Sergeant Andy Davidson has always wanted to join Torchwood. And now he finally gets his chance.
Under the strict observation of his Torchwood Assessor, Andy sets out to prove he’s got what it takes. When a chemical spill turns out to have serious consequences, when monsters roam the Bay, and when an ancient entity awakes, Andy decides he could do with a helping hand. The problem is his Torchwood Assessor doesn’t have any hands. Norton Folgate is a ghost.
TORCHWOOD: GHOST MISSION
Thus far, the Torchwood audio series has stayed away from serialization – we’ve had the linking elements of the Committee, but each story has stood largely on its own. That might be changing with James Goss’ “Ghost Mission,” the first Torchwood story to put Tom Price’s Sgt. Andy front and center. While the story continues the Committee plot, it’s also open-ended: we don’t get a resolution to Andy’s story, after all. Norton (Samuel Barnett) is also the sort of character you’d expect to see again in a recurring series, and the extras basically come right out and say that we’ll be seeing both characters again. For the most part I enjoyed “Ghost Mission,” largely because of Price’s performance – it’s great to have Andy at center stage and finally fleshed out as a main character. I love the little details about him, like the reasons why he doesn’t curse or the extensive experience he’s obviously had talking down drunk, hysterical club patrons. Norton is also great, even if his role is basically to stand around passing wry commentary, because he and Andy build a legitimate, appealing rapport. The problem with “Ghost Mission” is that we’ve basically seen it all before. First we had “More Than This,” where Gwen takes a local official on a wild tour of a day in the life of a Torchwood operative. Then we had “The Victorian Age,” where Jack takes Queen Victoria on a wild tour of a day in the life of a Torchwood operative. Now, in “Ghost Mission,” Norton takes Andy on… well, you get the idea. Heck, even “One Rule” had elements of this plot. Fortunately, the series has largely sidestepped this issue by making its characters so appealing, but we’re only halfway through the second series – this shouldn’t be feeling repetitive. Overall, though, I enjoyed “Ghost Mission.” It’s entertaining with appealing characters that I want to see again.
Recommended.
7/10