George Hewitt reviews the second part of this year’s Torchwood romance trilogy, which sees the return of Sgt Andy Davidson (played by Tom Price) accompanied by Rhys Williams (Kai Owen)!
You can check out George’s interview with writer and star Tom Price here.
Thirst Trap is Tom Price‘s first contribution to the Torchwood series as a writer, and it’s clear from the start what sort of story this will be. The basic premise is that there’s a new dating app, ‘Now or Never’, that sends you on a new date every twenty minutes, and if you don’t show up to one your phone is wiped. As such, everyone in Cardiff is becoming addicted to the app. Thirst Trap is, for the most part, an out-and-out comedy, with some great one-liners and comic set pieces.
The characters are written very well, Price’s understanding of what makes Andy and Rhys tick very strong, and we get some unexpected – but interesting – development of Rhys’s relationship with Gwen. Price and Owen are on top form as their respective characters, and it’s great to hear them together as they haven’t shared much screen/audio time in the past. The guest cast are equally good, particularly Rebecca Trehearn‘s Anna and Sunjay Midda‘s Sunil. Sunil has a much deeper arc than listeners would expect, and Midda performs the different beats perfectly.
Although the plot for this episode holds together well, it does slightly unravel in the final act, with certain motivations feeling a little unclear and convoluted. However, the story is fast-paced and sharply witty, so this doesn’t necessarily detract from the positives of Thirst Trap. One such positive is Blair Mowat‘s score. We’re treated to a number of new pieces in this story, a standout being the pre-titles romantic strings which really help to set the scene. And who could complain about Sean Longmore‘s cover art? Again, one glance will tell you exactly the tone that Thirst Trap goes for.
Overall, although the plot isn’t the tightest, David O’Mahony‘s direction enables the strengths of Price’s script to shine, giving Andy and Rhys a lot to do, and keeping the listener entertained throughout. Also, as well as having some hilarious jokes, Thirst Trap offers some biting social commentary when it comes to how much we all use our phones, and Price does well to get the point across without it feeling unnaturally inserted into the script. Let’s hope for some more Torchwood from this writer/director combo.
Torchwood: Thirst Trap is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com
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