It has been four years since the Miracle, and Gwen and Rhys’s lives have gone back to normal, very normal. They’re raising their daughter (they’ve got pictures they’d be only too happy to show you), they’re living in a nice house, and they’re almost on top of the laundry.
Captain Jack Harkness has been missing from the world and their lives for a long time. But late one night the phone rings, and they’re summoned to an isolated part of North Wales. The Bryn Offa Nursing Home contains a dark secret, an alien threat, and someone who really shouldn’t be there.
Gwen and Rhys are about to discover that Torchwood stays with you for the rest of your life.
TORCHWOOD: FORGOTTEN LIVES
It’s looking increasingly like this first series of Torchwood audios is something special, as the third release, Emma Reeves’ “Forgotten Lives,” is a third straight home run for this new series. Set years after the events of Miracle Day, this story shows us that, no matter how much they try, Gwen and Rhys will always be haunted by Torchwood. A story about mind-swapping aliens isn’t anything new, but setting it in a dementia treatment center is a morbid stroke of genius: who’s been swapped and who’s just seeing their faculties failing? It also allows Jack to be in the story without John Barrowman, and I have to say that Philip Bond is surprisingly convincing as Jack despite the superficial lack of similarities. “Forgotten Lives” is a relentlessly downbeat story, leavened with occasional bouts of humor, that doesn’t shy away from the natural consequences of its plot. Sure, the day can be saved, but at how great a personal cost? Almost every character has skin in the game, and nobody gets out unscathed. Eve Myles and Kai Owen are fantastic throughout – really, only a few questionable acting choices from the supporting cast keep this from a perfect score. Many people wondered if Torchwood had run out of gas after Miracle Day; so far, this series is proving there are countless miles left in the tank.
Excellent.
9/10