Rhys and Ianto's Excellent Barbeque
Rhys & Ianto's Excellent Barbeque by Tim Foley
I really hesitate saying too much about Rhys & Ianto's Excellent Barbeque because it's certainly one of those audios where if you discuss too much of it in a review space you do tend to spoil the entire reason it exists. Rhys & Ianto's Excellent Barbeque has a point to it, and it's very good at it's point, but if you say too much about it's point, then the whole sort of effect of it can go slightly sideways. Indeed, that's really kind of the point with these Torchwood two-handers. The Torchwood range by necessity often makes do with rather small casts and this Excellent Barbeque is no different. It's got a very small cast, so small it has to use dirty tricks to make the story even make sense with only three actors. I like dirty tricks, dirty tricks are fun, but the tale can sometimes border on the high concept, with one actor playing two vastly different characters. Eve Myles' absence especially hurts - a Gwen cameo at the end of the story would definitely tie it all together, especially considering she's sort of a focal player despite not being present. I miss Gwen's appearances in the Monthly Range of Torchwood - her stories were always some of the strongest, but who am I to judge? In addition, having it only be Rhys and Ianto at the party does bugger the brain slightly. Having another guest minus Badger present - even if they only phoned in, would make the whole thing more believable by far.
In terms of character work, yes, this is very strong. I think it characterizes Rhys and Ianto especially well, and makes putting a frankly unbelievable combination of characters - whose stories essentially NEVER overlapped together. The best bits are the parts with the emotional impact, especially the scene later on with Rhys on the phone to Deirdre, which is very smart characterization across the board. Ianto himself is done pretty decently too, but I think the story goes and puts in effort in making him seem more effeminate next to Rhys. It's very obviously a choice made for the story's theme fitting better, but it's done much more strongly than you might expect. The Last Beacon drew similar lines between Ianto and Owen much more deftly. As said, this is a very good hour of audio drama - but it also feels like ground the Torchwood Monthly Range has indeed treaded before. If you think about the "what to expect from these sorts of stories" checklist, it hits a lot of it - small cast two hander story featuring Ianto and another Torchwood cast member, seems like an innocuous slice of life story only to reveal hidden emotional depths and also a monster/villain/obstacle that is delibrately ambiguous and not portrayed by an actor. I like this story a lot, but in earnest I can't recommend it compared to something like Last Beacon or Dinner with a Show which are essentially this story but better. I feel like I'm being too negative though. Although it is pretty much what I expected from the title and synopsis, there is a charm to that. You know what you're getting, and while it's with the same ingredients as usual, it's still high quality work, a good bit of witty and emotional audio drama, and I can't really say no to a story bold and fun enough to be about both toxic masculinity and sausages. I mean come on. That's just perfect. 8/10
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