Torchwood Monthly Range #6 - "More Than This" by Guy Adams

So the Torchwood Monthly Range is apparently split into “seasons” and More Than This is the end of the first one. This is a completely arbitrary thing but it does make for a pretty interesting structure. More Than This follows on from Forgotten Lives with Gwen in the process of setting up Torchwood again, but she has to get past the biggest hurdle she’s ever faced first: local council.

When Roger Pugh receives a planning commission for the base of operations for the mysterious “Torchwood”, he doesn’t bat an eye turning it down. But somebody is determined to make him see the importance of Torchwood, and will do anything to prove it.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

More Than This is basically like six mini stories in one. The whole thing consists of Gwen dragging a poor planning officer around Cardiff fighting aliens to prove that the world needs Torchwood and we get to see a litany of great little stories play out around the city, from living paintings to really delicious looking fungi. Gwen’s particularly brilliant here, Eve Myles is great as always but she is excelling as a Gwen completely desensitised to this bizarre lifestyle, which juxtaposes wonderfully with very down-to-earth and often scared out of his wits Roger, who makes for a great one time lead. He’s a very relatable character and you really do get put in his shoes as he is thrown into this insane world of extraterrestrial incursions. What helps is that he has a sad backstory as well (people always seem to in stories) which leads into a really great climax, that feels genuinely emotional as well as nerve racking as all hell, as Roger considers jumping into the rift to be with his dead wife before changing his mind and being saved by Gwen. It’s a great little culmination that the story was leading up to and a very well written and directed scene.

However, leading up to that, all those little mini stories can feel a little underdeveloped, although my main concern is that this all supposedly happens in a day. It’s a bit of a nitpick but I genuinely have no idea how this much happens in a 24-hour-period. The whole story also takes place around narration by Roger, talking about his day with Torchwood to the grave of his wife. It’s a strange choice and doesn’t really fit with the rest of the story, it just feels like Adams couldn’t think of a way to organically flow between plot points. There’s also the strange inclusion of Andy popping up every now and again, saying hi, then walking away. It felt like it was building up to something but didn’t really go anywhere and now just feels weird because all of those scenes are pretty unnatural. But hey, it means more Andy content so who am I to complain?

So far, the Torchwood audios have fluctuated in quality, but I’m happy to say we have another banger here. More Than This is one of those stories where I really don’t have much negative to say about it, it’s an incredibly solid piece of fiction, the only thing stopping it from being some better is that it’s nothing unique, just a good bit of writing. Well, the next “season” of these audios looks fantastic, so onwards and upwards I guess.

8/10

Pros:

+ Gwen is absolutely brilliant in it

+ Roger is a really endearing character

+ A series of really good ideas with some connective tissue

+ Incredibly emotional and tactful climax

Cons:

- I really struggle to believe this all happened in a day

- The framing device of Roger narrating the story to the grave of his dead wife felt unnecessary

- Andy’s weird, repeated appearances was a really strange addition

Top 5 Best Torchwood Monthly Range Stories:
5. #5 - Uncanny Valley by David Llewellyn
4. #3 - Forgotten Lives by Emma Reeves
3. #6 - More Than This by Guy Adams
2. #2 - Fall to Earth by James Goss
1. #4 - One Rule by Joseph Lidster

Top 5 Worst Torchwood Monthly Range Stories:
5. #2 - Fall to Earth by James Goss
4. #6 - More Than This by Guy Adams
3. #3 - Forgotten Lives by Emma Reeves
2. #5 - Uncanny Valley by David Llewellyn
1. #1 - The Conspiracy by David Llewellyn