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Title: Companionship
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Characters: Jack, Sarah Jane Smith
Challenge: Way back in May I accepted a challenge from
neadods to write a 'first kiss' scene between Captain Jack Harkness and Sarah Jane Smith. I did not forget. I was not even slow to start working on it, as I loved the idea. But I wrote one scenario after another and discarded them as inadequate or unconvincing. It proved to be extraordinarily difficult. Here at last is a version I like enough to post.
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine, no claims, all property of the BBC.
Notes: Spoilers for Doctor Who episode "The Last of the Time Lords", with a fleeting reference to "School Reunion". Cross-posted to galactic_conman and dwfiction.
Companionship
From the very beginning, Sarah Jane Smith did not trust Captain Jack Harkness. He'd come sailing out of nowhere, appearing on her doorstep with a smile full of promises and a mouth full of lies.
Clearly he knew some things about the Doctor. He'd met Rose, yes, that she could believe. He'd been on the TARDIS, obviously; his information was too good to have been acquired any other way. Beyond that, she believed nothing. There were too many things he didn't say, or couldn't, or wouldn't. He'd met the Doctor - that didn't necessarily make him any kind of a friend of the Doctor, least of all a friend of hers.
She did some research on him, and came up with an inescapable fact: there were no records of any American named Captain Jack Harkness being in the UK since 1941. He was false as a Titanian brisket, this Captain, and she intended to keep her eye on him.
His organization, Torchwood, was even worse. It seemed everyone with any actual power knew about Torchwood, but no one knew the important details. The whole institution looked like a powder keg. She had a good talk with UNIT; they were suspicious of Torchwood, too. "Weaponry no one should have," they said, and "too much power, too little accountability". It seems Queen Victoria set up Torchwood under suspicious circumstances, to guard the world against alien threats in general and the Doctor in particular.
This was an expose waiting to be written, even if it was another article that should never see the light of day. Since Torchwood under Harkness seemed to pose no immediate threat, and the rest had disappeared with the Battle of Canary Wharf, she let it go for the sake of more immediate matters. When Captain Jack again turned up on her doorstep, she told him to go away and not come back.
One day, more than a year after the Battle of Canary Wharf, he broke the silence. She received a telephone call from Captain Jack Harkness.
"I've seen him," he said, without preamble. "I have news. Do you want to hear?"
There was only one person he could be talking about. She shouldn't listen. It might be a lie. But she'd had no word for so very long, not since the Krillitanes had invaded that school. She said, "Very well. Come to my place."
"On my way," he said, and disconnected. It was probably literally true: he no doubt rang her from his car. She put the kettle on for tea, and tried not to pace in anticipation. Luke was off somewhere with Maria, and she was glad - she wasn't sure how to explain Captain Jack to Luke. She wouldn't lie about him, of course, she didn't lie to Luke. But she didn't much want to talk about the mysterious Captain, either.
When Jack tapped on her door twenty minutes later, Sarah Jane had already finished half of her own cup of tea. His smile was as she remembered. She ignored it. "Come in," she said. "Care for some tea?" She hoped she managed to sound sufficiently casual. Friendly but not gullible. Businesslike.
"I'd rather a glass of water," he said, and she got it for him. They sat in her living room, with Jack in the large, comfortable chair, while she sat on the sofa. He said, "The TARDIS came to Cardiff to refuel. I hitched a ride. On the outside."
As he continued, she saw how absurd it was, like all his stories. A severed hand, as some sort of Doctor alert? Riding the time vortex hanging onto the outside the of TARDIS - what was he, Spider-Man? Going to the end of time? Searching for Utopia? Well, that all sounded like the Doctor, right enough, he was always into wild extremes, and seemed to be more so inclined as time went on. Not that time ever just 'went on' for the Doctor.
Captain Jack's story got more and more outrageous. Meeting another Time Lord at the end of time, one who'd lost his memory, who turned out to be a friend of the Doctor, but insane and power-hungry. Harold Saxon and Archangel. Toclafanes and warfare. A year that never was, of imprisonment, enslavement and resistance. Martha Jones, saviour of mankind. Deceptions, tricks of the mind, and psychic magic.
Sarah Jane listened to him without interruption. "Quite a story," she said, mildly, when he stopped.
"Yes."
"If I didn't know him, I wouldn't believe any of it."
"But you know him."
"I was looking into the disappearance of Harold Saxon."
"Oh?"
"And the way he popped up a couple of years ago. He was almost as mysterious as you."
Jack smiled at that. "No one is as mysterious as me."
"...But your ego is bigger."
"Not just my ego," he murmured, but she pretended not to have heard him.
She tried to picture the scene he described. The gunshot, the woman in red. The Doctor in tears. "He loved him?"
"The Master was the only other living Time Lord. The Doctor wanted to save him. It was his last chance... He couldn't save the others, back in the Time War. He thought he could maybe save this one. Just this one."
"Chivalrous nonsense," she snapped, and found herself on the verge of tears herself.
"Not nonsense. It's what he is. It's why we love him."
She looked at him quizzically. "We?"
"You. Me. Rose. Martha, too. How could we not?"
Jack was a con man, an actor. She knew that. But looking at him now, she believed that he knew the Doctor, believed that he loved him, that the Doctor had touched him in the same way he had her, and triggered a soul-deep change. Some people, after meeting the Doctor, would never be the same again.
Jack reached over and took her hand, squeezing it.
"How could we not?" she echoed. "I wish... How he must be hurting. I wish we could help."
"He'll find us if he needs us," said Jack. He kissed her hand, comforting her. Then he kissed it again.
She looked at him suspiciously, though didn't pull her hand away. "Jack Harkness. Are you coming on to me?"
He did not let go of her hand, which he had lifted to his lips. She could feel his warm breath against her knuckles as he held it there. Without moving his lips away from her skin, he lifted an eyebrow and said quizzically, as if it were another question rather than an answer, "Yes?"
She pulled her hand away quickly, and tried not to wish she hadn't. "Idiot man. I'm too old for flirtation."
He laughed - not at her, but in a warm sort of way that made even the air around him feel good. "Sarah Jane Smith, how old are you? Fifty at most? I have a century on you, and I'm not too old for flirtation. We both know someone pushing a thousand. Doesn't he make you feel young?"
"I miss him," she said bluntly. She felt like crying again. She was the idiot, a weepy old fool. She was usually more careful than this. But Jack's news about the Doctor had unsettled her, and Jack himself.... She realized how badly she had misjudged him before, and was furious with herself for it. He had needed her friendship, and she had coldly withheld it. Had she turned into such a suspicious old curmudgeon that she didn't know a friend when she met one?
"I miss him, too," said Jack gently. "Every day. Always. But it makes life worth living, you know? He's out there, doing his thing. And one day he'll return." He stood. So did she. He pulled her into his arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and Sarah Jane let herself accept it. He was a link to the Doctor. A link to her past and the planet's future, even if he and she hadn't shared that time together. A link to a world out there of planets and aliens and adventures and dangers and doing things that must be done.
He had a very comforting hug.
She said, "What's this about you being more than a hundred years old?"
"A hundred and fifty. But looking good, don't you think?"
"Are you human?"
"Completely."
"Then how...?"
He kissed her, lightly, on the lips. "It's a long story. It involves the fifty-first century, and the Time Agency... or maybe the year 200,100 and a Game Station... or maybe a girl hanging from a barrage balloon in the Blitz. Tell you what. Let's order Chinese and I'll tell you the story of Captain Jack Harkness and how he became immortal."
"Immortal?"
"And hungry! Have a heart. I drove all the way from Cardiff and I haven't had any lunch."
"There's a really good Chinese place just around the corner. I'll call them - Luke loves it."
"Luke?"
"I can tell you a story or two as well, Captain. Did you know I'm a mother now?"
He sat, laughing. "You're full of surprises."
"It comes with the territory. Egg rolls, do you think?"
"Definitely egg rolls," agreed Jack.
- end -
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Characters: Jack, Sarah Jane Smith
Challenge: Way back in May I accepted a challenge from
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine, no claims, all property of the BBC.
Notes: Spoilers for Doctor Who episode "The Last of the Time Lords", with a fleeting reference to "School Reunion". Cross-posted to galactic_conman and dwfiction.
Companionship
From the very beginning, Sarah Jane Smith did not trust Captain Jack Harkness. He'd come sailing out of nowhere, appearing on her doorstep with a smile full of promises and a mouth full of lies.
Clearly he knew some things about the Doctor. He'd met Rose, yes, that she could believe. He'd been on the TARDIS, obviously; his information was too good to have been acquired any other way. Beyond that, she believed nothing. There were too many things he didn't say, or couldn't, or wouldn't. He'd met the Doctor - that didn't necessarily make him any kind of a friend of the Doctor, least of all a friend of hers.
She did some research on him, and came up with an inescapable fact: there were no records of any American named Captain Jack Harkness being in the UK since 1941. He was false as a Titanian brisket, this Captain, and she intended to keep her eye on him.
His organization, Torchwood, was even worse. It seemed everyone with any actual power knew about Torchwood, but no one knew the important details. The whole institution looked like a powder keg. She had a good talk with UNIT; they were suspicious of Torchwood, too. "Weaponry no one should have," they said, and "too much power, too little accountability". It seems Queen Victoria set up Torchwood under suspicious circumstances, to guard the world against alien threats in general and the Doctor in particular.
This was an expose waiting to be written, even if it was another article that should never see the light of day. Since Torchwood under Harkness seemed to pose no immediate threat, and the rest had disappeared with the Battle of Canary Wharf, she let it go for the sake of more immediate matters. When Captain Jack again turned up on her doorstep, she told him to go away and not come back.
One day, more than a year after the Battle of Canary Wharf, he broke the silence. She received a telephone call from Captain Jack Harkness.
"I've seen him," he said, without preamble. "I have news. Do you want to hear?"
There was only one person he could be talking about. She shouldn't listen. It might be a lie. But she'd had no word for so very long, not since the Krillitanes had invaded that school. She said, "Very well. Come to my place."
"On my way," he said, and disconnected. It was probably literally true: he no doubt rang her from his car. She put the kettle on for tea, and tried not to pace in anticipation. Luke was off somewhere with Maria, and she was glad - she wasn't sure how to explain Captain Jack to Luke. She wouldn't lie about him, of course, she didn't lie to Luke. But she didn't much want to talk about the mysterious Captain, either.
When Jack tapped on her door twenty minutes later, Sarah Jane had already finished half of her own cup of tea. His smile was as she remembered. She ignored it. "Come in," she said. "Care for some tea?" She hoped she managed to sound sufficiently casual. Friendly but not gullible. Businesslike.
"I'd rather a glass of water," he said, and she got it for him. They sat in her living room, with Jack in the large, comfortable chair, while she sat on the sofa. He said, "The TARDIS came to Cardiff to refuel. I hitched a ride. On the outside."
As he continued, she saw how absurd it was, like all his stories. A severed hand, as some sort of Doctor alert? Riding the time vortex hanging onto the outside the of TARDIS - what was he, Spider-Man? Going to the end of time? Searching for Utopia? Well, that all sounded like the Doctor, right enough, he was always into wild extremes, and seemed to be more so inclined as time went on. Not that time ever just 'went on' for the Doctor.
Captain Jack's story got more and more outrageous. Meeting another Time Lord at the end of time, one who'd lost his memory, who turned out to be a friend of the Doctor, but insane and power-hungry. Harold Saxon and Archangel. Toclafanes and warfare. A year that never was, of imprisonment, enslavement and resistance. Martha Jones, saviour of mankind. Deceptions, tricks of the mind, and psychic magic.
Sarah Jane listened to him without interruption. "Quite a story," she said, mildly, when he stopped.
"Yes."
"If I didn't know him, I wouldn't believe any of it."
"But you know him."
"I was looking into the disappearance of Harold Saxon."
"Oh?"
"And the way he popped up a couple of years ago. He was almost as mysterious as you."
Jack smiled at that. "No one is as mysterious as me."
"...But your ego is bigger."
"Not just my ego," he murmured, but she pretended not to have heard him.
She tried to picture the scene he described. The gunshot, the woman in red. The Doctor in tears. "He loved him?"
"The Master was the only other living Time Lord. The Doctor wanted to save him. It was his last chance... He couldn't save the others, back in the Time War. He thought he could maybe save this one. Just this one."
"Chivalrous nonsense," she snapped, and found herself on the verge of tears herself.
"Not nonsense. It's what he is. It's why we love him."
She looked at him quizzically. "We?"
"You. Me. Rose. Martha, too. How could we not?"
Jack was a con man, an actor. She knew that. But looking at him now, she believed that he knew the Doctor, believed that he loved him, that the Doctor had touched him in the same way he had her, and triggered a soul-deep change. Some people, after meeting the Doctor, would never be the same again.
Jack reached over and took her hand, squeezing it.
"How could we not?" she echoed. "I wish... How he must be hurting. I wish we could help."
"He'll find us if he needs us," said Jack. He kissed her hand, comforting her. Then he kissed it again.
She looked at him suspiciously, though didn't pull her hand away. "Jack Harkness. Are you coming on to me?"
He did not let go of her hand, which he had lifted to his lips. She could feel his warm breath against her knuckles as he held it there. Without moving his lips away from her skin, he lifted an eyebrow and said quizzically, as if it were another question rather than an answer, "Yes?"
She pulled her hand away quickly, and tried not to wish she hadn't. "Idiot man. I'm too old for flirtation."
He laughed - not at her, but in a warm sort of way that made even the air around him feel good. "Sarah Jane Smith, how old are you? Fifty at most? I have a century on you, and I'm not too old for flirtation. We both know someone pushing a thousand. Doesn't he make you feel young?"
"I miss him," she said bluntly. She felt like crying again. She was the idiot, a weepy old fool. She was usually more careful than this. But Jack's news about the Doctor had unsettled her, and Jack himself.... She realized how badly she had misjudged him before, and was furious with herself for it. He had needed her friendship, and she had coldly withheld it. Had she turned into such a suspicious old curmudgeon that she didn't know a friend when she met one?
"I miss him, too," said Jack gently. "Every day. Always. But it makes life worth living, you know? He's out there, doing his thing. And one day he'll return." He stood. So did she. He pulled her into his arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and Sarah Jane let herself accept it. He was a link to the Doctor. A link to her past and the planet's future, even if he and she hadn't shared that time together. A link to a world out there of planets and aliens and adventures and dangers and doing things that must be done.
He had a very comforting hug.
She said, "What's this about you being more than a hundred years old?"
"A hundred and fifty. But looking good, don't you think?"
"Are you human?"
"Completely."
"Then how...?"
He kissed her, lightly, on the lips. "It's a long story. It involves the fifty-first century, and the Time Agency... or maybe the year 200,100 and a Game Station... or maybe a girl hanging from a barrage balloon in the Blitz. Tell you what. Let's order Chinese and I'll tell you the story of Captain Jack Harkness and how he became immortal."
"Immortal?"
"And hungry! Have a heart. I drove all the way from Cardiff and I haven't had any lunch."
"There's a really good Chinese place just around the corner. I'll call them - Luke loves it."
"Luke?"
"I can tell you a story or two as well, Captain. Did you know I'm a mother now?"
He sat, laughing. "You're full of surprises."
"It comes with the territory. Egg rolls, do you think?"
"Definitely egg rolls," agreed Jack.
- end -
no subject
Date: 2007-10-22 04:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-22 04:32 am (UTC)Re: reply part 2
Date: 2007-10-22 07:34 am (UTC)Me too. He doesn't even seem to pay attention when they disobey his orders. I was horrified when Gwen took the Ghost Machine home, after the directive from Jack that they were never to do that. That horrified me more, in its way, than Gwen lying to Rhys: I thought she respected Jack enough to obey him.
Yeah, Gwen has the brain power and morality of a cabbage... no offense to cabbages.
Re: Jack and Retcon and I can't remember if I replied that I'm horrified by that, too, how easily he uses it. It's the same damn thing that happened to Jack, someone tampered with his memories and removed two years' worth. He's removing less, time-wise, but it's the same damned thing. Bad Jack!!!
The line when he said to Tosh in "Greeks Bearing Gifts" that he wasn't a 'real' boss rang true. He hasn't been trying. He's been depressed, and probably preoccupied. I hope he (and the others) get their acts together next series. They don't have to be perfect. A modicum of competence would be acceptable. Otherwise we'll feel as if we're watching The Five Stooges.
Yeah, I had no problem believing Jack either, when he said he wasn't a real boss. Can they get at least five modicums of competence? *grin*
So did I. Did you read my story about John Ellis? It's here.
Thanks! :)
how about a series of fics for TW S1, focusing on Jack and what we didn't get to see him do, in the episodes?
What a great idea! It also gives me a good excuse to watch all the episodes all over again, to pick scenes to write about.
Not that I have any time to do this at all, you understand. But it's a great idea. I could get excited over this. There are two 'missing' scenes I already have been planning to write.
Thank you. :) Here, have another idea: Jack returns to Torchwood, and someone else is in his office, working. Whoever funds Torchwood doesn't like that Jack disappeared and don't trust Owen in charge, so someone has been sent to take over. How would Jack deal with the situation? How would he regain control? Who, of Torchwood Three, would want Jack to return as their boss and what would s/he do to help? who wouldn't, and what would s/he do to hinder Jack returning?
I'd like to know is where did the backpack come from and how did Jack manage to stuff the hand and jar into it so fast?
Obviously the backpack was nearby - maybe he had it stored under the hand - and Jack can move really fast when he wants to.
Backpack is like the smoking gun though, we should have seen a glimpse of it, and wasn't the jar connected to something, Jack would have to undo the connections to move it?
it's usually just a matter of hours for me (hope it is for you, too)
usually, but it varies. It's often the next day before I get a chance to actually watch the episode, but not always - I'm so happy the UK is five hours ahead of us.
Me too.
no doubt you'll be using the time to write fics with Jack for me, while you wait to see new TW. ;)
That's one of the things I'll be doing.
Yay! What else will you be doing, besides avoiding lj etc. so you don't get spoilers?
Re: reply part 1
Date: 2007-10-22 07:44 am (UTC)And bus fare $120 at least... (fights temptation).
And Pizza Pizza is close by, two slices of pizza for $5. *cajole* If you manage to make it, would it be the matinée or evening performance?
Jack forgave Mickey? For what?
I meant, he forgave Owen.
Good, glad I didn't miss something! I thought you must have been talking about Owen.
I'm still disappointed he didn't kiss Tosh's cheek, when he was sitting with her at the end.
I would have liked that. I'd like more interaction between Jack and Tosh in general. I'd like her to be more active, less introverted.
Hopefully, we'll get to see that in the new episodes!
Damn you, RTD!
And bring back the Doctor we knew and loved!
And make Jack important to Doctor Who again, don't bring him back just to sideline him!
no subject
Date: 2007-10-22 11:12 am (UTC)Re: reply part 2
Date: 2007-10-22 11:14 am (UTC)That's the one.
I really hope the writers are smart enough to bring Bilis back!
Fingers crossed...
Re: reply part 1
Date: 2007-10-22 11:25 am (UTC)A Saturday matinee might work, if there is still a 6 a.m. bus. Otherwise it would have to be Sat. evening.
Hopefully, we'll get to see that in the new episodes!
I love Tosh when she gets angry, and takes action. This was one of the things I most loved about "Countrycide".
And make Jack important to Doctor Who again, don't bring him back just to sideline him!
That's the thing!
Re: reply part 2
Date: 2007-10-22 01:25 pm (UTC)Cool! And welcome to my rambling commentaries on life, the universe, and everything - especially Captain Jack.
Gwen has the brain power and morality of a cabbage... no offense to cabbages.
That's okay, none of my best friends are cabbages.
I'm horrified by that, too, how easily he uses it. It's the same damn thing that happened to Jack, someone tampered with his memories and removed two years' worth. He's removing less, time-wise, but it's the same damned thing. Bad Jack!!!
Very bad. This amuses me and horrifies me at the same time. A big lapse in his 'would the Doctor approve?' credo, I believe.
Re Jack finding someone in his place at Torchwood: I think a lot would depend who they were and how they got there. Would Jack take the person to bed, to bury them anonymously under Cardiff Bay? Might be either!
wasn't the jar connected to something, Jack would have to undo the connections to move it?
It might have had a simple release switch. Or maybe Jack practised removing it quickly when no one else was around. Carys seemed to grab it without hindrance, so I don't think it was securely fastened to anything.
What else will you be doing, besides avoiding lj etc. so you don't get spoilers?
Reading Border Princes. Watching the series again.
Re: reply part 2b
Date: 2007-10-22 01:30 pm (UTC)As you can see, I do that all the time. They don't give us enough room, these people.
do you think it would have worked, if the P.M. had been male?
Why not? I recall someone explaining to me that this parallels a Real Life situation in British politics, but what I don't remember what PM they were talking about.
she had a point, he was unconscious for most of it and it was her responsibility to deal with it.
Yes. He had no right to interfere. If Sycorax can't assume authority over Earth people, then neither should Gallifreyans!
Re: reply part 2a
Date: 2007-10-22 01:36 pm (UTC)As time allows. A reply that means everything and nothing. I am, sort of, watching the episodes again as they air on CBC.
Thanks for the link. Yes, amazing how some posters have no clue!
since the two (not Jack) who got the most air time drive me nuts
Owen and Gwen? I agree. Much as I like "Out of Time" as an episode, when Owen got yet another ongoing sex scene I was annoyed. Why Owen, and never Jack? Why Owen at all? I know Russell T. Davies thinks Burn Gorman is sexy, but I don't; in fact, he's the only regular character on the show that I don't find sexy.
I suspect the sole reason I'm not as ticked off with Tosh and Ianto is because they're barely shown.
By the end of series 1 I was annoyed with Tosh for being a wimp and with Ianto for betraying Jack, but I do like both characters, and just hope for better stories with them.
wonder how 9 would have been, as the Doctor, if John Barrowman had been cast in the role instead?
Interesting question. "Different" is a safe answer.
Re: reply part 2
Date: 2007-10-22 02:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-22 02:59 pm (UTC)Re: reply part 2
Date: 2007-10-22 04:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-22 10:08 pm (UTC)No. I see no reason for it. He's from the 51st century; possibly from a faraway planet; the chances of an "America" exiting then are unlikely.
I always assumed it was part of the cover for the con he pulled in "Empty Child" that he needed a dead soldier whose papers he could fake.
I think so too. Captain Jack Harkness is the person whose identity he stole. Captain Jack Harkness was American. Therefore our Jack pretended to be American. Obviously Jack has been in the US, quite possibly spent some time there. That is, I'd assume the "Ellis Island" he talks about is the American one, though there are other possibilities - heck he might have meant the Ellice Islands!
The Elephant Man
Date: 2007-10-23 11:18 pm (UTC)A Saturday matinée might work, if there is still a 6 a.m. bus. Otherwise it would have to be Sat. evening.
Did you find out yet? *hopeful look* And if you do come, where do you want to meet (assuming you do want to meet)? I think you'd be dropped off at the Bay Street Bus Terminal, which would be walking distance of the theatre.
Hopefully, we'll get to see that in the new episodes!
I love Tosh when she gets angry, and takes action. This was one of the things I most loved about "Countrycide".
I liked when she didn't hesitate to slice open her palm to use her blood, to rewrite the mathematical equation, in CJH (even if pencil wouldn't have faded as much as she thought it would).
And make Jack important to Doctor Who again, don't bring him back just to sideline him!
That's the thing!
Which is why I'm still pissed off with RTD, even after what he said to that woman in the article you linked. Actions (Jack being sidelined) speak louder than words.
Re: reply part 2b
Date: 2007-10-24 03:03 am (UTC)As you can see, I do that all the time. They don't give us enough room, these people.
Heh, you've got that right, they sure don't!
do you think it would have worked, if the P.M. had been male?
Why not? I recall someone explaining to me that this parallels a Real Life situation in British politics, but what I don't remember what PM they were talking about.
Because women are judged far more on appearance than men, and there's still a lot of gender inequality, men still don't tend to regard women as fellow human beings. Anyway, it felt very sexist to me, and that if it had been a male P.M., it wouldn't have worked, the Doctor would have had to do more to topple him.
she had a point, he was unconscious for most of it and it was her responsibility to deal with it.
Yes. He had no right to interfere. If Sycorax can't assume authority over Earth people, then neither should Gallifreyans!
Yep.
Re: The Elephant Man
Date: 2007-10-24 03:33 am (UTC)I would love to go to Toronto and meet you and see the play, but I just can't afford the money or the time - and have two commitments already on Saturday afternoon. And I'd meant to keep the weekend free for getting ready for NaNoWriMo - ! Ah well. I will cope as best I can.
But - can you do me a favour? Let me know if any other such interesting plays turn up on stage in Toronto? I've wanted to see that one for a long time, regardless of the cast. And if I'd known ahead of time... well, it might have increased my chances of making it.
Actions (Jack being sidelined) speak louder than words.
Yes. You have to show not tell. Right? And RTD is giving mixed messages, whether he means to or not.
Re: reply part 2b
Date: 2007-10-24 03:34 am (UTC)Harriet Jones, which makes it all the more improper and unkind. Playing
dirty. But the part that really makes me uncomfortable is that he did an
about face and turned on a friend - and that's a little like what
happened with Jack, too, though not as blatantly.
Re: reply part 2
Date: 2007-10-24 04:20 am (UTC)Cool! And welcome to my rambling commentaries on life, the universe, and everything - especially Captain Jack.
I'm looking forward to the Captain Jack ramblings. *grin* As well as the other ones.
That's okay, none of my best friends are cabbages.
Whew!
I'm horrified by that, too, how easily he uses it. It's the same damn thing that happened to Jack, someone tampered with his memories and removed two years' worth. He's removing less, time-wise, but it's the same damned thing. Bad Jack!!!
Very bad. This amuses me and horrifies me at the same time. A big lapse in his 'would the Doctor approve?' credo, I believe.
Re Jack finding someone in his place at Torchwood: I think a lot would depend who they were and how they got there. Would Jack take the person to bed, to bury them anonymously under Cardiff Bay? Might be either!
Yes, a huge, huge, huge lapse in that credo. Bad Jack! How's 'everything changes in the 21st century and you gotta be ready' when he Retcons (or gets others to do it) anyone who experiences anything of an alien nature?
What else will you be doing, besides avoiding lj etc. so you don't get spoilers?
Reading Border Princes. Watching the series again.
:)
Re: reply part 2a
Date: 2007-10-24 05:11 am (UTC)Thanks for the link. Yes, amazing how some posters have no clue!
So, in other words, stay tuned, eh! *grin*
You're welcome, and yep, there have been some really incredible stupidity there.
Owen and Gwen? I agree. Much as I like "Out of Time" as an episode, when Owen got yet another ongoing sex scene I was annoyed. Why Owen, and never Jack? Why Owen at all? I know Russell T. Davies thinks Burn Gorman is sexy, but I don't; in fact, he's the only regular character on the show that I don't find sexy.
EEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't know RTD thinks Burn Gorman is sexy! *shudder* *shiver*
Obviously, yet again, they're not giving the audience what they want (less clothing for Jack), but what the producers, etc., of the show want. *shudder*
I suspect the sole reason I'm not as ticked off with Tosh and Ianto is because they're barely shown.
By the end of series 1 I was annoyed with Tosh for being a wimp and with Ianto for betraying Jack, but I do like both characters, and just hope for better stories with them.
I think Tosh showed she's not a wimp, when she unhesitatingly sliced open her palm, to write in her own blood. Yeah, I was annoyed with Ianto for betraying Jack, but I'm even more pissed off that Owen shot Jack dead and fired a few more times, expecting Jack to stay dead. Bastard.
wonder how 9 would have been, as the Doctor, if John Barrowman had been cast in the role instead?
Interesting question. "Different" is a safe answer.
Hee! I want your real theorizing, not your safe answer. *grin* I promise I won't hold it against you if you think it's the worst idea, ever.
Re: The Elephant Man
Date: 2007-10-27 04:21 am (UTC)Here's a recent review of it, this time it's a good review.
[Sorry for the torchwoodgwen message - that was an accident - I forgot to sign in again as fajrdrako.]
I figured it was you. :)
I would love to go to Toronto and meet you and see the play, but I just can't afford the money or the time - and have two commitments already on Saturday afternoon. And I'd meant to keep the weekend free for getting ready for NaNoWriMo - ! Ah well. I will cope as best I can.
:~( that you can't make it. Hope they're fun commitments.
But - can you do me a favour? Let me know if any other such interesting plays turn up on stage in Toronto? I've wanted to see that one for a long time, regardless of the cast. And if I'd known ahead of time... well, it might have increased my chances of making it.
Sure. If you want to see what else is playing, 2007-2008, you can check the website, here:
http://www.canstage.com
I can see if anything interesting shows up elsewhere.
Actions (Jack being sidelined) speak louder than words.
Yes. You have to show not tell. Right? And RTD is giving mixed messages, whether he means to or not.
Yep, like Owen the rapist in "Everything Changes" and them not realizing it.
Re: The Elephant Man
Date: 2007-10-31 05:31 pm (UTC)Yes, that's a good example. It did a lot to set up Owen's character, and then it remained an unaddressed situation. I don't expect it will ever be alluded to again. Will Owen ever do something like that again? I don't know - I'd like to think he's a new man, but we shall see in series 2.
Actually I'd rather see series 2 Torchwood not be about Owen. Minimal Owen appearances (clothed or otherwise) would be just fine with me.
Re: reply part 2a
Date: 2007-10-31 05:57 pm (UTC)One really wonders at his taste. To each his own and all that, and this is the man who has cast Christopher Eccleston and Aiden Gillan and John Barrowman in lead roles must recognize 'sexy' when he sees it. But yes... I am quoting from the Torchwood Declassified in which Davies enthuses about how sexy Burn Gorman is, a bad boy with an edge - to which I could only think, "Huh?" and "I wish!"
Now, I find Owen interesting, and interestingly written. But he isn't a 'sexy bad boy'. He's an unprincipled loser. Believe me, I know sexy bad boys when I see them. Burn Gorman is not Johnny Depp in Cry-Baby by a long shot.
they're not giving the audience what they want (less clothing for Jack), but what the producers, etc., of the show want. *shudder*
I don't think they make any pretence about this. Russell T. Davies says he doesn't know or care what the audience wants or thinks; I think they're all just trying to produce good watchable shows on their own terms. Which, to a point, works. And to another point, doesn't. I respect them for that sense of autonomy and creative control - I just wish they had better judgement about some things.
I think Tosh showed she's not a wimp, when she unhesitatingly sliced open her palm, to write in her own blood.
That was one example. I liked the scene where she and Jack discover the corpse in "Combat" and i liked her action-sequence roles in "Countrycide".
I'm even more pissed off that Owen shot Jack dead and fired a few more times, expecting Jack to stay dead. Bastard.
Yeah. Bastard.
I want your real theorizing, not your safe answer.
Well... heh... I like Barrowman and Eccleston so much together, if we're casting Barrowman as the Doctor, I want to cast Eccleston as Jack. I think Barrowman as the Doctor would be more reckless, less of a mentor for Rose. Less 'safe', maybe.
Re: reply part 2
Date: 2007-10-31 05:59 pm (UTC)I rather like it that Jack isn't entirely consistent, not entirely good, not entirely living up to the principles he wants to hold. I think he's done a lot of things he can't quite justify, but still feels them to be necessary, and can't see an alternative.
no subject
Date: 2008-04-22 04:30 pm (UTC)