Alex Hewitt reviews the tenth episode of Torchwood‘s recent seventh series.

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Ash Darby takes another look at social media in Doomscroll after the previous episode – How I Conquered the World – introduced us to Friend, a sentient online platform that thinks it knows what’s best for humanity.

Things get much darker in Doomscroll. Darby presents us with concerningly realistic portrayals of the online world, as Tyler Steele befriends – and falls in love with – influencer Chris. Jonny Green and Jhon Lumsden have an incredible chemistry, and their romance is believable throughout. The way that their relationship develops over just an hour is engaging, and there are tragic references back to earlier moments in Tyler’s life.

The way that the concept of ‘influencing’ is analysed is pitch-perfect. Doomscroll asks questions about ‘content’ and its value, as well as how that value is prioritised within modern-day society. The way that influencers spread from platform to platform is also tackled, as we find out that Chris is using a platform called ‘After Dark’, which runs alongside his other social media but exclusively deals in pornography.

What’s most interesting is the sympathy that the story has for influencers. As critical as it can be of the idea of influencing, the core message seems to be that the tech companies are invariably worse than the people who work on them. As well as the Tyler/Chris storyline, Mr Colchester gets to deal with a different influencer, Jade Matthews‘s Flavella. Matthews and Paul Clayton excel at highlighting the different attitudes and worlds of their characters, and the emotional beats are hugely effective.

For what is only his second outing, director David O’Mahony has done a fantastic job, pulling together various plotlines and ensuring a smooth listen. Yet again, Torchwood: Among Us has gone hard on the social commentary and crafted another top-tier story.

Torchwood: Among Us 3 is available on CD or as a download from https://www.bigfinish.com/.