Children of Earth: Day Five (TV story): Difference between revisions

{{Infobox Story

|featuring4            = Alice Carter

|featuring5           = Johnson (Children of Earth: Day One)

|enemy                = [[456 ambassador]]

|writer                = [[Russell T Davies]]

|network              = [[BBC One]]

|broadcast date        = [[10 July (releases)|10 July]] [[2009 (releases)|2009]]

}}

It marked the death of [[the 456]] and resolution of the five-day crisis. [[John Frobisher]] was also driven to kill his respective family in a [[murder]]/[[suicide]], after which his co-worker [[Bridget Spears]] secured the downfall of [[Prime Minister]] [[Brian Green]] and let [[Denise Riley]] take charge of many governmental affairs, while [[Lois Habiba]] was exonerated. Additionally, [[Ianto Jones]]'s sister [[Rhiannon Davies]] and her husband [[Johnny Davies]] learnt about his demise.

 

Perhaps the most traumatic death on this final day of the conflict was that of Captain Jack Harkness's grandson, [[Steven Carter]], an event that caused his daughter [[Alice Carter|Alice]] to sever all ties with him in grief and disgust. It would be one of the final nails in the coffin for Jack's operations with the [[Torchwood Institute]]. Ultimately, he would abandon the institute after a six month period of travelling alone. Jack departed from [[Earth]], and as its leader, officially disbanded [[Torchwood Three]], leaving Gwen Cooper and Rhys Williams a safe world to raise their baby in, though because this branch was the only one known to still be operational, it meant Torchwood as a whole effectively ceased to exist.

The events of [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The House of the Dead (audio story)|The House of the Dead]]'' are set shortly before Jack decided to leave the Earth behind. The audio story featured the sealing of the [[Cardiff Rift]], which removed the premise for Torchwood Three to carry on and let Jack move on without any loose threads to consider.

Meanwhile, [[Brian Green|Green]] speaks to the nation, telling the UK about the upcoming "inoculations" and saying it is safe for the children to return to school. [[Augustus Oduya|Colonel Oduya]] of [[Unified Intelligence Taskforce|UNIT]] talks with [[the 456]], asking them what they need the children for. He is told that the children are for "the hit": they create chemicals which the 456 use as recreational drugs. The government, although horrified at the reason, begins to put their plan into action.

[[John Frobisher]] is ordered by the Prime Minister to publicly state that his own children will be taken for "inoculation," to portray themselves as much victims as the public and to make the 456 the true villains. Frobisher threatens to reveal to the press the true nature of the inoculations. Green persuades him not to, noting that Frobisher's children would know their fate. Frobisher decides to [[murder]] his family and commit [[suicide]]. He has [[Bridget Spears]] obtain a pistol for him, which he takes to his house. Once he ensures his wife and two daughters are together upstairs, he closes the door and shoots the three dead. After a moment, he commits suicide.

[[Rhiannon Davies|Rhiannon]] and [[Johnny Davies|Johnny]], told by [[Ianto Jones|Ianto]] that the government is lying, keep their "creche" service running for the local estate. Gwen, [[Rhys Williams|Rhys]] and [[Andy Davidson]] arrive to tell them of Ianto's death and warn them special forces will soon arrive to take the children. While doing so, Gwen learns Ianto had lied about his father's job, upsetting Rhiannon. Gwen also tells Rhys that she has decided to get an abortion, as she doesn't want to bring a child into this kind of world. As Gwen, Rhys and Rhiannon prepare to help the children escape, Johnny informs a nearby crowd of fathers they'll never see their kids again, rallying them against the arriving soldiers. They begin attacking the army, throwing bricks and [[punch]]ing them, who counter with riot shields, leading to a street brawl. Andy tries to call his superiors to learn what is happening. He watches as soldiers break into people's houses and take children away. Realising that what the soldiers are doing is wrong, Andy removes his police jacket and tie and joins the resistance. Despite [[punch]]ing some of the soldiers, Andy is soon forced to the ground and a baton is pinned on his neck to keep him there. Johnny and the others are soon subdued as well, their efforts ultimately futile as the soldiers start to pursue Gwen and the other children.

Rhys, Rhiannon and Gwen take the children to abandoned warehouses at the bottom of a field. After they get the children quiet, Gwen makes the tape. She and Rhys then talk, and she agrees that she won't abort the baby, knowing how much her husband will suffer. They are soon discovered by the troops and have to run again. Rhiannon and Rhys are captured by the soldiers as are many of the children. Gwen and one child keep running.

Meanwhile, Green, once the cabinet in the Corbra meeting have dispersed (save Bridget and [[Denise Riley]]) immediately makes plans to blame the day's events on the Americans, claiming they acted without authorisation. Disgusted that despite everything Green is only interested in saving his own skin, Bridget reveals she recorded everything he said during the days session with the [[Eye-5|contact lenses]], having learned how to use them from Lois. She now intends to release everything they've recorded to the public, partly as revenge for what he did to Frobisher. When Green threatens Bridget with arrest, Riley takes charge and allows Bridget to leave while also promising to have Lois released. Riley also makes it clear to Green that one way or another, his days as Prime Minister are almost over.

* [[Louise Minchin|Newsreader]] - [[Louise Minchin]]

== References ==

* When Gwen returns to [[Cardiff]] and meets [[Andy Davidson]], he says the words, "Croeso i Cymru", which is [[Welsh language|Welsh]] for "Welcome to [[Wales]]."

* This is the last ''Torchwood'' episode to use the original closing theme from ''[[Series 1 (Torchwood)|Series 1]]'', as ''[[Series 4 (Torchwood)|Miracle Day]]'' would use a new arrangement for the closing theme. The same is afor the opening credits, which was a new arrangement for the series.

* Exhausted with his inability to take the unfolding crisis seriously, Rhiannon silences Johnny's fixation of making "ten quid a kid" off babysitting children. ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day Three (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day Three]]'', ''[[Children of Earth: Day Four (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day Four]]'')

* Johnny triggers a second diversion to thwart the government's hostile actions in his neighbourhood. The first was accusing a pair of surveillance agents of being perverts and [[paedophile]]s, leading a group of teenagers in force to harass their vehicle and buy time for Rhiannon to drive off unwitnessed. ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day Two (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day Two]]'')

* Dekker's early quip that elected officials such as prime ministers "just come and go" foreshadowed Brian Green's comeuppance. ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day One (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day One]]'')

* Bridget used the [[Eye-5]] contact lenses to incriminate Green in the exact same manner as Lois did. ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day Four (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day Four]]'')

* Though PM Brian Green was implied to lose most of his powers in office after Denise Riley took charge of many duties he oversaw, he retained his position of authority at least up to the events of [[COMIC]]: ''[[Don't Step on the Grass (comic story)|Don't Step on the Grass]]''.

* Gwen mentions [[Retcon]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'' - ''[[Something Borrowed (TV story)|Something Borrowed]]'')

* Upon the apparent death of the [[456 ambassador]], he [[teleport]]s away in another [[pillar of fire]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day Three (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day Three]]'')

* The events of the encounter with the [[456 ambassador]] would come to be known as the 456 Incident. The 456 would become the namesakes of various resolutions and changes to laws across the globe, including the [[456 Regulation]] in Great Britain and the 456 Amendments to U.S. Code 3184. The 456 Regulation declared the members of Torchwood Three officially deceased, and the 456 Amendments allowed the extradition of the Torchwood team into the United States when captured. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World (TV story)|The New World]]'')

* This is not the first time Gwen has appeared dramatically pregnant. Gwen was previously bitten by a [[Nostrovite]], impregnating her with its child, which [[Owen Harper]] destroyed using Torchwood's [[singularity scalpel]], before it tore its way out of her stomach lining. ([[TV]]: ''[[Something Borrowed (TV story)|Something Borrowed]]'') However, Gwen is legitimately carrying a human baby this time around.