An Autist Reviews: Ghost Mission (Torchwood - The Monthly Range 9)

*All Reviews Are Spoiler-Free Aside From Any Spoiler Sections*

Sergeant Andy Davidson has wanted to join Torchwood ever since his friend Gwen did 10 years ago, and now he has a chance. With the ‘assistance’ of Torchwood assessor Norton Folgate, a fabulous agent from 1953, Andy must, without Torchwood’s help, track down the origin of a green goo that dissolves and replicates people. This really isn’t how Andy planned to spend his day, but hey, that’s Torchwood for you!

This has to be one of Big Finish’s most hilarious releases ever! Almost every word out of Andy and Norton’s mouths is pure comedic gold. The story itself is a simple one, Norton pops up, a truck crashes and the hunt for the source of the mysterious goo is on! The trip has a couple of main legs to it, but each one is a rollercoaster, going from hilarious, to sad, to hilarious again. One of my only problems with the story is that it does rely on chance and an anti-climax to get our main characters out of trouble, but that’s not too bad. Another problem is that there are something like 4 lines in the entire story that just don't sit quite right, they’re easy to ignore, but they do still catch the ear; Norton asking to see Andy’s phone and then apparently seeing his search history despite Andy being open on google and Norton not being able to touch anything would be one of these. The pacing is also a little bit iffy, with a few scenes not quite happening as quickly or as slowly as they should, but once again, this is easy to ignore. There is just so much that’s great about this release that I can’t really talk about any of it, sorry for that, but if you want an amazing comedy with the occasional bleak moment, this story’s the one!

This is almost entirely a 2 hander, so go figure the acting has to be near-perfect. And in this case, it’s perfect. Sure, you get the occasional line that’s not delivered quite right, but given how much talking the two main characters get up to, that’s honestly to be expected! As for the side characters, they really only exist at the very beginning and end, and the only bad moments with them are when all the side characters ask where Torchwood is and when one of them dies. Now, the bad guys are absolutely amazing, especially given that 2/3s of them are singing amazing grace the entire time! The other bad guy would be the ‘OAP’ played by David Warner, and… well… It's David Warner innit?

The effects here are also stunning! The music suite is spectacular, it’s sparse but spectacular, and it includes a piano cover of Amazing Grace! The music matches the eeriness of the scenes it’s in perfectly, putting you directly in the shoes of the main characters, and while it isn’t present often when it is it really does shine! The voice effects are absolutely perfect aside from when Andy is inside of a vat because at that point there are some small issues with the effects used, but really aside from that, they’re utter perfection. The action effects are utterly amazing, often being perfectly subtle for the situation, but sadly often they’re muted or muffled, and occasionally some small ones are also missing. My biggest complaint with the effects is when the monster growls, as it doesn’t sound like a growl, but I think that actually does work given what the monster is, so that point might be moot, but I’m sticking to it like glue. The other big complaint I have is the effects of the ghosts when they’re attacking, as they sound like storm effects, but I doubt that the ghosts are conjuring storms, I think it’s more likely that the sound designer wanted telekinesis to sound scarier without going hunting for new effects. The background effects are just plain perfect, from the pouring rain of a Cardiff storm to the loud drone of machinery and the equally loud drone of the idle masses on a bus, at a teahouse, and at a diner. The transitions I definitely take problem with. The most annoying part of this entire story would be the fact that transitions often happen suddenly and without warning, or, in two instances, with a classic Torchwood transition, which, while always nice, can really take you out of the action and can be quite loud. Now aside from those all too common occurrences, the transitions are fabulous, but those issues really needed to be stated.

I will be listening to this story again very soon, mark my words. I love this story to bits and pieces, I love Norton, I love Andy, and I love this story! It will make you sad at times, but most often you’ll be gladly laughing at whatever vaguely sexist thing Norton spits out. Now, you won’t spot a lot of new details upon a second listen, but if you pay attention to Norton, you will definitely get some interesting tidbits about him that will help put the ending into focus.

All in all, this is yet another fabulous release from Big Finish. Norton and Andy have so much chemistry that they carry this story easily, the scary and sad points are articulated perfectly, and the only issues there are with the writing are easy to ignore. The acting is very, VERY nearly perfect, and the music and background effects are solid diamond. The effects do have their ups and downs with the occasional dropped effect or muffled sound, but like the other problems with this story, they’re so easy to ignore you might not even catch them. I would gladly listen to this story over and over again just to hear my queen Norton being the absolute most ‘helpful’ human being to ever exist! Just buy this, listen to it, have a laugh, and be kind enough to share it with one of your friends!

Total - 10 (Fudged because, frankly, Norton deserves it.)

Plot - 10
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Story - 10
Pacing - 9
Dialogue - 9
Narration - NR
Exposition - 10
Enjoyment - 10
Twists - 10
Resolution/s - 9
Ending - 10

Acting - 10
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MCs - 10
SCs - 9
BGs - 10
Narrators - NR

Effects - 9
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Music - 10
Voices - 9
Actions - 8
Background - 10
Transitions - 7

Replay - 8
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Re-Enjoyment - 10
New Details - 6

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