Torchwood: Reflections on Jack and the Doctor and the future...

[fajrdrako]

There are thoughts about Captain Jack I've been incubating for a while without ever having a chance to express them. So, I'm rushing to put down a few thoughts before things get too busy today....

1. Jack and the Doctor
Does Jack have abandonment issues, with regard to the Doctor? Yes, of course he does. Under the circumstances, who wouldn't? But....

There has been a long-held assumption in fandom that Jack was, or has been, or is, angry with the Doctor for abandoning him. Various factors, including comments by John Barrowman, have reinforced this, and I think it has been taken for granted among fans. When they meet again, will Jack hit the Doctor, or kiss him?

I see no evidence of this underlying anger in the canon. As he sees the TARDIS leave without him in "Parting of the Ways", Jack is devastated rather than angry. Distressed. Bewildered. His attitude in Torchwood would back this up - he's looking for "the right kind of doctor" to tell him what happened, and it's "the right kind of doctor" that might have been the subject of his Bilis-inspired visions, if he had any.

Anyway, it seems to me that whatever reactions of anger Jack may have had, were ephemeral and his significant reaction has been consistent faith: "Never doubted him, never will."

And this is underscored with his clear expression on hearing the TARDIS in the Hub: incredulity, hope, and happiness. No ambiguity there. The Doctor has come for him at last, and he's happy about it.

In a tangential topic, but also related to Jack and the Doctor, boji (and I hope I'm citing the right fan here!) was commenting on the fan video-footage that has been around, showing scenes from the filming of what appears to be the finals Jack scenes in Doctor Who series three.

Now, personally, I can't handle spoilers. I looked at the photos. I downloaded the footage. And while downloading I played it, and covered my eyes, because I couldn't stand seeing spoilers of such amazing scenes, and then peeked because I couldn't stand not seeing it. And I was left both sorry and not-sorry that I peeked. But my basic reaction... besides not wanting to know ahead of time... was squee.

So I was surprised to see that boji thought the Doctor in this sequence seemed aloof. I had exactly the opposite reaction. Of course I only saw it in between-the-fingers snippets, but - I saw what I saw. Aloof? Not at all. Rather the contrary.

But of course... we won't know till we know.

2. Jack and his Immortality Issues
puritybrown was talking a few weeks ago about Jack's Immortality, and whether that will be resolved. Whether, in fact, the Doctor would or could remove Jack's Immortality and make him mortal again.

Personally I think it's a case where what's done can't be undone, and the Doctor can't do that, and couldn't do that even if he sweet-talked the Time Vortex or the TARDIS into trying. And Rose is gone, even assuming she could undo what she did in the first place. Which is not to say that things couldn't change....

But I don't see it as a bilateral choice. Jack is clearly unhappy to be immortal, and often wants to die - but I'm not sure if, given the choice, he would actually choose death. He has a strong sense of honour and purpose in the 21st century: he really does think (I believe) that he can save the world, and that in itself might be enough to keep him in it. I think (but can't yet prove) that the situation at the end of "End of Days" leaves us with a happier, stronger Jack who has come to terms with a lot of things. So he can, and I think will, come to terms with his own immortality.

And this is something the Doctor could help him with, if only just by example.

3. Jack: Depressed, or flirtatious?
puritybrown was relating this to Jack's immortality, i.e., he was unhappy because he was immortal. I think he is unhappy for other reasons: he lost his sense of place in space and time, he's looking for purpose, he's faced hardship, betrayal, and abandonment, he's seen too many people he love die, at least one of them by torture - he's a caring person, and this weighs heavily on him. He doesn't wear responsibility easily or well, but he takes it seriously.

But I don't see his joie de vivre as lost or broken, just dampened.

4. Jack and his Timeline.
How long has Jack been at Torchwood? Or in the 20th century? I don't know if we'll ever get a definitive answer to this, but I still believe he popped back and forth in time on numerous occasions and it is impossible to say - even more so than with the Doctor - how the sightings of Jack at different times follow chronologically. With the Doctor, in fact, we can judge some of the chronology by checking which regeneration we're dealing with. Can't do that with Jack, unless you're looking at which Doctor he's with.

I think we will get an answer to the question of how he got off the Game Station. I hope it's a clever one.

5. Jack and the Torchwood Team - I see Jack's relationship with his people at Torchwood as being a central theme of series one. How they perceive him, how he perceives them, what issues they have to deal with, and how they do it. In the end of "End of Days" I see this as resolved in love and forgiveness both ways round. And coffee. Definitely coffee. Not to mention those hugs and kisses, or forgiveness and tears in the case of Owen.

So have they really gelled as a team now? I think so, I hope so.

More pertinently: what individual issues will be important in series two? Right after that reconciliation scene, Jack left them. We don't know for how long, but long enough for them to issue missing persons posters. What changes will that make in their attitudes?

As I see it, the more important issues are the personal ones. Each character has a specific personal relationship with Jack now. Gwen's attitude to Jack is laced with unresolved sexual tension; where does that leave her with Rhys, and their relationship so newly reaffirmed? She told Rhys she'd be right back home, and then spent several days in the morgue with Jack.

Ianto's relationship with Jack is both enhanced and complicated with sex and love - no less so since "End of Days" encompassed quarrel and reconciliation between them. Jack's departure is bound to affect Ianto. I'm sure Ianto loves Jack, and just as sure that he has no idea where he stands with him.

Owen: well, there's a lot of baggage there, and for all I think we'll have a sweeter and gentler Owen, there only so far a leopard can change his spots.

Toshiko's relationship with Jack seems the least complicated: respect and friendship. I hope something interesting happens with her. I want action!Tosh back, as in "Countrycide".

We know Toshiko met the Doctor. It seems likely that Ianto at least saw him when he was at Canary Wharf. Does this have anything to do with their ending up at Torchwood Cardiff with Jack?

Comments

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

save him as in 'with the magical healing kiss'/time vortex/immortality.

I'd like that.

Then again my husband's insane

But creative!

finds the idea of Jack pouring his immortality into the Doctor to save him and then dying appealing. ...

I find the idea appealing too. After all, we've seen Jack give his life for the Doctor once and almost do it on another occasion, and we know it would be a fitting end, one he might choose. Not that I want Jack dead: I'd want the Time Vortex or the TARDIS or Rose/Bad Wolf or the Doctor to revive him again. If Daleks can come back infinitely, so can Jack.

There is a lovely fluidity to death in this show.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

If Daleks can come back infinitely, so can Jack.

Or at least as much as John Barrowman can and will play Jack.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Or at least as much as John Barrowman can and will play Jack.

Yes. He doesn't seem to be running out of steam yet.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

Of course not! It's early days yet - and anyway, I watched the audio commentaries and Barrowman really is a Who fan.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Lovely icon. What's it from?

I haven't watched/heard all the audio commentaries yet but I've loved what I've heard.

Barrowman is just so much fun, and seems to have all the right attitudes.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

Oooh! It's from Dirge of Cerberus - one of the parts of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation. The character is Shelke... actually I have the game but haven't gone anywhere into it - I'm only a new console gaming, only got drawn into it since I got interested in FF7, which is only in the last two years - really only having fiddled around in the tutorial with Vincent running around in a Turk uniform... (love the Turk uniform - the dark blue suit is so different from his usual red-and-black vampiresque look - changed the icon so you can see normal!Vincent) so I haven't seen anything of Shelke yet but what with my total spoiler whorishness I already know all of her significance in the storyline.

But anyway, after that great run-on sentence (every so often I just get a craving for run-ons), she starts out the henchman (or hench-girl) of one of the badguys but eventually turns out good. If I recall rightly, that shot came from the final movie video (after all the action is finished), where Shelke is sitting on the front step of Tifa's tavern, with Nanaki (big red sentient lion-creature), worrying about Vincent, who's been absent since the end of the final battle (yeah, I have seen the movie - on YouTube).

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's from Dirge of Cerberus - one of the parts of the Final Fantasy VII Compilation.

Nice! I love the Final Fantasy art. I've mostly seen Advent Children, which I thought was gorgeous. I don't know Shelke.

really only having fiddled around in the tutorial with Vincent running around in a Turk uniform...

Oooh! Love Vincent.

Thanks for the rundown on Dirge of Cerberus. It sounds utterly cool.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Shelke only appears in Dirge, though her sister apparently appears briefly in Before Crisis, looking for her as she's gone missing.

Love Vincent, he's up in my top three characters, along with Cloud and Sephiroth.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Love Vincent, he's up in my top three characters, along with Cloud and Sephiroth.

They're all three visually stunning. I change my mind periodically about which is actually my favourite.

Love the action figures too. maaboroshi has a magnificent Sephiroth but I occasionally hang out in the comic book shop staring at Vincent and thinking "should I buy this?" I haven't yet but the temptation remains.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

I think the only figures I've seen of them are ones that are statues - no articulated limbs. Still, every time I've seen the stand (it's a moving stall - I presume it moves around several of the Brisbane shopping malls) I've debated getting Seph because it's still a damn gorgeous statue - the AC one at least, the original game one doesn't have bangs and frankly, the bangs are one of the things (in my mind) that makes Sephiroth.

Of course the scary thing is the same stand also sells Dragonball Z statues as well (it sells a variety - they've usually had at least three FFs-worth of characters AC notwithstanding - 7, 8 and 10 at least, along with a pile of other anime characters) and the original game version of Cloud look scarily like the super-saiyan Goku statue in the hairstyle (that's really worrying - I used to be in the DBZ fandom four or so years ago).

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I love action figures and fan-related statuettes. I don't have any Final Fantasy characters, gorgeous though they are - I have a very gorgeous/sexy Batman from a Japanese series, a nice Gambit, Captain Jack Sparrow, and Captain Jack Harkness and the Tenth Doctor (the last two since Christmas just past). Also some Lord of the Rings figures, the best of which by far being an extra-large unarticulated Figure of Aragorn wielding a sword that still can take my breath away even though I've been looking at it daily for about five years now.

I'm hoping they'll put out a figure of Captain Jack Harkness in the greatcoat.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

About the only real merchendisy thing I have is my Griever set - Squall's necklace and ring set (plus a second, plain ring representing Rinoa's ring) - and my sadly broken gunblade letter opener. I still want to get a replacement for that - easily available on Ebay.

I hope they do make one with the coat - I actually wandered over to Barrowman's website and poked through the merchendise page and frankly I really disliked the figure and was depressed he didn't have the coat!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I actually wandered over to Barrowman's website and poked through the merchendise page and frankly I really disliked the figure and was depressed he didn't have the coat!

Well - that coat is gorgeous! Obviously they made the figure before they designed the character's look for Torchwood. I think the final look that is so brilliant must have been a late creation, because the advance publicity before the show was had pictures with jeans and black leather, a nice look for Barrowman but nothing like the coat-and-braces perfection we eventually got.

So I'm hoping they'll remake it with the right look, and throw in figures of the other characters and maybe a Weevil.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

Oooh... a figure of Ianto - if there was one of him someone could do figurine!porn of him and Jack! XDDD I've seen some absolutely hilarious figurine!porn with the AC figures of Cloud and Seph.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Yup, we all want a fully posible (and nicely flexible) figure of Ianto to match our Captain Jack. I wouldn't mind a figure of the other Captain Jack Harkness too. I'd take the whole set.

[mimi-sardinia.livejournal.com]

Yup, we all want a fully posible (and nicely flexible)

"Highly poseable and able to assume almost any position!" - as it apparently said on Sephiroth's packet! XDDD

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

"Highly poseable and able to assume almost any position!"

Yes, exactly - they know what we need!