It sounds like a job for Torchwood, even if they're now reduced to three members. Captain Jack (John Barrowman) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) are at a Cardiff hospital removing a parasitic alien "hitchhiker" from a corpse, intending to provoke the interest of a Dr. Rupesh Patanjali (Rik Makarem) to possibly recruit him as a replacement medic; while Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) is first to notice the eerie phenomenon with the children as her boyfriend Rhys (Kai Owen) goes house-hunting. Things escalate two hours later when the children once again stop simultaneously, but this time let out a chilling screech before chanting "We Are Coming" repeatedly...
Our time is also divided with London, primarily Home Office civil servant John Frobisher (Peter Capaldi), who's informed of the situation with the planet's kid by Colonel Oduya (Charles Abomeli). Frobisher seems to be aware that the event is the work of "The 456" -- an alien species that once contacted the British government using their namesake frequency. We're also introduced to Clement MacDonald (Paul Copley), a twitchy middle-aged man who avoided alien abduction as a child in '65 and now has a psychic sense of smell. He's also the only adult compelled to chant the alien threat. Copley himself was superb throughout; easily the best thing about this episode.There was much to enjoy about "Day One", the script credited to Russell T. Davies but plotted with the assistance of John Fay and James Moran. The only real concern was how (with some exceptions) the whole thing felt quite predictable. Audiences are so knowledgeable these days that it's difficult to create something that truly surprises, and "Day One" felt familiar and echoed many sci-fi hits (from The Midwich Cuckoos to The 4400.) It took the characters too long to start piecing together an obvious puzzle, particularly because the prologue was a key piece of info only the audience saw. Fortunately, its ancillary mysteries were enticing and yet to answered: what did the government do to appease The 456 in 1965? Why are the aliens returning to Earth after 44 years? Why did they need to abduct children in the '60s? Where are those kids now? And why have the aliens started using children as heralds?
It also remains true that I have a hard time believing in Torchwood as a formidable agency, as neither team member seems particularly intelligent. Ianto was effectively a tea-making "butler" until the scripts demanded he did more, Jack gets by on personal experience and gung-ho flamboyance, while Gwen only really comes into her own whenever she's not sharing scenes with her colleagues (a tête-à-tête with Rupresh, a great scene interviewing Clement). Tellingly, it's Gwen's "idiot" boyfriend Rhys who makes a big deductive leap in realizing the chanting is globally synchronized but focused on the British timezone.
"Day One" hit a quiet period around the halfway mark, but it's here that Davies' showed his real skills lie in simple human drama. Jack went to see his estranged daughter Alice Carter (Lucy Cohu), a middle-aged woman who's trying to come to terms with the fact her immortal dad will watch her wither and die of old-age. And while it felt a bit odd to suddenly reveal Jack has a family living in the present, hopefully these characters will reoccur and have some bearing on current events and the show beyond.
Similarly, Ianto went to see his sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix) and "came out" to her about his sexuality and feelings for Jack, before losing the team's black SUV to a gang of joyriders. Both were strong scenes of heartfelt and amusing drama that proves Davies is far more comfortable with everyday human emotions than spaceships and aliens. He has an enthusiasm and gusto for sci-fi that sometimes hits a G-spot though pure spectacle or profusion, but his writing's only really assured and interesting when it's people talking in kitchens. I also found it mildly sinister that both Ianto and Jack only went to see their families at this time of crisis so they could take their grandson and niece for experimentation. I hope Gwen's wise enough not to make them godparents, now she's learned she's pregnant...Overall, "Day One" got Children Of Earth off to a flying start, forgiving a few lapses, silliness and Whoniverse clichés (the new girl at work who grows suspicious of her bosses - yawn.) The audience were often a few steps ahead of the story when it came to the basic gist of the plot, but the diversions and subplots compensated nicely. I was particularly surprised by the twist that Dr. Patanjali was helping a group capture Jack so they could implant a bomb in his stomach to destroy the Hub, and the last ten minutes built to a very effective climax -- Jack evacuating the Hub before he explodes, and the children adding an extra word to their creepy message: "We Are Coming. Back."
6 July 2009
BBC1, 9pm
written by: Russell T. Davies directed by: Euros Lyn starring: John Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness), Eve Myles (Gwen Cooper), Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto Jones), Lucy Cohu (Alice Carter), Peter Capaldi (John Frobisher), Kai Owen (Rhys Williams), Tom Price (PC Andy Davidson), Charles Abomeli (Colonel Oduya), Liz May Brice (Johnson), Nick Briggs (Rick Yates), Susan Brown (Bridget Spears), Lachele Carl (Trinity Wells), Paul Copley (Clement McDonald), Aimee Davies (Mica Davies), Nicholas Farrell (Brian Green), Gregory Ferguson (Young Clement McDonald), Deborah Finlay (Denise Riley), Ian Gelder (Mr. Dekker), Julia Joyce (Holly Frobisher), Cush Jumbo (Lois Habiba), Rhodri Lewis (Johnny Davies), Ben Lloyd-Holmes (The Operative), Rik Makarem (Dr. Rupesh Patanjali), Hilary MacLean (Anna Frobisher), Bear McCausland (Steven Carter), Colin McFarlane (General Pierce), Sophie Miller (Vanessa), Luke Perry (David Davies), Simon Poland (456 Voice), Rhiannon (Katy Wix) & Madeline Rakic-Platt (Lilly Frobisher)
