Children of Earth: Day Five (TV story)

Children of Earth: Day Five
Main enemy:	The 456
Main setting:	Cardiff - 2009, 2010 London - 2009
Key crew
Writer:	Russell T Davies
Director:	Euros Lyn
Producer:	Peter Bennett
Release details
Release number:	31
Premiere broadcast:	10th July 2009

Synopsis

Torchwood is defenceless, and Gwen Cooper stands alone. As anarchy prevails, an ordinary council estate becomes a battleground for the future of the human race.

Plot

The episode begins with a camcorder video of Gwen questioning why The Doctor has not appeared to save them. She remarks that sometimes he may be appalled at the way humanity deals with times of crisis.

The Prime Minister talks to the nation, informing the UK about the upcoming "inoculations" and saying that it is safe for the children to return to school. The UNIT leader talks with the 456, asking them what their purpose for the children is. He is told that the children are for "the hit": the children create chemicals, which the 456 use as recreational drugs. The government, although horrified at the reason, begins to put their plan into action.

Rhiannon and Johnny, having been told by Ianto that the government is lying, keep their "creche" service running for the local estate. Gwen, along with Rhys and Andy, arrive to inform them of Ianto's death, and warn them that special forces will soon arrive to take the children. After raising the alarm, fighting off the army troops, and fleeing to a nearby disused building with the children, Gwen is shown making the tape shown at the beginning of the episode. They are soon discovered by the troops, and have to run again.

John Frobisher is informed by the Prime Minister to publicly state that his own children would be taken for "inoculation," in an attempt by the government to portray themselves as victims in order to reassure the public regarding their cover story and to implicate the 456 as the true villains. Frobisher threatens to reveal to the press the true nature of the inoculations. Green persuades him against this, noting that Frobisher's children would then know their fate. Knowing this, he decides to murder his family and commit suicide.

Ms Spears visits Lois Habiba in prison (where she is being held on charges of espionage), telling her that "John Frobisher was a good man," and that "it wasn't his fault", as history would not remember him this way. Spears then takes the Torchwood contact lenses from Lois, and proceeds to record incriminating evidence against Green.

Jack devises a way to defeat the 456 using a reconstitution wave of a similar wavelength the 456 used to kill Clem, using the children as one vast transmitter. Mr Dekker tells him that in order for it to work, the wave needs to be sent via one child, and that this child would "fry". They only have one child available to them: Steven. Ignoring his feelings and his own daughter's protests, Jack uses his grandson as the prime transmitter. The plan succeeds, killing the 456, as well as Steven.

Gwen, the only one from the estate left uncaptured, happily embraces the liberated children. Jack is left grieving, and Alice severs all contact with him.

'Six Months Later Jack has traveled the world for six months, but finds that this is not enough to rid himself of his guilt. He arranges a meeting with Gwen (now heavily pregnant) and Rhys on a hilltop in a remote location. Jack tells them that there is a cold fusion freighter currently near the edge of the Sol system, and he intends to get onboard for further travels. Gwen tearfully tells him he can't "just run away", to which he replies "Yes I can, watch me". He uses his vortex manipulator (which Gwen had retrieved from the ruins of Torchwood) to signal the freighter, which teleports him off Earth.

Gwen is left sobbing in Rhys' arms - with Jack gone, the other members dead, the base destroyed and Gwen heavily pregnant, Torchwood Three effectively ceases to exist.

Cast

• Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
• Gwen Cooper - Eve Myles
• Rhys Williams - Kai Owen
• Lois Habiba - Cush Jumbo
• Alice Carter - Lucy Cohu
• Mr Dekker - Ian Gelder
• Steven Carter - Bear McCausland
• Bridget Spears - Susan Brown
• John Frobisher - Peter Capaldi
• Colonel Oduya - Charles Abomeli
• Johnson - Liz May Brice
• Brian Green PM - Nicholas Farrell
• Denise Riley - Deborah Findlay
• Andy Davidson - Tom Price
• Anna Frobisher - Hilary Maclean
• Christopher - Edward Bresnan
• Danno - Gary Devonish
• Defence Secretary - Patrice Naiambana
• Duty Sergeant - Gavin Young
• Floor Manager - Claire Skekey

Production Crew

Executive Producers - Russell T Davies, Julie Gardner Associate Producer – Catrin Lewis Defis Producer – Peter Bennett Assistant Producer – Brian Minchin Unit Manager – Rhys Griffiths Casting Director - Andy Pryor Costume Designer - Ray Holman Make-Up Designer - Marrie Dorris Production Designer - Edward Thomas Set Decoration – Julian Luxton Music – Ben Foster Visual Effects - The Mill Creature Effects and Prosthetics Designer – Neill Gorton Creature Effects and Prosthetics Coordinator – Kate Walshe Creature Effects and Proethetics Supervisor – Rob Mayor Editor - Philip Kloss Director of Photography – Rory Taylor First Assistant Director - Steffan Morris Second Assistant Director - James Dehaviland Third Assistant Director – David Chalstrey Camera Operators - Alwyn Hughes, James Leigh Camera Assistants – Tom Hartley, Jon Vidgen

Focus Puller – Steve Rees Gaffer - Mark Hutchings Best Boy – Steve Slocombe Boom Operator – Jeff Welch Stunt Coordinator - Tom Lucy Construction Manager - Matthew Hywel-Davies Supervising Art Director – Stephen Nicholas Stand-by Art Director – Arwel Jones Costume Supervisor - Lindsay Bonaccorsi Costume Assistants – Gemma Evans, Sara Morgan Make-Up Supervisor - Abi Brotherton Make-Up Artists - Nel Blatt, Hannah Proverbs Continuity – Non Eleri Hughes Production Accountant – Ceri Tothill Assistant Production Accountant – Carole Wakefield Casting Associate - Andy Brierley Assistant Editor – Carmen Roberts On-Line Editor – Geraint Pari Huws Colourist – Jon Everett Post Production Supervisors - Chris Blatchford, Helen Vallis Dubbing Mixer - Tim Ricketts Sound FX Editor - Howard Eaves

References

• Jack tells Gwen he feels responsible for the deaths of Steven, Ianto, Toshiko Sato, Owen Harper and Suzie Costello.
• When Gwen returns to Cardiff and meets Andy Davidson, he says the words "Croeso i Cymru", which is Welsh for "Welcome to Wales."
• The Doctor is referenced by Gwen, touching on a theme first mentioned in The Christmas Invasion regarding the fact that the Doctor is not always around when a crisis occurs.
• Reversing a transmission/signal for defense was previously used on the Ood in the Doctor Who serial The Satan Pit.

Story Notes

• Russell T. Davies originally wrote a role for Noel Clarke as Mickey Smith in both Day Four and Day Five, but these scenes were cut when Clarke became unavailable due to a film commitment. (REF: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale - The Final Chapter)
• Even though Colonel Oduya was in this episode he was not credited.
• This is actually not the first time a canonical Doctor Who franchise story has dealt on the subject of sentient beings converted into drugs. DW: Nightmare of Eden dealt with a similar topic, although in that case the drugs were harvested from the corpses of Mandrels rather than from living humans.

Ratings

to be added

Myths

• The Doctor was rumoured to appear, however, he was only mentioned by Gwen when she was recording a message.
• Speculation started over Ianto's death in TW: Children of Earth: Day Four with many fans believing he may be resurrected; however, this was not the case.
• It was rumoured that Gwen would die, however she did not.
• It was believed that Steven would have inherited Jack's healing factor. Sadly, this was not the case.

Filming Locations

• Rupert Brooke Drive
• Thames House - London
• Maindee Police Station - Newport
• Cefn Coed Road - The Frobisher residence
• M.O.D Caerwent

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

• With Day Five being set on a Saturday (if the newspaper Ianto picked up is anything to go by), then why are the children at school? Obviously the government told them to but why would they go? (Not all of them did - and seeing as they missed a day of school, their parents may have wanted them to make up for it. Plus, parents may send children in for the injection they were suppossed to receive. Also it may have been seen as a safe option for the children. Or a typo in the newspaper (due to panic writing))
• Why does Jack's vortex manipulator work? (It didn't, at least not as a teleport. Jack simply used it to send a signal. The ship then teleported him up.)
• How does Jack know when a vessel is passing through the Solar System? (His vortex manipulator has previously been seen to include a communication device, which he presumably used to contact a sufficiently advanced nearby ship. Also, there's a good possibility he was aware of the ship due to his knowledge of Earth's future.)
• The way Gwen talks about the Doctor on her video, you'd think she'd never seen nor met the man. (She only saw him on screen during Journey's End, for a few moments, not much time to form a opinion.)
• Why do the soldiers that chase Gwen and the others suddenly stop after the children had used their voices to kill the 456 in Thames House and why does Gwen instantly know that the children saved themselves? (Perhaps the soldiers were informed of the 456's defeat, and relayed the information to the soldiers, ceasing the pursuit. They may have also been informed of the captive childrem emitting the high pitched soundwave, and relayed that info to Gwen, who they knew was with Torchwood.They may have been shocked by the children emitting this sound enough for them to stop)
• If Gwen doesn't want Jack to leave Earth why does she give him his Vortex Manipulator? (He asked her for it. Even if she knew that he was going to use it to leave, it would have been childish to keep it from him and try to force him to stay against his will. She realises this is what Jack needs.)
• Why, so soon after Journey's End, did Jack forget about Mr. Smith? Mr. Smith was capable of ringing every mobile in the world; surely he'd be able to broadcast the signal Jack needed? (The children are directly connected to the 456, necessitating to the best of Jack's knowledge that the signal be sent through them. Plus he has no way to contact Sarah Jane)
• The premise of children producing chemicals (not some other form of matter or energy) that give the 456 a "hit" requires suspension of disbelief. While not an immediate solution to the crisis, it would be simple enough to synthesize a drug that would have the same effect. At the very least, it should be possible to "harvest" the necessary "chemicals" from children on Earth without having to surrender them to the aliens or kill them outright. Given the level of technology available in the Doctor Who/Torchwood universe, (clones, terraforming, etc.) there would be several alternatives available, none of which are mentioned in the story. (We never actually see any 456 technology in the story- especially not anything to suggest that they have cloning or terraforming techniques.)

DVD Releases

This Episode was released on DVD along with the rest of Children of Earth on the 13th of July, 2009.