TW Children of Earth: Day Five

[shapinglight]

Spoilers within.



I haven't read what anyone else has said about this yet. I didn't get to watch it until very late last night and due to something that happened earlier in the evening, I was already feeling a bit emotional.

This perhaps partly explains my very visceral reaction to this final episode - and it felt like a final episode of the series to me, and in fact I hope it is, because the way I feel at the moment, I don't want to see any more Captain Jack ever. I daresay I'll get over it. As I said, was already feeling pretty emotional and wound up.

Firstly, should say it was a very good episode. The solution was in the end a bit deus ex machina but the sheer horror of it meant that you didn't really notice. This time, RTD stayed true to the spirit of what had gone earlier and gave the darkest, bleakest series finale I've seen on British telly in years. There were individual acts of human heroism, of course - Frobisher's loyal secretary facing up to the prime minister, Gwen and Rhys, Ianto's sister and brother-in-law and the men on the estate trying to defend their children (and I'm tearing up again even as I write this), but overall the behaviour of everyone was pretty appalling.

I started crying when I realised what Frobisher was going to do with that gun and didn't really stop till the episode was over. Give Peter Capaldi a Bafta, someone.

Not sure I can write much more. I was thinking of getting the series on DVD. Maybe I will at some point, but at the moment, I don't think I'd want to watch it again.

One final thing, though: were we supposed to feel sorry for Jack, do you think? Because I don't. All I can think about is his daughter, and how she lost everything - father, child, her whole world - and unlike Jack she can't run away to the stars or wherever he's gone. She's stuck, on earth. Alone.

Bleak, yes. Brilliant, yes. Never, ever thought I'd say that about Torchwood. What a way to go out.

Maybe one day I'll be able to give a more balanced review with a little joke about what Captain John was doing while all this was happening. Just now, I can't.

Comments

[kathyh]

This time, RTD stayed true to the spirit of what had gone earlier and gave the darkest, bleakest series finale I've seen on British telly in years.

I was convinced he was going to bottle out and give us a more optimistic ending but it would have been quite wrong after what had gone before. It was amazing, gut-wrenching telly and yes, a BAFTA for Peter Capaldi, please.

One final thing, though: were we supposed to feel sorry for Jack, do you think?

I didn't think so. If he'd stayed when Gwen asked then yes, maybe, but he didn't and that implied to me that he was running away from it all, which was entirely in character. My heart broke for Alice who in summoning her father had killed her son, but Jack did what he had to do and then, understandably, couldn't face the consequences.

[liliaeth]

I have to disagree. What was he supposed to do? Stick around, hurting Alice even more by trying to force himself on her by staying? That's not running away from consequences, that's simply abiding by the fact that I don't think there's any chance that Alice wanted him to be there at that point.

After what he's had to sacrifice, could anyone really ask him for any more if he at that point in time doesn't feel he has any more left to give?

He stayed for as long as he was needed to be there and then he went to get some peace of mind so that he wouldn't end up hating all of humanity for what he had to do.

I feel for Alice I really do, but if he hadn't done what he did, millions of children would have not just died, they would have suffered for decades, possibly even longer than that. To not even start on the next time that the aliens came back and made yet another demand, cause there's no way that they wouldn't have returned if they'd succeeded this time.

But doing so gutted him, it tore away a part of his soul and his heart and I don't think that his soul would have survived it if he hadn't run away. Compared to that pain, half a year was nothing, and he deserves to get his head back together, before returning.

[kathyh]

What was he supposed to do? Stick around, hurting Alice even more by trying to force himself on her by staying?

I don't think he should have stayed near Alice, no, and I agree that he made the only choice possible, but Torchwood had a job to do and now no-one is doing it. Who's guarding the Rift? Who's looking out for alien technology in the wrong hands? No-one else has Jack's experience in this, certainly not pregnant Gwen. What happened to Jack was terrible but I still got the impression that he was choosing to run rather than deal with the fact that the Earth still needs protecting.

[elisi]

but Torchwood had a job to do and now no-one is doing it.
We don't know that. It's possible that Gwen has recruited Lois and Johnson and Andy, and is busy overseeing things. It's true that no one else has Jack's expertise, but he was only the boss for 9 years. Before that he was a freelance agent, and quite obviously didn't spend all his time in Cardiff. Plus, UNIT. Not to mention that the government is very aware of Torchwood (TW still have those recordings) and can probably get all the funding they want.

I still got the impression that he was choosing to run rather than deal with the fact that the Earth still needs protecting.
And protecting the Earth had cost him every single person he had come to care about, and forced him to murder his grandson and destroy his daughter's life. I can see why he runs, and I'm not sure it's a bad choice.

[kathyh]

I don't think we're going to agree on this one because while I can perfectly understand why he runs there comes a point where he has to face things. Gwen gave him a chance to do that and he didn't take it.

[elisi]

there comes a point where he has to face things.
Oh absolutely. But he's not reached that point yet. It might be centuries before he gets there.

[shapinglight]

If he'd stayed when Gwen asked then yes, maybe, but he didn't and that implied to me that he was running away from it all, which was entirely in character. My heart broke for Alice who in summoning her father had killed her son, but Jack did what he had to do and then, understandably, couldn't face the consequences.

Coming back very belatedly and after everyone is all talked out to say that I think this sums up how I feel about Jack perfectly. Thank you.