Torchwood: Children Of Earth (blu-ray TV series review).
The third season of ‘Torchwood’ is one 6-part serial, ‘Children Of Earth’. Back in the day, there were already signs of problems with BBC funding, and doing one story would be economical with the budget. I did feel then, and even now, a little apprehensive of turning children into victims in an SF story about ruthless aliens. There’s also a little matter of if the 456s were so dangerous, why hadn’t a certain Time Lord got wind of it the first time, let alone now? At least he wouldn’t have been on a hit list, and a government hit squad would have had to figure out how to stop Jack Harkness, tarred with the Lazarus effect. Encasing it in concrete seemed their best solution.
Considering they trashed the Hub, you would think they could have taken advantage of their technology and put Harkness into hibernation. Retrospectively watching it again, I do have to wonder why the three original people who delivered the bus of children to the 456s had to be killed. There is no indication in the storyline as to why, unless the government feared they would explain publicly what was going on, and I doubt if they had the full details that wouldn’t incriminate themselves. If anything, they would be the same people you would assign again.
There’s no indication of the passage of time between season 2 and this story, although a couple of years have passed. Even so, Gwen is more versed in Torchwood protocols now and carries a couple pieces of apparent alien technology: the interactive contact lenses and a pen-like device that can neutralise TV feeds. Considering that neither Jones nor Harkness does so and neither condones her doing so, especially as the recently deceased Harper was told not to do so.
Going back to 1965, you do have to wonder how the 456s first contacted the British Government with this offer without being detected by the rest of the world. Presumably, they must have been making use of the rift, or why not choose other countries? Now, they are back in 2005 and want more children. A lot of children. 10% of the population of the world. This means the first time was a taster. You would have thought the threat of destroying all mankind would have meant they would have no children at all. I think I would have called that a bluff.
Even so, the fact that I can go over this story again and it really is one of the darkest stories ever, let alone for ‘Torchwood’, tells how horrifying it is.
The only extra is the ‘Declassified’. Russell T Davies says that he wasn’t going to kill Harkness’ grandson and was told to go back and do so by those above him. The same with the Hub, although he was more willing to do that, as ‘Torchwood’ was supposed to be about the people, not the machinery. Even so, I do have to wonder about the bodies that were stored there. From here, you do at least learn the names of significant characters whose names weren’t used or sank in. Harkness’ adult daughter is Alice, and her son is Stephen, for instance.
In many respects, this appears like a story with no way back. Cardiff Torchwood is no more, and no one is there to monitor the rift or stop any other aliens from getting through.
GF Willmetts
August 2025
(pub: BBC, 2011. 2 blu-ray disks with one extra. Price: part of the 4 season boxset. ASIN: BBCBD0041)
