For the people who might chide me for spoilers, this Torchwood mini-series has been downloaded and bit-torrented by lots of American fans a month ago. I’m not guilty of this, of course, but I have come across spoilers here and there. Given that, “The Children of the Earth” starts off with a big bang, very much like the beginning of BSG’s second half of Season 4.
Following the deaths of Owen and Tosh and the thwarted Dalek theft of Earth, there are some new mysteries: racially motivated alien attacks on humans and incidents of children standing still and speaking together on cue. Like Primeval, the Home Office also poses danger. For every Home Office employee who may be of help to the Torchwood team, there tens more who are out to get them for an agenda yet to be revealed. Ianto revels in the developing relationship he has with Jack, but soon find himself and his first male lover in the midst of danger from all the threats mentioned. In the course of the investigation, Gwen soon finds herself in peril along with her colleagues, especially as the end of the episode builds up to a highly personal bomb threat.
There are some deliberate false starts and red herrings, especially with the hospital doctor and his strange death cases. He initially seems to be the shoe-in for the absent Martha Jones, but that turns out to be someone else. Children on remote control by aliens is spooky enough, but the lives of the Torchwood team is at stake, the most urgent it’s ever been. Jack, Ianto, and Gwen display much greater dept here, and I am scared for them. I want more for sure, and there’s four more nights to go.
Tags: BBC America, Doctor Who, Torchwood
