Torchwood: Aliens Among Us, Part 2

The second in the set of imagined episodes of a fifth season of the Torchwood TV show, this once again takes the format of four individual stories with a season-long plot arc and its accompanying ‘Big Bad' in the background.

• Love Rat – We're firmly in first-season Torchwood territory here, as something begins making the inhabitants of Cardiff sexually promiscuous. Or, in Jack's case, more promiscuous than usual. Although Jack obviously features rather heavily (and innuendo abounds), the focus is perhaps more on Gwen. That's obviously particularly significant in view of what happened in the previous volume, which, at this point, we're no closer to solving. It's not all bonking, though, with a number of scenes taking place in the morgue and, per the title, some nasty alien sewer rats, both of which add some gruesome elements. The subplot with Gwen aside, though, it's fairly standard stuff. 3.5 stars.

• A Kill to a View – This is a rather strange story, taking place largely inside a luxury apartment complex and featuring Mr Colchester's husband as much as any of the regulars. In fact, Colchester aside, the others are barely in it, and Orr is really only used as a plot device. It is effective in showing another side to Colchester's life, but perhaps less so in terms of the main story – it's clear enough at the end what the villain is trying to do, but much less clear on how he is managing to do it. It's lifted above this by the drama of the final scenes, which work well in terms of both action and emotion, but it's perhaps not the sort of story that its protagonist is really suited for. 3 stars.

• Zero Hour – It's the turn of Tyler Steele to take the foreground in a story that doesn't feature Jack at all and gives only minor roles to Orr and Colchester. It's a satire on the gig economy, seen through the lens of a company that's not unlike Amazon's delivery service. The mystery unfolds bit by bit, playing up the meaningless drudgery of the work long before we discover what the villains are actually up to. The result is topical, and more effective as a creepy satire than the story which precedes it. There's a strong LGBT element, too, something that's very evident in this box set as a whole. 4 stars.

• The Empty Hand – Sergeant Andy wakes up with no memory of the previous night to discover that he has been accused of cold-blooded murder. Is he really a racist killer, or is there a stranger explanation? (Go on, guess which). It's a dark and tense story, especially given the racist overtones, although the relevant language is toned down, since there's a limit to how far even this show is prepared to go. It's also unintentionally topical right now, riffing on BLM themes, despite having been written at least three years ago. The plotline with Gwen is also continuing in the background and Jack is starting to get a little too ruthless and out-of-control as the situation escalates, so there's presumably something going on there, too. The story ends on a dramatic cliffhanger, which is certainly going to require some explaining in the final volume... 4.5 stars.