Torchwood review: Iceberg delves into Owen’s past
By James Aggas
In the latest Torchwood audio, Owen is reunited with an old friend, as he investigates a hospital where the dead aren’t staying dead…
It’s amazing, really. Close to five years after they obtained the license for Torchwood, Big Finish is still finding completely fresh ways to explore your favorite characters. Many of the best audios have presented new perspectives on each member of the team. Broken is one example. Moving Target is another. Now Iceberg joins them as a great episode that presents a fresh look on a key character: in this case, Dr. Owen Harper, as played by Burn Gorman.
Owen’s had a few stories in Big Finish’s Torchwood range of audios, but surprisingly, this is the first time when he’s the only major character. Usually, he’s been paired up with either Sgt. Andy or Ianto. But this is his first audio where he’s the only regular. So we get a story that’s more focused on him than ever.
Not that he’s on his own entirely. In fact, that’s how the story begins. While working late, he’s called to the hospital by an old friend. One that he hasn’t seen in a long time. She wants to know why he’s been avoiding her, but he would rather focus on other things – like why people at the hospital are seeing dead relatives…
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Owen’s past
Iceberg is a strong example of how to balance your genre elements – which are, in this case, both sci-fi and horror – with some great character exploration and drama. All of these are equally important to Torchwood, and they’re handled rather nicely by writer Grace Knight.
It has to be said though, as great and creepy as the main mystery of the story is, it’s delving into Owen’s history that’s the real draw for Iceberg. Getting to glimpse that through his old friend Amira is a neat way of doing that, and Maya Saroya is a great fit in the role. She plays different sides to the character equally well, and, with Burn Gorman, helps to portray a believable friendship.
Big Finish has given us some truly great Torchwood stories so far this year, and Iceberg is no exception. Dark, tragic, and a great exploration of a key Torchwood member, it’s another easy story to recommend.
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Are you a fan of Owen Harper? Is he one of your favorite Torchwood characters? Let us know in the comments below.