The road to
Series 9 makes a pit stop because Jack is back!
Yes, the first of Big Finish’s
New Who titles has been released, but the real question is: Is it a success?
Answering that is going to take longer because this is a different kind of
Torchwood to the one you’re used to.
Firstly, we’ll
talk about the new Torchwood theme. Ladies and gentlemen…this will most likely
become your new ringtone for a while. It’s that good! Which means we can expect
great things from Blair Mowat in the future. As for the rest of the soundtrack,
the Torchwood vibe is always present. It sounds like you’re watching an episode
of Torchwood.
As I mentioned,
getting a reading on this first installment is rather difficult. We’ll start
with the format as that is something which initially put me off. While these
titles seem to follow the full-cast format, The
Conspiracy makes use of first-person narration in the same mannerthat River
Song narrated her investigation in The
Angel’s Kiss. This can be a put off for some people as it sounds as though
Jack is breaking the fourth wall.It also takes you out of the action taking
place. Don’t make my mistake though. There is a very good in-story reason for
this narration.
Next up, let’s
talk about the story. It’s better to think of The Conspiracy as part one to a six-part Doctor Who story. It’s
only meant to set things up for future installments. If you judge this story as
a standalone, then it balances on ‘meh’ and ‘ordinary’. This is because almost
every character that isn’t Jack Harkness comes across as ordinary or
uninteresting.I will however admit that I was astonished when I heard that
Barrowman recorded this along with the UK crew WHILE HE WAS IN AMERICA! Yeah,
it’s like a Skype Chat group that never even shows any signs of the cast not
being in the same location, but recording as though they were. Kudos to the
director!
One of the
downsides to this story though is the lack of real tension for the most part,
only becoming really attention grabbing at the 3/4s mark. We also don’t really
feel for any of the other characters so if/when something happens to them, we
don’t care.
What does count
in this story’s favor is Jack. His characterization in The Conspiracy is fantastic. The fact that John is in almost every
scene, either narrating or speaking with someone really sat well with me. Fans
that have criticized Jack of being a walking innuendo or annoying will find
solace in that those traits have been toned down thanks in part to how serious
Jack takes this investigation. This is Children
of Earth Jack Harkness. He is still charming and funny, but he is more
toned down for this particular piece. I’d go so far as to say he is the perfect
blend of people who want the walking, joking innuendo and those that don’t.
Speaking of time
placement, reference is made to Gwen, though she is not seen or heard (by us),
as well as Skypoint, which puts this story sometime after the events of Season
2; but I will say that there is also strong evidence to suggest that this story
could take place after Miracle Day as no mention of Ianto is made, but no
mention to the Miracle Day Torchwood team is made either. Actually, there is
very little continuity references made during The Conspiracy, but some fragments of Jack’s pre-Doctor life are
explored.
Is The Conspiracy is good jumping off point
for fans? Only if you’ve seen at least season 1 of Torchwood.The Conspiracy starts guns blazing and
Torchwood as an organization isn’t explained in enough detail for new fans to
fully understand. The Conspiracy
accepts that you know who Jack Harkness is and what Torchwood
does.
The Conspiracy is a
thriller with aim to please those kinds of fans who love conspiracy theories
and that realm of humanity. It is a story that you can listen to over and over
again (I listened to it twice in one day) without losing entertainment value.
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