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When Doctor Who got Dark! Discussing Torchwood: Children of Earth
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In this solo episode, Satsunami discusses the impact of the 2009 mini series Torchwood: Children of Earth. 15 years since it's original debut, how has it held up? Are the 456 just as chilling as they were before? And what is the deal with Cardiff Bay?! Without any further ado, welcome to this spooky Halloween episode of Chatsunami!
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Transcript
00:00:05
Speaker
Welcome to Chatsunami.
00:00:16
Speaker
For those of you who have been listening to Chatsunami for a while, you'll know that I've been a fan of Doctor Who ever since its revival in 2005. I even talked about this in one of our Patreon episodes about how important it was to me from watching this show every Saturday evening with my family, to joining a friend in making their own Doctor Who adventure films. But one thing that I omitted from my trip down memory lane was the spin-off series Torchwood.
00:00:42
Speaker
The premise for the show originated in 2006, during Doctor Who's second season of the revival, and would follow the gritty exploits of the secret-ish government agency named Torchwood. Under the command of the enigmatic Captain Jack Hartness, along with his team of skilled, albeit mismatched colleagues. With the Doctor unable to respond to every alien threat, the organisation was formed to counter any extraterrestrial enemies.
00:01:10
Speaker
And while I would love to go back and talk about the full series more comprehensively at some point, my feelings for it were less than favourable. It wasn't until the 2020 lockdowns where I got the opportunity to binge watch the entire series from start to finish, even at the time it initially aired. I found it rather juvenile for a show touted as being a mature version of Doctor Who, while there were a few episodes that were surprisingly well done.
00:01:37
Speaker
The majority were weighed down with dated CGI and weird narrative decisions from rumpy-pumpy aliens to cyberwomen in high heels. Keeping up with the show felt more like a chore rather than something I'd enjoy. So when July 6th 2009 rolled around, I completely missed what would soon become the darkest story to ever emerge from the series. By the time I reached Season 3's Children of Earth during my tortured marathon, I'll admit and I was severely burned out. as I felt that the balance of good stories versus bad ones were… well, let's just say not stellar. But regardless, I was determined to push through since so many hoovians out there still love this series and I wanted you to know why. I still remember this being heavily advertised on the BBC in 2009, but back then I was at a transitional period of my life, between reaching the end of high school to just growing up in general, I began to move away from the series and focused on other things that caught my attention more. As I said before, I never really understood the appeal of the show, and after watching the first two seasons, with half of the Torchwood team being written off for various reasons, I wondered how the show would hold up with only three of the core team members left, and to my surprise, the show not only held together with them but if anything excelled at it. There were even talks to get former companion Martha Jones, played by the wonderful Freeman Adgeman, to return, but due to scheduling conflicts they were unable to. As for the remainder of the Torchwood team themselves, we have Captain Jack Harkness, played by John Barriman, and then to Galactic Flirt whose immortality pales greatly to his promiscuity, the second in command Yanto Jones, played by Gareth David Lloyd. It's a sensitive yet serious member of the team who has done wonders for the Welsh tourist board. Trust me, we'll go on to that. And finally, Gwen Cooper, played by Eva Miles, former police police officer, full-time Welsh butt-kicker. The cast here brings her A-game. and that shows immensely, even adding Glen's husband, Rhys Williams, played by Caelan, to the mix. And while initially I wasn't sold on Rhys as a character, his inclusion here really grounds the adventure by inserting the everyman point of view, but upon watching this for the first time as an adult, Children of Earth struck me in ways that I never thought were possible. It was something that captivated me from start to finish, something so haunting that it has remained with me several years later. Despite celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, I would still maintain that this is one of the strongest pieces of Doctor Who media out there, and it's not even close. But the real question is, why is this the case? What could possibly be in this miniseries that would evoke this reaction? Without any further ado, Let's find out why Children of Earth still holds up today. If you haven't already already watched it, then I would highly encourage it, because this review will be delving into habeas spoilers. This is Chatsunami's take on Children of Earth, but first, a word from the 4, 5, 6 and 8 friends of the show. of the sonic and halo franch
00:04:39
Speaker
Also, if you're an anime fan, then don't forget to check us out on our sub-series, Chatsunani, where we dive into the world of anime. So far, we've reviewed things like Death Note, Princess Mononoke, and the hit Beyblade series. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then you can check us out on Spotify, iTunes, and all big podcast apps. As always, stay safe, stay awesome, and most importantly, stay hydrated.
00:05:19
Speaker
So what exactly is Children of Earth about? Centred around five episodes which represent five days within the narrative, countries around the world are shocked to find their children simultaneously acting odd. While any parent may tell you that they don't need alien interference for them to behave this way, the children themselves are exhibiting strange behaviour, from all of them freezing in place before briefly to chanting ominously about the arrival of a threat from beyond the stars. While Torch would investigate briefly out of curiosity, they soon find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy, spanning back decades as they end up on the run from the government. Not only is it a race to survive, but also to uncover the mystery of what the British government are hiding. And before you say it, no, it isn't the last episodes of Doctor Who they're hiding from a writing standpoint. While showrunner of the time Russell T. Davis wrote the overall story arc, he can be credited for writing the first and last episode while co-writing episode 3 with James Moran. As for episodes 2 and 4, they were written by newcomer John Fay. I just want to highlight all three of these writers for the amazing work that they did as, while I'll no doubt be commending everything else about this show, it would not be as impactful without the strength of the writing. That being said, Let's dive into the show. Day 1 has us opening in Scotland 1965, where a group of children are driven to the middle of nowhere, and told to walk into an ominous looking light. Of course, as the resident Scotsman here, I should point out that this isn't some Scottish pastime, as if we act like Northern Moth people. I digress.
00:06:56
Speaker
As the children do as they're told, one of them flees for his life into the darkness, and we fast forward to the modern day, and by modern day, I mean 2009, despite feeling old saying that, we get a lot happening in this episode. For starters, not only are we reintroduced to the Torchwood Trio, investigating what's going on with the odd behaviour of the children worldwide, we also have a few plot lines happening simultaneously. To start with plot A, Jack, Yanto and Gwen do their own investigating, with Jack visiting his daughter Alice, and grandson Steven, Yanto visiting his sister to check on his niece and nephew, and finally Gwen interviewing a man known as Clem McDonald, who was the same child that ran away in the opening, and as an adult, has now been institutionalised.
00:07:41
Speaker
Not only do I love how well they bounce off of one another, but I also love how different each of their approaches are. Jack's interaction with his daughter is rather somber as she laments about the inevitability of aging while watching her father never grow old, and how his presence will always indicate danger. Jack certainly does what he has to for the greater good, but is not above still wanting to be there for his family. Conversely, Yanto tries a similar approach, yet wears his heart in his sleeve when his feelings for Jack are discovered by his sister, and the two have a lovely heart to heart, at least before the moments interrupted by his less than politically correct brother-in-law. As for Gwen, we see that she takes a gentler approach to Clem, which is something I think is underrated about her character. She knows when to reign it in and be sympathetic to his plight of being told constantly that there's no such thing as aliens, which in turn makes him feel crazy for believing such things. His brief encounter with them during his time as a child also appears to have given him a heightened sense of smell, something that not only assures Clem that Glenn is telling the truth, but also that she is pregnant.
00:08:50
Speaker
While that sentence and me sound odd, it does surprisingly play into the narrative later, but if this were the only things to happen in this episode, we would be remembering it as a sacred introduction to a typical episode of Torchwood. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, Torchwood is not shackled by the restrictions of Doctor Who's For All Ages guidelines and introduces a subplot I certainly wasn't ready for. In the B-plot of the miniseries, we learn that an alien race known as the 456 have re-established contact since their first journey to the middle of nowhere in Scotland, 1965, instead of visiting Edinburgh Castle like a normal tourist. In a surprise to no one, the Prime Minister delegates the handling of his crisis to his underling, John Frobisher, played by the wonderful walking Doctor Who cameo himself, Peter Capaldi. This would mark his second appearance on the show, before his eventual debut as the Doctor many years later, but no matter what role he's in, he never fails to deliver. Frobisher is a character I'll come back to later on, but he is by far one of the most tragic characters to ever appear in the universe. He is a politician bound by duty, made to feel special by the Prime Minister, as if Frobisher is the only one that can be trusted to sort out the problem without tarnishing his boss's name. And with that, a kill order is issued to get rid of all those involved, and what will forever be known as the historical alien whoopsie of 1965 that the British Government were involved in. This leads us to our explosive finale of day 1, where Torchwood HQ is blown sky high, answering what I'm sure many strange whovians were asking. If Captain Jack Kirkness is so invincible, then what would happen if you bloom up from the inside? And surprisingly, we get that answer. Earlier on, we get a subplot about people dying in the and NHS from a new character, Dr Rupesh Patanjali, who seems to be touted as being the newest member of Torchwood, but ends up betraying Jack and and an ironic twist of fate as betrayed himself by the very people who hired him so that they can plant a bomb inside the Immortal to, for lack of a better term, snuff out the flames of Torchwood once and for all. But this was the perfect episode to launch Season 3, portraying our heroes at what should be a regular investigation, now at the mercy of their own side. As this is going on, the children start chanting again, causing Frobisher to hysterically scream at his own daughters to stop, but to no avail by the end they are left uttering the horrific words of.
00:11:22
Speaker
<unk>unding
00:11:26
Speaker
It was the perfect hook, and they made me realise that this wasn't a run of the mill torturous experience, if anything. While I knew that they couldn't kill off their main characters in the first episode, it still left me with a feeling of trepidation, wondering how much Jack would be able to withstand from the blast. But in day 2, we get that very answer. And oh boy, does it get grim fast.
00:11:48
Speaker
After the explosion, the remaining team of Yanto, Gwen and, let's face it, on the Remember Reese are on the run and try to come up with a plan to save Jack, but the true horror derives from seeing what's left of Jack slowly morph back into his former self. We see him shackled in a prison cell, his skin charred as he screams out in agony, then when he eventually does return to his normal self, the soldiers douse the room in cement, thereby suffocating him for never more, in a concrete tomb.
00:12:16
Speaker
Would you believe me if I told you this isn't even the darkest part of this miniseries? Meanwhile, on the government side, they prepare for the arrival of the Alien Race, known as the 456. Dubbing them so, as they share the name of the radial wavelength used to initially contact them,
00:12:32
Speaker
After building what is essentially a glass case, filled with toxic fumes so that the alien menace can land within team's house, they prepare for day 3, the arrival. And this is when we learn what humanity is truly up against. Like some kind of biblical creature, they de descend to earth in a pillar of fire and lurk in the poisonous plumes of smoke within the confines of the glass case.
00:12:56
Speaker
The universe has always had a reputation for the weird and wacky monsters that they produce. Heck, even in Torchwood's run, some of the scariest villains were fellow humans, as the aliens themselves weren't exactly the height of horror even back then. But something about the 456 is just so eerie, from its violent vomiting of putrid green liquid when it gets angered, to its monotone voice delivering its chilling demands. What makes this even worse? as as of recording this episode, we know nothing more about the 456 other than what is shown in this episode, and I think that's what solidifies them as being so memorable. But between day 3 and 4, we learn that Jack was there in 1965 to give over a group of children to the 456 so that in return they may be given a cure to a strain of Indonesian Flu that would have killed millions on the planet. The 456 maintain that no harm will come to the children as they will be given eternal life in their care.
00:13:53
Speaker
I must admit, when I first watched this episode, you should have seen how my jaw hit the floor when I realised that Jack was part of this exchange, yet appeared blissfully unaware of the true purpose behind the taking of the children. But for those of you who have already watched this, you'll know that Day 4 is where the true horror begins.
00:14:12
Speaker
Arguably, the most popular episode of the season, Day 4 has some of the most shocking moments of not only Torchwood, but the universe as a whole. After the 456 demand 10% of the world's children, Frobisher rightfully demands to know why and is given an invitation.
00:14:27
Speaker
It's like watching something at a horror movie, where one of the scientists is suited up in a hazmat suit and is given a camera to see what lurks within the tank. We slowly reveal a three-headed creature swaying and watching the man curiously, but after revealing three more heartbeats, we pan up to reveal a child. The frame is emancipated, a mask fused onto their sickly skin.
00:14:49
Speaker
and eyes frozen wide in perpetual horror. The practical effects here are absolutely incredible, making the terror before you feel all the more real. Children are inherently a symbol of innocence, ones who must be nurtured and cared for. So to witness some intergalactic horror have one hooked up to a machine in this state, evokes an innate response of disgust and repulsion. The same children who in 1965 were promised eternal life were given it, at a great and deadly cost.
00:15:16
Speaker
Initially the British government reject this, even going as far as to offer 6,700 children, which they say would work out to one for every 1 million people. That is expected. The 456 pushback and demand 10% of every country, leading to the realisation that the world would be unable to fight back should they decide to attack.
00:15:37
Speaker
What follows is arguably one of the most realistic moments where an emergency cobra meeting is held to decide which 10% of children will be offered by the United Kingdom. After going through a number of ways to do this, they decide that not only should their own children and grandchildren be exempt from this election process, but that they should choose the lowest achievers of society. The themes of classicism are on full display here, And while I wish I could say that this is something we've evolved past, this is simply not the case. And by the time Torch would arrive on scene to confront the 456, we have our typical Doctor Who moment. Our heroes swoop in to save the day, spouting a few words of wisdom and then kick the aliens back into whatever space-rope they came from. The day is saved and the indomitable human spirit prevails once again, which is, dear listener, what I would have loved to say. Unfortunately however, the reality is much less optimistic.
00:16:33
Speaker
We see the doors of Team's house slammed shut, as the 456 callously claim that a virus has been released in the building over a chilling operatic score. We see everyone inside scrambling to get out, trampling one another and desperately trying to break down the doors, but to little success. Meanwhile, the 456 watch on is Jack and Yanto, believing that they had initially had the upper hand, succumb to the virus. With his last breath, Yanto professes his love for Jack. begging him not to forget him as he passes away in the arms of the man he loves. While I knew it was coming, his death was still grip-wrenching. The death of the character itself sent ripples across the fanbase, both in a positive and negative manner. From a narrative standpoint, it was an excellent albeit heartbreaking decision is it hammered on the fact that this isn't Doctor Who. There was no magical gizmo or mythical time traveller to save them, just the harsh reality that humanity were on their own. It also showed how, no matter how well intentioned, Jack Hartness is not the Doctor.
00:17:34
Speaker
Unlike the Time Lord, he is not bound by the same moral code, and his lessened, orthodox, loosened, vast ways of dealing with things would only lead him to losing those close to him. The relationship between him and Yanto feels genuine. Even if you watched this episode alone, you would see how much Yanto cares about him. and well being a bisexual character himself says that the only man he has truly fallen for is Jack. Yet, much like the Doctor's brief attempts of their own human romances, the curse of someone living forever means that while they'll never change, the ones they love will grow old before the very eyes.
00:18:09
Speaker
It's very human to crave that connection with someone special and in turn want to grow old with them, but for the duo, the relationship was cut tragically short and would never fully bloom. On the slightly weirder side, after fans watched one of their favourite characters die on screen, and the way that no doubt plucked both Whovian hearts out of them,
00:18:29
Speaker
A shrine was erected in Cardiff Bay to pay tribute to the death of the fictional character. I have to admit, it was amusing looking back into this, since as far as I know, the shrine itself is still there and is a somewhat tourist hotspot, but I can only imagine how baffled non-Doctor Who fans must have felt seeing this and learning that not only is this for a fictional character, but the actor Gareth David Lloyd is thankfully very much alive and well.
00:18:55
Speaker
Well on the outset this is a pretty strange stunt to do by fans of the show. It did raise some rather interesting points, according to a fan site from 2012 called saveyanto.com. Yes, really. The group considered his death to be pointless. Considering that in Torchwood's second season they killed off the other two members of the team, you can see why three definitely wasn't the charm in this instance. They also brought up the problem of removing queer representation in media. which I have to say wasn't exactly the best at the time. LGBTQ characters were treated either as a joke or caricatures, so to treat a character respectfully only to kill them off was no doubt a blow. But that being said, despite the campaign being unconventional, they managed to raise over £10,000 for the charity Children In Need, which honestly is bloody brilliant.
00:19:47
Speaker
But as the characters reel from the aftermath of their failure on day 5, we get an incredible speech from Gwen. There's one thing I always meant to ask Jack. Back in the old days, I wanted to know about that Doctor of his. The man who appears out of nowhere and saves the world, except sometimes he doesn't. All those times in history when there was no sign of him, I wanted to know why not. But I don't need to ask any anymore. I know the answer now. Sometimes the Doctor must look at this planet and turn away in shame. I'm recording this in case anyone ever finds it, so you can see.
00:20:25
Speaker
It is such an impactful speech, but it reinforces the point that humanity won't always have the Doctor there to protect them, and for those moments where the human race must fight for themselves, desperation brings out the worst of us. I think that's why this season sits so uneasy with me. is just how realistic it all feels. From the politicians more interested in covering their own reputation, to how willing people were to go along with it under the threat of their own children being taken should they choose not to comply. It may sound strange to say, but I think it is the cynical British age that makes Children of Earth work.
00:21:02
Speaker
We're all used to watching films like Independence Day, where despite being at their lowest point, humanity will somehow prevail. But while there is a somewhat Pyrrhic victory by the end, humanity's ability for cruelty matches that of the creatures they are trying to fight, even Frobisher, a minister who has worked all his life to do what is best is caught in the government's crosshairs as he's told that his family will also be sacrificed to save face. While it is in part because of the wonderful acting in this scene, Frobisher's realisation and struggle to come to terms with it never gets easier.
00:21:36
Speaker
What's also sickening is just how detached the Prime Minister is, knowing full well the fate that awaits Frobisher's daughters should they be given over to the 456. He barely even looks at the man before him, condemning them for the supposed good of the country. As if this wasn't enough, we see Frobisher later return to his home with a gun. After gathering his family together in their daughter's room, we hear three quick shots fired in succession before pausing and finally taking the last shot. We never see what happens in the room directly, but that's what makes it that much more impactful. Out of curiosity, I put out a poll on Twitter slash X to ask people what they thought was more of a villain, the 456 or the Prime Minister in this show, and to no one's surprise, the child catcher aliens somehow did not win that.
00:22:23
Speaker
I think what's so repulsive is even when the day is saved, his first thoughts are not about the impact of the alien threat, but rather how he can shift the blame to the Americans for taking charge of the situation. and While he does get his relative comeuppance in the end, I think the writers and the actor himself did a fantastic job of characterising him as a hateable character. As for the fate of the 456, we find out that the reason they want the children isn't for survival, but instead for more nefarious purposes. By hooking them up to machines, they become drugs for the alien species, making it all the more horrifying knowing that their demands for children was not out of necessity, but instead self-gratification. Something else that really got to me upon my re-watch. was how could the 456 have not just taken all the children by force? As we saw previously, they had tech technology far beyond that of a 2009's Britain and could have easily taken them, but this is the putrid heart of what makes them so insidious. To them, they feel entitled to demand 10% of Earth's children, knowing that they had given them so willingly before. Adding to this, the fact that they have the technology to cure viral illnesses yet would rather spend their days in their toxic tank is in itself unspeakable. Again, it adds to this biblical image of a creature descending in the pillar of fire, demanding her tithe to those who they see beneath them. So in an ironic twist of fate, when Jack manages to turn their own resonance against them, humanity does so at a costly price.
00:23:55
Speaker
Realising that they will need a child to act as the conductor for this, the only one they have to hand is Stephen, Jack's grandson. The scene that made my blood run cold was Jack knowing that it was the only way, right there and then, to stop them, and he says nothing. Just a simple tearful nod, leading to his daughter's guttural scream, calling after her child as she flees the room. But eventually they place Stephen at the heart of the machine as he asks Jack what's going on, in turn leading to his death. While I was glad to see the 456 have obliterated for the crimes against humanity, I didn't feel that same sense of pride in the heroes. This isn't so much a victory as it was a necessary sacrifice after sacrifice, and by the end, when Jack find the reliefs tortured and hitches a ride with a passing spaceship,
00:24:42
Speaker
The only real members left are Gwen and Rhys, thereby effectively killing what was left of the organisation. It was at best bittersweet and worst a somber note to leave on, but I never thought any of it felt gratuitous. While there are moments here or there that can be criticised, I think that this is tortured at its peak and a testament to what it could have been. It was dark.
00:25:03
Speaker
without being too silly in the way it portrayed the reality that would occur from such a scenario. The 456 did their job excellently as enigmatic space junkies, and as I said, the fact that we haven't seen them since makes them remain in their minds that much more.
00:25:19
Speaker
Well I say that, but would you believe they had a brief cameo during a Doctor Who comic in Matt Smith's run of Doctor Who, where he sends a de-aged villain back to 1965 and yeah the less said about that the better. I haven't even delved into psych characters such as Lois Habiba, the naive temp who aids Torchwood in stopping the government. and Bridget Spears whose loyalty to Frobisher is not only poignant but has an excellent resolution. Also, I want to shout out Simon Poland, who provided the chilling voice to the 456. Honestly, now that I think about it, I don't think there was any actor in this mini-series that didn't give it their all. I must have admit that it gives us some more bittersweet context as well to the episode End of Time, where when the Tenth Doctor is saying farewell to his former companions,
00:26:07
Speaker
He waves to Jack from across the bar, where he is no doubt drawing the Castoros after the end of the series. I would go as far as to say that while I wish there was a happier final episode to wrap up this series, I'm glad that this is a note that they decided to leave off on.
00:26:23
Speaker
While I didn't necessarily enjoy the first two seasons of Torchwood, I still maintain that Children of Earth is by far one of the greatest pieces of television to come out of the series. It was a powerful footnote to end the series on, and punctuated the transition from the Davies era to the Moffat era. It's just a shame that they never... was that?
00:26:45
Speaker
They made a season 4. Let me see what to... Oh, miracle day. Let's leave that one for another day. So overall, if you've listened to this episode and are still interested in this mini-series, then I would 100% recommend that you go away and watch it. This is one of the best pieces of sci-fi that I have watched in a while. and despite its minor flaws, it excels at being a compelling watch. Just be wary that if you decide to check out the rest of the series however, I cannot guarantee that you may enjoy it the same, but that, dear listeners, is an episode for another day. As always, thank you all so much for listening to this solo episode of Chatsunami. If you would like to check out more of our episodes, then you can check us out on the website, chatsunami dot.com, as well as all good podcast apps. I also want to thank our Pandalorian patrons RoboticBattleToasted and Sonya thank you both so so much for supporting the show. And if you would like access to bonus content as well as early access then you can check us out our Patreon page patreon dot.com forward slash chat tsunami. But until next time, stay safe, stay awesome and most importantly, have a very spooky Halloween.