Before the recent Ianthology and I Hate Mondays, this was my favourite audio.

It's the closest we've ever gotten to something akin to SCP. And with Ianto being an introvert, requiring moments of solitude, it made sense to make a story of him in the Archives. In a way, this also makes the audio feel homely, as we're still in the Hub, and Ianto does live there afterall.

In certain ways, this is reminiscent of 'Journey to The Centre of the TARDIS', of Clara exploring the bowels of the ship (an episode which I adored), but instead of an infamous side-plot, it's Ianto's narrated thoughts on a recorder.

I personally used this episode to calm down my exam-season anxiety in 2023, and it was a great listen on top of that.

Quite literally what it says on the tin

This was extremely atmospheric, and is a great glimpse into the 19th/early 20th Century Torchwood 3. It's so easy to imagine the setting, the characters, and Jack is also written with a beautiful nuance. This did a better job than 'The Victorian Age' audio ever did.

I adore the life of Nikola Tesla, and I adore what he did for humanity. Had I known nothing of Tesla prior to watching, I'd probably have rated the episode higher. But this interpretation of Tesla is quite surface-level, and pales in comparison to The Current War movie. For those interested in Tesla, I highly recommend The Current War movie over this episode. This episode should've remained a true historical, and simply didn't need an alien threat. The parallels between Tesla and The Doctor could have been so much better and explored much further. I'm pretty sure Tesla didn't have an American accent (again, look at the Current War movie) as he spent the majority of his childhood and some of his adult life in Serbia.

The Doctor implying that Tesla should've been a billionaire and shouldn't have torn apart the patents is also a failure to understand Tesla as a person.

Similarly, the story should've been more pessimistic in it's approach to Tesla's life and work, because the final thing the Doctor says, about how Tesla ultimately fails and becomes homeless seems very blunt and sudden compared to the episode's otherwise optimistic portrayal of Tesla's life and accomplishments.

I did enjoy the actor of Tesla, and his portrayal, but this was distinctly not Tesla. Tesla was extremely introverted, had OCD, and probably didn't carry himself as well as the actor in this episode did, around other people. Again, look at the interpretation in The Current War.

There was also a surprising and disappointing lack of pigeons. Similarly, there was a lack of Tesla's love for pigeons.

If I ever were to become showrunner, I'd again create a story of Tesla (I love him so much), that would be more accurate to his real life, and more introspective towards his character. But that doesn't mean to say I'd say this episode never happened, or that I believe the actor did a poor portrayal. But Tesla, at least in my opinion, deserved a better episode and tribute than what this episode currently provides.

💔

We got Ianto in the Backrooms before GTA6

"This story is so confusing"

Skill issue tbh

If you have ever played Fallout 3, exploring the abandoned metro-tunnels infested with ghouls who want to eat your flesh, this audio will resonate with you personally. As it did with me.

Tommy and Ianto are amazing in this audio together. The ending is beautiful. For me, there's literally nothing wrong with this audio. It's perfection.

And the background music/soundtrack being directly comprised of sounds you'd usually hear in subway tunnels~ it's just beautiful.

This is my first Whoniverse review and purely and only on TARDIS guide, but I thought I may as well. This will be an unorganized mini review, and apologies as I am very scatter-brained.

Nerves is beautiful. If you love Torchwood, and especially if you love Torchwood One, this is an amazing story. And not only is it a great finale to 'I Hate Mondays' as a boxset, but also the previous 4 boxsets.

Firstly, however, the ending will not hit as hard if you haven't listened to the other boxsets. It's still enjoyable, but without the other boxsets, I wouldn't have cried like I did when I listened to this upon it's release. Secondly, the only continuity error is how Ianto's father has only just died. Meaning that in 'Before The Fall', Ianto was lying to Rachel when he stated that his father has died. He was still very much alive until the release of this boxset. Thirdly, the monthly audio "Disco" chronologically has taken place a week or so before Nerves.

Nerves as a standalone story is beautifully interlinked with previous boxsets, which is quite surprising considering they are usually self-contained stories. Until, 'I Hate Mondays' I was under the impression that they are scattered across the years 2004-2007. Now, with the exception of 'The Rockery', all of these stories have taken place in 2004.

The music used is hauntingly beautiful. The sound design allows for an easy imagining of the characters and the settings, as well as the interactions. From the cars travelling on the highways, how Ianto dusts off croissant crumbs, how the characters walk on crunching glass, and the radios in the background.

There is no main villain nor antagonist within this story. There is no active alien threat. Nerves explores character dynamics, and allows the characters to relax and breathe after their previous stories. Nerves make these characters feel like humans, and real people.

Here I'd argue Tommy and Ianto are at their peak father/son dynamic. Certain conversations they had I've had with my own father in real life, and they had me laughing due to the accuracy. Ianto as a character is treated much more like a 21 year old, and even in the modern day his problems and grievances can still be applied. I find him extremely relatable within this story as a young person myself. While not a spoiler in itself, the writers in the interviews suggest how they wrote Ianto as young, inexperienced, and a bit clueless when it comes to handling certain situations. Again, as a young person myself, I felt this in my soul.

Two extra characters are introduced by a mere coincidence, yet they are characters who are written so well. In many stories, I find that I do not care for the extra characters at all, but this story is a brilliant exception.

The revelations discovered along the hour's listen are heartbreaking, wholesome, and honestly bring the Torchwood One series to a new height, rendering this my favourite boxset out of the 5. So many subtle and non-subtle plots are resolved or hinted upon which have been referenced in previous boxsets. Some are heartbreaking, some are unnoticeable, and others leave you crying out of genuine happiness for the journeys these characters go on. Ngl, I'm crying again while writing this mini-review.

And then the finale line is beautifully delivered, as you also realize that the title of the boxset is quite literally Ianto's POV on Mondays.

TLDR: Nerves is BEAUTIFUL