Torchwood retro review: Children of Earth – Day Two gives us a lot more questions

The second episode of Torchwood: Children of Earth begins with high stakes and doesn’t stop. But why does the government want Torchwood dead?

Beginning just seconds after Day One, Day Two of Torchwood: Children of Earth begins with extremely high stakes. The Hub has been destroyed, Jack has literally exploded, and the government are coming after the survivors.

This is a radically different side of Torchwood that we’ve seen compared to the first two series, or even in their Doctor Who appearances. Before, they’ve been confident, they’ve gotten away with so much, they’ve even gotten away with being the world’s most obvious secret organization ever.

But in this episode, they’re on the run, and this actually sets the tone for the rest of the series. They don’t have a base, they don’t know who to trust, they don’t even know why the government is coming after them. What’s particularly enjoyable about this episode is that it’s pure conspiracy thriller, an element that continues throughout Children of Earth and, to some extent, Miracle Day, too.

Naturally, at this point in the story, there are a lot more questions raised than answers. No one in Torchwood knows why the government is coming after them. Even the government themselves don’t know what the 456 want. There’s a strong feeling of uncertainty with all of the characters in this episode, as everything builds up towards the pivotal third episode.

A team divided

Lois goes from being “the new girl” in the government to being a genuine ally of Torchwood in this one. She knows that they’re the best people to help in this situation, and she also knows how to help them best. She’s clearly well on her way to becoming a major Torchwood character, one that will clearly have a role in the organization long after this story-

Oh yeah, she doesn’t appear after Children of Earth, does she? Well, that’s a shame.

Gwen and Rhys are put in a desperate situation as they face a life on the run. They’re also at their very best in this episode. While Rhys takes a while to adapt, he still has his smart and sweet moments, like offering to take Gwen’s bag so that her trigger finger is free.

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The best moment is how much he panics when he finds out Gwen is pregnant. His response to Gwen saying they’re still in the same creek without a paddle is brilliant:

"Yeah, but three of us in a boat!"

Jack and Ianto have less to do in this episode. Ianto is mainly focused on doing his best to both look into what’s going on, as well as look after Jack, while Jack goes through one of his most horrific resurrections yet. It actually says a lot about how desperate things are that out of all of the Torchwood regulars, it’s Jack who needs rescuing this time.

Day Two is another strong episode for Children of Earth. It doesn’t give too many answers this time, but at this point in the series, it doesn’t need to, especially with three more episodes left to tell this particular story.

What are you thoughts on Day Two? How well did you think it worked for the overall story? Do you think it worked well at following on from the events of Day One? Let us know in the comments below.