Torchwood: Children of Earth

Who are worse - the 456 or the government?

Crackingly good episode - and very cleverly paced for Jack to turn up and save the day like the Doctor, only for the 456 to point out they've read the script and this one has five episodes, not four.

Quite sure certain parts of the internet are now melting down after that ending - and I guess that's why certain over-excitable people were hassling James Moran.

"Let's do it alphabetically."

"Oh, thank-you very much, Mr Yates."

Have you started your review yet Lucy?

This is marvellous stuff (as it has been all week). Tonight's episode was so tense and horrific. I loved it.

Don't get me started on fandom's sense of entitlement. I've been looking through some of James Moran's twitter follower posts. it's actually quite scary.

Just been looking at some of the tweets sent to James Moran, and they're probably going to be exhibits #1-waytoobiganumber in 'why writers shouldn't be on Twitter'. In spoilers, partly to protect people from being burnt by the stupid:

Spoiler:

BLOODY HELL!

That didn't happen did it?

Somebody has started up a petition saying that and I quote :

"After what happen tonight in Torchwood, i am absolutely wee off by the way us Janto fans were treated, i think it is about time we give RTD and the BBC a piece of our minds.

Basically, i will not watch another episode or season of Torchwood if there is no Ianto or Janto in it. I refuse to watch it.

RTD has turned it into the Gwen Cooper/ Eve Myles show and has ruined the best thing in it. Feel free to tell him what you think."

I don't think I need to comment further.

If I was a hacker, I'd be tempted to find a way to add 'and I want a pony' to the end of that petition.

OK...seen Day 4.

....eep!

Love it. Can't wait for Day 5!

Nick Barlow wrote:If I was a hacker, I'd be tempted to find a way to add 'and I want a pony' to the end of that petition.

I'm certain it was in the first draft, actually, right after the part where they demanded veto power over all future scripts.

Well, I'm caught up now and suitably blown away. Can't wait for the final episode.

On the general topic of fandom over-reaction...

I suppose it must be heartening for actors and writers to hear "It's just not the same without (Character X), and for me it's not as good a show" because it vindicates that the writers and actor did what they were supposed to do - create a believable character out of a script and a costume.

For example - I was quite a fan of Owen. I thought Burn Gorman had just got into his stride and I was learning all kinds of things about Owen Harper when he finally died. I was shocked, just a little bit - because when you join Torchwood everyone but Jack gets a red shirt, and pleased that the team had decided to go that route. It's nice to genuinely feel the characters might be at risk instead of everything being "Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Ensign Ricky are beaming down - guess who's not coming back!" every week.

A number of fans disagree. GB seems quite settled about it, but there are a number of folks saying that the show is now not worth watching; I also saw someone say that they wouldn't bother with Torchwood OR Who again because it's not something they "can" watch any more. I was slightly amazed by that.

I don't suppose anyone here feels the same way?

Your post on GB referenced something one of the characters said when speaking of Alice's mom: "Natural causes, that's rare for Torchwood...". It's a gig that's got a high mortality rate, they've been saying that all along.

Am I sad to see a cast member go, absolutely. But I was supposed to be. I'm certainly not going to claim I "can't" watch it or judge a future episode I've not even seen because of it.

Personally I would have preferred it if Ianto didn't die but obviously it's crucial to the story... If it's not then I can understand people getting annoyed but it's only a TV show. If they don't like it they can easily stop watching.

Other than that I'm really enjoying it.

On an entirely separate thought, does anyone else think that Nicholas Farrell would make a great William Hartnell?

Good call!

Overnights 6.2 million, 27.0% share.

Yet more brilliant numbers, with a new ratings high and the share holding up. Only beaten by Eastenders, with Emmerdale trailing in 500k behind.

I was sad to see Ianto go because the writers had just about brought him forward and made him an appealing character. But then they did that with Owen and Tosh. But Torchwood's vulnerablity has always been front and centre. It's the nature of the beast. It won't prevent me from watching TW or Who. I can't quite get to grips with that fan attitude.

Anyway, superb episode. A complex political satire that really does make you consider those elected representative of ours.

Full review - http://cathoderaytube.blogspot.com/2009/07/torchwood-children-of-earth-day-four_146.html

Frank wrote:that really does make you consider those elected representative of ours.

I'd just like to make it clear that I have never colluded in the handing over of the children of Colchester to an alien force. Though given the state of our local press, I probably could as long as the children weren't transported in wheelie bins.

You do realise that any ending tonight is probably going to be something of a disappointment?!

Nick Barlow wrote:

Frank wrote:that really does make you consider those elected representative of ours.

I'd just like to make it clear that I have never colluded in the handing over of the children of Colchester to an alien force. Though given the state of our local press, I probably could as long as the children weren't transported in wheelie bins.

i for one welcome colchester's new insect overlords.

I am now caught up. All I can say is wow. For me, the most gripping part of Day 4 was casualness with which government drew up plans to deliver hundreds of thousands of children to the aliens. Absolutely horrific.

As for the sentiment that Ianto's death is going to make me stop watching, nonsense. This is excellent drama. This is what you want. I figured something was going to happen to Ianto- all that banter back on Day 1 about being a couple was the clue- but when the moment actually happened, it was a genuine shock.

So far, this has been riveting. And best of all, I have no idea how this is going to resolve itself. I can't ask for better television than that.

I was thinking about Jack's immortality and wondering if the style of it is a worse punishment than other senses of it.

Traditionally in fiction, someone who's immortal would just be immune to things like the 456's virus and live through it, suffering as they watch their friends and loved ones die, but Jack has to go through all the suffering of the disease as well, knowing that he'll resurrect later. So, he can't go through with the same sense of removal from the ordinary that other fictional immortals experience as he suffers the same way as everyone else but gets no respite in death.

Nick Barlow wrote:I was thinking about Jack's immortality and wondering if the style of it is a worse punishment than other senses of it.

Traditionally in fiction, someone who's immortal would just be immune to things like the 456's virus and live through it, suffering as they watch their friends and loved ones die, but Jack has to go through all the suffering of the disease as well, knowing that he'll resurrect later. So, he can't go through with the same sense of removal from the ordinary that other fictional immortals experience as he suffers the same way as everyone else but gets no respite in death.

It certainly has more of a curse than a blessing about it. He has a bomb planted in his abdominal cavity, it goes off, and for the next day, his body has to agonizingly regrow itself.

Nick Barlow wrote:I was thinking about Jack's immortality and wondering if the style of it is a worse punishment than other senses of it.

Traditionally in fiction, someone who's immortal would just be immune to things like the 456's virus and live through it, suffering as they watch their friends and loved ones die, but Jack has to go through all the suffering of the disease as well, knowing that he'll resurrect later. So, he can't go through with the same sense of removal from the ordinary that other fictional immortals experience as he suffers the same way as everyone else but gets no respite in death.

It's odd, because in Utopia, the laws of physics just decided to stop working for him - so he wasn't vaporised - when in such a situation, but this time, he gets temporarily 'killed' by the presence of the virus.

Also interesting is the fact that the bodies weren't quarantined. What's up with that?