Torchwood: God Among Us 2

 



The problem with reviewing God Among Us 2 is actually being critical about it, as I will immediately show my hand, and say that Chimes of Midnight aside, it is the best thing that Big Finish has ever done, the best Boxset Big Finish has ever done, and the best character work Big Finish has ever done. Yeah. That's a hell of a tall order, especially since never before, I having listened to over 300 different audio dramas, have heard a perfect boxset. Until this one. You see, on paper, God Among Us 2 is absolutely flawless, and the only way I can possibly pretend to review it is by being the most scrutinizing and nitpicky possible, and even then, for some of these stories, I still can't come up with anything. This is the power of Torchwood. 

I don't want to give this set a perfect score, as to be honest, I don't really believe anything is perfect. But well, be damned if I can do anything else. These stories are incomparable. 

Flight 405 by Lou Morgan

Put Yvonne Hartman, Andy Davidson and Norton Folgate in a room. 10/10. What. No. That is the writing process of this story. Okay, it helps that it has a nigh-perfect concept, one of the strongest of the range so far, and that it's generally brilliant and has some nice twists and sets the whole boxset up nigh perfectly, and that every other story in the boxset builds on it in wonderful ways, but here's the thing. My only possible criticism for this story, is it's too short, and it isn't really. I just wanted more of this trio playing off of eachother. Andy and Norton are already pitch perfect, and so are Andy and Yvonne, so throwing the three of them together like this is magnificent. A story should leave you wanting more. And while it does lose some time for the Cardiff Unknown podcast at the end of the disc, it's still - like, probably flawless? 

Hostile Environment by Ash Darby

I do not like dark stories. I do not like grimdark material, sometimes the way Torchwood does things with modern political issues in a dark twisted fashion makes me uncomfortable and makes my skin crawl. I had to do the Empty Hand, a far tamer story than this one, squeezing a pillow like mad. 

That being said, Hostile Environment is absolutely goddamn perfect in every concievable way and I absolutely 100% Love it to BITS.  Hostile is a story with a harsh edge. It is designed to be a miserable experience for the audience, because it is so real, but I just don't know, something about it is just so inherently awesome and Torchwoodian - something about it gives me a weird affection for this absolutely brutal and nasty tale, it's just such a masterclass in writing by every standard. And I'm two stories in and I'm already sick of gushing about this boxset. It's just that good, okay. It's just that good, it's Children of Bloody Earth in One Hour. Hostile Environment just held me at Gunpoint and shot me in the shoulder, I bled out on the pavement, and I said, "aw gee that was great, let's do that again, guys"  The most Torchwood Torchwood ever produced. 10/10 

Another Man's Shoes by Tim Foley

Tim Foley steadily is becoming one of the best Torchwood writers, and this is the kind of story that Series One and Two would do (you know minus the perfect quality) and beyond anything else, it is fun. It is a palate cleanser on an undeniable level, it is just so wonderful and incredible and lovely to experience. Really one of those funny, enjoyable hours, with some actual great character work sprinkled in. Ng, although some say she's neglected in these sets, was the one who really knocked me out of the park here, and OF COURSE COLCHESTER YVONNE AND NORTON ARE GREAT WHEN ARE THEY BLOODY NOT 

I grow irritable. I search for flaws that are not there. I must state a problem with these tales. It is my job as a reviewer, I must find flaw and perform critique. I must... 

WOW THIS STORY SURE IS GOOD HUH 10/10 

Eye of The Storm by David Llwellyn

Wow this story has the same name as my least favorite River Song episode. It surely is going to be very bad isn't it, I doubt it will be very good-

10/10

oh 

Eye of The Storm is just magnificent. It takes the stakes of what's going on, and it is just the best example of a finale to a boxset available, tying up as many loose ends as possible while leading you towards the next one and keeping you invested. Not only does this one have the usual Yvonne, Norton and Colchester quality but guess what it also has great Jack content 

Yeah Jack remember him 

He's still pretty great to be honest 

Also this story has David Warner performing Shakespearean soliloquies during scenes of mass destruction. Nothing is better. 

THIS SET IS WORTH THE PRICE OF EVERY SINGLE SET LEADING UP TO IT AND YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO IT RIGHT NOW OKAY

In other news, I have lost all credibility as a reviewer- 

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