Tue Jul 28, 2009 — by Robert Greenberger

Rreview: 'Torchwood: Children of Earth' DVD

There was a great deal of hew and cry that the BBC renewed Torchwood for just a five episode third season. Then, word began leaking out that Children of Earth would be a five-part event, airing on consecutive nights. Turns out, it was following an increasingly popular television event format for the budget-conscious British networks so we were being asked to trust them.

Now, a mere four days after the event aired on BBC America in the States, BBC Video is releasing the story on DVD. This is one that will be worth seeing more than once.

The first two seasons of the Doctor Who spin-off were uneven affairs, as it dealt with darker and more adult themes but also couldn’t find a consistent tone. With the latter episodes of the second season, it seemed to be hitting its stride as they dealt with the death of one member of the team and then losing a second.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD! REALLY!

Children of Earth opens some months later and while the immediate sting of losing two close allies has worn off, the team has yet to be repopulated despite their mission begging for a full force. As we pick up, there’s actually discussion over the need for a doctor and they identify Rupesh Patanjali (Rik Makarem) as a candidate but we’re all somewhat surprised to learn he’s a government mole, designed to infiltrate Torchwood for reasons unknown.

We never find out because all of a sudden, every child on the planet is controlled by an alien presence and they speak in unison, warning that the aliens, dubbed the 456, are returning. Every time they freeze and begin to communicate, it’s eerie and frightening, setting an ominous tone. And that’s when the British government should be turning to Torchwood to be dealing with extraterrestrial menaces but instead, a crack Black Ops team led by Johnson (Liz May Brice) is out to exterminate the trio of remaining agents. In a clever way, they implant a bomb in Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and in an even cleverer way the team discovers it just before their Hub in Cardiff is blown up.

Over the course of the five episodes, the characters are beaten down time and again, but being Torchwood, they dust themselves off and never give up. Given the smaller core cast, it was nice to see Rhys (Kai Owen) get more to and be integral to the story. There are nice moments between the characters as well as some satisfying moments when the indefatigable team turns the tables on their attackers.

But the spine of this story is children. Yes, all of the children on Earth are threatened but there’s new life as Gwen (Eve Myles) discovers she’s pregnant and we learn that Jack has been somewhat distanced from his daughter and grandson. We also nicely get to focus on a handful of the children affected by getting glimpses if Ianto’s niece and nephew along with the children of John Frobisher (Peter Capaldi), the bureaucrat handed the unenviable task of negotiating with the aliens once a representative arrives on Earth. There are lovely moments here, especially when one has to be sacrificed and the repercussions the act will have.

The notion that Jack has children was worth exploring, especially when it became clear he would outlive them all and that caused incredible strains. It’s interesting to learn his daughter’s mother was also Torchwood and actually died of natural causes, noted as a rarity for the team. Ianto (Gareth David-Lloyd) also comes to realization that his relationship with Jack is ephemeral at best and colors his actions.

Since many may not have seen the entire miniseries as yet, I won’t discuss all the plot points but the benefit of producing a five-part story is that scripters Russell T. Davies, John Fay, and James Moran have time to develop the themes and the character interrelationships. There are grace notes throughout and everyone of the regulars gets something to do along with the guest cast, which also includes Cush Jumbo as newcomer Lois Habiba, who is exactly where Gwen was in the very first episode. There’s time for action and time for tears, time for twists and time for the familiar bits of business.

By shooting this as, essentially a five-hour feature film, the set decorators, production designers and special effects people have a chance to really delve into their work and on screen, the production values have that feature quality with a sustained mood from director Euros Lyn. The end result is a dark, occasionally frightening story that lives up to the premise of Torchwood, raising the stakes in a new way.

The quintet of episodes is supported with a 31 minute Torchwood Declassified, which you should see after the miniseries, not before. The documentary delves into the making of and shines the spotlight on every aspect of the production including the nods towards the guest cast and the supple voice of 456, Simon Poland. One aspect I wish they addressed was when blowing up the Hub. They also destroyed all the technology they archived, preserved, and used as needed. And what of secrets that might have survived? And where are the creatures locked up?

You can’t ask for a better event for the series and it’s nice to know this is not the end of the team, decimated and demoralized as they are. At Comic-Con, it was pretty much confirmed there will be more in some way, shape, or form.

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