Torchwood Monthly Range #8 - "Zone 10" by David Llewellyn

So far, David Llewellyn's stories have failed to impress me. The Conspiracy and Uncanny Valley both fall into the camp of stories I feel entirely indifferent on, they're basic and they leave absolutely no impression on me. I am glad to say Zone 10 is not that and is in fact on the more decent end of the stories I've listened to thus far. However, it has the same problem a few other stories have. It's good, just good, and I don't have much to say on it.

The pulse has been there for a long, long time. Sitting in orbit above Siberia: silent, waiting. For years attempts have been made to decode it, and Toshiko Sato has done just exactly that, finding her name in it. Teaming up with KVI - the Russian version of Torchwood - she ventures into the mysterious Zone 10 to find the source of the Pulse, but they're not the only ones.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

So basically Zone 10 is like the Torchwood version of the Alex Garland film Annihilation, with Tosh venturing into a mysterious area where time is bent and turned around. There are less bears that steal your voice but I think the connection still stands. The concept is fantastic and the setting of remote, icy Siberia really makes it; the lonely atmosphere is on point. Partnered with Tosh is the relatively endearing Russian Torchwood counterpart Maxim and, later on, the out of time astronaut Ella. Both are great one time characters and they both have nice, tightly written character arcs - especially Ella, though I find it a little unbelievable she's so well adjusted after being stuck in a time loop for 40 years. However, it does lead into a really enjoyable climax that ends with Ella choosing to float aimlessly through space instead of running from Russian agents the rest of her life. It's sweet and emotional and Naoki Mori nails the final monologue.

However, David Llewellyn just has the downside of being a really generic writer. This is by far his most high concept and original story and even now, I just can't find much to say on it. It's really good, it's solid, the characters are fun, it's well paced and I can only really find nitpicks wrong with it but I don't consider it anything great. Our antagonists are miscellaneous Russian agents with no real character or menace and I think that the whole concept of the Pulse is more interesting than the actual reveal as to what it is, which doesn't really make sense to me (because of the failing time lock thingy, a message got trapped in time? Feels like a bit of a reach).

In the end, I find very little wrong with Zone 10. Whilst I could pinpoint the flaws of The Conspiracy and Uncanny Valley, Zone 10 is just a really solid script. A cool idea and good characters is just let down by being a little generic. Well worth a listen but it's nothing I'd rush to get.

8/10

Pros:

+ Great, atmospheric setting

+ Tosh is nicely characterised

+ Maxim and Ella are serviceable as side characters

+ Sweet and well written ending

Cons:

- Uninteresting antagonists

- Didn't go far enough with its concept

- The logistics of the pulse's origin get lost on me

Top 5 Best Torchwood Monthly Range Stories:
5. #3 - Forgotten Lives by Emma Reeves
4. #6 - More Than This by Guy Adams
3. #8 - Zone 10 by David Llewellyn
2. #2 - Fall to Earth by James Goss
1. #4 - One Rule by Joseph Lidster

Top 5 Worst Torchwood Monthly Range Stories:
5. #6 - More Than This by Guy Adams
4. #3 - Forgotten Lives by Emma Reeves
3. #5 - Uncanny Valley by David Llewellyn
2. #1 - The Conspiracy by David Llewellyn
1. #7 - The Victorian Age by AK Benedict

Zone 10 was a nice, moody audio that really showcases just how badly the original Torchwood series made of Toshi's character.

Naoko Mori is great here, as is her Russian Torchwood counterpart in the KVI Maxim. That stuff was done well and the dialogue between these characters was very appealing. This audio sets a nice tone, too. The story itself is a bit simple, in that Zone 10 works better as a mysterious signal compared to when we start getting into the details behind this thing. Still, it feels like a distinct entry in the roster of Torchwood audios, and one could do a lot worse in that regard, from what I've heard.

The Committee stuff did feel a little unnecessary though, like we're just forcing it in to build up other stories and it really just worked as a distraction here more than anything.