Torchwood - 1.3 Forgotten Lives

Big Finish Torchwood #3

by Emma Reeves

It has been four years since the Miracle, and Gwen and Rhys's lives have gone back to normal, very normal. They're raising their daughter (they've got pictures they'd be only too happy to show you), they're living in a nice house, and they're almost on top of the laundry.

Captain Jack Harkness has been missing from the world and their lives for a long time. But late one night the phone rings, and they're summoned to an isolated part of North Wales. The Bryn Offa Nursing Home contains a dark secret, an alien threat, and someone who really shouldn't be there.

Gwen and Rhys are about to discover that Torchwood stays with you for the rest of your life.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, British Literature

Audio CD

First published November 1, 2015

Reviews

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite power couple - Gwen and Rhys! Love to see them back together again in this new Torchwood audio drama. They have such a great dynamic.

The cast was fab. Honestly love Eve Myles and Kai Owen and I’m so glad they get a story together.

Set four years after Torchwood, a phone call gets Gwen and Rhys up off the sofa and into a possible alien invasion. They end up in North Wales at a nursing home, where the residents are acting strange…

The story itself was an interesting one (can’t put my finger on why the loss of a star but it was still great), a little surreal but as ever, the production is amazing. So much love for BigFinish.

[Saffinkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

really fun, classic torhcwood type of story! gwen and rhys are delightful, and jack is just as horrible as usual. (i love that shit). the gwen characterisation, and the way her being "the nice one" from torchwood still means that among like. normal people. she is still so awful is so awesome. i love women who suck!
also jack being like "no you see. i can solve the problem i caused by inviting aliens to experiment on innocent humans! im like sooo ethical and good nowadays". never change.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yikes! That was dark, even for Torchwood. Almost as dark as Torchwood: Children of Earth. And that’s pretty darn dark. Torchwood always was pretty dark, but occasionally they go even darker and this has those moments. Really enjoyed this one. Gwen and Rhys together again, and written so well and the chemistry is certainly still there. Excellent, brilliant.

[osoi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Наконец-то очередь дошла и до Гвен с Рисом :) На протяжении всего знакомства с Торчвудом мое отношение к ним постоянно менялось, в итоге спустя 10 (oh my) лет точно могу сказать, что с каждой последующей плюшкой их парочка продолжает обрастать сверхъестественной милостью. Безмерно радует, что франшиза как таковая не загнулась и продолжает жизнь в новом качестве со старыми-знакомыми персонажами. Пожалуй, я только к третьему выпуску в полной мере осознала, сколько удовольствия мне приносит встреча с героями, о которых уже и не надеялась услышать :3

Сюжетно история проста, но атмосфера и динамичность доставляют. Мрачно и стремно, в лучших традициях Т. Дождь настойчиво выбивает дробь по крыше, а где-то неподалеку в неприметном доме для престарелых разворачивается настоящая драма с вмешательством инопланетных сил. Сюжетно история следует за первой книгой с Джеком в главной роли, оборвавшейся на «самом интересном» (потрясании кулачками в воздухе и обещаниях докопаться до истины). Я сейчас нахожусь в процессе пересмотра X-Files, и мне остается только надеяться, что Джек раскроет эту многоходовочку чуть меньше, чем за 10 сезонов х) Собственно, последнего тут не слишком много, Гвен и Рис на первых ролях и.. чудесны как всегда :)

Иногда я случайно попадаю в струю прослушиваемых книг, и Forgotten Lives пришлась как раз к месту и ко времени. Непроницаемая темнота, ограниченное пространство, завывающая стихия за окном, бессонница и тревожное состояние сыграли не последнюю роль в восприятии книги, где каждый перестук дождя отзывался особенно громко, а каждый шепот звучал как гром среди ясного неба. Прекрасная атмосферная плюшка. Way to go, Big Finish)

annikeh.net

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was just weird and kind of hard to follow.

[Morandia · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh. I love seeing Gwen and Rhys again, but the story just didn't grab me.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's got Gwen and Reece so of course it's my favorite so far of the Torchwood plays.

[Caitlin May · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review may come across as slightly biased as I have never been the biggest fan of Gwen, through seasons 1-3 I found her slightly unbearable at times especially with her affair with Owen and treatment of Rhys, (can't also forget about whatever it was her and Jack did or didn't have going on) but then again, I have always been pro-Janto. However, I believe her character really picked up in season 4 'miracle day' when she finally set her priorities straight, and showed just how much she was willing to do and go through for her family. Forgotten Lives was a very Gwen-centric piece of media, other characters including Rhys Williams (husband) and Jack Harkness (although in a different body so not voiced by Barrowman) who made an appearance throughout most of the story. The story was pretty easy to follow and a solid piece of cannon media, although at times I felt myself zoning out and becoming pretty bored, the ending was very hard for me to understand and I found myself having to replay it multiple times. Like what happened to Jack, did he stay an old man or? The thing I did however love about this story is how Gwen's character is written so perfectly, being this story is set after miracle day, and Gwen putting her daughter and husband above her job really made me become more fond of her character. From the beginning it's said how Jack spoke of Ianto in the nursing home, which to me made me sad as a story set after COE Ianto would of passed, so Jack still remembering Ianto is beautiful and the fact he tells stories of him shows how much Ianto really meant to Harkness as he wasn't just another 'partner'. He was special. I do know this story is written post miracle, however it would of made the adventure a lot more entertaining if we saw some more of the OG Torchwood team in action. As a final point to sum up my review, I believe at the end Rhys appeared to be extremely out of character, because in what universe would RHYS be the one suggesting that he and Gwen going back to Torchwood? For me Rhys has always read off as a pretty ANTI-torchwood guy, so for him to suggest them going back, when they have a daughter now as well? I could never see Rhys thinking it let alone saying it. This adventure didlink back to the committee but other then that it felt more Meh to me.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time we move the focus to Gwen and Rhys, in a story set some time after the events of Miracle Day, but nonetheless still tied in to the loose plot arc of the first two releases. It maintains the full audio style of Fall to Earth, rather than the narration of The Conspiracy, something that will hopefully continue.

Despite the absence of most of the original cast (for obvious reasons, given when it's set) this feels very much like a Torchwood episode. In part, this is because it plays up the Welsh setting, in the description of the landscape and the use of Cymraeg. But there's also at least one genuinely chilling moment, and the fact that we're dealing with a real-world subject that other shows in the Whoniverse would normally avoid.

Specifically, it concerns events at a home for patients with dementia who may, or may not, be the victims of something sinister. It's an emotive, and potentially touchy, subject, but handled with compassion here, making the story about more than just action and alien technology. There's plenty of mystery about what's going on, and how it relates to Jack in particular and, of course, there are also some clear sci-fi elements in the plot to complement the emotional darkness.

So far, this is turning out to be a strong series.

[Nicolas Lontel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bon épisode qui tourne autour d'une intrigue de commutation des corps et des enjeux familiaux très proche de Gwen et Rhys. Les deux forment une superbe pair à l'audio, je ne commente jamais vraiment les entrevues extras à la fin, mais ici, ils valent définitivement le détour et on sent vraiment la complicité entre les acteurs Eve Myles et Kai Owen ; aussi Myles est hilarante d'un bout à l'autre.

Sans être un épisode nécessairement révolutionnaire au niveau narratif, Emma Reeve évoque très bien l'essence de Torchwood (alors que Torchwood a disparu, l'épisode se situant après la dernière série télévisée), nous prépare un excellent drame, parsème un peu d'horreur très léger ça et là et construit une belle atmosphère d'un bout à l'autre. L'idée d'aller en région du pays de Galles dans un hospice est définitivement intéressant et s'intègre bien à l'univers. Le jeu d'acteur est on point considérant le nombre de rôles qui doivent être interprétés. Définitivement un audio dans les très bonnes écoutes de Big Finish, j'ajoute de ce pas Torchwood: Outbreak à ma liste d'écoute future pour en écouter davantage d'Emma Reeves.

[Seb Hasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story reintroduces Gwen and Rhys into the post-Miracle Day world in a really good way. They are forced back into fighting aliens for the same reason as usual, captain Jack. The way that Jack is included in this story was amazingly creative, and I enjoyed it more than if John Barrowman had just been there himself. The body swapping elements make for some light horror, and there is plenty of comedic relief thanks to Rhys.

The story balances its narrative and tone really well, I just think that after the initial plot developments the story does descend into a series of monologues. This does provide more development to the ongoing ‘Committee’ mystery, so it is engaging in that way, but overall is just some people talking for extended periods to no consequence. I really liked Gwen and Rhys in this story, written in a really likeable way; not only for the comedy, but because they show their natural character strengths through the different parts of the plot.

There is no real antagonist, which does make the story quite odd as there is no big bad to defeat. There is more of a comedy ending to the story, when the resolution to the story was always obviously Jack getting his body back. Personally I didn’t find the predictable resolution a detracting factor, I just really found that the story relies on its characters. By the end I was really looking forward to more of Gwen and Rhys, so I guess the story achieved what it set out to do.

[Daniel Author · Rating 4 out of 5]

After recieving a mysterious phone call, Gwen and her husband Rhys go to an old elderly home to find an old man who claims to be their friend Captain Jack Harkness! Not everything is as it seems in the elderly home and Gwen will find out what it is and stop it.

This was a really fun story with mind swapping, the return of Jack (sort of) and of course the brilliant chemistry between Gwen and Rhys performed fantastically by Eve Myles and Kai Owen. I wasn't really sure how this story would turn out but as soon as I started listening to it, I knew this was going to be something good. A very enjoyable story. 8/10

[Yvonne Alf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is set a couple of years after Miracle Day, but still pics up the story arc of The Conspiracy and Fall to Earth and I thought that was very interesting! I think this one feels the most Torchwood so far. And it's so much fun to just listen to Gwen and Rhys - what a ride! There is a lot of going on and I really had to concentrate on the story to not loose track of what's going on. I gave it only 4 stars because the story got REALLY crazy by the end, but did enjoy it a lot anyway. Some people really need to reconsider they take on 'gifts'. Seriously.

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable one this one. Captures the darkness of Torchwood well, while at the same time not being too dark. Shows how callous Jack can be at times, when he is making decisions he believe is for the greater good. Story was an interesting one, where it wasn't clear to begin with what was going on, but when unveiled it all held together well.

[Shaun Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably closer to a 3.5-star rating, this was a fun return to Torchwood in a time we haven't had much exploration of (Post Miracle Day) and the return of Captain Jack (sort of) makes things interesting for Reece and Gwen. The chemistry between these two is totally the reason to listen.

For our full thoughts visit https://travelingthevortex.com/?p=8981

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Years after the events of Miracle Day, Gwen and husband Rhys are summoned to an old folks home by an elderly man claiming to be Jack Harkness. Loved listening to Eve Myles talk about how much she loves playing the character. Amazing to think that of the last 20 Big Finish audios I've listened to, this is the only one by a female writer.

[Laurel Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars Finished this drama before lunch and it was a very entertaining. Had a good plot. I was never really fan of Gwen in the tv show but I found that I didn’t mind her all that much here. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I know everything’s so far been connected by aliens called the committee. Not sure how the next audio will go but looking forward to it.

[Emilija · Rating 3 out of 5]

2026 52 Book Challenge Side Quest: High Seas - Level One: Starfish - 6) A Stormy Scene

This was a pretty dark Torchwood story, but it was still a, mostly, enjoyable listen. I thought Gwen and Rhys were characterized well, even though I'm not a great fan of either of them. The resolution of the story was a little bit of a mess, and I'm still a little confused.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

What this does well is that it establishes where it takes place in relation to the TV show. (It's after everything.) Nice to check in on Gwen and Rhys again, but I didn't think this was as strong as either of the previous two audios.

[Zuzka Jakúbková · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot how much I love the way Eve Myles pronounces "Jack" :) Gwen and Rhys start their own private investigation into alien body-swapping in a caretaker house for pensioners.

[jules0623 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always love the chemistry the actors bring to Gwen and Rhys.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[The Post Monument · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

[Clara Therrien-Gros-Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really fun to "see" Gwen and Rhys again!

[Marcel Driel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great idea but a very flawed execution.

[Xander Toner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Current Ranking of the Torchwood Main Range
1. The Conspiracy
2. Fall to Earth
3. Forgotten Lives

[Taksya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terzo episodio della serie Torchwood made in Big Finish. Dopo il presunto presente con Jack e il passato con Ianto, questa terza storia vede Eve "Gwen Cooper" Myles e Kai "Rhys Williams" Owen nel futuro, esattamente quattro anni dopo la fine della quarta stagione televisiva.
Temevo un po' l'episodio, non amando Gwen, invece l'interpretazione sua e del marito si sono rivelate efficaci e la storia, un filo contorta all'inizio, ha trovato una soluzione logica e offerto il collegamento che potrebbe essere il fil rouge di questa prima stagione.

Buona storia e ottimi interpreti, la produzione Big Finish si sta mantenendo, come sempre, su ottimi livelli.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy the first two Torchwood audios so decided to get this one too and wasn't disappointed. It was an interesting case of body swapping aliens. Rhys was particularly good and it was great to see how him and Gwen had developed and changed through the story. After the disappointment of Miracle Day it was nice to have these two moved on and back saving the world again.

[Lamadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. A big improvement over the previous two. Even though it takes place after everything else (and therefore all dead characters are still dead), it still seemed to hold that mix of humor, drama, and absurdity that I liked about the show. There's even a Jack that's not Jack but is Jack.

[Eri · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nice to be reminded that Gwen and Rhys can have a nice story.
Some of the noises were... unpleasant, so, maybe have your headphones on so you don't scare your neighbours. But I laughed. A lot.