Torchwood One: Machines review (audio)

Yvonne Hartman returns to face the Law Machines in Torchwood One: Machines!

(Image credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

London is attacked by the Law Machines – built by Torchwood themselves! Yvonne Hartman has her work cut out for her in the latest audio box set prequel Torchwood One: Machines.

Torchwood One: Machines is in many ways very different compared to the previous box set. For one thing, it feels much less like a single three-part story. Instead, the episodes feel more distinct, and while there is an arc running through them, Machines definitely feels closer to three separate stories instead of a single multi-part one.

And after the prequel series firmly established itself with Before the Fall, Machines is a confidant enough release to feature the return of an old enemy. A very old enemy, in fact: WOTAN, who hasn’t been heard of since The War Machines with the First Doctor.

How well does Machines work as a whole? Let’s take a look at each episode and find out.

Yvonne and Torchwood One face a new form of a very old enemy in The Law Machines!

(Image credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

The Law Machines

As you can probably imagine, this episode clearly establishes itself as the sequel to The War Machines. Torchwood has worked closely with the Mayor of London to create a new robotic force. They’ve based the technology on the so-called War Machines from several decades before. While they were a dangerous force, the Law Machines are completely under their control. Aren’t they?

What really leaps out about The Law Machines, particularly after listening to Before the Fall, is how it’s almost the exact opposite of the first box set’s opening episode. Whereas New Girl was slow and very deliberately paced, The Law Machines launches us into the box set at full throttle.

From the very start, the worst immediately happens, and London suffers from a huge robotic attack. Yvonne and Ianto are immediately pushed to their very limit as they try to stop the attacking force, and find out what’s controlling the robots they built.

It’s a great approach that works very well, and shows how confidant the writers are at establishing Torchwood One as its own series.

It’s also a story that suits the Yvonne we know from Army of Ghosts. She’s not perfect, with some very clear flaws. While her confidence can sometimes be a strength, at times, it’s much closer to arrogance. We saw how dangerous her mistakes can be in Army of Ghosts, and we get to see an earlier one with The Law Machines.

However, she’s smart and confident enough to adapt to the problem, and she continues to be the brilliant leader we know.

Along with handling Yvonne and Torchwood just right, Matt Fitton has also handled WOTAN itself very well. The fact that it hasn’t been around in decades has meant that it’s very unaware of all the major changes in the world since then. There’s a wonderful source of humor gained from how out of touch WOTAN is.

The Law Machines is an excellent beginning to this second box set, and sets the overall theme of Machines just right.

We go back to the earliest days of Ianto Jones working for Torchwood in Blind Summit.

(Image credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Blind Summit

Blind Summit is an interesting story. It’s a flashback to Ianto’s first job for Torchwood. But at the same time, it isn’t. Gareth David-Lloyd has written a very clever story that explores Ianto Jones, but in a more interesting way than your usual “origin story”.

In the behind the scenes interviews, David-Lloyd admitted that this episode was inspired by his own past. And it shows. Not in a bad way, quite the contrary, in fact. Many of the characters we meet in this story feel like real people, and Ianto feels incredibly sympathetic and relatable in this one.

David-Lloyd is also keen to remember what makes Ianto such a great character. It isn’t that he’s invincible or incredibly clever. In fact, Ianto’s the kind of guy that dreams of being a spy, while the story makes it very clear that he’s anything but. But he is loyal, perhaps to a fault, and someone that Yvonne at least can trust.

After years of playing the role, it’s clear that Gareth David-Lloyd truly understands Ianto Jones inside and out, so it’s absolutely fitting that he’s written his character’s earliest days at Torchwood. Especially as he’s very different to the Ianto we’re used to at this point.

Equally great is how well Yvonne Hartman is handled. Once again, we’re given another clear example of how complicated a character she really is. Sometimes, she can be nice, even vulnerable.

Other times, however, she’s simply manipulating the really nice people. She takes some very questionable actions in Blind Summit, which is exactly what you want from a character like Hartman.

Overall, Blind Summit is another great script from Gareth David-Lloyd. Tonally, it’s darker and in some ways more down to earth than his previous story, The Last Beacon. But it’s still a very satisfying story.

Investigating a temp agency, Yvonne and Ianto find sinister goings on in 9 to 5.

(Image credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

9 to 5

Written by Tim Foley, 9 to 5 is probably my favorite episode of this box set. It has a great concept, one that feels heavily like something straight from The Twilight Zone.

Initially, it seems like the episode is focusing on an “ordinary person”, as we got with Random Shoes. But it’s actually given a very neat twist here, as we see things through the eyes of Stacey. Throughout the episode, she doesn’t just learn all about Torchwood. She also finds out a lot more about herself, too.

Nicki Wardley is great as Stacey. She brings a lot of depth and life to this seemingly ordinary person, and helps to make that character feel very relatable. Especially when the darker and more tragic moments of the story occur. Wardley really helps to sell everything that Stacey is going through.

There’s also a great amount of commentary in 9 to 5. While it features a clear sci-fi story, like any great science-fiction, it’s also keen to explore some very real issues, too. Including temporary workers, and how dispoable they can really be to organizations.

With a very strong script, some great performances and a huge downer ending, 9 to 5 is another great example of why Torchwood One really stands on its own.

Summary

Machines was a very different box set compared to Before the Fall. After establishing itself with quite the epic story in the previous volume, the writers clearly felt more confident at focusing on more standalone storytelling with this volume.

And it works, too. The episodes are linked, but there’s certainly a greater sense of flexibility in what the writers can tell. Even better, they continue to remember what makes Torchwood One standout compared to regular Torchwood.

Particularly with Yvonne and Ianto. Both of them come across as flawed characters in completely different ways. Neither of them are heroes, and all three stories suit that fact beautifully.

Overall, Machines is an excellent Torchwood One sequel, and makes me excited at how many more stories Big Finish can tell with this unique version of an organization we know so well.

Have you checked out Torchwood One: Machines? Are you curious to learn more about the earlier days of Torchwood? Who would you want to see Yvonne Hartman go up against next? Let us know in the comments below.