Children of Earth: Day Three (22 Jul. 2009)

The team hide out in a former Torchwood holding facility, stealing to survive. Gwen meets with Lois, giving her a laptop and special contact lenses to report back to her. Gwen also has Clem... See full summary »

Director:

Euros Lyn

Writers:

Russell T. Davies (creator), James Moran,

Stars:

John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Barrowman	...	Captain Jack Harkness
Eve Myles	...	Gwen Cooper
Gareth David-Lloyd	...	Ianto Jones
Kai Owen	...	Rhys Williams
Peter Capaldi	...	John Frobisher
Paul Copley	...	Clement McDonald
Nicholas Farrell	...	Brian Green
Susan Brown	...	Bridget Spears
Lucy Cohu	...	Alice Carter
Ian Gelder	...	Mr. Dekker
Colin McFarlane	...	General Pierce
Tom Price	...	PC Andy Davidson
Cush Jumbo	...	Lois Habiba
Liz May Brice	...	Johnson
Charles Abomeli	...	Colonel Oduya

Storyline

The team hide out in a former Torchwood holding facility, stealing to survive. Gwen meets with Lois, giving her a laptop and special contact lenses to report back to her. Gwen also has Clem, arrested for an affray, released and safe with the team. Ms. Johnson locates and captures Alice and her son after Alice has tried to ring Jack, soon after which children state that 'We' have arrived and a pillar of fire turns into green ooze as the alien leader communes with Frobisher, watched by the Torchwood team,thanks to Lois. Everything is bound up with the events of 1965,as the alien voice tells Frobisher and Jack also comes to realize. The aliens want ten per cent of the world's children to go with them whilst Clem recalls Jack as one who allowed the alien abduction in Scotland, which Jack cannot deny.

---

Plot Keywords:

prime minister | alien organism | fugitive | alien invasion | contact lens | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 July 2009 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBC Wales

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Porsche Boxter S that Captain Jack steals is actually John Barrowman's own car fitted with false number plates for filming.

---

Goofs

John Frobisher identifies himself as the Permanent Secretary to the Home Office of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. It should be Permanent Secretary to the Home Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

---

Quotes

Holly Frobisher, Lilly Frobisher: [chanting deadpan] We want a pony. We want a pony. We want a pony.

---

Connections

Featured in Torchwood Declassified: Children of Earth (2009)

User Reviews

Great Television Science Fiction

Torchwood has its ups and downs. It can be outstanding as seen in such episodes as 'Small Worlds' and 'Countricide' or less satisfying with less developed episodes such as 'Combat' but it is always watchable. The experiment of 5 one hour linked shows on consecutive nights is a bold experiment in television that needed a very strong show to support the decision. Children of Earth is just that, it is a good piece of television and an outstanding work of science fiction television. The plot, while admittedly simple, pops along and this is reflected in the pace of the show which has been breakneck so far. The characterisation is good and the continued development of Ianto Jones (portrayed superbly in the performance by Gareth David-Lloyd in a show full of great performances) takes Children of Earth out of good and into great. It is not perfect and there are some moments where it falls back into its previous tendency to become a parody of itself, such as the return of Jacks coat, but these are few and far between. This is science fiction in the true tradition of British writing as seen in the regeneration of Jack which is truly horrific, as is his incarceration. You could point a finger and accuse it of borrowing heavily from Quatermass 2 and The Midwich Cuckoos and it probably does, but this is merely homage and the show stands on its own merits. Wonderful stuff, if you missed it correct your mistake.