Torchwood: Children of Earth
The last couple of days I’ve been watching Torchwood: Children of Earth, trying to catch up on the episodes I’d Sky plussed before the final episode aired yesterday. It didn’t quite work out according to plan and I ended up watching the recording of the finale anyway. Never mind.
Now to the review. To sum it up, overall it was pretty good if somewhat depressing. This series had some great dramatic-I can’t believe-they’ve-done-that moments. There was some great acting particularly on the part of Peter Capaldi who played John Frobisher, the Home Office Permanent Secretary thrust into the middle of the crisis.
The idea of children saying “we are coming” in unison is pretty creepy too. I can imagine it was even more chilling for any parents with young kids watching, especially when you discovered the ‘we’ are aliens junkies after our children to feed upon…
Russell T Davies certainly didn’t miss and opportunity to play into the anti-politician mood, portraying the PM as a self-serving, weak and ineffectual fool (remind you of anyone, Gordon?) willing to pass important decisions onto civil servants to cover his own arse. The cabinet weren’t much better, far too concerned about their own children (understandably I suppose) and the polls rather than protecting the children of Britain. I can think of nothing scarier than a government who is willing to allow aliens to take 10% of the nations children without batting an eyelid!
I must say I rather enjoyed America’s outrage (read jealousy) at Britain being ‘chosen’ by the aliens to visit though. Until the US general started to muscle in, giving the orders with the piss-poor excuse of a PM just rolling over. Harriet Jones (former prime minister) certainly would never have allowed that to happen!
Some have expressed the hope this will be the last series of Torchwood. With most of the main characters now killed off and Torchwood Cardiff blown to smithereens it would seem like a good point to leave it. Any loose ends could always be tied up in Doctor Who when it comes back. Whatever happens I’m sure we’ve not seen the last of Captain Jack Harkness. In all likelihood he’ll pop up in Doctor Who next year with Matt Smith. After all, how do you write out a character that can’t die?
