Following on from the fifth series’s shocking finale, series six of Torchwood kicks off in a big way with God Among Us 1!
The previous series of Torchwood, Aliens Among Us, had left things hanging in a big way. While some threads had been resolved, many more weren’t. The main alien threat of the series, the Sorvix, were still very much in charge of Cardiff. Yvonne Hartman had deposed Captain Jack as the leader of Torchwood, and that wasn’t looking to change any time soon.
In fact the finale, Herald of the Dawn, had opened up many more threads. By the end of the episode – and, indeed, Aliens Among Us as a whole – a member of Torchwood was dying; the team had finally found out the truth about Ng; city hall had blown up from a terrorist attack, and last but not least, God had arrived.
Hence the title for series six, God Among Us. But what is this “God” like? Just how powerful is it? Why were the Sorvix so afraid of it? And just what does it intend for Cardiff?
Maybe these questions are answered in the first volume. Maybe they’re not. But God Among Us had a lot to live up to, especially after how strong the previous series had been.
Aliens Among Us was a wonderful refresh for Torchwood. A fresh start for the series that pushed the much loved spinoff into a brand new direction, while still remaining true to its roots. Does the follow up live up to that same high standard? Let’s find out.
A lot has changed for Torchwood, as series six kicks off with Future Pain.
(Photo credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
Future Pain
The opening episode of God Among Us begins just a few days after the end of Aliens Among Us. And yet it’s already immediately clear that a lot’s changed.
Jack is in the sewers, hunting for an alien god. Yvonne Hartman is making herself busy as the new leader of Torchwood. Ng is now locked up, her secret finally exposed. And Ro-Jedda, both the mayor of Cardiff and the leader of the Sorvix, is in a very desperate situation.
Aliens Among Us took a while to establish the new era of Torchwood. Over the first four episodes, it was deliberately paced so that we would be introduced to all of the new characters, the new enemies, and the key arcs of the series.
God Among Us doesn’t need to do any of that. It understandably assumes that all listeners will have listened to the previous series. As a result, it hits the ground running with Future Pain.
Endings and new beginnings
One small issue I initially had with Herald of the Dawn was how much had been left unresolved at the end of the series. But Future Pain actually does a fantastic job of resolving so many of those threads and providing closure to a number of key storylines.
It also starts to establish the new theme of the series. While taking the time to establish whether or not the Sorvix are still a threat, the episode also introduces a new major character: God. We don’t get too much of an idea of what it’s like exactly, but we do get a good impression of just how dangerous it is.
We find out a lot more about Ng (we even hear her being called exactly that for the first time in this episode), and we have a funeral. Which Jack is pretty much used to, by this point.
Future Pain is a great way to kick off the new series. It continues the story of Aliens Among Us and shares many of its strengths. But it also takes Torchwood into a brand new direction. A very promising start indeed.
Only one man can stop the evil organization known as Torchwood. Are they ready for alt-right crusader Brent Hayden? (Yes. Yes, they are more than ready.)
(Photo credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
The Man Who Destroyed Torchwood
Quite the dramatic title, huh? But don’t be fooled. Instead of telling the story of Torchwood’s epic downfall, what Guy Adams instead gives us is much closer to a dark comedy. It’s quite the shift in genre after the dramatic opener just before, but it works.
The story focuses on Brent Hayden. A man who’s out for the truth. Who wants to destroy anyone and everything related to leftist conspiracies. Who wants to stop those who try to silence people like him. In the world of conspiracy theorists, he’s easily the most famous and the most targeted!
Or, at least, so he believes.
Brent is a character with a lot of nasty qualities to him. In fact, he’s the kind of character that makes a real piece of work like Tyler look like a genuinely decent bloke by comparison. But Brent’s so enjoyable to listen to because he’s so hilarious.
Oh, not in an intentional way, of course. He believes himself to be charming, charismatic, intelligent and funny. Of course, he is absolutely none of these things except for the last one. And even in that case, not in the way he thinks.
Guy Adams could’ve told this episode in a “found footage” kind of way. It would’ve been easy to get Brent’s story exclusively from audio of his vlogs or podcasts. We do get some clips of these, but we also get a look inside Brent’s head and discover how he actually sees the world. And it is absolutely hysterical to listen to.
A different look at Torchwood
The completely distorted versions of the Torchwood characters that we see from Brent’s perspective are hilarious to hear. The regular cast must have had a lot of fun with this one. Especially John Barrowman, who gets to say things like “The big cheese!” and “Too late, scum!” (I suspect Barrowman loved saying that.)
As the story goes on, however, things do get just a little bit darker and more grounded. At times, Brent almost comes across as sympathetic. When you hear why he’s doing it and just how vulnerable he really is, you really have to pity him. But at the same time, in some ways, it also makes him more unsympathetic, too.
The ending of the story is brutal, though. It definitely stands out as one of the more morally questionable endings we’ve heard in Torchwood, and that’s saying something. But it’s a perfectly fitting ending, too.
Overall, The Man Who Destroyed Torchwood is an absolutely brilliant episode. Guy Adams has written that rare gem where he gets to have his cake and eat it too – he’s written an episode that’s essentially a self-parody of Torchwood in many ways, but at the same time, it’s a genuinely fantastic Torchwood story in its own right. A wonderful little episode.
When the whole of Cardiff is placed into total darkness, only Torchwood can save the day. But how can they help when they’re as vulnerable as everyone else?
(Photo credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
See No Evil
See No Evil is a great episode for two key reasons. First, it’s John Dorney’s first episode for Torchwood. Considering just how many series he’s written for at Big Finish by this point, and that he’s one of their very best writers, that’s really surprising.
It’s not simply the fact that he can write a good story. It’s also because he has an easy understanding of what makes any story work for a series, or even just a particular era. The stories he’s written for the First Doctor, for example, have been very different compared to the ones he writes for the Eighth. In addition to this, he’s also great at focusing on character drama as much as great storytelling, too.
So it’s unsurprising that he’s a natural fit for Torchwood. The first episode he’s written for the series is so simple that you have to wonder why Big Finish haven’t used it for Torchwood sooner. Specifically, during one particular day, no one can see in Cardiff. Not even Torchwood members. This makes things difficult, to say the least.
But perhaps none are as quite affected by it as Yvonne Hartman. A woman used to being in control, in this episode, she’s in a very vulnerable situation from the start, and she knows that. But help is at hand, from the ever reliable Sergeant Andy Davidson.
Yvonne and Andy
This leads me to the second reason why I love this episode: it explores the rather unusual pairing of Yvonne and Andy.
You see, in the last box set, Aliens Among Us 3, Yvonne met Andy for the first time. They were clearly very different characters from the start, and yet somehow, they also seemed to get on well. And then Yvonne said something that I don’t think any of us expected her to. Something so surprising, in fact, that it almost turned up in my list of top 5 shocks from Aliens Among Us:
"Tell me, Andy…Do you fancy dinner?"
Yep. That was Yvonne Hartman asking Andy Davidson, formerly known as PC Andy, out on a date. Afterwards, we’ve had hints of something going on between the two, but no more than that.
So I was hugely glad that they got to be focused on in this episode. They’re such an unusual idea for a pairing, in fact, probably one of the last that anyone could have thought of. It could very easily have felt forced and been a disaster. But you know what? It actually works really well.
One key reason of why their pairing is so great to hear is that both characters are completely true to who they are. Andy is awkward but genuinely nice and lovable, while Yvonne is always incredibly focused on her work and seeing the bigger picture.
These are two such incredibly different characters, and both of them know that. But they also like and respect each other a lot. There’s a strange yet natural bond between the two, and it’s great to really explore the start of that.
Another reason why the two work so incredibly well is how much chemistry there is between Tracy-Ann Oberman and Tom Price. They really sell the unique pairing of these two, and even in the interviews, it’s clear that they enjoy working with each other a lot. I’m actually looking forward to more stories that focus on their characters, and see how long it takes before it all crashes and burns.
Overall, See No Evil is another great episode in this set. A fantastic mix of both large-scale problem for Torchwood to solve and fantastic character development. An unsurprisingly strong Torchwood debut from Dorney.
As Cardiff sleeps, members of Torchwood are suffering from horrific nightmares. And during all of this, God is walking…
(Photo credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.
Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)
Night Watch
The last episode of the box set has been written by Tim Foley, who’s already established himself as one of the spinoff’s best writers. Last year, he made his Torchwood debut with The Empty Hand, which not only provided some excellent focus on Andy, but also proved to be one of the strongest episodes of Aliens Among Us. How he handled the return of Yvonne Hartman in the following volume with Poker Face also proved how strong he is as a writer.
Once again, he’s written another great Torchwood story with Night Watch. Although I will be honest, it is difficult to talk about this episode too much, as part of it relies on a key plot point from earlier in the set that’s best not spoiled. It also features a ton of new twists and turns throughout.
What I will say is that it’s an episode that focuses on several of the regulars and explores some of their darkest fears. What they’re really afraid of. Not just from the lives they lead, but also, what they’re most afraid of losing, too.
In addition to that, we get some great exploration of where things are now with Ng. Particularly with both Jack and Yvonne. Jack doesn’t trust her one bit, and honestly, it’s really not hard to see why. Ng did a lot of terrible things last series to keep her secret, and it’s difficult for Jack to forgive her for any of them.
Yvonne, on the other hand, is more open-minded. She knows that Ng still has her uses. Especially with a god in Cardiff.
Closer to God
Ah, yes. God. They make several appearances in this box set, which isn’t surprising, really. It is called God Among Us, after all.
More from Winter is Coming
- For All Mankind finally gives us information in Episode 405, “Goldilocks”
- Watch a stunning VFX breakdown of The Wheel of Time season 2
- Of course Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon) thinks Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen) should rule Westeros
- Confirmed: The Last of Us season 2 will air in 2025
- Final season of Star Trek: Discovery will have “a lot of action, a lot of adventure, a lot of fun”
However, before, the character only makes the occasional appearance in previous episodes. But it’s not until this story that they have more of a major part.
Without giving too much away, what’s particularly enjoyable about Night Watch is how God is explored. Not in a spiritual sense, but as a character. At this point in time, they’re very much a mystery. And by the end, their motives are even more ambiguous. What will they do next? And what are their plans for Cardiff? Or even the world?
There are many questions left unanswered by the end of this episode. Along with so many interesting plotlines, we’ve also got one or two fantastic cliffhangers. I’m already eager to listen to the next volume.
God Among Us 1 was a fantastic start to the new series. It had a lot to live up to, especially after how incredibly strong Aliens Among Us was as a whole. But with a box set as great as this, God Among Us may eventually become an even stronger series. An absolutely brilliant set of episodes.
Will you be listening to God Among Us? What did you make of the previous series? Are you excited to see where the series will go next from here? Let us know in the comments below.