 minutes and all of a sudden she’s there. He waits and then throws himself out of the shower at her. He said she shouted the B-word and then, mimicking her accent, “I peed myself.” However, Myles assures the audience she did not pee herself. She laughs, “Just a little bit.”
10:55 – Barrowman is looking back on when he was first cast as Captain Jack for Dr. Who. He said at first he thought it would just be for five episodes. Then he was brought back for more and “it was a dream job.” When they told him about the spinoff show, “It was like hanging us our dream jobs on a platter.” He never thought he’d be setting in this room with such a massive amount of devote fans and thanks everyone.
10:57 – A fan tells Myles she melts his heart and then apologizes to his wife “wherever she’s sitting.” The crowd and panel laughs and then he asks Barrowman if Captain Jack sings in the new season. Barrowman says they don’t think they will, but agrees to sing something now. He tries to think of something. A fan jokes, “It’s Friday.” Barrowman breaks into “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” as does everyone in Ballroom 20.
11:00 – Barrowman wraps up the event by thanking Starz and everyone involved. He urges everyone to check out the show on iTunes and thanks everyone immensely for their support.