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Torchwood retro review: Children of Earth – Day Four might be one of the greatest episodes

By James Aggas

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Our favorite love story reaches its ending in the penultimate episode of Children of Earth.

(Image credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

With its shocking moments and highly memorable death scene, is Day Four of Children of Earth one of the greatest Torchwood episodes ever?

And so we come to one of Torchwood‘s most infamous episodes. No, not Cyberwoman. In this instance, I mean infamous in a good way. The episode where they killed off one of the most popular characters on the show.

But Day Four of Children of Earth is about so much more than that. It’s all about answers, horrifying scenes and major shocks, right from the word go. In short, it’s the best episode of Children of Earth, and perhaps one of the greatest episodes of Torchwood ever.

The opening scenes alone give us so much fantastic drama. Clement, the only child who escaped the 456 before in 1965, faces his greatest fear, as we find out exactly what happened the first time the 456 came to Earth. It was a night when Jack made an absolutely terrible decision. A night that has haunted Clement for almost his entire life. At the same time, you also kind of get the feeling that this was almost another day at Torchwood for Jack.

That’s one more reason why Children of Earth is so fantastic: it’s Jack dealing with the consequences of a night that he had practically forgotten about. It’s not the return of a major enemy from a series finale or anything like that. Just the consequences of a regular – if admittedly horrific – day for Jack.

It’s a similar approach to what Star Trek took with one of the best films in the franchise, The Wrath of Khan. While Khan is of course a name that all Star Trek fans recognize now, before, he had only appeared in one episode of the original series, and he had been a relatively minor enemy then. Kirk never expected him to return as dangerous as he was. In both Wrath of Khan and Children of Earth, it’s an approach that works brilliantly.

Because what’s worse: fearing the return of an old enemy, or facing the consequences of a day that you had virtually forgotten about?

Basic statistics

The scenes focusing on the politicians are some of my favorite scenes in Torchwood history. They provide a radically different angle to the world of Torchwood, and of course, to the Doctor Who universe as a whole.

Watching a group of humans work out how to choose which millions of children they should sacrifice, as well as how they can clear themselves right afterwards, is horrifying. Watching them look at the problem in a rather cold-blooded way is so effective, especially the way that they refer to the children as “units”. The most chilling line of these scenes sums up their cold-hearted look at the situation perfectly:

"If we can’t identify the lowest achieving ten per cent of this country’s children, then what are the school league tables for?"

It’s also admittedly a nice little bonus to see Nicholas Briggs, the voice of the Daleks himself, play a rare on-screen role for once as Rick Yates. He only gets a few lines in this episode, but they’re enough to make you absolutely loathe his character. His speech on how they could “spin” the abduction of millions of children into something “good” is horrific.

These scenes with the politicians don’t last too long and don’t outstay their welcome. But they provide so much depth to this world, and achieve more in just a few scenes than Miracle Day did in many episodes.

Ianto Jones

I had actually forgotten just how hopeful this episode was. Or at least, for a good portion of it. There are just so many moments that make you want to punch the air. Lois making a big speech to the politicians about how they’re all, to put it in basic terms, completely screwed. Gwen telling Johnson pretty much the same thing – at gunpoint, no less! Jack and Ianto casually walking into the building and giving a big speech to the 456. It’s a fantastic moment that really makes you feel like they’re finally fighting back. More than that – that they have a strong chance of winning.

Of course, one key reason why it’s so easy to forget how hopeful this episode becomes is because of what comes next.

The 456 striking back and casually killing so many. At least dozens of people suddenly dropping like flies.

Including Ianto.

It’s hard to describe the huge impact that this particular death scene had. While fans were of course deeply upset over the deaths of both Tosh and Owen from the end of the previous series, neither of those deaths quite had the impact that Ianto’s had. The proof of that is Ianto’s Shrine.

If you’ve never heard of it, there’s a place in Cardiff that serves as an actual shrine to Ianto Jones. Poems, photographs and other forms of fan tribute cover it.

Why it hit fans hard

What made this death scene so impactful? Well, for one thing, the character was deeply loved. His trademark wit and the fact that he was more of a coffee boy than a soldier made him just that little bit more relatable to the fans.

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His relationship with Jack was also a strong part of his appeal. There’s no question that there was a lot of chemistry shared between the two, and they fitted each other perfectly. Jack cared deeply about Ianto, and vice versa. More than that, we cared about the pairing, too. So to see Ianto die in Jack’s arms, telling him he’d forget about him one day, was just heartbreaking.

But perhaps what stands out about the death is just how pointless and avoidable it was. Ianto wasn’t making a big sacrifice, he wasn’t saving the world. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nothing more than showing moral support for Jack – the only one who really needed to be there.

That’s a bold move, to kill off such a major character for no good reason. But it suits Torchwood perfectly. It’s a dark and unforgiving world, and serves as a reminder that anyone can die. It also sets the tone for the final episode perfectly. With one of the team dead and the government preparing to give them the children, there’s nothing to stop the 456. It’s a dark way to end one of Torchwood‘s very best episodes.

Next. Leela to return in Gallifrey: Time War 3!. dark

What was your reaction to Ianto’s death? Do you think it worked well for the episode? Was it a strong exit for Ianto? Or do you think that he deserved better? Let us know in the comments below.

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