Torchwood: a few more comments on "Captain Jack Harkness"...

[fajrdrako]

I watched "Captain Jack Harkness" again, with continued enjoyment. More thoughts:

(1) Worries about how Captain Jack Harkness lived to fly his mission the next day without being carted away by the military police for his indecent behaviour with our Jack on the dance floor? It bothers me not at all: I conclude though they were visible in the light of the rift, the disappearance of two people into the hole of light would be enough to discombobulate and discredit all of the witnesses. Moreover, they needed every pilot they could get - enough, I should think, to allow one Captain at least a day of grace before investigations.

In any case, I admire his courage and look forward to writing about it.

Also think that the kiss scene is worth any amount of suspension of disbelief and poetic license.

(2) The rift-opening machine has a nice resemblance to the workings of the TARDIS. It makes sense that Jack would have based it on TARDIS technology. Perhaps the vortex-embryo-coral on his desk would eventually be amalgamated with the rift machine? I was amused that Gwen was fiddling with the coral on his desk in "End of Days". Does she have any idea what it is? Probably not.

(3) Warren Ellis would complain: another episode that ends with Jack crying. This doesn't bother me in the least!

(4) I love the way Jack obviously loves the 1940s. Girls and soldiers dancing... I wonder if he was thinking of Estelle. Or Rose. Or both.

(5) I really like the mentions of Toshiko's family. Am I right in thinking they are all in London?

(6) Love Jack's line where he says to George, "You can always dance with me if you like." Nice foreshadowing.

(7) I love a lot of Jack's lines, and the way he says of Harkness, "I didn't realize he was so hot," and laughs a little. Already that twists my heart.

(8) I find it moving the way the other Captain Jack Harkness so clearly wants our Jack and not the girl, but is trapped by his own culture - however he may wish otherwise.

(9) Nice to see Torchwood deal with an issue of racism.

(10) Jack Harkness and Jack Harkness have voices that are very alike - a nice touch to emphasize their similarities.

(11) Love their first hand-holding scene. Why does Jack Harkness back off when our Jack suggests they should 'go somewhere else'? Cold feet? Or does he think Jack doesn't want him, because of the comment Jack made about maybe having to leave?

(12) Bad Wolf

Comments

[kikibug13.livejournal.com]

I just saw it.

I don't think I can handle the last one...
*sniffle*

Angels dancing in the Ritz...

And dang, he is hot! In a dainty sort of way... especially on the close-up with our captain.

I looove JB's hands. The holding of hands was lovely; him holding hands with Tosh a tad later...

Re the dance... from what I have seen (in The Doctor Dances, most recently) and read, I doubt Cpt. Harkness would be arrested.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

And dang, he is hot! In a dainty sort of way... especially on the close-up with our captain.

Together, they are wonderful.

I looove JB's hands.

Yes. Beautiful hands. Graceful, too.

I doubt Cpt. Harkness would be arrested.

I doubt it too.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

If they were seen, or if Jack Harkness thought there was a risk of being seen... I did get a faint suspicion his death may have had an element of suicide in it.

'scuse me for cutting in...

[fangrrl-squees.livejournal.com]

I did get a faint suspicion his death may have had an element of suicide in it.

Hm, that's an interesting spin, and would certainly explain how the fastest gun in the air got taken down.

And it makes more sense than my ongoing belief in Cardiff having its own version of the "Sunnydale Effect" ;)

Re: 'scuse me for cutting in...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

that's an interesting spin, and would certainly explain how the fastest gun in the air got taken down.

I see a lot of reasons to think it's plausible. He was clearly finding the war very stressful, with the young men who depended on him dying around him, all the more so in that he was conscientious and duty-conscious and cared about his men. He may have felt increasing pressures to date women like the blonde he didn't care about (and breaking their hearts) when he really wanted our Captain Jack, whom he couldn't have, because of social difficulties of his time and because Jack had walked away in to a hole of light.

I don't think he would have necessarily been in trouble with the law, but he clearly wouldn't be living a life he found easy.

Re: 'scuse me for cutting in...

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

I don't think he would have necessarily been in trouble with the law...

Until the 1960s, male homosexual acts were illegal. Non-sexual public displays of affection could be defined as behaviour "likely to cause a breach of the peace". There was a lively gay subculture in many cities, but it was threatened by police raids and blackmailers. The 2 Jacks would have been safe-ish in an exclusively gay venue, but dancing and kissing in a mixed public dancehall would have meant a sure trip to the police station...

Re: 'scuse me for cutting in...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Not to mention that they were witness by some of Harkness' own subordinates, who could have made his life even more difficult.

Re: 'scuse me for cutting in...

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Yup. Hellish.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I did get a faint suspicion his death may have had an element of suicide in it.

You too? I wondered about that. Maybe a sort of passive suicide: being willing or eager to go out in a blaze of glory as a war hero, rather than continue a life that was increasingly difficult.

And if I were him, I'd find it difficult to just lose our Jack so quickly after finding him. (But I'm a Romantic and we get notions like that.)

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

You too? I wondered about that. Maybe a sort of passive suicide: being willing or eager to go out in a blaze of glory as a war hero, rather than continue a life that was increasingly difficult.
And if I were him, I'd find it difficult to just lose our Jack so quickly after finding him.

More, I suspect, that after meeting our Jack, continuing to live a lie was impossible. If the others were to remember seeing the dance and the kiss, his career would have been wrecked and he'd have been looking at a jail sentence.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

He'd have all sorts of problems to face, certainly. It might not have seemed worth it.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

(4) I love the way Jack obviously loves the 1940s. Girls and soldiers dancing... I wonder if he was thinking of Estelle. Or Rose. Or both.

I remember thinking... the way he pushed the original Jack at the pretty blonde girl made me wonder if our Jack was thinking of Rose. Because Jack was making eyes at our Jack from the beginning, but our Jack was all about the blonde. Mind you, Runaway Bride and the Bad Wolf symbol on the stairs both had me primed to think of Rose.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

the way he pushed the original Jack at the pretty blonde girl made me wonder if our Jack was thinking of Rose.

Could be! I tend to think that Rose and the Doctor are not often far from Jack's thoughts. Our Jack certainly seemed slow to react to Harkess' interest in him - an odd lapse, especially when he'd already observed that Harkness was 'hot'. He was playing it safe, perhaps, and yes, maybe making think of he girl as someone like Rose for Harkness.

[loreleif.livejournal.com]

(12) Bad Wolf

Clearly I missed something! Where?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think there are two places where you can see it - I haven't made a note of the exact scenes yet. It's near the stairs where they go up to the ballroom at the Ritz, indoors - a colourful splodge of grafitti on the wall. If you look closely you can see the letters in it in red, "Bad Wolf". There's one place you can just see the "Wolf" part behind Jack, another place where you can see the whole word - I think that's a scene with Gwen.

So cool.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with each and every one of these points, especially the resemblance of the rift machine to the TARDIS, the handholding scene, the foreshadowing, and the highlighting of Other Jack's obvious attraction and his battle against it. I thought it was a fab piece of acting too - not at all blatant, and yet very clear.

And yes, I had that hint of passive suicide from Other Jack as well. I think the concatenation of circumstances would have meant his determination to live may not have been as strong as it might.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Other Jack's obvious attraction and his battle against it. I thought it was a fab piece of acting too - not at all blatant, and yet very clear.

Yes, nicely done. Matt Rippy. Very effective acting. I particularly like the bit where he is leaning against the wall and watching Jack sit with Tosh, looking calm and desperate at the same time.

I think Jack's speech to Harkness about living each day to the fullest because it might be your last really made an impression on him. And I think at the point where Harkness went to dance with Jack, he thought that whatever happened afterwards - particularly if it were death - was worth it, and that he couldn't bear holding back one more time.

I also can't get "Some Enchanted Evening" out of my head when I see that scene.

[firko.livejournal.com]

I find it moving the way the other Captain Jack Harkness so clearly wants our Jack and not the girl, but is trapped by his own culture - however he may wish otherwise.

Oh yes, and makes his decision to go for it later all the more telling. This also feeds in to the hand holding scene where he backs off - I really think he is wrestling with his conscience and his desire at that point. The decision to dance with our Jack in front of his men can be seen as professional suicide, which precedes his death the next day. Interesting comments about that having a whiff of suicide about it too, although I think I'd go for self-sacrifice myself.

I also loved the conflict with both Jacks between doing their 'duty' and living each day as their last.

It's all so sad...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, and makes his decision to go for it later all the more telling.

Yes. In the scene where Harkness is standing against the wall and looking at our Jack - I think he is wrestling with fears and desires and deciding that the price is worth it - when facing death particularly. So the world well lost for love, however brief, but it isn't just love - it's honesty and self-assertion and things like that.

The decision to dance with our Jack in front of his men can be seen as professional suicide, which precedes his death the next day.

And deliberately chosen.

I'd go for self-sacrifice myself.

That too. They aren't mutually exclusive.

I also loved the conflict with both Jacks between doing their 'duty' and living each day as their last.

Yes. I loved the way they both understood about that.

It's all so sad...

Sad, but romantic and heroic, rather than depressing.