Children of Earth: Day Four (23 Jul. 2009)

Jack is forced to confess how he helped broker a deal in 1965 when the 456 aliens offered an antidote against a deadly universal flu virus in exchange for twelve children who would 'live ... See full summary »

Director:

Euros Lyn

Writers:

Russell T. Davies (creator), John Fay

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
Cush Jumbo	...	Lois Habiba
Liz May Brice	...	Johnson
Ian Gelder	...	Mr. Dekker
Colin McFarlane	...	General Pierce
Deborah Findlay	...	Denise Riley (as Deborah Finlay)
Nicholas Briggs	...	Rick Yates

Storyline

Jack is forced to confess how he helped broker a deal in 1965 when the 456 aliens offered an antidote against a deadly universal flu virus in exchange for twelve children who would 'live forever.' Clem and the team watch via Lois's laptop as the aliens tell Frobisher they will 'wipe out the human species' if their request is not met, and a camera reveals the apparently zombic Scots victims, said by the aliens to be unharmed. Frobisher rejects Jack's offer of help in return for Alice and her son's release. He attends a Cabinet meeting which agrees that the Cabinet's children will be spared and that lower-class kids should be sacrificed instead.This is recorded by Lois and sent to safety with Rhys,giving Ianto and Jack leverage to talk to the aliens but the latter's' response is to unleash a virus which kills dozens, including Clem and,seemingly,Ianto. The government feels forced to capitulate.

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Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | television news broadcast | year 1965 | united nations | lockdown | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

23 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?

Quotes

[the 456 have sealed Thames House and is pumping a virus into the air]
456 Voice: You are dying, even now.
Captain Jack Harkness: [grabbing Ianto] We've gotta get you outta here. I can survive anything, but you can't.
Ianto Jones: Too late. I breathed the air.
Captain Jack Harkness: There's gotta be something. There's gotta be an antidote!
456 Voice: [Affronted] You said you would fight.
Captain Jack Harkness: [releasing Ianto and facing the 456] Then I take it back, alright? I take it all back, but not him!
[Ianto collapses]
Captain Jack Harkness: [catching him] No! No no no, no, no. Ianto!

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Connections

Featured in Torchwood Declassified: Children of Earth (2009)

User Reviews

Superb performances in British action drama

Throughout this third series of Torchwood, the familiar team members have turned in fantastic acting jobs, but the greatest props go to those playing the least sympathetic roles here: solid, estimable Susan Brown as the assistant to the central civil servant, who up till now has practically defined stiff upper lip, allowing her frosty exterior to crack at last; Nick Briggs and Deborah Finlay exhibiting equal parts ballsiness and shame as the Cabinet members most willing to say the unthinkable, eclipsing even Nicholas Farrell's oleaginous prime minister; and of course Peter Capaldi, as the aforementioned civil servant, whose habit, or instinct, or programming as "servant" leads him to betray civil principles.