Who would you kill if you knew you could get away with it?

That’s not an invitation to start sending lists in on social media, by the way, but the premise of this unpleasant but very well told tale for Toshiko Sato. It’s credited to three people – David Llewellyn, James Goss and Jonathan Morris – and marks Lisa Bowerman’s return to the range as director. It’s one of those Torchwood tales that takes the time to establish the characters outside the team well, and by the end, we understand the lives of Jonny Dixon’s Simon and Sara McGaughey’s Janet – and perhaps even empathise with the decisions they make. We also get further insight into Tosh, not least in the questions posed about why she doesn’t involve anyone else from the team.

The idea of being able to “think” someone to death isn’t a new one and to begin with, you may wonder if we’re going to get a Torchwood version of Scanners – but the writers take it down the more philosophical path, investigating the responsibility and rewards of power in a very down to Earth setting. We’re not talking about getting rid of the heads of corporations who have Evil Plans… it’s the person who pisses you off on the bus, or the upstart youngster who’s got no right to be telling you what to do…

The ending suggests that the story may not be fully told yet, and it would be interesting to see the antagonist reappear in a full cast audio, pitting their power against the revived team, perhaps?

Verdict: Some nasty moments in a Tosh-centric tale that you know would go completely differently had it featured any other team member. 8/10

Paul Simpson