Aliens Among Us: The Empty Hand

"What use are rules when they only apply to humans?"

Writer: Tim Foley
Format: Audio
Released: 19th October 2017
Series: Torchwood 5.08

Featuring: Captain Jack, Gwen, Tyler, Mr Colchester, Orr, Andy

Synopsis

An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff. It causes an upsurge in terrorist attacks.

An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff by a policeman. It's a catalyst for protests on the streets.

An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff by Sergeant Andy Davidson. It's the end of Torchwood as we know it.

Verdict

The Empty Hand concluded the second boxset of Aliens Among Us in an excellent way! I thought it was a brilliant story and a great follow up to the outstanding Zero Hour. This second boxset of three in the fifth series of Torchwood has certainly taken us on a different adventure to the first but there are now signs of things being tied up and fitting as a whole. Here we had the return of 3Sol and the idea of them taking over from Cardiff's police force is very intriguing and I'm sure that will play a big role in the final boxset of the series. Ro-Jedda hasn't played too much of a role this time around but she's still looming and she just seems to be biding her time. I wonder how long her patience will last, I sense not too long. I get the feeling that the next boxset will be much more action-packed and I look forward to that but for now this story was all about mystery. Could Andy really have killed a refugee in cold blood? It seemed unlikely but the evidence was telling.He did it and Torchwood had checked that there was nothing wrong with him and the CCTV had not been tampered with. He had done it. That was a shocking fact. The reason why he had done it was revealed in a good way with the quantum splice and Orr's attempted explanation of what it actually entailed was really good. It was there and it wasn't always there. I liked that. Jack continued to be absent for much of this episode which again surprised me and it seems like the rest of the Torchwood team had had enough now and wanted some leadership.Why he was giving away information about Andy seemed a little off for our resonant immortal hero but it certainly had me engaged in the story and that's a big positive. Instead of calling for a peaceful protest, Jack was arming them! He was creating quite the event in Cardiff and I rather enjoyed it.I thought the desires of Andy as demonstrated by Orr were quite out there and not what you'd expect of our innocent little policeman. The relationship between Andy and Rhys during the episode was terrific and any doubts I had about Rhys are now firmly over. Andy taking offence to a Chinese takeaway man was quite a shock though! The reveal that Professor Whyte was how Andy had been implanted with the quantum splice was good and the fact that Ro-Jedda wasn't the one who killed her was very interesting indeed. Is there another alien species at work in Cardiff that isn't the Sorvix? Gwen, despite not actually being Gwen, was brilliant in this story and she was having none of what the alien mayor was saying. She stabbed Andy's hand in gruesome fashion to save him from anymore racial outbursts and I also liked that Rhys had noticed Gwen had not been herself recently. We of course know why but I'm looking forward to everyone else finding out. Andy and Nicki Owen's relationship was very good and I liked their scenes in the episode very much. Ro-Jedda and Tyler's relationship also seems to be one of particular interest and the latter really is in a great position with both the Sorvix and Torchwood. Jack ultimately saving the city was good but the rest of the team weren't too thrilled with his actions and latest absence. It seemed like there was a potential coup but all Gwen, Mr Colchester and Orr wanted was some leadership. And they might have it in the form of a recognisable face. Yvonne Hartman returned at the story's conclusion and I have so many questions about that! How can she still be alive? I can't wait for the third boxset to explain everything and I am very excited by the prospects that her return brings. Overall though, a great conclusion to this third of the series!

Rating: 9/10