Suckers

 



"Folie a Something..."

Suckers by Alexander Stewart

I don't have much to say about Suckers other than - it's about damn time. At long last Tosh is getting her due in the Torchwood Main Range, and Suckers is one of their best installments yet. It's quite cynical and dark and Torchwoodian, but it also is completely the opposite route you would ordinarily expect. Despite the cover, it's not horny at all, but actually a rather subdued horror piece that makes some fricking hardcore choices. Suckers is one of the most bold Torchwood stories I've done, and also quite possible, provided the government discovered invisible squid entities of doom. 

This is not a comfortable listen, and it's closest comparison in my mind is it is to mental institutions what The Empty Hand was to police violence. Naoko Mori gives an excellent performance of a drugged out Tosh out of her depth - which gives even more weight to the climax when we see Tosh at her best. The story also has three astonishingly good guest stars, plus a kooky cameo at the end from Nick Asbury promising more malevolence for Torchwood's future. But the two highlights are Linda Strong as Fliss and Emma Kahler as Shireen. We spend a lot of time with Shireen, and it can seem at first like this is her story. Where it ultimately goes is quite vile and feels actually emotionally impactful. Whereas Linda Strong relishes being a sickly sweet villainess, and her performance really makes this story as powerful as it is. 

I've wanted a brilliant Tosh Main Range story for quite some time, and I'm quite glad to get it. I'm happy to say this one is up there with We Always Get Out Alive or Iceberg or The Last Beacon as a genuine highlight worth revisiting. 10/10 

Comments

  1. Gemjax MajoranOctober 24, 2022 at 5:23 PM

    Fun thing i almost did this one blind, got past the intro but something came up, few days later i have people saying its ROUGH and im like: did i dodge a bullet!?

    ReplyDelete

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