Torchwood, Children Of Earth, Day Four

Torchwood series 3 continues to surprise me, this episode containing some real emotions, some real dilemmas and some interesting peril. I think the extended length of the story (5 hours instead of 1) has allowed the plot to breath and allowed some great content, more than just explosions and running around.

Jack is dealing with his demons. He’s lived a long time and done some bad things. Ianto’s not really sure what to make of it. Nicely handled. I like the fact that a story is actually using Jack’s long life for some purpose, using the Science Fiction trope for something interesting, like RTD used The Doctor’s long life. And although the endless Captain Scarlet dying and waking up is getting old, the longevity and superhero capabilities of Captain Jack are now more interesting with some added depth.

The politicians were portrayed a little coarsely perhaps, or maybe I’m just being kind to politicians. It’s certainly a story line that plays to recent headlines, with them taking care of themselves first. However seeing the voice of the Daleks distracted me a little, kept waiting for him to shout EXTERMINATE!

I also enjoyed the direction in this episode, some great images: in the chamber with the aliens, the end scene of the dead and even the shaky close ups of the politicians. Everything seems better with some time to breath and linger, the shots, the emotion, the characters. If this was a single hour long episode there would be more explosions and running around. I hope this is a lesson they learn for the new series of Doctor Who.

The episode ends with the perfect last act setup. Things are very bad. How can the world possibly escape?

Good stuff.