Torchwood Series 3 — Children of Earth — Day Five — A Review: … This Is The End …

10th July, 2009

I’m really not kidding …

Day 5 of Torchwood: Children of Earth is the last of the series.

And looks — and dear God, I’m hoping I’m wrong — like the last Torchwood ever.

Dear GOD, I hope I’m wrong!

I do know that Colonel Augustus Oduya of UNIT, finds out — in one of the early scenes of Day Five — finds out why the 456 are after Earth’s children.

To quote the 456, themselves; “The hit – the HIT. They create chemicals. The chemicals are good. They make us feel good.”

Jesus …

Modern science fiction …

Oduya realises, as does General Pierce of the US army, who near-enough takes over the UK, to put the mass handover of Earth’s children, that the 456 are junkies.

Drug addicts. (I should point out that Pierce accuses PM Brian Green of starting it. Which could well have — in a way — some historical truth to it. Opium wars, and all that …)

John Frobisherº comes to a tragic end. He kills himself, his wife and his two daughters. After being told by the PM that Lily and Holly are to be included in the 10%. I don’t know about you, but I actually felt sympathy for the character.

To be that desperate …

That desperate and facing the plan the government are putting into action.

I’ll confess, the real heroes of the piece, for me, have been Gwen* and Rhys, the two characters who’ve been the emotional centre of the series since it started; it’s they who, with Ianto’s sister and brother-in-law, manage a brave rescue effort, when the troops go in.

But who don’t find out — ’til after the event — what Jack has had to do to his own daughter and grandson, in order to save the world.

Jack, helped by Johnson and Dekker, has to use a ‘Constructive wave’ to destroy the 456. But has to use his own grandson to do this.

You can probably imagine Alice’s reaction to this. There’s a scene in which Alice meets Jack, in an abandoned corridor, after her son’s death.

She says nothing.

She just turns her back on him.

The post-script scene to all this is set some six months after the main events; it sees Jack telling Gwen and Rhys that he has to leave Earth.

He still hasn’t shaken the dirt off his feet.

Powerful stuff. In a series that’s been nothing but powerful stuff.

Can I be frank, here?

I’m actually thinking that Russell T. Davies, in conjunction with the rest of the team, has turned in the best season of Torchwood, yet.

I’m convinced Children of Earth will be a tough act to follow.

My Gods; it has seriously raised the bar for a fourth series.

Stephen Moffat — should he choose to follow on from this — has work to do.

I also know, amongst tarot card readers, that the Death card isn’t necessarily seen as meaning death; just intense and dramatic change.

That’s Children of Earth.

Intense.

*        There’s a beautiful opening scene, of Gwen making a tape to mark the world’s end: she says that she’s realised why the Doctor hasn’t turned up. He’s turned his head away in shame† …

º        I also know that, having spoken to several fellow fans since this episode aired, that Peter Capaldi as John Frobisher has been viewed as having done extremely well. I don’t know if it’s an award winner; but I’m convinced on the strength of what I saw, it should be. I’m also thinking much the same of John Barrowman as Captain Jack, actually. There’s that old line from Friedrich Nietzche, about being careful, fighting monsters. Day Five showed us that the good Captain didn’t take enough care. And that the 456 weren’t necessarily the real horrors …

†        I’m writing this in July, of 2020: and that scene has stuck in my mind, even now: as possibly one of THE most power in a powerful series.