This episode is pretty strong, but there's a lot of build-up for what's coming.  I enjoy it now but the first time watching it, I kind of was brushing Children of Earth off a bit. Jack's brutal death was pretty strong, but I also remember being a little underwhelmed, to an extent.  This show, at least up until this point, had never really shocked or stuck with me when it comes to gore or gruesome death.  It's probably just desensitized me, having seen too many horror shows and movies, that I see all this and go "yeah, yeah Torchwood.  You're such a badass," and roll my eyes right to the back of my head as the big music tries to make me feel anything other than utter apathy.  All that being said, the nature of this death, and how it comes to happen, is pretty damn awesome.  I guess it just lacks teeth because we know no matter how badly Jack suffers, he will always survive.  It ends up being a whole thing in Torchwood and you can kind of see why they were thinking of stuff like Miracle Day when you look at content here.

This series isn't playing around here and to a degree, it is utterly shocking.  The show's first two series fooled me into making me think that this was another trip down the grimderp side of Torchwood.  Luckly, it's not like that.  There's a good story here and good build-up around Frobisher and the Torchwood team utterly on the ropes, barely hanging on.  It's a good episode for Gwen and Eve Myles can really carry an episode.  It's just lacking those gang-buster moments that define the latter episodes of Children of Earth.  Other than the harrowing stuff with Jack.

This episode does not let up its tension for a moment. It is an exhilarating ride, though I do think we missed opportunities for a couple more moments of silence.

BUT WHAT A RIDE. We get some gnarly special effects and twisted implications with Jack, we get some great moments for both Gwen and Ianto working independently of Torchwood, and new character Lois is excellent. Really really good

I forgot how little Captain Jack is in this episode, but you don't really miss him. Gwen has some really badass moments that more than make up for it, such as when she's taking down the ambulance drivers who are actually government spies, or breaking into the secret base where Jack is being held.

This has to be among Captain Jack's more gruesome deaths also. It's truly terrifying to think how much pain he must be feeling when you see his skin totally burnt, and he's just screaming.

Another excellent episode for sure.