Torchwood: The Fajrdrako Awards...

[fajrdrako]

Torchwood - My Awards

These are inspired by the Academy Awards. If they can do it, so can I. What would your choices be?

Picspam. With notes, even.

Best Episode: "Captain Jack Harkness"



Well written, well acted, heartbreaking and suspenseful. You seldom see good romance on television and good m/m romance is even harder to find. Everyone was at their best - Gwen, Ianto, Toshiko. Lovely historical setting. I want more of that, and Catherine Tregenna deserved a Hugo!

Best Character: Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman)



A man with a history - past, present, and future. A man who loves as easily as breathing. My kind of hero.

Best Non-Regular Character (Male): Captain John Hart in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"



Cheekbones. Attitude. I could say more but I don't need to.

Best Non-Regular Character (Female): Yasmin Bannerman as DI Swanson in "They Keep Killing Susie"



Brains. Attitude. I fell in love with her when she dissed Jack: "Overdressed for a crime scene?" What a gorgeous pair.

To be honest, I actually fell in love with Yasmin Bannerman when she was Jabe in Doctor Who in "The End of the World". But Swanson has wit and style and I wish she were a regular in the show. Bring her back! I want to see scenes where she interacts with PC Andy.

I would love to be able to say Freema Ageman as Martha here, because she is a goddess in my pantheon and I adored her in "Reset" - all that lively sparkage with Jack, the nice relationships - so quickly and easily and realistically established right off with Ianto and Gwen.

Sadly, she had little or nothing to do and say in "Dead Man Walking" and "A Day in the Death" and was pretty much wasted there. The biggest disappointment? Her parting kiss with Jack. It was awkward, while the whole joy of their friendship before that point had been its lack of awkwardness.

Best Actor (Male): Burn Gorman



My attitude to Owen is mixed, but I love his story. Burn Gorman, whom I don't even like, is brilliant: he made me believe in Owen every inch of the way, even when I didn't want to.

Best Non-Regular Actor (Male): Matt Rippy



There were quite a few contenders here, including James Marsters and Tom Price. Rippy gets it because his performance as the other Captain Jack Harkness was so strong, so subtle, so convincing and so moving.

Best Non-Regular Actor (Female): Nikki Amuka-Bird as Beth in "Sleeper"



So heartbreaking I can hardly bear to watch that episode. An innocent caught up in war, who in the end, does the truly brave thing.

Best Pairing (m/m): Jack/Jack



Gorgeous. So brief and beautiful.

But I love the way Torchwood has so very many contenders for this category. I love them all!

Best Pairing (m/f): Owen/Diane



Gwen/Rhys is a delightful portrayal of a relationship, but I loved the way Owen as poleaxed by his love for Diane and didn't know how to handle it - and so handled it badly. I love the way she loved him but put her own priorities first. I love the way he was so baffled and angered by her departure. I love the way they danced, and the way she looked in that beautiful dress.

And I thought their sex scene was beautifully realistic.

Best Pairing (f/f): Tosh/Mary



Less choice here, and I consistently wished Toshiko would find another girlfriend later on; and I'd have given anything to see one Gwen/Tosh snogging session, but alas, no, we didn't get it. So. Though the Gwen/Carys kiss in "Day One" was hot, the Tosh/Mary kisses were marginally hotter, and Daniela Denby-Ashe as Mary was damn cute. Too bad she was bad to the bone.

Wittiest Character: PC Andy



Can't help lovin' dat man.

Bet you thought I'd say Captain John Hart. Close contender.

Best Unrequited Love: Jack/Gwen



This took a lot of thinking, because there are a surprising number of choices. Jack/Ten is my favourite case of unrequited love on the show, but it isn't referred to much; and Jack/Gwen has a fascinating number of facets, interesting and complex motivation on both sides, and great resolution in "Something Borrowed". Best moment illustrating their relationship was in "End of Days", when Jack angrily asked Gwen, "If you love Rhys so much, what are you doing in Owen's bed?" which implies both his irritation with Owen and the high value he consistently puts on her relationship with Rhys. Nicely done on many levels.

Yes, I am aware how many fans dislike this theme. Personally, I love it.

Worst Pairing: Owen/Tosh



Individually, I loved them. But the unrequited love theme backfired for me in series 2: it brought out the worst in both of them, to no purpose.

Best Set Design: the Torchwood Hub



Well, really, it's the only imaginative set design in the show, since most of the rest of it is bits of Cardiff and bits of Wales. You have a natural advantage in such sites as Flat Holm, Cardiff Castle, and metropolitan shopping malls.

Still: the Hub is magnificent. Sewer chic. The Palace Beneath the Pavement. It's a world of wonders: high tech, old-fashioned, both organized and chaotic, a labyrinth and a home base.

Best Individual Performance: Gareth David-Lloyd in "Cyberwoman"



I believed every tormented moment. Brave, desperate, devastated.

Worst Individual Performance: Lachlan Nieboer as Gray in "Exit Wounds"



Genetics are a strange thing. It's clear Jack inherited all the personality in the family.

Best Boyfriend Ever: Rhys Williams



Later superseded by the role of Best Husband Ever.

Best Villain: Bilis Manger



Close runners up: Alan Dale as Aaron Copley, Bryan Dick as Adam Smith. The butchers in "Meat".

Best Moment: the end of "End of Days"



From the resurrection kiss to the arrival of the TARDIS, I loved it all.

Sexiest Kiss: Jack/Jack in "Captain Jack Harkness"



Because they looked as if they meant it.

But I'm happy to say there are plenty of contenders for this category!

Most Painful Moment: Owen shoots Jack in "End of Days"



I was screaming in my head: "Don't do it!"

Best Special Effect: Myfanwy



Love that pteranadon.

Worst Special Effect: Abaddon



Ugly bastard, wasn't he?

Best Stupid Romantic Detail: Ianto carrying Jack's coat



Not just in this scene from "End of Days", but whenever he does it.

Best Accessory: the Hand



Laugh at me if you must, but there are so many good things about the Hand. It looks cool, with all that spooky blue lighting. When we first saw it in "Day One", and saw its importance to Jack, I was at a loss to figure it out for a while, and it took a few days before I could recall the right severed hand - by asking myself, "Whose hand would I want it to be?" Bingo.

Where else on television do we find a severed limb that is intriguing, weird, kinky, romantic, a clue, and a plot point all at once?

It's a terrific tie-in between the shows. (Love it when Martha says, "Not in my neighbourhood!") And it has such multiple plot purposes, too. Characterization and background for Jack and his emotional mindset, an aid in Carys' escape from the Hub, a technological purpose as a doctor-detector that actually worked (though the TARDIS noise was a dead giveaway too), and eventually it became the seed of a brand new spare Doctor.

~ ~ ~

Screencaps used in this post are from The Institute, with thanks.


Cross-posted to my lj and to torch_wood.

Comments

[angelfireeast.livejournal.com]

Bravo I love rewards!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun doing it. I'd do more, except it's getting late.

I'm hoping to hear what other people's picks would be.

[topgeargirl2.livejournal.com]

These are all great!

Yay for Jack.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Great choices! Of course, your Most Painful Moment reminds me of my own Favorite Inter-Team Shooting, when Ianto shoots Owen... I love Owen, but I was horribly "Hell yes!" at the time. XD

What a wonderful show we have. :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Hearty agreement!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

my own Favorite Inter-Team Shooting, when Ianto shoots Owen...

Oh my goodness yes, that was one of the great moments of Torchwood! I was shouting, "Shoot him! Shoot him! What are you waiting for? Shoot him!" at Ianto. Mind you, I was doing the same thing in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" when he failed to shoot Blowfish. Our dear Ianto needs to learn to be a little quicker with that trigger finger.

What a wonderful show we have. :-)

Oh, so beautifully true.

[angelfireeast.livejournal.com]

This is so fun I think I'm going to do one for Doctor Who:D

I never know if people want to hear my picks too or just my thoughts on their picks. I'll have a think and come up with my Torchwood picks:D

[kaimu-art.livejournal.com]

I love these awards, and I agree with the majority of them. Though I'd have gone with different ones a few.

Best Pairing (f/f): Emily/Alice wins slightly ahead of Tosh/Mary for me since it seemed to be between two people on more equal footing, where as Tosh/Mary had a more abusive connotations to it.

Best Unrequited Love: I'd have to go with Andy/Gwen for this one, since I don't think Jack/Gwen is unrequited. I do think the feelings are/were reciprocated on both ends and was more of a circumstantial reason that they aren't together.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

This is so fun I think I'm going to do one for Doctor Who:D

Oh, yes, please do! I'd love to see that.

I never know if people want to hear my picks too or just my thoughts on their picks.

I can only speak for myself, but I like to hear both.

I'll have a think and come up with my Torchwood picks:D

I look forward to seeing that.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Emily/Alice wins slightly ahead of Tosh/Mary

Yes, good choice. I wish we'd seen more of them.

Tosh/Mary had a more abusive connotations to it

Emily and Alice were less abusive of each other, but more abusive of Jack.

Best Unrequited Love: I'd have to go with Andy/Gwen for this one

Good pick, too.

since I don't think Jack/Gwen is unrequited

You're quite right. It's unconsummated, but not unrequited. And I think they each know how the other feels, more or less.

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

Best Unrequited Love: Jack/Gwen

I love that theme in the show, too, though I would agree with the commenter above - it's not unrequited, and that's what makes it more interesting to me. It's known on both sides, I think, but deliberately unresolved.

Also sharing your love for the Hand. :)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yes: I should probably refer to the Jack/Gwen love as Unresolved Sexual Tension, or Romance Not Pursued.

The Hand is a wonderful thing.

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

thanks, these were brilliant!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it. I was almost enjoying myself too much to stop.

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

hm, trying to think of more awards - best sound, best soundtrack (Jack shooting cannibals), best bare chests...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

best sound

The Cry of the Pteranadon.

best bare chests

Is it just me, or is it suddenly hot in here?

[alba17.livejournal.com]

This was fun, I agree with most of them, although I'd probably pick Ianto for wittiest, and I'm not sure I can go with Jack/Jack as best m/m pair either, although it pains me to say you could possibly be right, since there are so many issues with Jack/Ianto. Jack/Jack is more of a fantasy relationship than anything real, though. Because, you know, Torchwood is so realistic otherwise.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Jack/Jack is more of a fantasy relationship than anything real, though.

It seemed very real to me - but, of course, a fleeting moment, and doomed. So it goes with Torchwood!

[angelfireeast.livejournal.com]

Finished part one of my Doctor Who Awards:D I'm going to finish it and then do a Torchwood one. My internet keeps crashing so getting the photos is taking a while.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Even without a computer crashing, getting the photos takes a long time. I had to resize each one. I was enjoying it, but it took forever.