Torchwood: Children of Earth - Day One Review

What an episode! The popular Doctor Who spin off Torchwood made it’s triumphant return this evening on BBC One, and despite the fact it was a one hour episode it had the air of a major Hollywood picture around it.

An ordinary day becomes a world of terror as every single child in the world stops. A message is sent to all the governments of Earth: ‘We are coming’. But as a trap closes around Captain Jack, sins of the past are returning, as long-forgotten events from 1965 threaten to reveal an awful truth.

That was the synopsis to the first episode in the Torchwood five-part miniseries, which has just aired on BBC One, and it barely manages to express the sheer size of production that this new series of the popular sci-fi drama promises.

Government conspiracies, Alien Abduction and painful past memories all made up the 60 minute episode, which had me on the edge of my seat from the minute it started.

Starring John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones) and Paul Copley in a brilliant turn as troubled abductee Clem MacDonald, the awkward, “forced” storylines of the first series in this young franchise seem like a very distant memory.

In Torchwood: Children of Earth, the world is in crisis. Children around the globe are stopping, and seemingly entranced, they’re delivering a sinister message from a new alien threat – we are coming. While the world watches on in confusion, the British Government know more than they’re letting on. In a desperate bid to retain the power given to them, the Government attempts to eliminate all who know their dark secrets, and those that could potentially stumble upon them.

Meanwhile, Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones struggle to understand the sheer magnitude of what is happening – why are the children all stopping at the same time? Why are children, irrespective of native tongue all uttering the same warning in perfect English and what is Clem MacDonald’s (Paul Copley) connection with recent events – and what do they have to do with a close encounter dating back to the 60’s?

It isn’t long before Big Brother hones in on their primary threat – Torchwood. In a ruthless attempt to wipe away any evidence of Government involvement, a trap is laid for the Torchwood team designed to eliminate the team altogether – with explosive consequences.

Torchwood: Children of Earth is the third series in the popular franchise, and comes to British television in a big budget, very polished looking production to be aired over five nights up until the hotly anticipated series finale this Friday. And with this fifth series, Torchwood has finally lived up to the promise the show first made when it originally aired in 2006, it’s a darker, leaner and sexier version of Doctor Who – minus the police box of course – and makes for riveting viewing.

In tonight’s episode, I was happy to see that the central characters in the story have been further developed by Russel T. Davies and his creative wizards. Finally Captain Jack and Ianto Jones have taken their relationship to the next level, although Ianto seems to be having trouble with the labels he’s finding himself under and words like “relationship” still seem to be out of bounds. It was refreshing to see the flash, debonair Captain Jack appear more human, with a full spectrum of human vulnerability beginning to show.

On that note, one of the most curious – and dare I say interesting storylines introduced in this episode is that of – shock horror – Captain Jack’s daughter, Alice Carter. Played with pure finesse by Lucy Cohu, Alice is no ordinary child. Now a mother herself, Alice must cope with the knowledge that as she grows older, her father remains the same, leaving Alice as a middle aged woman who must suffer the indignity of looking older than her own parent. If paradoxes are your thing, then this is certainly one that should be given some consideration!

So, all in all it was a fantastic episode, and I’ll certainly be tuning in again tomorrow evening for a dose of action that is normally reserved for the cinema screen – pure class!

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