Ianto and Tosh have a night at the opera alongside a multitude of aliens…

Gareth David-Lloyd’s latest contribution to the Torchwood mythos is set during one of those periods when Jack Harkness is away from the Hub, and the team are doing their best to cope without him. Tosh has invited Owen for a non-Valentine’s Valentine’s Day visit to the opera, but Ianto shows up in his place… to find a sloshed Tosh. And somehow they’ve got to deal with a load of aliens.

There’s a lot of very dark comedy in this story and some quite graphic horror – Tosh has a novel way of dealing with one attacker – but David-Lloyd also uses the opportunity to give some insight into both Tosh and Iano (and in a way, Owen as well). It’s quite a hectic story but there are moments of peace and reflection, as well as some worrying glimpses of the pair’s musical tastes! Inevitably there’s a bit of foreshadowing but it’s done without being too on the nose. It’s unusual for an alien threat to come quite so close to home for the Torchwood team – this is set in the Millennium Centre, not exactly a million miles from the Hub – but there’s an efficient way of ensuring that there’s no easy rescues coming.

Both David-Lloyd and Naoko Mori sound like they’re having fun – an inebriated Toshiko Sato shows some other sides to the character – and director Scott Handcock ratchets up the tension. Steve Foxon’s sound design and Blair Mowat’s music (presumably including the operatic bits!) play important roles in the storytelling.

Verdict: An unusual pairing provides a good mix of humour and drama. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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