Danny Welch's Reviews > Torchwood: Suckers

Before we begin this review, I just want to say a few years ago I was sectioned under the mental health act due to how bad my depression was getting, but thankfully I left a few months later and returned home. So when Big Finish announced this story, I was intrigued but cautious at the same time considering this could either be really good or really offensive depending on execution.

Shireen has been moved to another psychiatric unit in Brecon. But she has a roommate by the name of Toshiko and she believes the hospital is infested by aliens. To get out alive Shireen might have to start believing in beings from beyond the stars that threaten the fragile minds of the patients.

Alexander Stewart's first script for Big Finish is by far one of the most challenging and difficult stories to put together, but he's managed to do it in a way that's very knowledgeable and not insensitive which as an ex-patient I really appreciated. It's a dark, brutal horror story that does tackle how patients can be mishandled in vulnerable places just because of their race or sheer mind. To me, this was surprisingly realistic because the patients are gaslighted in this story and unfortunately (not my own experience personally) this is something that can actually happen if a hospital is run by a corrupt boss. It also deals with racism, prejudices, and hatred all in the horrific disguise of being 'helped'.

It's a brutal but excellently well-handled story that does end with a shocking ending that opens up the idea of a possible sequel.

Overall: It's a brilliant horror story with the amazing Toshiko where Naoko Mori really truly manages to bring an amazing performance to this incredibly mature tale. If you find matters to do with mental health and the unfairness in psychiatric hospitals to be very triggering, however, it's probably best to stay away. 10/10