Bad Jack.

I wasn’t quite sure whether Day Five was going to deliver, or whether it could possibly live up to the tour de force of Day’s One to Four. Well, one thing’s for sure, we didn’t get a happy ending. It was bleak and uncompromising in a way I don’t think anyone in fandom is used to and, as a result, I imagine that there will be quite a bit of controversy surrounding it. Some of the nonsense that I’ve read about fan reaction to Day Four’s shock death might pale in to insignificance relative to the shock of Captain Jack turning from hero to anti-hero and then in to something approaching a villain. Perhaps in a similar fashion to the rogue that we first met opposite Rose and Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor in Series One of Doctor Who. The subtle humour of previous episodes was necessarily absent as the government’s plan was rolled in to action. Then, when all hope was seemingly lost, that awful solution was found.

There were more sensational scenes and performances, directed with aplomb by Euros Lynn. Numerous examples abound but at least three are worthy of mention:

1. When the Colonel asked the 456 what the children were to be used for, the answer was simply “The hit”… these bad guys were just junkies who’d turned to crime to feed their habit, and somehow that made it all seem 10 times worse.
2. Frobisher’s final realisation that he and his family had been used and backed in to a corner and the ultimate sacrifice that he then had to make was awful to watch… and that wait for the fourth gunshot was interminable.
3. Bridget Spears’ final endeavour to do something good that effectively overthrew the insidious Prime Minister Green was ultimately a futile act as the even more insidious sidekick appeared ready to take over.

Of course, the big talking point will be the final 10 minutes [Look away now if you haven't seen... spoilers approach].

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Mr Dekker’s advice that a child would be needed to feedback the deadly signal to the 456 and that that child would fry was met with obvious reluctance from Jack but in the end he knew that he what he was going to do and knew that he would be sacrificing his own self worth as well at the same.  Six months later and we find out that Jack is running away: it is exactly the behaviour that we would have expected of the Jack that we met in The Empty Child. Perhaps he goes off around the universe, never dying, trying to make amends for his behaviour and slowly turning into the Face of Boe. It would appear, given that conclusion that we’re not going to see Torchwood continue in its current form. Hopefully, we’ll get more sci-fi drama like this over the years to come though.

“On The Fourth Day The Government Will Conspire”… and didn’t they just?!

A few days ago, the biggest Doctor Who community on the internet, The Doctor Who Forum (formerly Outpost Gallifrey), was closed down to be replaced in spirit and substance by Gallifrey Base: a place for the discerning fan to partake in a diverse and vibrant discussion… and to throw insults at the trolls. I always used to read, with general amusement, the opinions of a vocal minority of “fans” and quite a few critics whose viewpoints I respect, about a genuine disappointment with Torchwood. Marketed, consciously or otherwise, as an adult version of its anagrammed parent show, Torchwood’s first two series were/are seen by these significant few as a little bit hokey, somewhat unfeasable in concept, and flawed to the point of distraction. I don’t entirely agree with the negative assertions, having always been pleasantly entertained by the Cardiff-based goings on. Why then, or perhaps a better question is how, did Children of Earth get to be so bloody brilliant?

On Gallifrey Base, I happily gave Day One a score of 9/10 on the traditional “Rate The Episode” threads, Day Two got an 8/10 from me and Day Three a 10/10 (all hail, James Moran). But Day Four was even better and I always vowed I’d never be one of squeeing 11/10 voters. Rats. One comment that has been made before this evening’s show was how the main TW cast seemed to be playing a back-seat role in the cunning plans of the 456 but as soon as Day Three’s cliffhanger put Captain Jack front and centre of the events of 1965 I guessed things might change. The first half of Day Four seemed a little odd as the gang appeared to simply be watching the TV after they’d got over the shock of Jack’s revelations but as the evil machinations of the government were played out for them to see, they reacted by hatching a plan and springing into action, and we knew everything was going to be okay. Erm, not quite. The 456 callously turned the tables on our heroes and suddenly, from the midst of the action, we were presented with a scene of such heart-wrenching sadness it was quite hard to comprehend.

For those who follow such things, my first Tweet after seeing Day Four was to ask “How many awards does Torchwood deserve to win? This is one of the most amazing TV shows I can remember watching” and it’s true, this is a genuinely astonishing slice of drama. If this was the only thing the BBC produced this year, it alone would justify my licence fee. The one thing I do know is that if Stephen Moffat is watching this, he must know that the bar at “Upper Boat” has been set extraordinarily high.

Day Three, in which [Spoilers Follow]

Okay, I was thoroughly enjoying the first two episodes of Torchwood: Children of Earth, all the while hoping that the pay-off would live up to the promise of the set-up. After seeing Day Three I don’t think I’m going to be disappointed. Questions were answered and new ones were asked. Jack’s daughter, Alice, turned out to have inherited some of the old man’s skills. Frobisher got screwed by the PM. Lois managed to infiltrate the highest levels of the conspiracy without anyone so much as blinking. And Jack turned bad… sort of. James Moran and Russell T Davies managed to create a quite magnificent piece of drama tonight and I am so chuffed that we have two more evenings to enjoy.

The 456 are one of the most unique aliens I’ve seen in many years with their bizarre flailing around and copious vomiting, and their approach to making contact with Earth is simultaneously surprising, fascinating, and chilling. There was a moment when the 456 seemed to repeat back what Frobisher said, and I immediately thought of the Doctor Who episode, “Midnight” but after reading a few comments over on Gallifrey Base, I think it may have been the contact lens’ software repeating the words back to the Torchwood team. Either way, I can’t wait to see how Jack turns out to have been involved in the events of 1965. On the surface it seems to be a case of that old sci-fi staple, that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few that led Jack to gift the children to the 456, but I can’t help thinking that there will be a lot more to it. The supporting cast were worthy of much praise in tonight’s episode, with Peter Capaldi putting in an astonishing performance. But my highest praise is reserved for Paul Copley’s disturbed Clem… isn’t it isn’t it. He seems to have been the most perfect piece of casting since Bernard Cribbins as Wilf.

So, who are your favourite characters?

Day Two – In the big Torchwood House

After I watched Day One, I mentioned that the trailer-fest and general press previews had provided enough to let me know, more or less, what was going to happen until the end of the episode. However, in the countdown to Day Two, I had somewhat less of an idea. The “Next Time” snippet had given us enough information to let us know that Jack’s bloodied corpse would make an appearance but there were some lovely gruesome scenes as his body regenerated nonetheless. The plot developed nicely in an unrushed manner without ever feeling padded as our heroes were seperated with only their wits to get them through but still all meeting up again by the end (although, I’m trying not to think too carefully about the quick drying cement ‘cos I’m sure there’s a gaping, great big plot-hole somewhere there). Having said that, with no hub and no high-tech car to help them, I look forward to more of this seat of the your pants action over the coming evenings. In hindsight, once we know the full story and come back to revisit Day Two on the DVD release, I suspect we’ll appreciate this installment for its character pieces and slices of action rather than its storyline but that is exactly the sort of opportunity that this format provides.

The character of Lois is a welcome addition and I now suspect (after falling for the Dr Rupesh double bluff yesterday) that she could become an addition to the full time crew. Her line “I’m a P.A. it’s what I do” was a classic. Again the humour ran through this episode with a bravado seldom seen in 9pm so called “adult” dramas, such as the rather wonderful piece when Frobisher’s children chant “We. Want. A. Pony”. The one character who seems-a-bit-incompetent-but-really-shouldn’t-be is the mysterious Johnson, the woman tasked with killing the Torchwood Three, and her gang of black-clad, misfiring henchmen who couldn’t hit a barn-door from ten yards with their array of firearms. Niggles aside, the main point of this episode seemed to be to ramp up the mystery and get the viewers asking all the right questions over the water-coolers tomorrow morning, and in that, it was a great success. Hopefully, those 5.9 million viewers from last night stuck around.  So, what do you think? Better, worse or much the same quality as Day One?

Torchwood: Day One – What’s Occuring?

Well, that was a rather special episode of Torchwood, in fact I’d go as far as to say faultless. I got the feeling that I knew most of what was going to happen from the trailers and press releases (kids stopping, the “We. Are. Coming” chant, the mysterious alien threat, government reaction and Torchwood being hunted down) but, despite the prior knowledge, it didn’t prevent the last 10 minutes from making my heart race. Dr Rupesh’s shooting of Jack was a jaw-dropper given I thought he was genuinely being introduced as an Owen replacement and the bomb in Jack’s stomach was something I didn’t see coming at all. The five-hour story format rather than self contained 45-minute chunks seem to have given a little more room for characters to breathe and, accordingly, added a lot of new depth and insight into their backgrounds and families.  Ianto coming out to his sister was a classic RTD-scribed scene full of humour and realism, while Jack’s visit to his daughter and grandson threw up more complexities into the problems of his eternal life. The supporting cast were great (I couldn’t pick out a single bum choice) and quite numerous too with a plethora of new faces to get to know over the course of the week… and beyond, one would hope. The direction and production were spot on as well. So what did you all think?