Spaceman

"Earth looks so quiet from up here."

Writer: Karissa Hamilton-Bannis

Format: Audio

Released: September 2023

Series: Redacted 2.04

Featuring: Shawna, Abby, Cleo

Synopsis

Cleo learns that Apex isn't all he claims to be. And he's in debt to the powerful Lady Honour Bray. Has Apex been using Cleo all this time? Meanwhile, Abby and Shawna follow the trail of a thief who's been stealing dangerous alien artefacts.

Verdict

Spaceman was a decent little episode to continue my way through the second series of the Redacted podcast series! Things definitely seem to be stepping up a little here and I'm getting more interested in Apex after the truth about him came out. It's a bit of a shame that he ended up being the culprit robbing alien technology in Glasgow that Shawna and Abby were investigating. but when his backstory was laid out it was pretty clear that this was going to be the case! Cleo's relationship with Apex developed well here and I liked the idea of them going off together. They are getting closer which is nice to hear, especially with Cleo feeling a little lonely in recent months after Shawna and Abby became a couple. Exploring her loneliness is a powerful subject but it's one that is important to focus on. It's relatable and certainly understandable given how close the trio were in doing The Blue Box Files podcast. I am really liking the continuity with Rani's own podcast of Rani Takes on the World and having Abby and Shawna pose as her producers when getting to the retail dimension of Mr Singh was quite amusing. He was an enigmatic character and I'm hopeful that we will get more of him in the final two episodes as there was a lot of potential there. The way they got through the seafood on aisle six was very amusing as they failed to realise the code being told to them from the shopkeeper initially. It's a shame that this seems to signal the end of their investigation into Torchwood and it's a bit of a letdown that we didn't get any kind of Torchwood interaction outside of a lifeless Archie. I thought it was nice to have Cleo go into space and her first reaction of wanting to take a selfie was everything that's probably wrong with the digital society of today. I'm not ashamed to say I'd probably be thinking on similar lines in capturing a snap rather than just take in the breathtaking view. Cleo being offered a chance to travel with Apex in the ship that is just too long to name was good and I liked that she took it upon herself to name it. She was falling a little too quickly for Apex despite only knowing him for a day! She didn't take too kindly to Abby and Shawna claiming he was the thief, but they even had photographic evidence so I'm not sure what there was to deny there. It was something of an emotional moment though between the trio that led to Cleo storming out. Apex and Cleo expressing their feelings for each other was a nice moment although I do think the kissing effects were a little loud and too much for the ears! Hearing the backstory of Apex was good and I liked that only part of what he'd told Cleo was a lie. His family specialising in Time Lords went it came to cataloguing species seemed good on paper, but how could they possibly not know that the Doctor was the last one if they were specialists? That took me out a little to be honest. It made sense that it was difficult for Apex to provide Honour with a TARDIS to pay off his debts, but surely as a specialist they would have that kind of knowledge? Anyhow, it was nice to know how much he really did care for the refugees and Cleo likening him to an intergalactic Robin Hood was very fun. I thought the cliffhanger was a little weak in terms of some previous episodes in this podcast series, but it's an interesting dynamic to have Cleo pairing with Apex and potentially squaring off with Abby and Shawna. That's a fun way to set things up for the final two episodes, but for now this was a decent episode in its own right! Overall, a good listen.

Rating: 7/10