Torchwood review: Ianto Jones is on his own in Ex Machina
By James Aggas
In Ex Machina, one man stands alone in an empty city against alien invasion: Ianto Jones, the sole member of Torchwood…
Cardiff is a ghost city. Hardly anyone visits it these days. However, there are a few people that still live there. One of them is Abigail Forehill – a woman on the run from some kind of living darkness. The other is Ianto Jones – Torchwood’s only member and the sole defender of Cardiff from alien attack…
Ex Machina is Alfie Shaw’s first script for Torchwood. Not only is it a pretty good one, but it’s also rather appropriate, too. Its depiction of an empty city with hardly anyone in sight seems to reflect lockdown rather well. In fact, the story itself was recorded in lockdown, using remote recording techniques. So it’s an unusual story that suits an unusual time.
In regards to the story itself, it’s focused on Ianto, so it’s already off to a good start. In this case, it’s Ianto on his own. We’ve had many stories like this, but none where he’s literally Torchwood’s sole occupant. Essentially, in this story, he is Torchwood.
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Ianto solo
What’s particularly interesting is that, in this case, he doesn’t remember the rest of the team. So in some ways, he’s confident, because he’s the leader by default. But at the same time, he knows that there are clear gaps in his knowledge. He knows that he should be working with a full team. So why isn’t he?
Working with Ianto to find out what’s going on is Abigail Forehill. Abigail’s a flawed character in many ways, but she’s also smart, too. She’s able to recognize some clear gaps in her memory, she’s just not sure why those gaps are there in the first place. She wants to find out the answers. But will she like what they find?
Ex Machina is a pretty good Torchwood adventure. It’s not one that stands out, exactly, but it’s very enjoyable, and plays to the series’s strengths rather well. A solid story that explores one of the show’s most popular characters in an interesting way.
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How well do you think Ianto Jones would handle running Torchwood on his own? If he’s not the best person to do that, who is? Let us know in the comments below.