Rewatch: Torchwood: Children of Earth. [Spoilers].

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While the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood did not really catch me, there was one season/event that did.

Living in Holland at the time I could watch BBC TV on the cable, and that means that I could catch the 5-day event that was Torchwood: Children of Earth.

5 episodes, each about one hour long, broadcast over 5 days, this strikes me as an excellent science fiction story.

Suddenly children all over the world simply stop for a while, and all saying “We are coming!” An older man also does that. A government official Mr Frobisher is ordered to handle the situation, and it turns out that something strange happened to the older man – he escaped an alien abduction back in 1965, but apparently the connection is still there.

When Torchwood is destroyed by a bomb Jack Harkness is blown to bits and the surviving members escape, but are hunted. The mystery deepens. Of course, Jack is immortal , so he survives anyway.

The children stop once more, saying “We are coming – tomorrow”. Later again: “We are here”

All the while the government builds a glass container for hosting the alien visitors – filled with poisonous gases – for humans, at least … and the hunt for Torchwood (and others) continues. The aliens “beam” down and negotiations begin. The aliens want 10% of the children from all over the Earth. Ouch! The government wants to negotiate, but the aliens refuse and threaten to destroy all human life on Earth..

From the older man we find out that the one bringing the children to the pick up point was none other than – Capt. Jack – at the order of the government agency – no wonder they wanted him (and Torchwood) out of the way.

In the end Capt. Jack resolves the problem with the aliens, but at great (personal) cost.

The children of Earth are saved.

During this rewatch I very much enjoyed the story telling and the acting, and I rate this excellent story 9/10.

The Expanse TV Show Is Over.

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Today I watched the series finale of the TV series.

I have not (yet) read the book series by James S.A. Corey, so I cannot compare the two.

I like the series, even if the final (6th) season was too short. Lots of threads were closed, but some are still open, should the series get a continuation at some stage.

I cannot fully recall the first seasons, so at some stage a re-watch of the series is in order I think getting and reading the book series may be a good idea.

Latest on the Babylon 5 Reboot.

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J. Michael Straczynski reported that he finished script for the pilot episode of the new Babylon 5, and it has been approved.

The pilot is a go. Now we will have to wait for CW’s reaction to the filmed/finished pilot.

It has been announced that Time/Warner has set up the CW network for sale. JMS has told fans to relax. No one has been reported to be interested yet, and the sale must mass all the administrative bureaucracy, including monopoly checks etc. It should take a year, at the least, enough time to establish the show as being viable. After all those companies want to make money 😉

I am not worried about that aspect. Now we wait for the CW network to give their answer. Patience …

Activity October – December 2021.

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For the first time since February 2020 it was possible to go to a convention. The Sense8Con3 is still awaiting information, but Fedcon went ahead in October 2021.

It was very good to meet old friends, even if some could be hard to recognize due to mask wearing when walking around. When sitting in a fixed place that was not mandated. The convention had what in Germany is called a 3G policy. You had to be either 1) vaccinated 2) tested negative or 3) documented recovery within the past 6 months.

This was, of course not ideal, but it beats having no convention at all.

– and now for some media stuff:

October:

I finished the Watchmen TV series (HBO) 7/10

November:

Film:

Dune (part 1) I like what they did, and I am looking forward to seeing part 2 in about two years – 8/10

TV:

Finished season 6 of Supergirl (HBO) 7/10

December:

Film:

Re-watch of the full and extended edition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I love this 10/10

TV:

Finished Wheel of Time, season 1 (Amazon) I like it 7/10

Finished The Witcher (Netflix), season 2. I like it. 8/10

Still not too much, but other activities have taken precedence.

New Babylon 5 in Development.

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A few days ago, Straczynski answered a query from a fan about the possibilities of new Babylon 5, saying (quoted from memory) “This may not be as far fetched as you might think”.

Yesterday the news broke via several sources:

The CW channel, owned by Warner Bros, now has a re-boot of the Babylon 5 series in development. The new show will have J. Michael Straczynski (JMS), the creator of the original series, at the helm. JMS is busy writing the pilot episode.

When hearing about re-boots of older series I am usually a bit of a skeptic. Hearing that JMS will be running the show makes me optimistic and excited to see what he can do with his much larger writing experience and modern techniques of production. Having followed a good deal of his other work over time, I get the sense that we will not get just a re-hash of the original story, but taking into account all that JMS has learned over timr, about what works and what doesn’t. I think that the experience of working together with the Wachowskis on Sense 8 has further added to this.

Additionally, he said in a Twitter thread that he is not just just going to tell the old story all over again – we have seen that story already – but that it should be fresh water in the river of story telling. I have faith in his ability to craft stories that catch many people.

The reactions in the fan community is understandable very diverse, from people simply saying no, don’t want a re-boot, to people saying I’m all in. For me I will watch and then judge the new series on its own merits, even if I see it in the light of the original series that I have seen several times (I lost count).

When it comes to JMS, expect the unexpected. Exciting times ahead!

Activity July 2021.

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There has been limited activity on the scifi realm this month, well it is summer time, and outdoor activities have taken precedence, but this bit was done:

July:
Read:
J.M. Straczynski: Together We Will Go.

Not a genre book, but very well written and very unusual. tears, laughter, a mystery and very complex characters make this an excellent read. 9/10.

Film:
Theory of Everything (about the life of Stephen Hawking). 8/10

TV:
Superman & Lois:
S01 continued.

Modest, but a bit more will happen in the fall/autumn.

May/June 2021 Activity.

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Here is a bit of the activities for the past few months:

Book:

Finished reading Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files #17: Battle Ground. – 8/10

Film:

Joker (Netflix) – good origin story. 8/10

TV/streaming:

Finished Upload, season 1. Good fun – 7/10

Finished The 100, season 6 – 7/10

Up-to date (end of June) with:

Legends of Tomorrow(Netflix), S6, Batwoman(HBO), S02, Superman & Lois (HBO) S01

Other activities, especially outdoor (summer) activities have taken precedence, and will do for a while yet.

March Activity.

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March has been a scifi-low month. Other activities have had higher priority.

One book read: Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Peace Talks.

Since the vaccination has reached maximum protection I may re-start some video meetings soon. That depends on the vaccination status of the few people I intend to meet.