Torchwood: Sync

The third release in the “Torchwood versus Monsters” quartet is the only one to deal with a monster unique to the modern series of Doctor Who. The story is set between World War Three and Boom Town, and centres around Suzie Costello meeting Margaret Blaine/Slitheen during the latter's brief stint as mayor of Cardiff.

It's a sort of buddy story with the two forced to work together to save themselves and, while there are moments of peril and action, the focus is really on the interactions between the characters. This is written well, filling in some background for both Suzie and Margaret and how their lives parallel one another more than one might think. Annette Badland is particularly good as Margaret, mostly in her human persona, condescending towards humanity yet not entirely unsympathetic.

Having said that, this is a fun story, rather than anything particularly deep. Nor is it one for those who only like action-filled or complex plots since what's going on is relatively straightforward and largely consists of a trip across the outskirts of Cardiff. But it is entertaining and the acting is great, which raises it up a notch and just gets it into the four-star territory.