sff: Big Finish's Torchwood Monthly Range
This is mostly just quick thoughts, but gets a bit long. Covers episodes 1-25ish, I think, with one or two not listened to.
The monthly range seems to vary in era and continuity, and while I listened to them generally in order, I don't think it's actually required (outside of a couple linked ones, like the Andy + Norton or Andy + Owen ones).
- The Conspiracy. It's hard to tell when this is set, as it appears to be after COE/MD, except that the next couple make it clear Jack had explained to everyone about The Committee back in series one or prior. That aside - I liked this one, the conspiracy theories, the angst, the ridiculousness of The Committee.
- Fall to Earth. ZEYNEP IS MY HERO forever, and I desperately want her seconded to UNIT (Torchwood would get her killed). Anyway, she and Ianto have an excellent back and forth, and even though the setup is silly, everything else is entertaining and brilliant, and heart-rending. I would love for her to show up.
- Forgotton Lives. This was all right. I mean, it was nice hearing Gwen again, and Rhys, too. I just didn't have a lot of interest in the plotline. It had its horror moments, but wasn't ground-breaking.
- One Rule. Highly entertaining, I liked Yvonne as a villain, and she shines as a protagonist here. She's sarcastic and a bitch, but with an undercurrent that is understandable. Not sweet, mind. Because she's still very much England First, no matter who gets in the way. And I'm ok with that. I'd have been very annoyed if she were softened.
- Uncanny Valley. Pure SF schlock. If you like M/M sex, there's kissing in this one. And while I found it compelling while listening to it, I ended up with a "Meh" face once it was over and I was thinking about it.
- More Than This. Highly entertaining - Gwen is in excellent Gwen form. And while the framing of the story was a bit by the numbers, I still enjoyed it. The concept of Gwen running an adhoc Torchwood out of the back of her car is hilarious, and, well, a Gwen thing to do.
- The Victorian Age. Enjoyable, with flirting, and Queen Victoria. Don't have a lot more to say about it, though.
- Zone 10. A Tosh mission! Very Torchwood, with Tosh and double-crossing, and Russians. Because it's always Russians, MI-5 told me so. But I did like this one, and it was great to hear Tosh again.
- Ghost Mission. Andy is very Welsh. This one was entertaining, even with my creeping sense of horror over who really had seconded Andy into Torchwood. It was great to have more canon gay, too. It was a bit weird, but fun, and Andy is a little too innocent and bright for Torchwood.
- Moving Target. I knew where this was going, but I didn't care, because it was so entertaining to listen to it get there. Suzie has to protect the prey of intergalactic hunters (a bunch of rich aliens who want to kill a human), and she and said prey are excellent at survival. Meanwhile, I'm wondering about the Shadow Proclamation.
- Broken. This is a perfect story to slot into series one, filling in some of the character beats between the episodes. From Cyberwoman through Countrycide, this is an excellent character piece about Ianto, with Jack along for the ride by the end of it. And I really really loved how this delved in Ianto and what defines him, and the things he's willing to do to get what he wants and needs.
- Made You Look. I actually found the villain a bit meh, but I loved the pathos of this one, as well as Gwen teaming up with a little old lady to save the day. It also just reminded me how awful Gwen is at really saving the day (she tries so hard, but she's rarely ever going to manage to save everyone). It reminded me a lot of the way she gets Lois to work with them in COE, which is always a plus.
- Visiting Hours. A manic and silly story. I'm finding that I'm just not that fond of Rhys, though I thought he and his mother were entertaining. And this has Martin Dear's actor as a guest star, and his voice is terribly recognizable, so I was having some cognitive dissonance at times.
- The Dollhouse. Torchwood US 1970s, or Charlie's Angels with aliens. This one was a little schlocky, but incredibly entertaining. I could listen to a whole series of these women kicking ass and taking names, and recruiting others. Even with the somewhat predictable plot. Gabi is a speed freak, who jumps at the chance to fly any alien craft she can, Marlow is into math and pointing guns at people (she is v Torchwood), and Charley is an excellent thief and safe-cracker who finds aliens interesting.
- Corpse Day. The first half of this was fun (Andy and Owen are a good team-up). The rest, not so much. I am so very fucking tired of horror means women who are brain-washed and raped, through the lens of the poor poooooor men who have to witness this terror with bonus cannibalism.
- Cascade. I'd actually heard this one before, so I knew what the plot was. It was still entertaining, and I loved the conceit of using the audio medium with splices and repetitive inserts, and bits of the cast interview spliced in. You're not actually listening to the story, you're listening to the scrambled version of it that's about to escape...
- The Office That Never Was. This is a convoluted and weird little two-hander. Not as good as Fall to Earth? I spent most of it trying to care about what was going on. Next time, Ianto, take a chair to one of the windows to get out of the building. (why don't any of these idiots take backup--at least with post-MD Gwen, it makes sense that she's not got any) - I also had difficulty recognizing his voice? I'm not sure why. That said, as with Yvonne and Suzie and Jack, it was nice to see this side of Torchwood. I think the other issue I had with this (aside from the convolutedness), was that I don't understand how Ianto has managed to survive with his memories so swiss-cheesed as this episode implies they are? At the point where he dies in COE, he must assume Jack with just retcon himself to avoid the pain. I do think this episode would improve on re-listen, however. Knowing what it's about helps.
- The Dying Room. The conceit is that this is a German officer torturing a man for information. I really enjoyed the flashbacks (the Madame is AWESOME AND I LOVE HER, Torchwood, give me more of her). But the torture and interrogation portions were very run of the mill and dull. Like, I don't need to be told that Germans tortured people, I am already aware. That said, I did enjoy this one and found the whole conceit and resolution entertaining.
- The Death of Captain Jack. If you want a story full of sex and wrecking history, this is it. If you're bored of that, though, this is kinda... dull. Also, how many times have DW people been on the bloody Titanic. I actually got bored somewhere around when John married Queen Victoria :/ Hart's rampaging through time was predictable (dubconning Ianto is gross, but fanfic and expected). At least the ending makes up for some of it? I did like the twist, but I'm not sure it made up for the boring bits. I mean, I guess it was very fanfic? But not in the way I enjoy (tbf, if it were all chicks, I'd love it. But dudes banging isn't my id).
- The Last Beacon. This one is incredibly Welsh. And while I sort of enjoyed it, it's... a bit meandering and not really all that great? Like, the basic plot is incredibly dull, and the only interesting bits are Owen and Ianto having to get along and try to investigate (which they're crap at). I actually found myself a bit frustrated at how nothing was happening. I did like the little character moments. But, um, otherwise, I'm not sure this is one I'd listen to again? At least it wasn't about women being raped. So, y'know, that was a plus for an all-dude episode.
- We Always Get Out Alive. This one is incredibly tense, or it felt like it as I listened. I liked it! But OMG, I had to actually pause a couple of times just to take a breath and remind myself that it was going to end, and it would all be OK. There is a lot of character stuff in this one with Gwen and Rhys (and, unlike the interviews, I spent parts of it going "yes, this is why they won't actually last as a couple." - which is really fanfic, I suppose).
- Goodbye Picadilly. Not listened yet.
- Instant Karma. Tosh shines in this one, although I'm a little annoyed that they did the "Tosh has no one who loves her, and fails to save herself." thing. I appreciated that she still ends up on top of things, but. It's frustrating, I feel like she should have been able to do it herself. It does slot nicely into the aftermath of the Mary thing, though. And I'm angry at the others on her behalf.
- Deadbeat Escape. Bilis Manger always sounds fucking creepy (and he's the sort of smug I can't stand, though he grows a bit on you). But I do like how they're doing more than just action/adventure. It's almost Twilight Zone, but with added horror and tension in flavor. Also, if I showed up at a place like Traveller's Rest, I would have gone back out into the rain no matter how awful it was. The recurring tap... and Manger was good at stopping time, really ratcheted the tension up on this one. "Has a happy ending for the rabbit, not the farmer's wife."
- Night of the Fendahl. The Fendahl are an excellent classic Who monster, that have featured in at least one other Big Finish episode (during the Further Adventures of Lucie Miller), and I'm always happy to see them show up with batshit mythology. This one has an excellent, creepy vibe, which ratchets the tension quite well. Gwen is a vacant victim of a woman for much of it, which is off-putting, but understandable in the end. And I appreciated that the murder of all of these women was brought to justice by another woman! I just. I think I'm just very tired of women being the victims. The one sour note is the implication that if women just didn't let themselves be victims, they wouldn't become rape and murder victims. That said, excellent outing for the Fendahl, though if you're not a fan of sexist men and using women's bodies for titillation, this episode is not going to work well for you. And the latter doesn't even happen on camera, as it were.
- The Green Life. I found this a frustrating episode. It has the elements of a story that I'd enjoy, but it felt like a slog through the muck to get through. And not in a fun way. I also got very tired of the pointless "let's show up Jo's simplistic worldview" bullshit. FFS, just because she wants to save the world and stop cruelty to animals doesn't mean she wants to go about hugging the fucking maggots. It felt like they took all of the wrong lessons from Green Death and heavy-handedly skewered them. Badly. I'm not too keen on killing off Nancy with the laughing face, either. That felt cheap. I also found it difficult to believe BOSS would allow what happened to it (and the voice wasn't unctuous enough :/)--BOSS was also the obvious choice, but it felt shallow (and the turnabout reveal about the maggots wasn't the OMG moment I think the writer intended, it was mostly just, "Really? That was the dull choice you went with?"). All in all, an episode I really, desperately, wanted to enjoy and couldn't.
Things that would have improved it:
1. Dial back the ~kooky peacenik vs. Stalwart Realist rhetoric - like, ffs, I watched Green Death, which was written in the era and steeped in this stuff, and still managed not to be so heavy-handed and stupid about it.
2. Flirting. Where the fuck was the flirting--there is, like two seconds, near the end, and that's it. Terribly disappointing--though at least it proves Jack will flirt with ancient women! Also, more back and forth that isn't "Old Woman Scolds Young Boy" crap related to point 1.
3. Jo not killing Jack. The entire scene where he asks her to shoot him and she gets hysterical was a fucking waste of time. Cut it entirely.
4. Eating maggots should cause people to mutate and die--as they did in the original episode. Yet, there's fuck all about this in GL, which makes the whole thing feel like a waste of time.
5. If you're killing Nancy, give her an actual line or two. There's zero impact from her death, and it just feels cheap and pointless.
I think I'm just frustrated, as every time BF has brought, like, the Wirrn back, it's been great. But this? They failed at.
- Sync. I really enjoyed this one, particularly with how Suzie and Margaret were bestie frenemies by the end--that dynamic was just fucking amazing, ok. Lying to each other, mocking each other, figuring each other out, trying to kill each other. This one was a delight that had it all. I also liked the look into Suzie it gives (heroic and not, as it were--she's a dark reflection of Gwen, though less certain that she's Always Right because of her Compassion). And yeah, I'd love more episodes with them paired up and doing stuff. Or even just more of Suzie doing stuff!
- Sargasso. So, I don't really like Rhys much. Like, I know this is an odd thing for a lot of people, but, um. I find him boring and over-bearing in his dedication to Being Normal. That said, he was all right in this. Loved the Autons, though. And the rubber ducks, holy fuck, that was hilarious. I just wish the "omg this is not an ending" schtick would stop. I doubt there will ever be follow-up (though maybe all the autons are the people in gated communities that Jack then murders in the next one??? lol) (also, ngl, was expecting Rhys to be an Auton and was a bit disappointed when he wasn't)
- Serenity. This was... like, I wanted to like it but it was dullllll. I've read shitty fanfic that was better and more entertaining. It probably doesn't help that the "We're pretending these aren't POC terrorist stand-ins lol" tone from Sleeper is also here. About the only good thing is Jack murdering all of the ~bad aliens. Although I'm intrigued about Ianto. Does he just not remember all of the times he's murdered innocent people for Torchwood? (oh, wait, he doesn't).
Note: four days later, and I have to revise my opinion slightly: I did enjoy all of the Jack and Ianto back and forth, that felt very them. It was just the framing story and execution that were lacking.
I was honestly hoping for something more like that one X-Files episode, so it being the stupid aliens from Sleeper really disappointed me.
(of course, now I want a crossover episode where Mulder & Scully and Harkness & Jones are investigating the same Weird Community and undercover) Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)
The monthly range seems to vary in era and continuity, and while I listened to them generally in order, I don't think it's actually required (outside of a couple linked ones, like the Andy + Norton or Andy + Owen ones).
- The Conspiracy. It's hard to tell when this is set, as it appears to be after COE/MD, except that the next couple make it clear Jack had explained to everyone about The Committee back in series one or prior. That aside - I liked this one, the conspiracy theories, the angst, the ridiculousness of The Committee.
- Fall to Earth. ZEYNEP IS MY HERO forever, and I desperately want her seconded to UNIT (Torchwood would get her killed). Anyway, she and Ianto have an excellent back and forth, and even though the setup is silly, everything else is entertaining and brilliant, and heart-rending. I would love for her to show up.
- Forgotton Lives. This was all right. I mean, it was nice hearing Gwen again, and Rhys, too. I just didn't have a lot of interest in the plotline. It had its horror moments, but wasn't ground-breaking.
- One Rule. Highly entertaining, I liked Yvonne as a villain, and she shines as a protagonist here. She's sarcastic and a bitch, but with an undercurrent that is understandable. Not sweet, mind. Because she's still very much England First, no matter who gets in the way. And I'm ok with that. I'd have been very annoyed if she were softened.
- Uncanny Valley. Pure SF schlock. If you like M/M sex, there's kissing in this one. And while I found it compelling while listening to it, I ended up with a "Meh" face once it was over and I was thinking about it.
- More Than This. Highly entertaining - Gwen is in excellent Gwen form. And while the framing of the story was a bit by the numbers, I still enjoyed it. The concept of Gwen running an adhoc Torchwood out of the back of her car is hilarious, and, well, a Gwen thing to do.
- The Victorian Age. Enjoyable, with flirting, and Queen Victoria. Don't have a lot more to say about it, though.
- Zone 10. A Tosh mission! Very Torchwood, with Tosh and double-crossing, and Russians. Because it's always Russians, MI-5 told me so. But I did like this one, and it was great to hear Tosh again.
- Ghost Mission. Andy is very Welsh. This one was entertaining, even with my creeping sense of horror over who really had seconded Andy into Torchwood. It was great to have more canon gay, too. It was a bit weird, but fun, and Andy is a little too innocent and bright for Torchwood.
- Moving Target. I knew where this was going, but I didn't care, because it was so entertaining to listen to it get there. Suzie has to protect the prey of intergalactic hunters (a bunch of rich aliens who want to kill a human), and she and said prey are excellent at survival. Meanwhile, I'm wondering about the Shadow Proclamation.
- Broken. This is a perfect story to slot into series one, filling in some of the character beats between the episodes. From Cyberwoman through Countrycide, this is an excellent character piece about Ianto, with Jack along for the ride by the end of it. And I really really loved how this delved in Ianto and what defines him, and the things he's willing to do to get what he wants and needs.
- Made You Look. I actually found the villain a bit meh, but I loved the pathos of this one, as well as Gwen teaming up with a little old lady to save the day. It also just reminded me how awful Gwen is at really saving the day (she tries so hard, but she's rarely ever going to manage to save everyone). It reminded me a lot of the way she gets Lois to work with them in COE, which is always a plus.
- Visiting Hours. A manic and silly story. I'm finding that I'm just not that fond of Rhys, though I thought he and his mother were entertaining. And this has Martin Dear's actor as a guest star, and his voice is terribly recognizable, so I was having some cognitive dissonance at times.
- The Dollhouse. Torchwood US 1970s, or Charlie's Angels with aliens. This one was a little schlocky, but incredibly entertaining. I could listen to a whole series of these women kicking ass and taking names, and recruiting others. Even with the somewhat predictable plot. Gabi is a speed freak, who jumps at the chance to fly any alien craft she can, Marlow is into math and pointing guns at people (she is v Torchwood), and Charley is an excellent thief and safe-cracker who finds aliens interesting.
- Corpse Day. The first half of this was fun (Andy and Owen are a good team-up). The rest, not so much. I am so very fucking tired of horror means women who are brain-washed and raped, through the lens of the poor poooooor men who have to witness this terror with bonus cannibalism.
- Cascade. I'd actually heard this one before, so I knew what the plot was. It was still entertaining, and I loved the conceit of using the audio medium with splices and repetitive inserts, and bits of the cast interview spliced in. You're not actually listening to the story, you're listening to the scrambled version of it that's about to escape...
- The Office That Never Was. This is a convoluted and weird little two-hander. Not as good as Fall to Earth? I spent most of it trying to care about what was going on. Next time, Ianto, take a chair to one of the windows to get out of the building. (why don't any of these idiots take backup--at least with post-MD Gwen, it makes sense that she's not got any) - I also had difficulty recognizing his voice? I'm not sure why. That said, as with Yvonne and Suzie and Jack, it was nice to see this side of Torchwood. I think the other issue I had with this (aside from the convolutedness), was that I don't understand how Ianto has managed to survive with his memories so swiss-cheesed as this episode implies they are? At the point where he dies in COE, he must assume Jack with just retcon himself to avoid the pain. I do think this episode would improve on re-listen, however. Knowing what it's about helps.
- The Dying Room. The conceit is that this is a German officer torturing a man for information. I really enjoyed the flashbacks (the Madame is AWESOME AND I LOVE HER, Torchwood, give me more of her). But the torture and interrogation portions were very run of the mill and dull. Like, I don't need to be told that Germans tortured people, I am already aware. That said, I did enjoy this one and found the whole conceit and resolution entertaining.
- The Death of Captain Jack. If you want a story full of sex and wrecking history, this is it. If you're bored of that, though, this is kinda... dull. Also, how many times have DW people been on the bloody Titanic. I actually got bored somewhere around when John married Queen Victoria :/ Hart's rampaging through time was predictable (dubconning Ianto is gross, but fanfic and expected). At least the ending makes up for some of it? I did like the twist, but I'm not sure it made up for the boring bits. I mean, I guess it was very fanfic? But not in the way I enjoy (tbf, if it were all chicks, I'd love it. But dudes banging isn't my id).
- The Last Beacon. This one is incredibly Welsh. And while I sort of enjoyed it, it's... a bit meandering and not really all that great? Like, the basic plot is incredibly dull, and the only interesting bits are Owen and Ianto having to get along and try to investigate (which they're crap at). I actually found myself a bit frustrated at how nothing was happening. I did like the little character moments. But, um, otherwise, I'm not sure this is one I'd listen to again? At least it wasn't about women being raped. So, y'know, that was a plus for an all-dude episode.
- We Always Get Out Alive. This one is incredibly tense, or it felt like it as I listened. I liked it! But OMG, I had to actually pause a couple of times just to take a breath and remind myself that it was going to end, and it would all be OK. There is a lot of character stuff in this one with Gwen and Rhys (and, unlike the interviews, I spent parts of it going "yes, this is why they won't actually last as a couple." - which is really fanfic, I suppose).
- Goodbye Picadilly. Not listened yet.
- Instant Karma. Tosh shines in this one, although I'm a little annoyed that they did the "Tosh has no one who loves her, and fails to save herself." thing. I appreciated that she still ends up on top of things, but. It's frustrating, I feel like she should have been able to do it herself. It does slot nicely into the aftermath of the Mary thing, though. And I'm angry at the others on her behalf.
- Deadbeat Escape. Bilis Manger always sounds fucking creepy (and he's the sort of smug I can't stand, though he grows a bit on you). But I do like how they're doing more than just action/adventure. It's almost Twilight Zone, but with added horror and tension in flavor. Also, if I showed up at a place like Traveller's Rest, I would have gone back out into the rain no matter how awful it was. The recurring tap... and Manger was good at stopping time, really ratcheted the tension up on this one. "Has a happy ending for the rabbit, not the farmer's wife."
- Night of the Fendahl. The Fendahl are an excellent classic Who monster, that have featured in at least one other Big Finish episode (during the Further Adventures of Lucie Miller), and I'm always happy to see them show up with batshit mythology. This one has an excellent, creepy vibe, which ratchets the tension quite well. Gwen is a vacant victim of a woman for much of it, which is off-putting, but understandable in the end. And I appreciated that the murder of all of these women was brought to justice by another woman! I just. I think I'm just very tired of women being the victims. The one sour note is the implication that if women just didn't let themselves be victims, they wouldn't become rape and murder victims. That said, excellent outing for the Fendahl, though if you're not a fan of sexist men and using women's bodies for titillation, this episode is not going to work well for you. And the latter doesn't even happen on camera, as it were.
- The Green Life. I found this a frustrating episode. It has the elements of a story that I'd enjoy, but it felt like a slog through the muck to get through. And not in a fun way. I also got very tired of the pointless "let's show up Jo's simplistic worldview" bullshit. FFS, just because she wants to save the world and stop cruelty to animals doesn't mean she wants to go about hugging the fucking maggots. It felt like they took all of the wrong lessons from Green Death and heavy-handedly skewered them. Badly. I'm not too keen on killing off Nancy with the laughing face, either. That felt cheap. I also found it difficult to believe BOSS would allow what happened to it (and the voice wasn't unctuous enough :/)--BOSS was also the obvious choice, but it felt shallow (and the turnabout reveal about the maggots wasn't the OMG moment I think the writer intended, it was mostly just, "Really? That was the dull choice you went with?"). All in all, an episode I really, desperately, wanted to enjoy and couldn't.
Things that would have improved it:
1. Dial back the ~kooky peacenik vs. Stalwart Realist rhetoric - like, ffs, I watched Green Death, which was written in the era and steeped in this stuff, and still managed not to be so heavy-handed and stupid about it.
2. Flirting. Where the fuck was the flirting--there is, like two seconds, near the end, and that's it. Terribly disappointing--though at least it proves Jack will flirt with ancient women! Also, more back and forth that isn't "Old Woman Scolds Young Boy" crap related to point 1.
3. Jo not killing Jack. The entire scene where he asks her to shoot him and she gets hysterical was a fucking waste of time. Cut it entirely.
4. Eating maggots should cause people to mutate and die--as they did in the original episode. Yet, there's fuck all about this in GL, which makes the whole thing feel like a waste of time.
5. If you're killing Nancy, give her an actual line or two. There's zero impact from her death, and it just feels cheap and pointless.
I think I'm just frustrated, as every time BF has brought, like, the Wirrn back, it's been great. But this? They failed at.
- Sync. I really enjoyed this one, particularly with how Suzie and Margaret were bestie frenemies by the end--that dynamic was just fucking amazing, ok. Lying to each other, mocking each other, figuring each other out, trying to kill each other. This one was a delight that had it all. I also liked the look into Suzie it gives (heroic and not, as it were--she's a dark reflection of Gwen, though less certain that she's Always Right because of her Compassion). And yeah, I'd love more episodes with them paired up and doing stuff. Or even just more of Suzie doing stuff!
- Sargasso. So, I don't really like Rhys much. Like, I know this is an odd thing for a lot of people, but, um. I find him boring and over-bearing in his dedication to Being Normal. That said, he was all right in this. Loved the Autons, though. And the rubber ducks, holy fuck, that was hilarious. I just wish the "omg this is not an ending" schtick would stop. I doubt there will ever be follow-up (though maybe all the autons are the people in gated communities that Jack then murders in the next one??? lol) (also, ngl, was expecting Rhys to be an Auton and was a bit disappointed when he wasn't)
- Serenity. This was... like, I wanted to like it but it was dullllll. I've read shitty fanfic that was better and more entertaining. It probably doesn't help that the "We're pretending these aren't POC terrorist stand-ins lol" tone from Sleeper is also here. About the only good thing is Jack murdering all of the ~bad aliens. Although I'm intrigued about Ianto. Does he just not remember all of the times he's murdered innocent people for Torchwood? (oh, wait, he doesn't).
Note: four days later, and I have to revise my opinion slightly: I did enjoy all of the Jack and Ianto back and forth, that felt very them. It was just the framing story and execution that were lacking.
I was honestly hoping for something more like that one X-Files episode, so it being the stupid aliens from Sleeper really disappointed me.
(of course, now I want a crossover episode where Mulder & Scully and Harkness & Jones are investigating the same Weird Community and undercover) Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)