Torchwood retro review: Children of Earth begins with a bang with Day One

The third series of Torchwood began with an opening episode that not only featured a lot of new characters, but also a lot of shocks.

Unsurprisingly, Day One of Torchwood: Children of Earth is very much focused on setting the scene for the story. A number of new characters and new storylines only just begin here. Of course, the episode isn’t without its shocks.

The best example of this is Dr. Rupesh Patanjali. (Now, be honest, you forgot about him, didn’t you?) When he’s introduced, he’s clearly set up to be the new guy. He encounters Jack and Ianto on a “business-as-usual” kind of mission, he’s clearly interested in Torchwood because they know nothing of secrecy, (“This whole city talks about you!” has to be one of the best lines of the episode,) and he even follows Jack and Ianto back to what Gwen describes as a “big science-fiction superbase”. (Did I mention how fantastic the dialogue is in this episode?)

So I still remember the shock I felt when seeing him literally shoot Jack in the back. Russell T Davies is rather brilliant at misdirection and giving us decoy protagonists – I still remember how heavily promoted Indira Varma was as Suzie Costello before opening episode Everything Changes was broadcast – and Rupesh is another great example of that. It’s a shock that only works once, of course, but like I said, I still remember it a decade later.

New characters

Other new characters that we’re introduced to – and of course have more of an impact this series – include Lois Habiba, who’s just starting her first day at the Home Office. Essentially, she’s the closest we have to “the new member”, even though she never officially joins the team. Her role is rather small in this episode, but it does establish her with having a very strange first day.

Day One also introduces us to previously unseen family members of the Torchwood characters. Ianto heads home to see his sister and talks to her about Jack in a rather beautiful moment.

But far more surprising is finding out that Jack has a family. We’re given an explanation on why we’ve never seen his daughter and grandson before – she asked him to stay away because it’s difficult having an immortal as a father – and it does work. On top of that, there’s also a nice moment of foreshadowing when she calls him “dangerous”, after he offers to spend time with his grandson…on a day when children all over the world have been acting weird. (Subtle, Jack, subtle.)

Familiar faces

But perhaps the face that leaps out the most on re-watch is of course Peter Capaldi as civil servant John Frobisher. Seeing someone who would later play the Doctor just a few years later is initially a little strange, especially since, unlike his other role of Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii, Twelve’s similarity to Frobisher’s appearance was never explained.

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However, it does become very easy to forget about Capaldi’s later, more significant role in the Doctor Who universe very quickly. Frobisher is a very complicated and much weaker man than the Twelfth Doctor. A man with a family who wants to do the right thing, but he also wants to avoid Britain getting involved in a horrific worldwide scandal.

Like his performance as the Twelfth Doctor, Capaldi really throws himself into the role of Frobisher. The first time I watched this episode, I was already impressed at his versatility due to his previous role of Malcolm Tucker in British comedy The Thick of It. Whereas that role was full of fire, rage and lots of swearing, Frobisher is quieter, more restrained and more vulnerable. It’s quite an impressive performance, even at the start of this series.

Explosive ending

Whereas the first two-thirds of the episode was all about establishing the new characters and new plotlines, the last third of Day One very effectively establishes that, for this series of Torchwood, the gloves are officially off. If the reveal of Rupesh’s betrayal wasn’t shocking enough, the destruction of the Hub certainly is.

For the first two series, the Hub was essentially a home for the characters. While it had admittedly been attacked several times and members had died, it was also thought that it would outlast everyone. To see it destroyed so utterly is a bold but perfect ending to Children of Earth‘s first episode.

And after that explosive first day, things were only going to get worse for the Torchwood team…

Next. Torchwood: Children of Earth – Happy tenth anniversary to a controversial series. dark

What are your thoughts on Children of Earth‘s first episode? Do you think it began the series well? What was your favorite moment? Let us know in the comments below.

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