Rhys and Ianto's Excellent Barbecue

"A glory hole of death."

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: November 2020

Series: Torchwood Monthly 44

Featuring: Ianto, Rhys

Synopsis

Rhys is planning a lads' night in. Barbie in the back yard, few tins, mates and bants. But the only person who turns up is Ianto – who hasn't been invited. Hell is other people, especially when they've brought board games.

Something goes wrong. The two of them could be trapped together for eternity at a barbecue where the sausages never cook, and worse, the brewskis remain forever out of reach.

Verdict

Rhys and Ianto's Excellent Barbecue was another excellent episode to continue my way through the monthly Torchwood range from Big Finish! This really is a fantastic series and I like how it allows us more of a focus on specific characters. Sure, I'm all for getting full cast audios with the full team in whatever iteration that might be, but getting over an hour of just exploring the relationship between Rhys and Ianto is what makes this range stand out. We would typically only be afford a few minutes on screen at most to delve into this pairing so this a welcomed release. This is an episode I have known about for a long time now purely because of the name and on paper it doesn't exactly sound the most enticing of adventures, but it absolutely works! The idea of Rhys getting the boys together for a lads' barbecue is good and I know that's something I would also do. During the listening of the episode it actually sparked me into dropping a message into the group chat to try and organise the lads for a Spoons meet-up as we did last week because we don't see each other now as much as we'd all like to what with families and moving away, but it's important to stay in touch. Thankfully, we haven't lost anyone in our group as was the case for Rhys here with Daf having committed suicide so I could really sympathise with him when he just wanted to the barbecue to go well. He was obviously disappointed when Badger had to cancel late in the day and I also understood why he didn't really want Ianto there. I thought the suggestion of homophobic undertones was a little off the beaten track as despite his bravado I don't think Rhys is like that, but it was amusing to think that Rhys would be hosting mini crochet and chardonnay! Imagine! Gwen would be pissing herself laughing. I like that she was looking out for husband in sending Ianto round and the suggestion that because he was in his suit he was never off duty made sense. But he truly didn't know what was happening at the house with the emergence of squishy force field. Rhys was clearly consumed with his grief that he hadn't properly dealt with yet because he wasn't having anything to do with the Rift get in his way of a lads' night. He knew they all needed to be together again after a funeral that wasn't all that great in allowing them to pay their respects for their friend, so he was trying to literally cut his way out. Ianto understanding it was a time bubble was fun and I liked that by the end only five minutes or so had passed on the outside! Rhys trying to cut his way out was good and the idea of the bubble popping when there was a tear sounded pretty darn dangerous! He wasn't having it though and he was getting out no matter what. The emotion of the phone call with Deirdre from Maerdy as she was looking to talk to her grandson Stephen was powerful stuff as she was seemingly on the verge of death. She sounded like Badger but Rhys had to pretend to be her grandson because that's who she was hearing. That took a lot out of both them and provided the impetus for Rhys to talk about his feelings and the recent events. I like that he apologised to Gwen when they did get out of the time bubble and admitted he was truly sorry for being distant, but grief does that. Ianto and Rhys then visiting Badger as he was on guinea pig duties was pretty amusing with the little thing taking Ianto's tie and eating the carrot sticks he'd provided as barbecue snacks, but as a whole this was a powerful exploration into male emotion and speaking out. It is important. I'll always value my mates. Overall, a really strong episode!  

Rating: 9/10