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Torchwood: Children of Earth, Day 3

Gwen: "What do we do? Just sit here?"
Jack: "Worse than that, do I have to stay in these clothes?"

I'm enjoying this miniseries so much.

The four of them (and eventually Clem) camping out in the center of that huge, empty warehouse was quite fun. No furniture, no equipment, no showers. (One hopes there's a bathroom.) I thought this was a great idea, literally stripping our characters down to their wits. And I loved their version of scrounging for office supplies, or "midnight requisitioning," as we used to call it. Laptops. Credit cards. Jack stole a sports car, which was just like him; he couldn't just steal an inconspicuous car, could he? Ianto went to army surplus to get Jack another long grey coat. That was so sweet. Did he get him suspenders, too?

And I liked that Ianto, emboldened by their official "couple" status, asked Jack some heavy-duty questions about life and death. (Mostly death.) Too bad they didn't have time for a quickie, because all I could think of was that whenever a couple was happy together on Buffy, one of them would die. And, come to think of it, since Jack can't die... no. We've already lost Tosh and Owen. They wouldn't do that to us. Would they? Is this their way of "changing companions?" Killing the old ones off?

Even the scenes with Torchwood listening in on Frobisher and the alien were great, because it wasn't simple. Contact lenses, lip reading, shorthand. Not being able to see the alien made it scarier, too, because what we make up in our own minds is always worse. The intermittent sliming was a nice touch, although I couldn't help but notice that the glass sometimes looked clean when the slime hit. Did the 456 have a bottle of Windex and some paper towels in there with them?

Jack and the other three (now dead) people on the kill list gave the 456 a dozen children back in 1965. Jack wouldn't sacrifice a dozen orphans for no good reason. Was the alternative even more unthinkable? Did the British government order him to do it? That would explain why Frobisher wanted the 456 to keep quiet about it.

Why do these nasty, slimy aliens want millions of children that can't even breathe their air? Adoption? Slavery? Hostages? Tasty snacks?

Bits and pieces:

-- Rhys has taken over as coffee boy.

-- Andy got to help out. Definitely better than leading assassins to Gwen's apartment.

-- Gwen took the alien contact lenses home so she and Rhys could have fun with them. Maybe I'm naive, but what sort of fun?

-- Alice isn't Jack's daughter for nothing; she almost got away. I am assuming that Alice and Steven are not immortal. It wouldn't make sense.

-- Alice's parents, Jack Harkness and Lucia Moretti, were Torchwood employees with the names James and Mary Sangster.

-- Ianto's in-laws started an impromptu day care center.

-- Nasty American general. Why are Americans on British television always portrayed as buttheads? We're not all buttheads. Honestly.

Quotes:

Gwen: "Criminals. Thieves. Us."

Jack: "I'm a fixed point in time and space. That's what the Doctor says. I think that means it's forever."
Ianto: "So one day you'll see me die of old age, and just keep going."
Jack: "Yeah."
Ianto: "We'd better make the most of it, then."

Jack: "Ianto, the world could be ending."
Ianto: "The world's always ending."

Green: "Look, John Frobisher is a good man. And better than that, he's expendable." The Prime Minister is even slimier than the 456. I miss Harriet Jones.

Clem: "Who's the queer?"
Ianto: "Oi! It's not 1965 any more."
Clem knew Gwen and Rhys were married, too. What will he make of Jack once he calms down?

The 456: "We want your children. We will take your children."

Excellent. They're three for three,

Billie
---
Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

11 comments:

  1. Out of curiosity, Billie, if they're cutting bits out of episodes, how are the filling the 75 minutes in the schedule? Do BBC America have ad breaks, or something?

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  2. Yes, BBC America has ad breaks. The only channels in the US that don't are pay channels like HBO and Showtime. I don't think they're censoring much. When I get the DVD in a couple of weeks, I'll watch to see if I notice anything specific missing, other than a good look at John Barrowman's whatsits.

    I just this moment finished watching Day 4. Holy wow.

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  3. My reaction to Day Four was similar only with a lot more expletives.

    RTD is telling fans over at EW.Com to watch Supernatural to make themselves feel better about what happened. Seems Russell is a bit of a slash fan.

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  4. Wow... 20 minutes of ad-breaks seem a bit much. I assumed that, because it was the BBC, there'd be no breaks. But of course, you don't pay a license fee, so I guess they've got to make their money somehow.

    And "Holy Wow" indeed with regards episode four. I was wondering whether the ending would deliver. Episode four was the start of the pay-off... episode five the cherry on the cake.

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  5. My least fave of the episodes, too talky in places and I have to admit I did get irritated with the 456 not showing themselves.

    The end reveal however is stunning and I'm very much looking forward to your Day 4 review.

    RTD a slash fan, totally called it but uh, so I am, depending on the pairing.

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  6. Hahaha :-) So glad I got tipped off about the RTD interview. I don't see how it'll make the sad Ianto/Jack fans feel any better but nice to hear RTD appreciates Sam/Dean.

    Was great reading your review Billie, and in light of Day 4's shock - quite perceptive :-) But I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the reason the 456 want the kids. For me, it was Really depressing.

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  7. Thanks, Harry. Review of Day 4 goes up tonight.

    I'm confused about Russell T. Davies and Supernatural. What was he talking about? I'm a huge fan of Supernatural but I wouldn't compare Jack and Ianto to Sam and Dean. Sam and Dean are brothers.

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  8. I'm guessing that the "nasty American butthead" is sort of revenge for lots of programs showing Britons as irritating toffs. Just a thought.

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  9. The 456 staying hidden was a great move. All that tension in the 1st conversation with Frobisher. Nice.

    Jack already gave a child away. In season one to the faeries. So i wasn't that surprised. He also hinted while talking with Frobisher that the 456 promised to never come back if they get 12 children. But like most extorsionists they couldn't help themselves and came back.

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