Doctor Who Spin-Off Review: Torchwood: ‘Forgotten Lives’ (Audio)
By James Aggas
Four years since ‘Miracle Day,’ Gwen and Rhys have to face their past at a nursing home in Big Finish’s latest episode of the spin-off series…
‘Forgotten Lives’ is an interesting episode in Big Finish’s current season of the Doctor Who spin-off, Torchwood. First, it gives us a good glimpse at the two characters who always tried their hardest at living a normal life in the TV series – Gwen and Rhys. Second, with the two investigating events at a nursing home and the line between mental illness and alien interference blurred, it’s another classic example of the “science fiction, yet down-to-earth” nature of Torchwood. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, this is the first episode in the series to be distinctly set post-series four of the television series.
Initially, this seems to provide a chance of seeing how Gwen and Rhys have moved on. They have a young daughter, they live quiet lives, and they have all too happily moved on from Torchwood. Of course, one phone call is enough to change all of that.
The story surprisingly stands alone more compared to the previous releases, as we meet a new race called “the Evolved,” a race that believe themselves to be the good guys, but are anything but. Their involvement in the story provides a nice and clever way of looking at how we treat those more vulnerable than we are, and at how sometimes helping others can actually lead to terrifying consequences to those we are “helping.”
I loved the fact that both Gwen and Rhys returned in this story. While I wasn’t too keen on their relationship in Series One initially, Series Two really improved things once Rhys found out about what Gwen really did for her job. It gives us a great dynamic that is more than just romantic, as Gwen enjoys the excitement and danger that Torchwood can bring, while Rhys tries his best to keep both himself and Gwen as grounded as possible.
This story not only continues that dynamic, but, with just Gwen and Rhys left of the old team, also gives Rhys a lot more to do. It is really fun to hear Rhys get more involved and, while he loves both his family and living an ordinary life, it is clear that he really does have a knack for this type of work. After four seasons, that is probably not too surprising, but after how little attention he got in ‘Miracle Day,’ it is great to have so much more focus on him in this story.
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While this story does stand on its own overall, it also subtly and cleverly links up previous stories ‘The Conspiracy‘ and ‘Fall to Earth‘ in a big way. Not only does the non-linear narrative of the current season of Torchwood finally start to make sense, but with this release, it even ties up the whole season back to ‘Miracle Day,’ in more ways than one.
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Continuing the story of Torchwood while telling a dark and horrific tale of a race that wants to “help,” ‘Forgotten Lives’ is another fantastic example from Big Finish of exactly what Torchwood does best.