Released June 2023

SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW

Torchwood’s members are working in tandem once more as Among Us 2 reaches its end in James Goss’s ‘Pariahs,’ its members acting independently and internationally but with shared goals. With data harvesting a very real threat that has only amplified as global interconnectivity has become increasingly accessible and commonplace, Torchwood must now take on the secrets of the Phlobos Scandal that have resulted from years of the general population sending DNA samples in the post.

Without question, the Torchwood presented here is incredibly efficient with Orr and Colchester taking the lead as they attempt to bring distinct witnesses in for questioning. For her part, Orr continues with the much more confident persona she adopted earlier in this set following her experience with God, in some instances even lettering her guard down to take the horrible events around her in stride while appearing to have at least a modicum of fun while working around the dangers and constraints before her. Samantha Béart continues to excel as Orr continues to become an increasingly integral character to this franchise, and Orr’s developing ability to adapt to the world around her while staying truer to herself should continue to serve this team well. Likewise, Colchester is at his most ruthless here, drawing upon past experiences as he confronts Graham Graves, the man who sits on every steering committee and for all intents and purposes is the true leader of Great Britain with the Prime Minister little more than a puppet. Paul Clayton imbues a tremendous amount of menace and power into his performance that more than capably proves just how proficient Colchester is at his chosen profession, not above letting emotions fuel him but never losing focus of what he knows needs to be done.

Richard Clifford is excellent as Graves as well, highlighting a certain smugness and confidence while also hinting that Graves may not be the ultimate source of authority despite his obvious ability to speak unfettered with such command and to suavely sidestep so many accusations thrown his way. With Glen McCready bringing the morally murky Kyle to life so vividly to further flesh out the threat that data harvesting presents, the evolving danger that finally presents itself and the frightening implications of such far-reaching and precise power gives an immediate and utterly chilling threat that leaves nobody anywhere safe and that should serve the final set of this series well if further explored as expected, especially given the immense cliffhanger that again sees the organization wrong-footed and trapped. It is narratively something of an odd decision to finally show this team working together after so long apart only to have them miscalculate so badly while seemingly racking up success after success, but that’s more a result of the structure of Among Us as a whole to this point rather than with this story independently.

With Yvonne capably asserting control and seemingly always present with the winning side, she along with Ng and Tyler round out this newly-established team with Tracy-Ann Oberman, Alexandria Riley, and Jonny Green showing a nice chemistry and the layers of their characters’ interpersonal relationships and internal thoughts. Again, it would have been nice to have a little bit more of the actual reformation process of Torchwood shown, but ‘Pariahs’ hits the ground running with these characters back behind a unified cause while highlighting their individual strengths and nuances. There is still much to be explored regarding the ultimate threat and the fear that the voice of a child can instill, but the solid forward plot momentum here ends Among Us 2 on a much less intimate but much more action-oriented and global level than its first three instalments and creates a strong foundation for Among Us 3 in the process.