Released June 2019

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW

As God Among Us reaches its conclusion with James Goss’s ‘Thoughts and Prayers,’ Cardiff lies broken with streets filled only by the prayers of the desperate. With Torchwood’s leaders either arrested or dead and the Committee’s plans to purge and take over the Earth clearing another hurdle deep beneath the city, the end of the world is nigh, and God can only watch the impending disaster.

Naturally, the end of a series is intended to highlight just how devastating the situation has become, and although ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ does hit many of the same visual notes as the finale of Aliens Among Us with cacophonous explosions and fire filling the sky, this backdrop ably supports just how monumental and utterly remorseless the Committee’s plan truly is. Fronted by Andy who through overt and callous words wholly accepts the consequences of this course of action that will demonstrably leave only the right people in its wake, the personal angle of this devastation is likewise brilliantly present in every respect with Colin’s very personal yearning for a simple phone call the perfect counterpoint to the grand spectacle and machinations on display.

Wisely, however, Goss very much brings Torchwood’s leading cast to the forefront and shows just how much the new additions have already matured and evolved alongside Jack who has been with the organisation for so long and who has already seen so many worlds meet their ends. Tyler, in particular, is much more assertive and confident, traversing the riotous streets outside with pizza in hand to free Yvonne from confinement and lead her back to the Hub that has received a substantial upgrade in Torchwood’s forced absence. Fittingly, just as the Hub has become everything that Yvonne has been fighting for unsuccessfully, Yvonne has undergone perhaps the most monumental character development as her usual manipulative and confident ways are replaced by genuine regret for her recent failures and a genuine desire to do better for the masses no matter the personal consequences. Yet with God present but content to seek out a cup of coffee and await the end while consciously devoid of powers after finding the one deserving being she has been searching for, it’s perhaps Orr who has the most resonant arc as her own desire and means to alleviate suffering are stretched to their absolute maximum with the sheer number of prayers never lessening. ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ puts all of its characters through an incredible amount of personal turmoil, and each and every actor gives a profound performance to drive home just how severely these events have effected them and will hopefully prove formative for going forward.

Following the devastatingly effective- if fairly convenient and ultimately easy- setback to the Committee’s plans as the link to the home planet of Erebus is turned against it, it’s the very notion of what Torchwood will be going forward that provides a potentially fascinating new avenue for the series. With its members atop the list of most wanted, even Andy with his revealed good nature is seemingly powerless to offer any help, and whether the remaining members of the Committee on Earth mount a more direct retaliatory strike or not, this new dynamic offers a tremendous wealth of storytelling and character opportunities. Thus, while ‘Thoughts and Prayers’ may not offer the complete end to the Committee plot that has been weaving throughout the audio Torchwood universe for so long and may not feature God quite as prominently as the series title might suggest, it provides a significant and powerful advancement of a huge number of long-lingering plotlines while offering new exploration of beloved characters and reaffirming the very best that lies within each of them, honouring the past while boldly blazing a new path forward as any good finale should.