Description
The Yalnix Empire is a fragile alliance of a dozen systems, under constant attack from their ancient enemy, the Vad. With the Empress unable to trust any of her court she gives the job of growing the next Ruler of the Yalnix to an old friend – Captain Jack Harkness.
With hunters on the loose and a battlefleet in orbit, Cardiff’s suddenly became a dangerous place for a man to be pregnant.
Estelle –
I’m not sure how I feel about this audio drama. I think the best way I’d describe it is uneven. Not only are some parts very gripping when others fall flat but some elements worked better for me than others.
I love the premise of the story (the why this is happening is very good character work). I love both Jonty and Aaron Anthony’s performance as Jonty. All things Ianto are amazing. I loved the remembering of one past character.
However, I kept expecting another character to be given the same honour but it didn’t come (why?). And Jack was a bit over-the-top to me. Granted, this is the 9-month whirlwind of pregnancy hormones squished into very little time but still, I cringed a few times. Maybe this is just second-hand embarrassment on my part (I get it very easily) and not really an issue with writing/directing/acting but it was a bit too much for me.
Still, I had a good time listening to it and the good parts really made up for the less-good ones.
Louise –
Lots of gross body noises. Also some whale sounds. Mixed bag on the sound effects, really.
But it’s interesting and engaging! Maybe a few moments of second-hand embarrassment, but otherwise fun!
Morgan –
Expectant was interesting. Maybe I had my hopes too high but it was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t bad but it’s probably the one that I re-listen to the least.
I liked Jonty a lot! I guess I haven’t spent any time around someone who is pregnant but Jack’s behavior and mood swings were really intense which contributes to why I don’t re-listen to this one as much. Ianto had some fun and cool moments though!
Anonymous –
Going to be honest, this is one of my least favourite BF audio dramas. The plot was everywhere and much of the humour didn’t land for me, probably because so much of it was overly broad and based in sexist stereotypes (specifically the depiction of hormonal Jack) and fat shaming. There were a few nice emotional beats and Ianto is well written (though be warned there’s not a lot of him), but overall I would consider this a weak episode.
Dina –
The three stars are earned by three things:
1) Ianto – not a central character, but if you’ve ever wondered how Torchwood coped after Exit Wounds, he delivers really well
2) mentions of Tosh and Owen – SCRAPS, but I think pretty well done
3) Jonty – the alien character of the week, very likable!
…And that’s all. It had a lot of potential, but it was cringe-worthy and uneven, with incredibly off-putting sounds. And that’s saying something.
That said, I have no regrets! If nothing else, this is good food for thought for further character development, but as a stand-alone? Meh.
Esmeralda –
I know this audio is controversial, but I think it’s fun. I actually enjoy Jack being so over the top. This is a man doing something he dislikes so much he had promised not to do it again. And on top of that, his hormones are going crazy and he is emotionally unstable because of grieving. So I think it’s fitting that he behaves as he does. Ianto is in the audio briefly, and I love his attitude on this. There are some heartwarming words exchanged between Ianto and Jack, but the sentiment can get lost because of the general pace of the story. I love Jonty. He is very patient and badass. It has some gross sounds that can put off some people.
Xandra73 –
I have a really hard time to form an opinion about Expectant. On one side it is so over the top that it annoys me to no end. But when the reasons and the underlying pain become clear, it just breaks my heart. I wish we could have an episode with a different setting, but obviously Jack needs a hormonal meltdown to actually talk about his feelings. I fear that is all we can get. At first I wasn’t sure what to think about how Ianto reacted Jack doing this… but after thinking about it for a while I get it.
Alicia J –
I have very mixed feelings. I love the handling of the angst with this taking place in the aftermath of Tosh and Owen’s deaths, but the handling of the pregnancy and the hormonal reactions was not done well. It was too over the top to really resonate with me, but I love Ianto’s role in this. The janto dynamic was nice to hear.