SPOLER WARNING in effect from this point…you have been warned…
FIVE EPISODE MINI-SERIES
DAY ONE & DAY FIVE Written by Russell T. Davies
DAY TWO & DAY FOUR Written by John Fay
DAY THREE Written by Russell T. Davies and James Moran
Directed by Euros Lyn
“There’s one thing I always wanted to ask Jack…back in the old days. I wanted to know about that Doctor of his…the man who appears out of nowhere and saves the world…except sometimes he doesn’t. All those times in history where there was no sign of him…I wanted to know why not. But I don’t need to ask anymore. I know the answer now. Sometimes the Doctor must look at this planet…and turn away in shame.”
It’s been a while in coming…but after several viewings, and some contemplation, I’ve finally assembled an overall opinion.
CHILDREN OF EARTH is raw. Raw in the manner of the most compelling, absorbing, stunning, evocatie drama that British television can offer. Prime Suspect, Cracker, House of Cards, Upstairs Downstairs…pick one of the gems of British drama over the years, and add Torchwood’s recent season to the mix. If it wasn’t for the sci-fi elements, this would be indistinguishable from anything worthy of starring Helen Mirren, Ian Richardson, or Robbie Coltrane. It oozes with high quality thrills, ragged human relationships, and showcases every facet of the human psyche. Watching Children of Earth, one is forced to alternate between breathtaking and gobsmacked. Nothing is shielded…and I’m not talking about gore and violence (which is used surgically for maximum disturbing effect), but the use and abuse of people, their rights, their freedoms…and their children. The ugly face of humanity is unapologetically on display throughout, side-by-side with moments of indomitable human triumph.
CHILDREN OF EARTH is terrifying…but not in the way one would imagine. The 456-alien is creepy enough, but the terror comes in observing the reactions of the politicians, the military, and the everyman-and-woman in the street, or on the estate. This is a story where the choices made by those in charge seem very likely to be mirrored one day in the real world: all the selfishness, cowardice, fear, and self-serving surival instincts that reduce humanity to its basest instincts.
CHILDREN OF EARTH is about consequences. Torchwood as a team is destroyed & utterly defeated, Ianto is killed, the government nearly turns itself into a child-snatching police state, and the lives of innocent men and women are ruined — all turned into scapegoats, patsies, and worst of all, tools. Tools to enable “the greater good”. Jack’s running away in the final moments seems awful at first glance…until you understand just what kind of suffering he has faced over these terrible five days, and how it compounds on the past events of an already epic lifetime. After more than a century on Earth, building a life, and finding love and a family…it’s all taken away from him…and much of the culpability is his own. I’d run screaming for space, too. Sometimes humanity is simply too much to deal with…for all its successes, it can leave behind one hell of a disgusting, unpalatable mess.
CHILDREN OF EARTH is magnificent, depressing, exhilerating, horrifying, and astonishing. Some of the best ever writing from the pen of Russell Davies, sumptuous direction, and actors powering through amazing material at the height of their powers. It’s some of the most sublime work of British television…ANY television…in the last decade. I’m not sure we’ll see it’s like any time soon…so cherish its impressie depth & power for all its worth.
10
