Atomic Robot News: Torchwood: Children Of Earth

Torchwood: Children Of Earth - Day Five

Written By: Ken Hulsey
Source: BBC America

It's hard to believe that the epic mini-series "Torchwood: Children of Earth" is about to come to a close. How far we all come in just five days. Amazing! Now, what will I do with the rest of my life? - lol

I want to go on record as saying that "Torchwood: Children of Earth" may very well be the pinnacle of British sci fi television. Now, I know I'm saying that without even seeing the finale for the series yet, but unless the episode takes a huge step in the wrong direction....I dunno....we finally get a good look at the 4-5-6 and the turn out to be one-legged-circus-clowns or something off the wall like that, then this may be as good as it can get.

Which brings me to an important question. How do the producers of "Torchwood" top this? I mean really, making season four of the series is going to be hard if they have to measure everything up to this, right?

Okay, lets talk about "Day Four". Wow! What a powerful episode!

Let me first start off by talking about, what in my eyes, was one of the most memorable scenes in sci fi television history, and no I'm not talking about Ianto's death. I'll get to that in a second. No, I'm referring to the scene where the leaders of the UK and representatives of the United States are discussing ways to somehow trick the world's population into giving up 1/10th of their children, as the 4-5-6 have requested.

Now, I have heard some critics call this scene, 'boring', but I totally disagree. I found the scene riveting. I mean I was glued to the set. You could have marched centerfolds through the room and I wouldn't have noticed .....okay...that's a stretch, but I was sitting deep in my chair watching the whole thing unfold.

That is what I really love about "Children of Earth", it follows the same premise as "Babylon 5", another series that I love, that is, we (the human race) are the enemy. That when the chips are down, we as a species don't react like the 'goody-goody' Federation in "Star Trek" and do the right and noble thing, sometimes the bad side of our nature surfaces, and we do something unthinkable. Well, at least the slimy people we put in charge do.

Ah, the death of Ianto in Jack's arms. What can I say about that? Unexpected? Yes. Very emotional? Certainly. The whole thing was kinda hard to deal with after Tosh and Owen's deaths at the end of season three.

Just goes to show that the producers of "Torchwood" are not afraid to do anything that they believe will make the series more interesting and believable.

Now to tonight's episode. The series is certain to end with a bang as all the plot points that have been built up over the past four episodes come to a head.

I just wonder how they are going to wrap all this up in an hour an fifteen minutes?

Children of Earth - Day Five

As violence erupts and anarchy reigns, an ordinary housing estate becomes a battleground where the future will be decided. Torchwood is defenseless – can Gwen Cooper save the day? Part 5 airs Friday, July 24th, 9:00 - 10:15 p.m et/pt.

What the critics are saying:

Hero Press - Written By: Acrobatic Flea

And THAT is why Russell T Davies is the King Of The Whoniverse. Bookending Children of Earth, his two solo episodes, Day One and Day Five, are the finest two hours of Torchwood we have seen.

From the left field revelation of what the 456 actually wanted the children for to Jack's past involvement with the creatures karmically catching up with him when he - the man who can't die - had to pay the ultimate price to defeat them, this was some of RTD's strongest writing.

The defeat of the 456 took a quite clichéd gimmick (of turning an enemy's weapon back on them) and gave it a very dark, Torchwood spin.

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Air Lock Alpha - Written By: Alan Stanley Blair

"Torchwood" may be its own show for a mature audience, but time and time again it has shown how easily it can integrate with the mother series for a bigger scale of adventure -- like Daleks, the end of the world and entire planets stolen from time itself – which only raises the question of if the situation is so dire, why wouldn't The Doctor materialize in his little blue box and save the day?

Before any such questions can be muttered, Gwen (Eve Myles) so eloquently offers an answer so desperate and devoid of all hope – almost desolate -- that it perfectly captures the tone of the tone of the miniseries as it squashes a simple niggling question. The Doctor is ashamed.

What more needs to be said? The Doctor, a man that can see the whole of time and who looks at humans with inspiration, love and admiration, turns away in shame of the enduring darkness that is the Human soul. From there on in, "Day Five" gets darker, heavier and offers the most shocking and inhumane of twists that it can easily be considered among the finest hours of British television.

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The fan movement to bring back Ianto

Indeed fans in the UK have already begun a campaign to convince the producers of "Torchwood" to bring Ianto back to life.

A group of devoted fans has created SaveIantoJones , a website devoted to the return of the character. On the site there is even a charity set up by the BBC to honour the fallen "Torchwood" member.

The website's designers say Ianto's passing has left them "as sorrowful and hurt as any death of a person close to us".

"Though we, his devoted fans, still hope that he'll come back (it's still sci-fi, and in sci-fi, death can be reversed, can't it?), we mourn him."

"In the series, he died saving the children of Earth; so it seems fitting to honor his memory by helping the Children in Need."

The group is hoping to raise more money and gain support now that the series has aired in America.

Here are some new photos from "Torchwood: Children of Earth - Day Four":