Torchwood: Children of Earth Review
I never update this but every other social networking outlet is full of people who haven't yet seen Torchwood and don't want to be spoiled.
Everything happened the way it had to happen. It had to end this way, but I wasn't ready for it. Jack's words to Gwen at the end of the last series were "the end is where we start from", and they filled me with hope that we would see rebuilding and growth before the next major tragedy. I needed to see that. But that's not what Torchwood is. Torchwood is death and sorrow, plain and simple.
From the end of Day One, it couldn't have ended any other way. The Hub was destroyed, including anything/anyone in the Hub, the SUV had been stolen, and Gwen was pregnant. Those three things destroy Torchwood's ability to function. They have no resources now: no alien tech, no archives, no weapons, and staffing cut even more. Realistically, Gwen would have had to take some time off from Torchwood to have her baby, and Jack and Rhys would not have let her continue to put herself in as much danger as before either during pregnancy or after. Torchwood as an institution was doomed from the end of Day One.
The nail in the coffin, or at least point of realization that it's all going to end, is Ianto's death. I was angry and hurt when Ianto died. I've always said that I trust RTD to hurt me and then make it better. After Day Four, I didn't think he could do that.
A lot of fans are crying out that Ianto's death was pointless, that other tragedies in the series were enough. It wasn't pointless. It served the story and the characters on a couple levels. Firstly, Ianto had to die. He was going to die young and at the hand of Torchwood. He knew that and Jack knew that.
Secondly, it was Jack's fault. He was arrogant, and subsequently Torchwood was arrogant. He thought he could march into a room without any information on who they were dealing with or what that race was capable of and just say "I'm Captain Jack Harkness" and have everything be alright. As much as Jack's arrogance killed Ianto, Ianto's own love and blind faith in Jack did too. Ianto would have followed him into worse situations without a second thought because he trusted him so completely. Jack inspires that in people, and the combination of arrogance and love killed Ianto in a seemingly pointless, unimportant way. This is important because we need to be angry at Jack. We need to remember who Jack really is sometimes. We hear from many random, one episode characters how dangerous he is and the unintentional pain he has caused. But we don't believe it until we feel it. We fell in love with Jack Harkness and trust him completely. Ianto had to die the way he did to make us really understand how dangerous that is.
Thirdly, their relationship had no happy ending. Best case scenario, Jack watches Ianto grow old and die. They have plenty of good times in the interim, but the end result is the same. Ianto will age and Jack will not. I think it's better for Ianto to die young and in love with Jack and for Jack to see him go as his Ianto and not what a lifetime of Jack and Torchwood would have made him into. Honestly, after all five episodes, my biggest beef with the story is that Jack didn't tell Ianto he loved him. I think Jack loves many people in many ways. Maybe he didn't love Ianto in the way or with the depth of feeling that Ianto loved him (I'd like to think he was starting to), but Jesus H. Christ, the kid is dying. Just fucking tell him you love him. I don't care if it's true or not.
Lastly, in the end Jack has to leave. I don't think Jack would leave Ianto again. He would have stayed despite his greatest desire to run away with Ianto acting as his anchor. But he has to go.
So, in the end, I'm okay with Ianto's death. It will hurt me for a long time because I wasn't ready for it. I wanted to see their relationship grow more before the end, but the pieces were already in place and it had to happen now. Whenever you find yourself crying that Ianto's death isn't fair or it didn't have to happen, remember that that's the point in itself. I do grieve that we'll never really know Ianto Jones, as his sister so beautifully pointed out to Gwen. But part of me likes that too. He was always a sad, closed off character and part of me is glad he'll stay that way. And the irony of Ianto calling Jack out on not opening up while maintaining so many lies is delicious in itself.
After Ianto's death, the institution of Torchwood is done. Jack gives up and sends Gwen home. Gwen gives up and goes. Even though Jack gave her the mission of finding Ianto's family, the Gwen I know would have wanted to fight the bigger problem. Not just try to save a couple kids while millions die. Even though Jack and Gwen go on to save the day, Torchwood does not. They act independently and are no longer fighting under the banner of the great army of Torchwood because that institution has already crumbled.
It's important to recognize that Torchwood is DOA by this point, because when Stephen dies, it's not Torchwood that killed him. It's Jack. He has no more arrogance or charm to fall back on, he just has himself. The Jack that kills innocent people despite claiming that "an injury to one is an injury to all". There is something noble about making the hard choice, but not this time. And though we see the shot of Decker, Jack, and the nameless woman as Stephen bleeds out his ears, Decker and the woman take no real responsibility. It's all on Jack's shoulders. Had Jack not killed Stephen, he might have been able to go back to Torchwood. Push away his guilt and pain over Ianto, as he always does, hold his head high and say "the end is where we start from" all over again. But now it's more than Torchwood that is destroyed and unable to function, it is Jack himself.
With Torchwood destroyed, Jack has to leave. He can't rebuild with so much weighing on his shoulders. And, really, would we want that? What would the new Torchwood be? Jack and a part time Gwen? No Hub, no SUV, no Janet, no Myfawny. Aliens are public knowledge, really Torchwood is public knowledge. There's no need to rebuild an underground base. They'd be in a rented office building, going over resumes and interviewing new doctors and technicians. I don't want to see that.
But, Jack's leaving gives me hope. We've seen Jack become a better man before. I barely think of cowardly, con-man Jack as my Captain Jack Harkness, but that's who he was before the Doctor and before Torchwood. I hope that Jack can go back out into the universe and come back to us, and to Torchwood as a better man. So, that's what I leave Children of Earth with: hope for Jack Harkness.
Completely unrelated, but I want to say it anyway:
1. Go PC Andy! Maybe this is your turning point too. Maybe you are starting to show the guts for Torchwood. Similarly, good job to Johnny on leading the fight against the police.
2. The scene with Bridget Spears talking to Lois while Frobisher goes home to kill his family is beautiful. One of the best written scenes I've seen in a long time.
3. I am so glad Bridget got to be vengeful. She deserves it.
4. This may have surpassed Doctor Who for me, in both quality and emotional impact.
Everything happened the way it had to happen. It had to end this way, but I wasn't ready for it. Jack's words to Gwen at the end of the last series were "the end is where we start from", and they filled me with hope that we would see rebuilding and growth before the next major tragedy. I needed to see that. But that's not what Torchwood is. Torchwood is death and sorrow, plain and simple.
From the end of Day One, it couldn't have ended any other way. The Hub was destroyed, including anything/anyone in the Hub, the SUV had been stolen, and Gwen was pregnant. Those three things destroy Torchwood's ability to function. They have no resources now: no alien tech, no archives, no weapons, and staffing cut even more. Realistically, Gwen would have had to take some time off from Torchwood to have her baby, and Jack and Rhys would not have let her continue to put herself in as much danger as before either during pregnancy or after. Torchwood as an institution was doomed from the end of Day One.
The nail in the coffin, or at least point of realization that it's all going to end, is Ianto's death. I was angry and hurt when Ianto died. I've always said that I trust RTD to hurt me and then make it better. After Day Four, I didn't think he could do that.
A lot of fans are crying out that Ianto's death was pointless, that other tragedies in the series were enough. It wasn't pointless. It served the story and the characters on a couple levels. Firstly, Ianto had to die. He was going to die young and at the hand of Torchwood. He knew that and Jack knew that.
Secondly, it was Jack's fault. He was arrogant, and subsequently Torchwood was arrogant. He thought he could march into a room without any information on who they were dealing with or what that race was capable of and just say "I'm Captain Jack Harkness" and have everything be alright. As much as Jack's arrogance killed Ianto, Ianto's own love and blind faith in Jack did too. Ianto would have followed him into worse situations without a second thought because he trusted him so completely. Jack inspires that in people, and the combination of arrogance and love killed Ianto in a seemingly pointless, unimportant way. This is important because we need to be angry at Jack. We need to remember who Jack really is sometimes. We hear from many random, one episode characters how dangerous he is and the unintentional pain he has caused. But we don't believe it until we feel it. We fell in love with Jack Harkness and trust him completely. Ianto had to die the way he did to make us really understand how dangerous that is.
Thirdly, their relationship had no happy ending. Best case scenario, Jack watches Ianto grow old and die. They have plenty of good times in the interim, but the end result is the same. Ianto will age and Jack will not. I think it's better for Ianto to die young and in love with Jack and for Jack to see him go as his Ianto and not what a lifetime of Jack and Torchwood would have made him into. Honestly, after all five episodes, my biggest beef with the story is that Jack didn't tell Ianto he loved him. I think Jack loves many people in many ways. Maybe he didn't love Ianto in the way or with the depth of feeling that Ianto loved him (I'd like to think he was starting to), but Jesus H. Christ, the kid is dying. Just fucking tell him you love him. I don't care if it's true or not.
Lastly, in the end Jack has to leave. I don't think Jack would leave Ianto again. He would have stayed despite his greatest desire to run away with Ianto acting as his anchor. But he has to go.
So, in the end, I'm okay with Ianto's death. It will hurt me for a long time because I wasn't ready for it. I wanted to see their relationship grow more before the end, but the pieces were already in place and it had to happen now. Whenever you find yourself crying that Ianto's death isn't fair or it didn't have to happen, remember that that's the point in itself. I do grieve that we'll never really know Ianto Jones, as his sister so beautifully pointed out to Gwen. But part of me likes that too. He was always a sad, closed off character and part of me is glad he'll stay that way. And the irony of Ianto calling Jack out on not opening up while maintaining so many lies is delicious in itself.
After Ianto's death, the institution of Torchwood is done. Jack gives up and sends Gwen home. Gwen gives up and goes. Even though Jack gave her the mission of finding Ianto's family, the Gwen I know would have wanted to fight the bigger problem. Not just try to save a couple kids while millions die. Even though Jack and Gwen go on to save the day, Torchwood does not. They act independently and are no longer fighting under the banner of the great army of Torchwood because that institution has already crumbled.
It's important to recognize that Torchwood is DOA by this point, because when Stephen dies, it's not Torchwood that killed him. It's Jack. He has no more arrogance or charm to fall back on, he just has himself. The Jack that kills innocent people despite claiming that "an injury to one is an injury to all". There is something noble about making the hard choice, but not this time. And though we see the shot of Decker, Jack, and the nameless woman as Stephen bleeds out his ears, Decker and the woman take no real responsibility. It's all on Jack's shoulders. Had Jack not killed Stephen, he might have been able to go back to Torchwood. Push away his guilt and pain over Ianto, as he always does, hold his head high and say "the end is where we start from" all over again. But now it's more than Torchwood that is destroyed and unable to function, it is Jack himself.
With Torchwood destroyed, Jack has to leave. He can't rebuild with so much weighing on his shoulders. And, really, would we want that? What would the new Torchwood be? Jack and a part time Gwen? No Hub, no SUV, no Janet, no Myfawny. Aliens are public knowledge, really Torchwood is public knowledge. There's no need to rebuild an underground base. They'd be in a rented office building, going over resumes and interviewing new doctors and technicians. I don't want to see that.
But, Jack's leaving gives me hope. We've seen Jack become a better man before. I barely think of cowardly, con-man Jack as my Captain Jack Harkness, but that's who he was before the Doctor and before Torchwood. I hope that Jack can go back out into the universe and come back to us, and to Torchwood as a better man. So, that's what I leave Children of Earth with: hope for Jack Harkness.
Completely unrelated, but I want to say it anyway:
1. Go PC Andy! Maybe this is your turning point too. Maybe you are starting to show the guts for Torchwood. Similarly, good job to Johnny on leading the fight against the police.
2. The scene with Bridget Spears talking to Lois while Frobisher goes home to kill his family is beautiful. One of the best written scenes I've seen in a long time.
3. I am so glad Bridget got to be vengeful. She deserves it.
4. This may have surpassed Doctor Who for me, in both quality and emotional impact.