Torchwood investigates an unusual new hotel; it’s state of the art and serving a very selective clientele…

And so we wrap up this first quartet of “new” Torchwood with A.K. Benedict’s tale that in many ways serves as the first proper investigation for the new team. It’s an enjoyable story that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the crew, with some great one-liners and mental images (you will never look at an elevator in quite the same way ever again). I’m not totally sure where things stand as far as the general public knowing about the Aliens Among Us by the end of this, but that’s just one more element that’s carried over into set 2, which can’t come out soon enough!

I’m assuming if you’ve read this far with the reviews that you’ve listened to the box set, or aren’t worried about spoilers, because there are certain things not discussed up to now that can’t be done spoiler-free.

In terms of continuity from the “old” Torchwood, there’s really only one person who’s still around – and he’s been through the wringer so many times that he always maintains a certain façade. It’s good to have Jack Harkness back focusing on the problems of Cardiff, rather than off on his super-duper yacht packed to the gunnels with items nabbed from the Hub – it means in this he’s having to be far more of a team player than in recent times, and John Barrowman plays well with others to bounce off.

But surely, you’re probably thinking (and I was until the penny dropped), Gwen Cooper’s still around, as she has been for the last decade? Well, as various parts of this episode make abundantly clear, she is… but not in the way you think. The only real Gwen Cooper is the one who’s stuck as a voice inside “Gwen”’s head – and that’s the only role being played by Eve Myles. There’s a character credited as Ng (which I suspect stands for “Not-Gwen”) played by Alexandria Riley – and that’s who we’ve been hearing as “Gwen” for the vast majority of this box set. Full marks both to her and director Scott Handcock – it’s no wonder that this “Gwen” is fooling all those around her in Torchwood (although she’s clearly going to have to steer clear of Orr…) if her performance is that strong!

Paul Clayton’s Mr Colchester and Sam Béart’s Orr are rapidly growing on me as team members – having an alien as part of the Torchwood crew is a logical step, and Orr’s particular gifts show up in the most unlikely way (although I have to say that I guessed the nature of what was going on quite a bit earlier than the team once we knew certain attributes of the hotel). Mr Colchester has the acerbicness that earlier members have demonstrated, coupled with an increasingly human side being shown as the story progresses.

As for Tyler Steele? There are elements of him that remind me of Adam, the Companion That Couldn’t, from the Ninth Doctor era, and I can’t say that his actions in this story come as a total shock. What will be interesting is to see how far he can go along the path he has chosen without coming a real – and quite permanent – cropper, and Jonny Green is investing the part with the necessary moral ambiguity.

Rachel Atkins’ Ro-Jedda has becoming increasingly important as the series has progressed, and I’m hoping that we’ll get a lot more interaction with her in the next set; we’ve already seen some intriguing sides to her, and I suspect there’s a lot more to come.

Steve Foxon’s sound designs throughout the set have been strong – the only things that have felt not quite right are a couple of crowd scenes that feel oddly balanced – and Blair Mowat has combined elements from the original scores from the TV shows with new themes and textures that work well.

Verdict: A strong end to the opening salvo for series 5. 9/10

Paul Simpson