Torchwood: Children of Earth (5)

[daibhidc]

That was the most gut-wrenching hour of television I've seen in, well, possibly ever. (Disclaimer: I don't often watch programmes that could be remotely described as "gut-wrenching", so it's not that much of a challenge).

It just didn't let up; I had to look away when it became apparent what Frobisher was doing, but that was just the start. When Jack made his decision, I seriously considered leaving the room, or possibly changing channels temporarily. (I didn't, I just started pacing, and running through my nervous habits.) The good guys win, but not easily, and not with any real sense of triumph. They just stopped things getting worse.

(On which note, I'm amazed nobody pointed out the obvious; if this is a drug then the 456 are not going to go away and never come back. In 2053 they'd be back, wanting 50%...)

And it becomes apparent that yet another Whoniverse PM isn't going to see out a full term (although I half-expected Bridget to have requisitoned another gun). I think Cabinet Woman Whose Name I Missed will be lucky if she's "taking charge of a lot of things", though; don't The Contact Lens Tapes also have her saying that they should take children from the lower end of the League Tables, because they'll never amount to anything anyway, and they won't be the kids of anyone she knows?

And it turns out Lois probably isn't joining Torchwood, because there probably isn't a Torchwood for her to join...

Comments

[agoodwinsmith.livejournal.com]

I know I don't quite have the level of anxiety that you experience, but I too often "watch" scary things from the kitchen: "What are they doing now?" :) Some how, things that I see are *real* even when I know they certainly are not.

[ciciaye.livejournal.com]

I think Cabinet Woman Whose Name I Missed will be lucky if she's "taking charge of a lot of things", though; don't The Contact Lens Tapes also have her saying that they should take children from the lower end of the League Tables, because they'll never amount to anything anyway, and they won't be the kids of anyone she knows?

Those were Lois's lens tapes, though. The ones Bridget plans to make public are her own, of the Prime Minister saying they'd been 'lucky' and planning to shift the blame onto the US

Re the drugs - I agree, although it's possible they'll go somewhere else instead, somewhere that doesn't know how to kill their ambassador

Jack's decision - Jack tried to stop the government giving up the children to save the rest of the world, only to give up his own grandson to save the rest of the children. Ironic, see? Yes, I can imagine the scriptwriters patting themselves on the backs over that one.

No reason why Torchwood couldn't come back, though. Like CSI, with branches in different places

[catofsteel.livejournal.com]

The only flaw I saw with the story was that we're never shown any sign that the 456 are actually that dangerous. Yes, they can release a virus inside a building where they actually are, but can they do it on a global scale? Have they got a lot of ships, or is it just one being in one ship; one rogue pusher looking to sell the children on to it's people, or just put them on ice for itself?