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 | Reviews for Torchwood: Gooseberry |
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| An attempt at a critical darling which, |
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| By: | Jared Star, Portsmouth, United States |
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| Date: | Tuesday 24 May 2022 |
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| Rating: |   5 |
What was initially envisioned as a deeply-moving character drama ended up faltering by not having its characters grow. Owen is just as one-note at the beginning of the story as he is in the end. Even though, everything is his fault. Without spoilers, "Gooseberry" revolves around Owen discovering Andy's new girlfriend, Caite, isn't all that she seems. And in his probing, causes something catastrophic. There is a good build-up to the event itself and Owen is characterized well enough (in this story and in previous ones), to make his cock-up believable. The second half of the story focuses on Owen trying to hide his involvement from Andy when he is sent to investigate the incident Owen caused. The rest of the episode is comprised of antics between both Owen and Andy trying to cover, or uncover, the truth from each other. This led to some amazing interactions between the pair that are so unique to this audio specifically. And having a plot where the two have to clash, while still being friends is a brilliant idea. But, it's all in the execution.
One of the first negatives about the story is that the elements felt rehashed. Torchwood is all about experimentation. Yet, throughout the runtime, it's hard not to think this is just recycled material from the range's high point "The Hope," and the TV episode, "Adam." The unique ideas from each of those episodes get Frankensteined together, making the whole thing feel cheap. Almost like this was a cut draft of either episode stapled to the central idea from the other. It's not something that totally ruins the audio, but makes the disappointment of the ending hurt that much more.
The theme of responsibility is very pervasive throughout the audio, but by the end, it's completely redundant. The last five minutes pull the rug out from under your feet with a complete cop-out that Owen hangs onto hard. The twist undoes a lot of the excellent character work which the audio entirely hinged on. Leaving the entire hour-long story to end in an unnecessarily sad way, which makes me worry about the future of the range.
All in all, this isn't a terrible episode, but baffling creative decisions at points make it quite a divisive listen. The heart-to-heart segments between all the characters are expertly acted, and the general antics of the episode feel believable. But, in the end, none of the characters grew or changed. Which, is kinda the point of stories. Especially short ones like this. The episode is an unnecessarily sad potential ending for one of the best Doctor Who parings. I genuinely hope it doesn’t stay that way. Not many stories have showcased how amazing Andy and Owen are when working together, but the moments we've had are so cherished. I hope this is not actually going to be the last Andy & Owen audio.
