WARNING: The unauthorised reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Your downloads are monitored. Internet piracy is a crime and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of £250,000 or death.
Come on, we’ve all done it. We’ve all downloaded a cheeky little something we shouldn’t have. After all, what’s the harm, eh? You never get caught. No-one knows. No-one knocks at your door and tells you you’re about to die.
Turns out, there’s something hiding in the internet. It knows what you’ve done. And it’s going to stop you.
TORCHWOOD: torchwood_cascade_CDRIP.tor
“Cascade,” or more properly “torchwood_cascade_CDRIP.tor,” by Scott Handcock is a Torchwood story designed around the audio medium that seems to work on a metafictional level. The plot on its own is genius: someone has created a sentient computer virus that tracks down online pirates, killing them and making the evidence disappear. One of the few moments of clunky exposition refers to DRM, and that underscores just how terrifyingly plausible this story is. Imagine if a media conglomerate could order a takedown request not to the hosting site but rather to the person who copied the material in the first place – it’s exactly the sort of plot you’d expect to see on Black Mirror, and to me that is very high praise.
The most interesting part of “Cascade” is its presentation, and how it seems to bleed over into the real world. The title of the story is meant to imply that the listener is hearing a pirated audio file, but the story is not presented as a series of audio recordings. Non-diegetic sound is heard throughout, and the narrative segments are told in ways that render laughable the suggestion that the characters are being recorded. The virus also directly addresses the listener from time to time, warning of impending doom should you continue to listen. It’s a bit over the top, but Handcock, who directs his own script, together with sound designer Rob Harvey want you to feel as though this is a pirated audio file and that you are therefore complicit in its distribution. That said, these elements are largely decorative – the non-linearity of the story doesn’t add much to the experience, while the distortion and interference is basically just a cool trick.
The character work is fascinating as well, especially with the lead role. The relationship between Tosh and former Torchwood One operative Stephen (Robbie Jarvis) is a fairly straightforward tale of unrequited love, but the “corrupted” nature of the presentation allows us to hear some of his future communications. We hear a number of voicemail messages in which he references “explosions in Cardiff,” and concludes by Tosh’s failure to respond that she isn’t interested. But I’m assuming he’s referring to the events of “Exit Wounds” – which means that Tosh is dead and Stephen will never know, a tragic bookend to an effective story. After a couple of missteps, the Torchwood range is back on excellent form with “Cascade.”
Highly recommended.
9/10