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What Make The Stateside Critics Of BBC America’s New Week-Long TORCHWOOD Miniseries CHILDREN OF EARTH??
I am – Hercules!!
The BBC decided to order only five hours of “Torchwood’s” third season, and aired them all over five days, starting two weeks ago. BBC America is doing the same this week, starting Monday night.
USA Today says:
… a highly polished, beautifully scary production that takes the series into deep waters, all well-navigated by John Barrowman, the charismatic star. Some fans may not be thrilled with what some choices may mean for Torchwood's possible future, but don't let that deter you from watching a terrific miniseries that works perfectly as a stand-alone. …
The New York Times says:
… Every week or two the Torchwood team sets out to identify and defeat a new alien, then returns home to lick its wounds and count its losses. One problem with “Children of Earth” is that it has to stretch this process over five hours. This means, inevitably, less derring-do and more fretting over things like (minor spoiler alert) the pregnancy of Gwen (Ms. Myles) and the future of Jack and Ianto. Mr. Davies has added some structure by concocting a conspiratorial back story and a running theme of government duplicity; it serves to stretch out the suspense but it also gives too much screen time to transient characters we don’t care about. … But despite these quibbles, “Children of Earth” is still good fun, if not good, exactly. “Torchwood” has always been about jokey repartee and Saturday-matinee save-the-world heroics, and those are here, along with other constants, like clumsily staged action and middling performances. Mr. Barrowman and Ms. Myles are funny, likable and great to look at, but that’s about as far as it goes. …
The Los Angeles Times says:
… Given that it's basically a five-hour feature film, it's not surprising that the series flags around night four. (It recovers.) Not all of it makes sense, and the ending feels rushed, but the spell largely holds, no small thanks to the crisp direction of Euros Lyn and a supporting cast that includes Cush Jumbo as a Nancy Drew figure, Katy Wix as Ianto's sister, Liz May Brice as a government hit woman and Ian Gelder as a self-preserving old technician. The alien is beautifully presented and quite frightening, and its motivation when revealed is a genuine shock -- yet, of course, brilliantly familiar. …
The Chicago Tribune says:
… If you watch the first hour and don't find yourself hooked, check your wrist -- you may not have a pulse. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… begins Monday with an adrenaline-fueled hour that's more thriller than sci-fi. For the uninitiated, it offers an uncomplicated entry point. … Tuesday's episode offers somewhat less excitement -- it's largely a rescue mission -- but "Children of Earth" gets back on track Wednesday as aliens arrive and Jack makes what appears to be a shocking end-of-episode confession. …
The Newark Star Ledger says:
… an exciting, epic story …
Variety says:
… a crackerjack, fabulously entertaining thriller. Although John Barrowman reprises his role as Capt. Jack Harkness -- the mysterious, seemingly immortal head of a team founded in the 19th century to thwart extraterrestrial threats -- the project makes like any good politician, catering to its base while inviting the uninitiated to join the party. Spread over five nights, it plays like an expanded version of what "The X-Files" movies should have been. …
9 p.m. Monday-Friday. BBC America.
Season Eight: Volume Five!!
Hrm.
Season Eight: Volume Five!!
Hrm.
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Not bad, but any follow up series will be crippled.
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but the fifth is a HUGE letdown, full of sloppy writing and silly inconsistencies, and really isn't in the same league.
Still, at least good ratings in the UK points to possible future outings. -
but the fifth is a HUGE letdown, full of sloppy writing and silly inconsistencies, and really isn't in the same league.
Still, at least good ratings in the UK points to possible future outings. -
FFS. And what is it with all these pop-up windows???
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but it's for the fans. If you don't like Torchwood, this won't change your mind.
SPOILERS
For me the reason the 456 wanted more children, which is essentially the whole point of this mini-season, was a big let down. Not only is using kids as a recreational drug source abit of a boring plot point, but that these aliens whose technology is far advanced than ours would be asking nicely (maybe it's the drugs?) rather than just taking control over the kids and stealing them doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I presume they could have used their beam-up technology at any time. I don't remember the story specifics but it seemed a little dumb to me. Perhaps someone out there who's seen it could clear that up? But why bother, is it (like the show) really worth your time?
Considering the highlight was "You will buy us a pony... you will buy us a pony..." it again made me wonder why this sci-fi-for-adults show kept the story so childish. And where did all the split-pea soup go?... -
You said something relevant instead of what most first-posters say.
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...Michael Jackson didn't live long enough to see the world's children turned into unresisting playthings intoning "We are coming... we are coming..."
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This was an extraordinary piece of television.... funny, exciting, though provoking, heart wrenching and horrifying at various points....the acting was good to great (Peter Capaldi - take a bow) ...Eve Myles was gorgeous and gets bonus points for 'What's Occurring?'.... I hope the fan boys don't come here and bring the hate for what was a daring and dark final couple of episodes.... we need as many viewers as possible on both sides of the atlantic to make sure another season is commisioned.
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even if the Welsh jokes go straight over the heads of most Americans, this is really worth watching.. best thing on telly this year so far.
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I had my fill of Torchwood with season one.
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I enjoyed it a lot. I hope a 4th series is commisioned, even it doesn't have Barrowman, in it as Capt Jack selflessly buggered off at the end to obviously show up in one one Tennents last shows.
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Then you are missing out to spite yourself...... Season one was patchy.....season two better with a few duff episodes.....this was in a different league.........
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"If you don't like Torchwood, this won't change your mind. " I disagree. I've watched since the beginning only out of some strange loyalty to Dr Who. There's maybe been one or two episodes in the first two years that weren't absolute shit. This third series was an improvement the likes of which I never thought possible.
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if they can't appreciate this mini-series, they need to stop reviewing sci-fi. or fire the people that did those 2 reviews and hired some qualified writers.
Children of Earth is good. If you like sci-fi, give it a chance. You might be in for a treat. -
Spoiler, don't fucking read.
There was a scene where Gwen was running from the military carrying the little girl. I thought she was gonna take a bullet in the back. But they just didn't have the balls for that.
Other than that fucking fantastic and REALISTIC as to what any GOVERNMENT would do in this scenario.
Torchwood never shied away from doing evil. Remember the "Fairies" and how they were allowed to take the kid? -
about watching Torchwood out of some loyalty to Doctor Who (and the few crossovers, like the Cyber-woman which I thought was half decent).
But that this third season was better than the last two isn't saying much. It's like saying today's breakfast was good because compared to previous times it wasn't burned. It could still be crap compared to a decent breakfast, just not totally inedible.
It still doesn't fix the plot holes, or the feeling that they were really eeking out the plot, or that (my main problem with Torchwood since the start) Captain Jack is not the same guy that he was in Doctor Who. I know Torchwood is meant to be darker, but the change to Jack seemed to make him depressed, which in turn made him depressing to watch. At least that's how it was to me, and I loved the swashbuckling Captain Jack of Doctor Who. -
the first 4 were pretty good and overcome nearly all of Davies bad habits but the last episode turns its back on it and embraces everything that made the previous seasons of Torchwood stink. Everything is solved in 5 minutes. They spend the rest of the episode wallowing in self-despair and hitting us over the head with just how very serious everything is. blech.
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I know that's not saying much as it's only July, but I thought it was great. It shows what would probably happen in the political sphere if Earth were under attack by an alien threat, and it's not pretty. The final episode is a punch in the gut, as it refuses to pussy out and hit the reset button.
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..I hated Torchwood and it's silver-painted Commodore 64s, and prayed it wasn't shown anywhere else in the world to save our embarrassment, but this was proper good sci-fi based on human reactions to events we'll (probably) never have to face, rather than space battles and shit special-fx.
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the final episode was rushed, and unsatisfying. Undoubtedly Cpt. Jack will have some role in David Tennant's Dr. Who finale, leaving the door open for him to be brought back to Torchwood by the Doctor.
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Wasn't part of the hub's job to be a cork on all of the extra dimentional shenanigans? It shoulda been like Ghostbusters after Peck turned off the protection grid after it blew
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I found the first season utterly unwatchable and quit after the fifth episode of season two. Awful stuff. Should I bother checking this out at all? I find pretty much every character on the show to be pretty incredibly stupid at the best of times.
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I never finished watching it myself. It wasn't adult sci-fi--more like horny teenager slapped together nonesense most of the time. "Cyberwoman" remains without doubt one of the worst TV experiences I can recall. Not just from Torchwood or Doctor Who, but anywhere. God awful crap that was. I heard the last couple of episodes picked up, but by then it had lost me. Series two I watched all the way through, and found it to be a huge improvement, but not great for the most part. Children of Earth however, I found captivating. Unlike some of the reviews above, I actually enjoyed the parts in which the regular cast were not the focus--the government wrangling over what to do with the crisis was the best part for me. Peter Capaldi was unbelievable, and the way his character arc played out had me gaping at the screen in silence for ten minutes. Seriously, you'd NEVER find what they did to him happening on a US TV show.
Anyway, to recap: those of you who were turend off by series one or series two, give this a go. This is what Torchwood should have been like from the get-go: real adult themed entertainment (as in not for the kiddies). I don't think you'll be disappointed! -
But with less Dawson's Creek in it. Anyways, that sucked ass. So, I'll avoid this like ... well, like The Plague.
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"If you don't like Torchwood, this won't change your mind."
I strongly disagree with this. I loathed the first two seasons of TORCHWOOD and find the new DOCTOR WHO only intermittently watchable. CHILDREN OF EARTH is the best thing done by either series since WHO came back in 2005.
It has problems, a slightly suspect ending and the traditional really annoying music among them, but the writing was decent, the performances (especially Peter Capaldi who should be nominated for some awards) pretty good and the pacing impressive. Even Eva Myles, not the greatest actress in the world, really stepped up a few times. -
it was THAT good....
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...or 'Dr Who' in any form but I watched 'CoE' when it was on in the UK the other week and I've not been as emotionally affected by a drama series this much since the excellent 'Boy A'. I think a lot of this was because I'm already a father but I found myself genuinely horrified by some scenes, really emotional in fact. There's always that panto-like Britishness to the thing but I really recommend it, not so sure I liked it as such, I found it a bit too harrowing, but recommend it for sure.
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is, yeah it's fantasy, but it was never even remotely probably that this team of five people (now three) could cover so much ground and be all things to all people when Gwen is basically a traffic cop and Ianto's skills seem to be making coffee and his boss. Only Jack had the sort of weirdie background that made you believe he could handle things--and if it had been set as a sort of occult detective agency I might have bought into it more. But as a super secret world government elite agency it just always seemed too laughable to be taken seriously. They should have just done a show on UNIT or else had Torchwood be like the sort of agency it was in the Doctor Who special with the Darlicks vs. The Cybermen, when it was a vast operation in terms of personal and interest.
This miniseries is getting good press so I will check it out. I never even made it through the second series of Torchwood. It was just so very boring, something you don't expect from dark fantasy/sci-fi, so that's saying something. -
as always, great ideas, horrible execution. I hope they give torchwood to the new guy too
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Strip away the technobabble and the rushed ending, and behind it all is a solidly made look at Government arse-covering and face-saving shenanigans in the face of a major crisis. I enjoyed the humour - especially Ianto's family's reaction to him coming out of the closet - but felt that the Army was unrealistically restrained in quelling rioters.
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They always kept Weevils and all sorts of unearthly tech in their base. Once it got blown up what happened to all that stuff? I guess you could argue that during the 6 months before the very end of the series they cleaned it all up and such but I bet they will just forget about it.
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...it surprised me how good this was. I am mostly a fan of the show in spite of its obvious problems, but this surpassed the show in every way.
**SPOILER TALK BELOW**
My only real problem with this mini is that the entire thing hinges on a HUGE Whoniverse plothole. Yeah, yeah, Martha is on her honeymoon (because in reality Freema is doing Law & Order instead of Who stuff) but at some point Martha would have gotten wind of the global crisis and she would have called the Doctor on her magic cellphone the Doctor rigged for her. I watched the whole mini with this in the back of my mind. They should have had her call him and he didn't answer for some reason, the honeymoon excuse was really hollow.
Kudos to the writers for having the balls to have Jack sacrifice his grandson for the millions of other kids on the planet. Yes he is without a doubt a pragmatic pseudo-evil hero, but Jack has always been an anti-hero and I was impressed that they didn't take the easy way out and keep the old man alive until the end so he could be the transmitter, and it is glaringly obvious they thought about it and went the darker way instead. Awesome and unprecendented in spite of how depressed I was by the darkness of the whole thing at the end.
Kudos also to the end of the Jack/Ianto soap opera. Sorry, but I hate romance of any kind in my sci-fi. Hate it. It drags down evrything it touches ala X-Files and BSG. -
nice grammar there buddy. anywho,the previews looked good.i may check it out
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unless her honeymoon was on ANOTHER GALAXY, why would she not want to get herself involved in this? "oh, the children are being controlled by aliens? fuck them, I'm in my honeymoon, bring me another margarita!"
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Annoyed the shit out of me as much as any non-Superman DC book. How are you supposed to feel an tension when you know the big guy could wrap everything up in two seconds flat?
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I heard from a few people that the US version had some big edits in it? The one We seen in the UK was longer, Does anyone know if the edits were for Commercials or to make it more US friendly?
P.S. I liked this Torchwood story.. -
It's quite possible they/we will. I'm fairly certain there were some edits to Doctor Who when ran on sci-fi...maybe? Thankfully we do still have the torrent sites.
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Just watched it on SPACE here in Canada... was really enjoyable! ANd no editing here... our version was an hour and fifteen minutes long. Can't wait for tomorrow!
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Loved Children of Earth. I watched the last 4 episodes all in one sitting with my wife yesterday and we were both on the edge of our seats the whole time. I'd recommend just buying or Netflixing the DVD set next week, so that you can watch the whole thing at one time without commercials. Watched as a whole, Children of Earth is better than most of the Hollywood blockbusters this summer. I get what people are saying about the Martha thing. Apparently Martha was originally supposed to be in this, but actress Freema Agyeman was tied up shooting Law and Order: London. I think it's perfectly acceptable that The Doctor wasn't around, he could be anywhere in time and space. And maybe Martha was trying to deal with things where ever she was. Either way, it doesn't distract from how good Children of Earth was. Check out my review of Children of Earth (http://tinyurl.com/utrtorch)
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Yes it was a cludge not to have her in, but you could argue: as far as she knows Torchwood is dead; UNIT was being the bad guy and keeping this all under wraps (they certainly wouldn't call her in if they were worried about TW); she's thick as pig shit and emotive as a wooden statue of William Shatner.
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are the worst things this country's ever produced. that's all there is to say.
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Kicked over the bong at one point. Carpet still stinks. Damn you RTD!
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Considering the sci-fi story was about aliens who wanted to extract drugs from human children, and how the government dealt with them. Only that that particular part of the story doesn't really make sense (why do the aliens ask permission and not just beam up children), and taking 5 episodes to find out that kids can be turned into alien drugs was a big lead up to a pretty bland sci-fi plot point.
The family situations, the characterisations, and the government sessions were good telly. The sci-fi was not. -
Amy: I see your points, but the aliens needed all the children to be gathered in one place and the gathering points. They probably didn't want to bother or have the resources to go door to door and collect 10% of the world's children individually. There would have been too much panic and resistance if it had been done that way and so they needed the government to help them. The aliens were drug addicts and the government were the dealers. A drug addict isn't about to go to South America to collect the drugs themselves, they are going to rely on the dealer to do that. I personally thought the drug angle was unique and quite chilling. It certainly wasn't something I expected.
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JAMF: "who and torchwood are the worst things this country's ever produced." That's a crazy statement. I think they are two of Britain's finest current TV shows, but even if you don't agree with that there are plenty of worse British TV shows on offer. I personally don't understand people who are into good sci-fi who hate the new Doctor Who and Torchwood. I can't think of too many other equally great current Sci-Fi shows, certainly not anything on the SyFy Channel. American network TV has Lost, Fringe, and a few shows. But the new Doctor Who is much better than the old Doctor Who and is incredibly enjoyable and inventive. I can think of a few episodes that haven't been great (the last two specials haven't been amazing), but overall it's been very consistent. Torchwood's first season was hit or miss, second season was better, but Children of Earth is fantastic! And I'm very excited to see what Steven Moffat and Matt Smith come up with next year.
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Jul 22, 2009 10:43:03 PM CDT
fair point under_the_radar - just not my cup of tea I guess
by amy chasing
as for "the new Doctor Who is much better than the old Doctor Who" - perhaps, but the new show is only 4+ years old while the old show covers 3 decades. Not a really fair comparison, but the Pertwee years were brilliant and then there's that 14th season... best Doctor Who ever made. First and second Doctors had their moments of fantastic 60s sci-fi too.
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Jul 22, 2009 11:43:57 PM CDT
I've watched a couple of the newer Doctor Who eps
by spifftacular squirrel girl
And I've never watched Torchwood before... would I get totally lost watching this miniseries?
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the story's easy enough to follow,
but some in-show references might go over your head. -
I laughed a lot in the last episode and I'm not sure I was supposed to.
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