Torchwood: Children of Earth, Day 4

[rm]

Ianto Jones was a brave little toaster.

*sniff*

But seriously guys, that was exquisite. EXQUISITE. And I have to say sorry in advance, because my ability to post both cogently and non-personally about this is pretty much nil.

Eventually, this was going to have to happen. We all knew that and most of us hoped it wouldn't happen until a theoretical season 4. But knowing it would have to happen, I always had certain criteria for it in my head: I wanted it to be a moment, I wanted it to echo the themes of the show and I wanted it to be true to the characters. I wanted it to be a fine thing and very, very mono no aware ("the beauty of sadness"),

It delivered on all of those things in spades, and I am so so so glad. Ianto Jones was never going to have a long life, but I wanted him to have a complete one. I feel like he went out knowing he was loved (regardless of Jack's inability to say it, which annoyed me for a second, and then I was like WHATEVER) and trusting those around him even if he had never quite learned to trust himself. If I had had to kill him in that format at that point in the story, this was exactly what I would have done as a writer.

And as someone who did 200,000 words leading up to a Ianto death? Man, I almost broke in half when Jack said "don't go." Two lousy words, but to hear it outloud was pretty crazy.

Anyway, let's talk about something other than the death scene for a moment, because it was all great: the 1965 stuff ("we need someone who doesn't care"); Jack blurting about his family (all the Jack/Ianto relationship development in this was just made of love for me and felt very true and like a full life); Lois standing up; the long epic montage of trapped dying people to music (something I'm sort of a sucker for -- I know the bleakness of the show is getting to people on top of Ianto's death, but it's actually the anchor that's allowing me to cope right now); the discussion of children as units, and again, finally, the use of silence.

Look, on a personal note, I just gotta say, it's (as I suspected) a billion times worse when the love interest of the character you identify with bites it than when the character you identify with bites it. The Snape thing was nothing compared to the fetal in a ball on my bed crying after this. Jesus. And you can laugh at me all you want, but if my partner, who is not a Torchwood fan, is chill with that, y'all need to just be nice about it, okay?

So hey, some other things:

- wiggle room -- I don't think Ianto is going to be brought back to life in Day 5 (it's a possible for a possible S4, I'd argue), but I also don't think he's going to be buried. There are still avenues to go with writing him post this event -- many, and that's great; I am still totally engaged in this fandom.

- We still don't really know what the 456 want with these kids. What if these are the same horrible creatures that destroyed Boeshane Penninsula, just 3,000 years earlier? How great an idea is that?

- Keeping this secret was clearly a really big pain in the ass and probably emotionally hard on the people who had to contractually keep this a secret. I don't have the time or energy to write a big angry post about this, but laying into James Moran about it (which has happened today) is uncool; so's laying into GDL (which I haven't seen yet, but suspect I will) and so's laying into Barrowman (of which I've seen scads). These people didn't say us fans would love the show to jerk us around and be cruel, they said it beccause the show is exquisite and romantic and happens to include this awful death which works for some people into Jack/Ianto and feels like a betrayal to others. Be angry, be a critic, but please don't ascribe nefarious motives to folks that Make Nice Stuff. I find it kinda heartbreaking (and my heart is already broken enough right now, thanks), and I bet they don't enjoy it much either.

- Euros Lyn is the most amazing director ever. How the hell is he getting these performances out of people? I can't mention my respect for him enough here.

Anyway, it was lovely, guys. And now I want to tell you a story:

When the sixth Hary Potter book (which contains a particularly crazy Snape cliffhanger situation) came out, I was just starting rehearsals of a play with a girl who I'd been in a show with several years before when book 4 had come out. We hadn't kept in touch particularly, but we had talked about Snape constantly back during that earlier show. On the first day of rehearsal, which was a day or two after the book 6 release, she buzzed to get into our space and I went to fetch her. when I opened the door, before she even said hello to me, she grabbed me and hugged me and asked "are you okay?"

I didn't need her to do that, but I will never forget it, because it's one of the kindest things anyone has ever done in reponse to the way I live with the power of story.

So just, you know, be nice to each other today, okay?

P.S., I'm sort of toying with, when I go to get some much needed touch-up work done on one of my old tattoos, getting a new one, that just says "be grand" in script. We'll see.

Comments

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

I love what you had to say, but I'm still mysteriously devastated, and I think it's because I'm afraid that my fandom friends will go away more than anything, and I feel like I just got here, you know? I can write denial fic until the cows come home, but still. I'll miss all of you.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I'm not going ANYWHERE.

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

- wiggle room -- I don't think Ianto is going to be brought back to life in Day 5 (it's a possible for a possible S4, I'd argue), but I also don't think he's going to be buried. There are still avenues to go with writing him post this event -- many, and that's great; I am still totally engaged in this fandom.

Yes. And I'm so glad to hear that!

And really, with you on all of this. ESPECIALLY re: the fans' mistreatment of James Moran who did not even write this episode and is kind enough to chat with fans online and have a blog/be open and friendly.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't get yelling at someone because of fic. James has to be feeling like shit and he didn't even have anything to DO with this ep. He gave is the return of the coat! Hoe can you hate someone like that? And even if RTD was online, I still wouldn't yell at him on Twitter.

[bare-bear.livejournal.com]

I'm absolutely, absolutely devistated about this. I haven't really stopped tearing up since I finished watching the show almost 3 hours ago. I sort of feel betrayed about this. But at the same time it was really well done and if it had to happen, I'm glad it happened like that. And I really don't understand the people who are going on about how this has completely ruined Torchwood for them. To me, I'm amazed and almost impressed that they were willing to do that, knowing how people would react. I can't believe people are laying into those involved. I can't imagine how they felt keeping this a secret, and really, this has been the best 4 episodes of the entire show. It was well written, well directed, and well acted, and I may be a blubbering fool for the next few days, that's not going to stop me from watching this show over and over again, as well as stick around for the next season, if it happens.

/rant.

Sorry. *sheepish* And yes, obviously I agree to everything you said here. :) I kept refreshing my flist to see your post on this!

[rm.livejournal.com]

I needed a long timebefore I could write about it, and none of this, even the personal stuff, really touches on what's going on inside my head right now, but for all I have words for everything, the intersection of life and story is the one thing that often leaves me speechless. So there you go. I expect to be crying on and off for days.

[shipchan.livejournal.com]

I've thought a lot about getting 'So watch and learn, Jamie Burton' somewhere. I miss Owen.

[demotu.livejournal.com]

I am completely ambivalent, oddly. It fit the narrative, except it was weird it was in ep 4 and not 5, and Gwen's final sentence made me go, "buah?" but I saw it coming plot and character-development wise.

So it sort of fits, and sort of doesn't. I think I'm holding out on a real reaction until it's all over and I can be sure. But then, unlike you, I am completely disconnected from fandom at this point. (Except I had to read at least a couple other reaction posts!)

[lorem_ipsum]

...I think maybe Ianto had to die in episode 4 because most of us, no matter how angry/traumatized/whatever, are not going to be able to stop ourselves from watching episode 5.

Episode 5 is where they prove to us broken-hearted Ianto fans that the show still works without him.

[alba17.livejournal.com]

It's nice to hear some praise for the episode while I'm mired in my grief. I was so preoccupied with preparing myself for Ianto's death when I watched it, I barely paid attention. I'm not sure I can watch it again either. I don't think he's coming back tomorrow. That's it. I'll grudgingly watch tomorrow, but I'm really pissed off and thoroughly disenchanted.

I feel bad about about people attacking James Moran too. That doesn't even make sense. Even if he wrote the ep, which he didn't, surely RTD makes these major decisions. And I AM mad at him. *goes off to find more tissues*

[mellacita.livejournal.com]

Keeping this secret was clearly a really big pain in the ass and probably emotionally hard on the people who had to contractually keep this a secret. I don't have the time or energy to write a big angry post about this, but laying into James Moran about it (which has happened today) is uncool; so's laying into GDL (which I haven't seen yet, but suspect I will) and so's laying into Barrowman (of which I've seen scads). These people didn't say us fans would love the show to jerk us around and be cruel, they said it beccause the show is exquisite and romantic and happens to include this awful death which works for some people into Jack/Ianto and feels like a betrayal to others. Be angry, but a critic, but please don't ascribe nefarious motives to folks that Make Nice Stuff. I find it kinda heartbreaking (and my heart is already broken enough right now, thanks), and I bet they don't enjoy it much either.

THIS. So much this.

I'm not to the point of calling it exquisite yet, but in taking a step back in my own reaction post, I can see the bigger picture. Children of Earth has been incredible in so many ways. I'm heartbroken, but also...I can't explain it. So much great work there.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything. Exactly. Everything.

[timelady.livejournal.com]

One more day left... And I'm absolutely dying to see what they'll do. Though Ianto's death is just emotionally draining, there's still the larger picture of gathering up that many children from each country, since they apparently will have to since there seems to be no way to deal with the situation aside from hoping beyond hope that the Doctor suddenly shows up with a rescue party from a conglomeration of assorted planets. The sad part is that at least with Ianto dead he won't have to see his sister's kids get rounded up and shipped off to the aliens since I could probably guarantee you that they were in that bottom 10% of schools (though the preview made it look like Frobisher's kids were getting rounded up, so that bottom 10% must have been rather large or that the people in charge heaven forbid decided they should be an example to the rest of the world and decided to sacrifice their own kids).

hmm.... yeah, my speculation was right that they were setting up Lois to take over for Ianto. That had to be rather irking to see your replacement guesting in the episodes before the final exit (though I still wouldn't be surprised if they kill her in the last episode). What I was surprised on was that they wrote him out in Day 4. I was betting for him to be an impacting death near the end of Day 5 (since there is that one track called Sacrifice and Salvation -though at this rate the Sacrifice might end up being the kids)

Personally I don't want to think of Ianto being interred at the Hub (though granted, there's no Hub to be interred in any more anyway). We've seen characters brought back to life in the past, so it's definitely not out of the realm of possibility.

and I'm just glad the Prime Minister actually has to finally take some responsibility for the situation. The plausable deniability was a crock how he was just using it to wash his hands of the affair while still retaining control of the country. If he had wanted to competely wash his hands of it, he should have just promoted Frobisher to Prime Minister and taken an early retirement (granted, I know he couldn't have done that since it's an elected office).

As for the kids...well, looks like my idea of them getting eaten like caviar was wrong. It makes them look like they become part of a joined species. Beyond that, I'm scratching my head. I mean, if the one in the middle is a human kid, just what are the two on the other sides? Could they have been young from planets that had this happen to them, too? And the controlling intelligence is a parasite that takes them over and melds them together? Working by that logic, Torchwood could find a way to eject/kill the controlling intelligence and free the enslaved beings. And that would also answer that maybe those other planets found a way to do the same thing and that's why they need so many humans since they can't prey on the other planets any more. On the other hand, maybe the trip to and from their planet had taken the 40 years and the first group was just a trial bunch to see if they were compatible.

he should have just promoted Frobisher to Prime Minister and taken an early retirement

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Actually, that's exactly how it works.
In a Westminsterian Parliamentary Democracy, the Prime Minister is not an elected office, as such. The PM is the person who can command the allegiance of the largest number of elected members to the House of Commons, which is usually the National Leader of the party with the most seats. It's not at all unusual for a sitting PM to pass the torch while in office, and passing it to an interim leader would not be that unprecedented.

[wemblee.livejournal.com]

WTF, fandom? LEAVE BRITNEY JAMES MORAN ALONE. Also, this post is awesome and so are you. :)

[jkpolk.livejournal.com]

I honestly never thought Torchwood could be this good. It's usually my "well, if I can't have DW..." tide-over. And I've always done a lot of eyerolling at some of the acting, particularly when Barrowman isn't reined in.

But I have been loving this so much. Edge of my seat, no eyerolling to be had. It reminds me of how I felt when I first saw the Battlestar Galactica miniseries back when they rebooted the franchise. That "holy crap, they make TV like this?" feeling. Which I never ever thought TW could give me.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Absent friends.

And you can laugh at me all you want

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Never.

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this post of sanity. It's nice to know I'm not a weirdo for getting this emotional over someone who doesn't, properly speaking, exist. My mom was just like "bzuh?"

I thought it was a great episode - not that I'll ever watch it all the way through again, because it was UPSETTING, and not because of Ianto. That destroyed me, of course, but it was more of a retrospective emotion, realizing that he's now gone - the actual scene, I quite loved. But Jesus Christ the OTHER stuff, the conference where they talk about how to select the 10%, all those people dying in Thames House - this is that adult spin on the Whoniverse that Torchwood was originally supposed to be. Tomorrow will probably be even heavier.

I'm devastated about Ianto, but I'm not angry, because narratively it had to happen. Jack's central drama is that he loses everyone he loves - this was always how their story was going to end. And since RTD didn't know if he was going to get another season, he had to do it now. I accept that. I just... well... *cries*

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

Oh, and that is seriously bullshit, people getting pissed off at the actors, for God's sake. Yeah, I'm sure GDL loved having to lie through his teeth at conventions and interviews for the better part of a year. It's not up to them. (And actually, I'm sort of impressed by GDL's poker face. Well done indeed, sheesh.) People, write your letters to the BBC but leave JB and Gareth and Moran alone, FFS.

And I won't be laughing at you. I'm grateful to have some company in this.

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm sorry but - much as I understand the arc of the story and etc, the emphasis on a relationship or situation you are going to destroy and the encoragement to emotionally engage with it was cruel and the fact that it was intentional particularly so.

I'm well aware that no one is out to get anyone, and that the story itself is very well done. But how pretty it was doesn't make it okay, IMO.

[rm.livejournal.com]

You've also been civil and rational. Some of the other stuff directed at James and others has been downright scary.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

This may be a little too soon, fro any of us, myself included(haven't even seen it yet *gulp*,)but the actor's not dead, and it is a [plural of series] about time travel.

I just wanted a fitting death for someone who was smart, and brave, and loved. I gather from people's reactions that we have/are/will got/are getting/will get that.

And I'll cry when I feel like it.

[rm.livejournal.com]

It was pretty much everythign we could have asked for.

I'm sort of toying... "be grand" in script.

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

I sort of love you right now.

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

nothing compared to the fetal in a ball on my bed crying after this. Jesus. And you can laugh at me all you want, but if my partner, who is not a Torchwood fan, is chill with that, y'all need to just be nice about it, okay?

I believe that is one of the sweetest things I have ever heard. Seriously. I'm too tired and drained (after writing a big sleepy rambly post of my own) to say anything else other than my god, my god, my god, no. :'(

[takenatwork.livejournal.com]

Sorry I wish I had your generosity of spirit, but I haven't. It's not that Ianto has died (although I haven't stopped crying yet), but that it didn't add anything to what has been an excellent series. For me, its distracted me from the wonderful build-up, the allowing of the other characters to properly develop, the tension, the motives of the aliens, everything gone, because all I can think about is Ianto's death. And that a is criminal piece of writing. But you're right, abuse at the actors and the other writers is wrong. It's just a shame series 3 is only going to be remembered for Ianto's death, when it should be remembered as a massive step-up for Torchwood. Please forgive me for this post and delete it if you want, but I admire your reviews and writing, and wanted to be honest.

[bare-bear.livejournal.com]

But it kind of does, in a way, doesn't it. By killing Ianto, and all the other people in that building, the 456 are showing just how cruel and serious they are. That they are capable and willing to go through with their threat to wipe mankind off the face of the planet if they don't carry through with their plan. If they just killed everyone in the building without a character that we know and love also dying (who wasn't going to come back), it wouldn't strike us as much, wouldn't touch us as much. I mean, did anyone shed a tear for the dozens of other people who died? It was horrifying, for sure, but it didn't touch me as much. Now I know what a threat the 456 really are.

Sorry, I've been thinking about this all night and morning. I thought his death was a little pointless at first too, but now I'm not so sure. At least it was well done, not just a passing note.

[blackbird-song.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this. It was an exquisite episode, and the death scene was incredibly beautiful. I never cry at movies or television, beyond a tear or two, and I wept for an hour and a quarter after seeing this. This far surpasses the emotion I've felt for any other fictional character.

I did say that if the IMDb post proved true in all respects, then I'd be incredibly angry at RTD, Euros Lyn and John Barrowman, who'd made certain promises that that post implied were not to be fulfilled. However, I don't feel that way having seen the episode. Those promises were fulfilled.

I've already had one member of my flist say that she was leaving LJ because of this episode, and that devastated me. The ideas you've put out there had occurred to me, as well, and though I do very much hope that there's a way back for Ianto in S4, the possibilities for plausible fanfic are well and truly there.

I'm very glad that you're still so invested in this fandom. That actually makes me tear up in a way that I didn't expect. We don't often interact, because I can be a bit of a wuss when I feel as though I've nothing to offer, but I value you enormously and would hate to see you go.

And yes, being nice to each other would be a deeply great thing.

As would your idea for a new tattoo. Can't think of anything better.

Catherine

[lefaym.livejournal.com]

You already know that I'm devestated by this. I agree with you that it was a beautiful episode, but I just couldn't enjoy it. I love beautiful tragedy, normally, but this was too much.

[lorem_ipsum]

the long epic montage of trapped dying people to music (something I'm sort of a sucker for

I'm a sucker for that sort of thing, too (I cried watching Deep Impact), but I was too busy processing Ianto's imminent death to get much out of the Montage of Death.

We still don't really know what the 456 want with these kids. What if these are the same horrible creatures that destroyed Boeshane Penninsula, just 3,000 years earlier? How great an idea is that?

Epic'ly great. I've been wanting them to have a plot arc about fighting the same creatures that Jack fought as a kid since before season two.

[rm.livejournal.com]

If the show doesn't do it, or make it so I can't do it, I may add it to my list of fics to do.

[fic-faery.livejournal.com]

I've been reading your reviews of the episodes and I always enjoy your perspective on things and I did again today. Episode 4 was brilliant, it had plenty of action in the plot and emotion in spades.

I'm heartbroken to see Ianto die but his death was beautifully written and acted and while I am wishing for some sci-fi miracle to happen I can't really be upset that he was killed because it's been such great story telling. And that ending scene in the gym with all of the bodies laid out and how Jack came back to life and looked so miserable... It was all so bleak.

I'm glad to see that Torchwood this season is being adult in the way of the horrors of the world they're living in instead of just sex and swearing. Even at the cost of Ianto.

I know the writers and actors will probably take some harsh comments for it but I'm really just in awe of the episode and on the edge of my seat waiting for the final.

And totally agree with you on Euros Lyn. sometimes I'm not the biggest fan of his camera angles but it is completely fogiven for the way he has gotten some amazing performances out of everyone in the cast. I think Barrowman has been doing a superb job this season and even Eve is shining more though that could be because her character is being written more consistently and strongly too.

[addyke.livejournal.com]

Agreed with the majority of what you said - despite being devestated I don't want a big reset button. That was the death I imagined for Ianto - god, GDL you made some corny deathbed lines not only work, but absolutely heartbreaking (and you better get a bloody BAFTA for it!)

In terms of writing, pace, plot and sheer darkness Day Four has to be one of TW's finest hours.

It's just the wounds are too raw for most of us to recognise it...

[misswinterhill.livejournal.com]

I like you very much, rm. Very, very much. &hearts. TY for this post.