TW, season 2 & some other observations

[rm]

Fragments.

The flashback episode is usually a fail for most shows, and it comes pretty late in terms of filling in gaps we had gotten used to living with. It also makes sorting out some things earlier in the timeline even more difficult, which is at least moderately annoying (I will omit a discussion of Jack's WWII timeline and why it makes no sense until I get to my re-watch of Season 1).

So, first up is Jack. I can't decide if Victorian clothing doesn't suit him or if the writing/direction/acting here is just poor. Regardless, he doesn't feel grounded in the time to me, but maybe it's just Jack being in the wrong coat. I dunno.

That said, Torchwood lesbians! And the execution of the blowfish is pretty tantalizing in terms of the way Torchwood behaves (I've seen some nice stuff in fics lately on the historical brutality of the org). Certainly, Jack's segment picks up as time starts moving forward.

Alex. Alex fascinates me. I know I just used him in A Holiday of Bright Mornings. For a guy who is on screen for a minute and a half, I thought he had really interesting (and not particularly sexual) chemistry with Jack. I feel like from what we see, up until Alex's murder suicide, Jack was still trying to be a kid in a lot of ways -- no responsibility, living as if he were the age he looks (or younger) etc. And after Alex, who just reads for as something as a mentor to him in terms of how to make do (or not) when you are inadequate to a situation, I think Jack knows he has to grow up and step up and stop being a bit of the lovesick puppy over the Doctor (and Rose). This was great.

So what's in the pocket watch that isn't a watch?

Tosh. I wasn't overwhelmed with this sequence when I watched it, but in light of the season finale, I felt like it provided a really great grounding for Jack and Tosh's relationship and made his reaction to events there a lot more poignant for me. And all the prison stuff was terrifying.

Ianto. Well, that was a surprise for a lot of us. Certainly, I think it removes any plausibility to the idea that Jack and Ianto weren't fucking before Lisa's death. I think the chemistry is huge and instant, I think the fondness on Jack's part is there from the pterodactyl moment, and I think Ianto knows what he has to do. I also think the human contact was probably a real salvation to him in the last weeks/months of Lisa's life, as guilty and tortured as he probably felt. Again (really, in each of these segments), we see a character having had to grow up. And with Ianto we see it with the whole dislocated shoulder thing. Yup. Good. Onwards. Loved it.

Owen. I had trouble with this the first time. Owen is such an asshole and so reptilian looking and it was hard for me to believe in the relationship. But on a re-watch after seeing Exit Wounds, I did feel like I totally believed it and was glad to have it. I also finally understand the chemistry people claim they see between Jack and Owen. Just like Ianto is a lot like Jack but still learning to use his personal power, Owen is a lot like Jack, but still learning how not to be a shithead in his utter defensiveness. I get them as a colleagues and friends (and with some possible past dalliance that's been neatly compartmentalized) now. With the events of Exit Wounds, we really needed this to work, and thankfully, it does, although maybe only the second time through, I'm not sure.

So did Jack purposefully recruit Tosh and Owen because their lives were already forfeit and he'd have less guilt when they went the way of all Torchwood employees? Or was he trying to save them? And is that why he's so attached (I really think he is, I just think it's complicated) to Ianto? Because he's the guy he saved by accident? And his thing for Gwen is about thinking he doesn't have to save her (at least in terms of her being engaged in living)?




Meanwhile....

This discussion of 51st century values is also interesting, somewhat irritating meanderings into the subject of whether Jack is polyamorous aside.

Also?

Dear Torchwood Fandom,

Punctuation.

With fond hopes,

rm

Comments

Whether Jack is polyamorous

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

I suspect that he is serially monogamous. Maybe simply because that would be the most tragic.

Re: Whether Jack is polyamorous

[rm.livejournal.com]

My current take is that he focuses on a single relationship at a time, but that it may involve more than one other party at a time (i.e., his thing with Rose and the Doctor). And I don't think it's a values thing, but a way Jack's brain works thing -- his attention span is weird.

Re: Whether Jack is polyamorous

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Characters written by more than one (canonical) writer at a time tend to have very weird attention spans.
I think you may be right, a single romantic situation at a time,not necessarily singular.
That allows me to keep the Rose/Nine flame alive,while keeping
the Cosmically Tragic.

Re: Whether Jack is polyamorous

[rm.livejournal.com]

Well, I think Jack is also written to be a bit of a magpie. Bright shiny objects are fascinating, but one will tend to distract him from another. (The fact that Nine also gets alled a magpie at one point in the series is pretty funny to me too).

Loyalty vs Bright and Shiny.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

The Doctor(s) are the ultimate Bright Shiny.
But Earth(s),'those humans',and the peoples they will/do/have commingled,with seem to be that object for the Doctor(s).
*salutes the magpie is the manner prescribed by custom*

Is there coffee yet?

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

*in the manner prescribed by custom

Re: Is there coffee yet?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Amusingly (such as it is), I'm allergic to coffee. Well, not allergic, but it is Bad for Me Medically and I'm not supposed to have it, and having had it and seen why I shouldn't, I don't.

Re: Is there coffee yet?

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Tea,too?

Re: Is there coffee yet?

[rm.livejournal.com]

Black tea, yeah.

I can have chocolate. So I'm not sure what the culprit is (I say it's caffeine, but I'm not sure that that's it), but a few sips and among other things I start shaking and can't stop for hours.

Re: Is there coffee yet?

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

The caffeine in chocolate is chemically different from the caffeine in coffee and in tea,which are chemically different from each other,so it might just be the caffeine. Or not.;(

[tommx.livejournal.com]

Re: Jack and relationships:

I think Jack is definitely polyamorous by nature if not by actual practice with Ianto. It is simply a natural part of his nature and probably a social norm in the 51st century. I find it interesting that he has a mother and a father in the 51st century who appear to live in a normal family unit, but I would guess that the family unit is probably part of a larger community in which Jack's parents probably had other relationships established. Hmmmm...I should expand on that one.

My reaction to Jack in Victoria clothing is similar to my reaction to Angel in Victorian clothing. OK for background but don't spend too much time back there. The Torchwood lesbians were a fun lot, especially since they seemed to recognize Jack's enormous BDSM potential. (Though I imagine he probably has forgotten more about BDSM than they will ever know)

Alex: I didn't get the impression that he was a lover of Jacks but he did seem to be something of a mentor. Or simply a comrade at arms. No thoughts on the watch, but I'd guess it could have something to do with whatever is "moving in the dark" that keeps getting referenced.

Tosh: What I found interesting about this was how UNIT was portrayed. In the original Dr. Who, UNIT was very much a shoot first and ask questions later type of organization, but they were not portrayed to be big on torture or imprisonment without trial. Makes me wonder if they plan to explore this in Dr. Who later on.

Ianto: My affection for him grew with every episode this season. This one was no exception. In fact, it grew enormously with this one.

Owen: I was a tad disappointed with his backstory because I had always been of the opinion that his presence in Torchwood was the result of him doing something horribly wrong as a doctor (being addicted to pills, botching a surgery, committing euthanasia, etc.) However, the good thing about his backstory is it shows his obsessive streak and his unwillingness to accept the inevitable.

Another thing her here: I think Jack brought in people who had already faced some sort of major adversity. The idea here is probably that someone working at Torchwood needs to be a bit scarred already to be able to handle what it throws at them. The exception to this rule is Gwen which is perhaps part of the reason Jack is so protective of her. It could also be argued that with the exception of Gwen, everyone is a bit of an outsider...even an outcast from regular society. That detachment may help them to cope with what they face. Just musing.

[rm.livejournal.com]

On the polyamory issue: I also have to suspect that Jack's way of doing relationships (when they are actually relationships) has changed with his immortality and spending so much time on earth in relatively repressed times. I think once he's emotionally invested in someone he's probably less inclined towards other relationships because of the very different expiration date factor. I'm not saying he's any good at this, I'm just saying I can see it messing with his relationship/sex world-view a bit and I don't think he's resolved it yet (my only possible explanation for his general incompetence when it comes to Gwen and to a lesser degree, Ianto).

On Alex: We totally agree. I really love Alex. I have no idea why, considering the brief screen time, but that scene really made an impression on me and not just because of the suicide. Alex is my fic project of the week.

BDSM: Wow, the degree to which fandom tries to go there and fails is sort of devastating. One more thing on the list of stuff I should write just because of everyone else's raw incompetence.

UNIT: Yeah, I think we'll see more and more plotline there.