Torchwood - Children of Earth
Today we feature our first Guest Commentary. Crystal Shedrock-Rangel is the president of Doctor Who Fans Unite, a Meetup Group created to bring together fans of the long time running television show Doctor Who. They have united through their common interest in the show and its spinoffs and now, in following with the beliefs of the main character, they have adopted the mission is to serve the community as a group. Doctor Who Fans Unite hosts a Doctor Who Appreciation Night every month at the Alamo Drafthouse. We profiled Crystal back in June. So, without further ado, take it away Crystal:
“Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth, arming the human race against the future. The twenty-first century is when everything changes. And you’ve got to be ready.”
I will admit my interest in Torchwood had waned in the second season. But with last week’s US premiere of Torchwood: Children of Earth, I am once again in love with the show, and waiting in anticipation to see how it will continue. Children of Earth is a five-part miniseries that began airing last Monday night and concluded on Friday. This Tuesday the DVD of the miniseries was released in both DVD & Blue Ray formats. Best Buy is offering an exclusive Audio CD Torchwood: Lost Souls with the DVD.
Many Torchwood fans may still be shaking their fists in anger at show writer Russell T. Davies, for some of the choices he made involving the Torchwood characters. But the entire miniseries as a whole is an extremely compelling and heart-wrenching story. The central plotline revolves around all of the world governments agreeing to give up 10% of the world’s children in order to save the planet, with a horrible twist on how the children would be used. This brought to light a social commentary regarding our world population and our governments and the atrocities that they can and do commit on our behalf. Warning: if you are a parent some of the scenes will break your heart. I know on several occasions I found myself sobbing.
Rhys (KAI OWEN) & Gwen (EVE MYLES) run for it
One of the most interesting characters in Children of Earth was the civil servant John Frobisher, as was Lois Habiba. Even PC Andy Davidson, who has appeared sporadically throughout the two seasons, had a glorious moment in this series. One of the best lines out of Children of Earth was Gwen Cooper saying, “Sometimes the Doctor must look at this planet and turn away in shame.”
If you have never seen an episode of Torchwood I would highly suggest giving Children of Earth a chance. My group Doctor Who Fans Unite as well as Marcella Muncy’s group Worlds Collide will be having a joint meetup on Saturday August 29 th to discuss Children of Earth in more detail. We will also be screening Torchwood Declassified, a look behind the scenes featuring the cast and crew of the show. You can visit either one of our meetup.com pages for more details.
Thanks to the wonderful men who run Missions Unknown for giving me a chance!
Where can I watch this show??? Sounds intriguing and if it is half of what I am now expecting, I’ll be DVR’ing it from now on. Thanks for the look inside this show and for sharing your thoughts. I’ll give it a try!
Torchwood comes on BBC America. I don’t know if they will re-air Children of Earth, but put it on your DVR just in case. You should be able to rent it from Netflix and Blockbuster in the near future.
I bet you can find a friend to lend you a copy too. Thanks, Crystal. After reading and re-reading your article, I re-evaluated my opinions and emotional response to the series. I don’t know if I gave the ending the credit it deserved. I may need to rewatch it sometime soon. Really great article.
Another thought about the entire Series. The crew has always been very good about establishing minor characters that add so much to the story and can come and go and still feel integral to the fabric. Which is wonderful and unique for a team oriented endeavor. You pointed out some of the highlights, but the show seems to have become a much bigger ensemble effort with so many characters to pull for and worry over.
I am not at home but I understand the entire series of Children of Earth is available at BBC on Demand
The article makes me want to see the show. Which is the hallmark of a good article. Congrats and keep up the good work.
Good review. I would be interested in seeing this program. The show sounds thoughtful and I look forward to experiencing it soon.
Haha, correct about us Woodies shaking our fists at RTD still!
wonderful article!
I totally enjoyed the entire series and was able to rope family into watching it with me. We eagerly anticipated each show to find out happened with the characters. I will say that I didn’t like Gwens monologue near the end about the Doctor. I know it’s her assumption, but the Doctor can’t be everywhere at once and sometime’s he leaves us alone to solve our problems ourselves. I am eagerly anticipating the next season as I hear that everything depends on John Barrowman and RTD says it will most likely be a mini like this one was. Thank you Crystal for writing a spoiler free column.
I don’t think she was criticizing the Doctor, I think is was more of a commentary on how horrible earth can be.
Alex – Her comment was more about how after all The Doctor does for Earth, humans still act how humans do. They make wrong decisions, and clearly wrong, regardless of the reasons, and maybe we have to solve these problems ourselves. Even if the Captain is helping out. You always reap what you sow.
What a wonderful review! I enjoyed this season so much–I really thought it was amazing. Great review, Crystal!
I finished watching Children of Earth last night. Pretty powerful stuff, and hard to watch in parts for those of us with children. Thanks for the review Crystal!