In a new Torchwood adventure set before the series, penned by Lisa McMullin, Suzie (Indira Varma) and Cardiff Mayor Margret Blaine (Annette Badland) find themselves at the crash site of an alien spaceship. Margret is looking for a way home so she can ditch the skin suit she is wearing and Suzie (as far as the Mayor can work out) is just a UFO spotter who has found more than she bargained for, but they must work together to survive when they find themselves linked by a device from the ship. But how long can their uneasy alliance last and who is Suzie Costello really?
This is a wonderful pairing from the start. Suzie Costello was always a great character and device to play with the audience of the new spin off to Who, Torchwood. They reeled us in with a new and rich Torchwood agent only to kill her off, more than once, when she turn out to be corrupt. Then there is Margret Blaine. An evil, yet complex Alien hidden beneath a skin suit that challenged the Doctor as to if he was doing the right thing by handing her back to her people who were to kill her. Putting together two such characters was a master stroke. Both have the potential for good, but will often take the more evil shortcut to get to their ends. Both played to a tea by two such wonderful actors.
The story carry’s enough place and plot to move well, especially with Scott Handcock’s deft hand as director, but is clever enough in realising this is a great opportunity for character piece that will showcase the two great leads. All I can hope is, that we will hear them paired up again soon, as mooted in the extras.
You can buy this audio adventure here at the Big Finish web site.
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