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Torchwood review: Major long-running storylines come together in God Among Us 2

By James Aggas

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Returning characters, incredibly dark stories and major shocks. There’s no doubt that God Among Us Part 2 gives us plenty more of what we love about Torchwood!

The opening volume of God Among Us, the official sixth series of Torchwood, had a lot to get through back in October. For one thing, it had to continue directly from a huge cliffhanger left at the end of the previous series, Aliens Among Us. One of the characters had been heavily injured, a major terrorist attack had happened in Cardiff, and oh yeah: God had arrived.

However, volume one, unsurprisingly, had to do more than simply continue the threads of the previous series. It also had to set up brand new ones, too. So many key storylines were established across the previous four episodes. Including revealing what – or rather, who – God actually was.

Along with all of that, volume one had a neat little cliffhanger of its own, too. When Yvonne Hartman – Torchwood’s new/old boss – tried to bring in Ianto Jones from another time period, she was rather surprised that someone else showed up, instead. In this case, 1950s Torchwood agent Norton Folgate.

What’s he doing in Cardiff in the twenty-first century? And how does he know that the world is going to end? Torchwood: God Among Us 2 answers those questions. But it also gives us four very different stories in the process. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Flight 405 kicks off the latest box set with the return of Norton Folgate. But what’s he really up to…?

(Photo credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Flight 405

Now this is something I’ve been really excited about ever since God Among Us 1 ended. Norton Folgate, one of the most interesting and fun characters of the Torchwood audios, finally appearing in the official continuation.

Norton has shown up a couple of times in the monthly range of Torchwood audios, specifically Ghost Mission and Goodbye Piccadilly. But these audios, while they do have major arcs and are excellent stories themselves, are also all over Torchwood‘s timeline. They also only feature one or two of the regular characters at time. So while they continue the story in some ways, they’re also not quite the official continuation like Aliens Among Us and God Among Us are.

So it’s wonderful that he shows up in this series. Especially since he’s joined by not just his old friend Sergeant Andy, who always seems to end up in the worst trouble thanks to Norton. But Yvonne is tagging along for the ride, too. Two of Torchwood‘s most dangerous and morally ambiguous minds working together. What could possibly go wrong?

A strong three-hander

While there are a couple of scenes featuring other characters, what’s really fantastic about Flight 405 is how much it focuses on Norton, Andy and Yvonne. They’re quite an interesting mix, and there’s a lot of fantastic dialogue shared between all three.

It also further highlights just how important Sergeant Andy has become in the Torchwood universe. As a reluctant friend to Norton, and as someone who’s surprisingly much closer than that to Yvonne, he acts as the middle ground between two very strong and intelligent characters.

Considering that on television, he was usually a very minor character, it’s great to see Andy focused on so much in stories like these. Especially since Tom Price is a great actor in his own right.

Flight 405 gets the latest volume of Torchwood off to a really fun start. Which is just as well. Because the next episode is darker. Way darker. In fact, it’s probably one of the darkest Torchwood stories we’ve had yet…

With its high focus on some very uncomfortable subject matter, Hostile Environment is one of the darkest episodes of Torchwood ever.

(Photo credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Hostile Environment

For a while now, Tyler Steele has had a long run of bad luck. In fact, things have gotten so bad that he’s now homeless. At first, he doesn’t think it’ll be a problem. Surely no more than a couple of days, tops. But then it lasts longer than just a couple of days. And before he knows it, he’s facing all the same problems that the homeless of Cardiff have to deal with. Including the drones that are following them…

Make no mistake: Hostile Environment is one of the most uncomfortable episodes of Torchwood you’ll ever listen to. While there is a sci-fi element featured in the episode with the drones that are hunting down the homeless, it’s a relatively small part of the story. Because this episode takes a very close look at the homeless problem, and what many of these people are going through every day.

A close look at a real problem

From his first appearance back in the series five opener, Changes Everything, Tyler has never exactly been a likable character. And he has faced a lot over the past couple of years.

But nothing has been as bad as what he faces on the streets in this episode. The degradation he’s put through, the horrific choices he makes just to survive, and the choices others make, too. Like I said, he’s never been the most likable Torchwood character, but even he doesn’t deserve what he gets in this episode.

Ash Darby’s script is a very bold choice for a Torchwood story. The Doctor Who spin-off has always been known for being darker and more mature than its parent show. But at the same time, there’s usually at least some element of fun to their stories.

Not in the case of Hostile Environment. Make no mistake, this is a grim and horrific story, and one that hits closer to home than most Torchwood episodes. A very strong story, but definitely a difficult one too, in the best possible sense.

We get some body-swapping fun in Another Man’s Shoes.

(Photo credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Another Man’s Shoes

After the challenging listening of Hostile Environment, we thankfully get something much lighter with Another Man’s Shoes. Mainly because many of the regular characters, including Andy and Yvonne, have somehow woken up in each other’s bodies. And no one has a clue why.

I really love this episode. It’s not exactly heavy on plot, but at this point in the series, that’s exactly what you need. Plus, the fact that it is light on plot means that you get to focus on the characters more. And oh boy, do we get a lot of fun with each of them.

Andy and Yvonne are particularly interesting, especially as they’ve been kind of a couple for a while now. As a result, we get a lot of really great scenes between the two. Plenty that are funny, as you can imagine, (Tom Price’s Yvonne is a particular joy to listen to,) but there are also a great number of intimate moments, as well.

Body swapping fun

Ever since Yvonne asked Andy out at the end of Tagged, their relationship is something I’ve been eager to hear more about. They’re virtually total opposites in terms of both attitude and morality, and yet it strangely works. Another Man’s Shoes features some really great glimpses of Andy and Yvonne in a relationship, and it’s lovely to listen to.

We’ve also got Tyler and Norton swapping bodies, which is definitely fun. Particularly since Norton, a homosexual from the 1950s, really learns just how much fun he can really have in this era. And of course, Tyler’s not happy about it one bit.

All the actors give really great performances of each other, and it’s clear that they all enjoyed working on this episode a lot. It’s also a lot of fun for fans to listen to. Like I said, perhaps one of the lightest episodes of Torchwood plot-wise, but after the grimness of Hostile Environment, it’s exactly what this set needs.

The stakes are high in Eye of the Storm. Will Torchwood save the day, or will they face the end of the world?

(Photo credit: Torchwood/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

Eye of the Storm

So. This is a big one. It’s difficult to go into too much detail on Eye of the Storm, as the episode features a lot of surprises. But I’ll try to discuss what I can without spoiling anything.

What’s really great about this episode is that a lot is tied together with this one. Not just from the previous three episodes of this box set. Or even from the previous volume. In fact, there are major threads brought together in this story – and this box set, as a whole – that connect to Torchwood audios going as far back as the first ones released in 2015. So it’s really satisfying to see these threads brought into the main series in a big way.

More from Winter is Coming

We also find out a lot more about both Norton and Yvonne in this episode. Not just simply their motives, but also what kind of people they really are. They’ve been very morally ambiguous characters for a while now. With this episode, will they choose to be the hero or the villain of the story?

It all ends with a huge cliffhanger, one that’s going to leave a big impact on the next volume. It’s not quite as big as Yvonne showing up from the dead in The Empty Hand back in series five, but it’s still a major ending. Will Torchwood be able to survive this? We’re gonna have to wait until June to find out!

Overall, God Among Us 2 was an excellent Torchwood box set. It had a great mix of stories that were both light and dark and demonstrated why the series is so good at handling both. It also pushed the sixth series forward in a big way, and even tied into other major elements of the Torchwood universe. Overall, another strong box set, one that builds even further on the success of volume one.

Next. Why Narvin is one of the best characters of the expanded universe. dark

Have you listened to God Among Us 2? What was your favorite episode? What are your expectations for volume three? Let us know in the comments below.

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