Torchwood: God Among Us, Part 2

The second part of the series continues from the cliffhanger at the end of part one, giving a mini plot arc to dubious ‘50s Torchwood agent Norton Fulgate – who, in at least some of the stories here is portrayed more seriously than he was in his initial outings. As usual, they aren't kidding about the presence of adult content, and, if anything it's stronger in this one than usual.

• Flight 405 – Following on from the cliffhanger ending of the previous volume, this sees Fulgate joining Andy and Yvonne as they investigate an aeroplane trapped in the Rift. It's primarily a character piece, with the tension provided by the apparently doomed status of the plane rather than by any kind of monster. So, instead, there is some expansion of the relationship between Yvonne and Andy, and a question as to how far they can trust Norton (bearing in mind what happened in Andy's previous encounters with him). Even so, the threat does ratchet up towards the end and there is some mild gore along the way. Not the strongest Torchwood story, but the small cast does keep things focussed. 4 stars.

• Cardiff Unknown – Slipped in between the first and second regular episodes of this collection is this 25-minute story in the form of a podcast that explores mysteries and conspiracy theories around Cardiff – some of which are related to previous episodes. It doesn't go anywhere and feels like filler. While I presume that it will prove relevant later on, taken on its own it's competently done, but that's about it. 3 stars.

• Hostile Environment – From there, though, we move on to a particularly dark episode that deals with some strong adult themes of physical and sexual abuse. It's based around Tyler who is not, it has to be said, a particularly likeable character, but here finds himself homeless on the streets of Cardiff and a subject of the listener's sympathy. The despair of his situation spirals downwards as things get progressively worse with the science fiction elements complemented by the commentary on social attitudes to the homeless. It's a bleak vision about loss of control, and not always comfortable listening. 5 stars.

• Another Man's Shoes – A body-swap story that sees (from the opening seconds) some of the regular characters switching bodies with one another. Naturally, this has quite a bit of comic potential and that's the main focus, albeit with something more serious going on in the background. (And rather a lot of implied sex). It also allows the main actors to play a different character, something that has mixed results but is generally both effective and amusing. Samuel Barnett, for instance, is doing a voice so different from his usual character, Norton Fulgate, and doing it so well that, without visuals, it's sometimes hard to remember which one he is... while Barrowman's English accent often falters. While it does connect to the larger plot, it's largely a good piece of fun, much needed after the gloom of the preceding episode. 4.5 stars.

• Eye of the Storm – The final story is a tense action piece as the team struggle to shut down an alien reactor in the Bristol Channel amidst a powerful storm. It's effectively done, and, as the story escalates, there are plenty of betrayals and drama as various threads hinted at in the previous episodes come to a head. Indeed, there are connections to audios well before this ‘season', helping to build the sense of a big plot arc. It ends on another cliffhanger setting things up for the final box set. 4.5 stars.