Cadoc Point

"It's only there when you're alone."

Writer: David Llewellyn

Format: Audio

Released: January 2022

Series: Torchwood Monthly 58

Featuring: Andy

Synopsis

Andy's old art teacher is in trouble. The disappearance of three of his former pupils has brought him some unwelcome attention. The authorities think that there's a secret in Merl's past.

Whatever Andy's suspicions, he discovers that something much older and stranger is hiding in Merl's past. Clues are scattered through his paintings, and all of them lead to a place called Cadoc Point.

Verdict

Cadoc Point was another excellent audio to continue my way through the Torchwood monthly range at Big Finish! I’ve still got a long way to go until I’m caught up but with how consistent this range is, it’s such a shame that it’s coming to the end. It seems that no matter what characters from the world of Torchwood feature, they deliver nearly every time. No disrespect to the character of Andy, but on paper he’s not the most appealing of characters to lead an episode. But he does so brilliantly here! It’s fascinating to think that at this point post-Children of Earth Andy is trying to take things into his own hands when it comes to the alien involvement that Torchwood used to handle. They got a bit too vocal though but that didn’t stop the Rift continuing to splurge out who knows what from who knows where. That makes sense and this kind of thing is definitely something we should see more of in my opinion. It adds a sense of vulnerability as well without the comfort of Torchwood being there to deal with the threat. Andy has definitely matured at this point in chronology but I’m not sure it’s to the point where I’d trust him to pick up the scraps of Torchwood. I did genuinely believe for a good chunk of the episode at the start that he had broken down in his car and found his way to Merl’s house by chance. It was a tad coincidental that he turned out to be Andy’s old art teacher at school and I was very much in the same vain as the sergeant in not taking GCSE art. That is one skill that completely evades me. I’ve been to a fair few galleries in my time and have gazed upon the Mona Lisa in the Louvre, but my appreciation for art is probably lacking. It just doesn’t interest me! I can’t help it but I do like hearing how Merl was passionate about his artwork and those of others. Merl being subjected as a person of interest in the case of three missing boys struck the story profoundly and things became serious very quickly. The titular subject of Cadoc Point was intriguing and the concept that all three missing boys painted it before vanishing was very eerie! The position of the chapel in the paintings was also pretty harrowing, especially when it wasn’t actually physically present at Cadoc Point itself. The idea of it only being there when one was alone was very mysterious and I loved the atmosphere that was created throughout this episode. It was excellent and it also helped that Merl had such a strong voice! His conversation with Andy was enthralling throughout. I thought Darren Jenkins was another good character and his knowledge of the Cadoc Point and the paintings was very good. Andy quickly got obsessed with everything that was happening there and defied the warnings of physically going there. The position of the Angel of Death as it was dubbed was fascinating and I liked that it almost felt mythical! Using paintings and the Cadoc Point itself as a way to lure people in was a unique take to say the least. Merl taking the sacrifice to burn all of the drawings would obviously have been emotional given art is his life and everything he has poured into it, but it’s what needed to be done to solve the mystery of Cadoc Point. I thought Merl was quite amusing now in not wanting to leave the area and continue his artistic passion at the sight. He’s a brave man for sure! Overall, an enigmatic and excellent audio!

Rating: 9/10