Torchwood: Jack is so friendly...

[fajrdrako]

From The Sun. Spoiler for series 2, if you're the careful type. I usually am, but anticipation has driven me mad.

It's not as sexy as the Jack/Ianto kiss in the preview trailer, but there can be so much difference between the fast cut, the still photo, and the real thing as aired. Personally I have high hopes for the general sexiness of Captain Jack and Captain John together (whether allies or enemies). And I am at the moment just a tiny bit disappointed in Ianto for being such a dweeb.



And cyberducks found an even better picture. Ooh.

Comments

[sizequeen.livejournal.com]

How is inato being a dweeb?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Spoilers in this answer to you, so do bail if you'd rather not hear.

Oh, I'm just being picky. Did you see the trailer-preview? Ianto's got a gun on Blowfish and instead of just shooting he lets Blowfish taunt him and make speeches about how he can't do it and won't do it - and Ianto's hand starts to shake. Then Jack caomes in and shoots Blowfish.

Now I love Jack being heroic and saving the day - of course I do. But I'd like Ianto so much more if he did something brave and smart and decisive. Shoot Owen back in "Captain Jack Harkness" was a good start, I suppose, but I'd like to see him shoot a real bad guy for a change.

In many ways I love Ianto but he seems like such a kid sometimes.

[rivier.livejournal.com]

Well, Gareth has said that Ianto's no more than 23 - 24 at this time, so - actually, not much more than a kid, no.

I didn't see him as dweebish for hesitating for all of ten seconds! There's no reason to suppose he wouldn't have shot if Jack hadn't turned up - nor do we have any idea how much firearms experience he's ever had, or experience of hostage situations like that. The scene was crafted to make Jack's entrance dynamic, but it's not as if Gwen, Owen or Tosh - all far more experienced in the field - were exactly doing anything to remedy the situation either!

It's true that it would take a lot to dent my Ianto-fu at this stage, but that scene certainly didn't!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh, it really isn't that scene that did it. I just find Ianto very young and unsure of himself, as a sort of character pattern. Do I sound overcritical? My standards for heroes are high, and Ianto persists in acting very human. I want him to be extraordinary!

(Clearly, to many fans, he already is extraordinary.)

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Waitwait, what'd Ianto do?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Did you see the preview trailer? I linked to it earlier this morning here (http://fajrdrako.livejournal.com/822726.html). I'm not sure but I think it was the same preview clip they were showing on the Torchwood site, which I can't look at because I live in the Great Frozen North instead of Great Britain.

Aaanyway... what I was objecting to is that Ianto was face to face with Mr. Villainous Blowfish, with a gun in his hand, pointed at him. Blowfish is threatening a Hysterical Innocent Bystander Female and taunting Ianto and saying he can't and won't shoot, and Ianto's hand starts to shake, and he can't/doesn't do it, and I was thinking: in Heroics 101, the first thing you learn is don't listen to the bad guy, and the second thing you learn is to shoot first and think about it later, and the third thing you learn is how to keep your hand steady.

Faugh. I want the Torchwood team to be heroes and they're missing the mark by a mile.

[darthhellokitty.livejournal.com]

Well, clearly he's afraid of shooting the woman, since Mr Blowfish is ducking around behind her like that. Whether it's better to hesitate in case of shooting her, or shoot in case Mr Blowfish shoots her, I'm not sure...

What an obnoxious fish!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It'll be fun to learn the story of the obnoxious blowfish. I confess, after all his pretentious posturing, I was happy to see Jack shoot him! Though I suspect the Doctor would have disapproved.

[rivier.livejournal.com]

And Sarah Jane!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Of course. But I think Jack really wants to please the Doctor, while he wouldn't mind teasing and sometimes annoying Sarah Jane.

[isagel.livejournal.com]

Oh my God. I was hoping, from vague spoilers, that there was going to be some kind of sexual interaction between Jack and the James Marsters character, and now I'm all psyched. This, and the Ianto kiss, and... Can it be premiere day already, please?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I wish it was premier day already. I've already popped my popcorn and fluffed my sofa cushions. I even checked my stopwatch.

Those guys look really, really hot together. I particularly love the pictures of Captain John with his gorgeous military jacket unbuttoned.

So. Start the show any time now. Any time. I'm ready.

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

And I am at the moment just a tiny bit disappointed in Ianto for being such a dweeb.

OK, I think I've missed something. How is he a dweeb? :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The explanation is all spoiler stuff, from the trailer clip I was looking at this morning that shows scenes - the first few scenes, I assume - from "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". So if you're not into spoilers, don't read this. The film clip is shown here (http://freemaagyeman.com/news/2008/01/07/torchwood-series-two-preview/), and I suspect it was also on the Torchwood website but I wouldn't know because they won't let Canadians look at it. (I'm not bitter, I'm just sulking.)

I'm being picky because I want Ianto to be heroic and brave and smart and quick on the uptake. After a whole season, I think he should be at the point where he can aim a gun without his hand shaking - he could do it when it was Owen he was shooting! - and he should know better than to listen to the villain's mockery meant to demoralize him. I want to see an Ianto who is smart and decisive and brave and heroic, or, in other words, worthy of Jack, his lover and mentor.

I want to see the whole Torchwood team become competent, but I care most about Ianto because of his special case status with Jack. I want him to be another Jack in the process of being created, and I'd like some of this to be self-creation. As it is, I can't help thinking of Ianto as "just a kid". A sexy kid (at least in tandem with Jack), but I want more than that.

[halfspokenwords.livejournal.com]

Huh. You know, as lovely as John Barrowman played it, I was a bit disappointed by Jack's grand entrance. I wish we had gotten to see the team handling the whole thing well and on their own. Because we didn't, it implies that Mr. Blowfish was right-- they are just pretending to be grown-ups. It makes you wonder how long they've been without Jack and how many situations just like this one have gone disastrous.

And so, while I don't think I can blame Ianto for the hesitation (because he of all people doesn't want to see an innocent woman harmed), I am annoyed at the writers for essentially saying that the team needed rescuing. If they don't believe that these people can handle the responsibility of saving the world, why should we? Plus, trembly!hands!Ianto is kind of--woobified (if such a word exists), which is a pet peeve of mine. XD And it's a shame, after episodes like TKKS, Combat, CJH, and hey, even Countrycide, where he is out of his element but still manages to headbutt the cannibal when it counts.

Don't get me wrong-- I'm terribly excited for the rest of the episode, but because I love my Ianto so much, I'm a liiittle critical. Maybe the team gets to be competent and awesome later in the episode, to make up for it?

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

I've mentioned this in a couple of other places - I'm wondering if this isn't a dream. To me, there's enough teeny bits just a little "off" in the preview to make me sit back sceptically. (Plus, I didn't like Jack's tone, choice of wording ("kids"), or laugh at the end.)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

There was certainly a surreal quality to it. A blowfish driving a sport's care (and stopping at the crosswalk) is just absurd enough to have that ambience. If it's a dream, whose do you think it is?

On the other hand, it's in keeping with the lighter mood of the show that we've seen hints of - the story of the alien husband with buckets of muck in the bathtub, for example. And the ongoing themes of endangered passerby.

We shall see!

part 1

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

as lovely as John Barrowman played it, I was a bit disappointed by Jack's grand entrance.

Yes, exactly. As a dramatic entrance, it was fun. As a 'look, he shot him, oh no, he didn't, it was the guy behind him' scene, it's a cliché. So that even while I enjoyed it as is, what I really wanted to see was Ianto shoots Mr. Blowfish and gets him, and as Mr. Blowfish falls dead to the ground, then there's Jack standing there, saying approvingly, "Hi, kids. Did you miss me?"

In other words, Jack's climactic moment was at Ianto's expense.

Because we didn't, it implies that Mr. Blowfish was right-- they are just pretending to be grown-ups.

Mr. Blowfish is right and I really, really wanted them to prove him wrong. Heck, while Ianto was letting him talk on and on, Tosh could have shot him. Or Gwen. (Preferably not Owen, who was already showing off with guns.) But they just let Blowfish call the shots. I want to see the teem redeem themselves and prove some kind of competence but over and over they show the opposite.

I am annoyed at the writers for essentially saying that the team needed rescuing.

Yes. And it further implies (as all of season one implied) that they are tools for Jack's use, and Jack has to rescue them when the going gets tough. I had hoped that all of season one was going to end with them pulling together and finally showing themselves a formidable team, but "Captain Jack Harkness" and "End of Days" pretty much proved the contrary. (Let's see... fist the teaboy shoots the Doctor, then the Doctor shoots the leader, then they all open the Rift and make Armageddon worse... then Jack comes and kills the monster to save everybody.)

If they don't believe that these people can handle the responsibility of saving the world, why should we?

I don't see any reason we should. But where that leaves us, I don't know. The show isn't primarily comedy, though I suppose it might be a sort of black comedy. I can't help feeing that if Torchwood is all that stands between us and evil aliens from the Rift, we're in real trouble.

trembly!hands!Ianto is kind of--woobified (if such a word exists), which is a pet peeve of mine.

I don't see it as much of an improvement, to go from the old cliché of the hero's girlfriend who always needs rescuing, to the hero's boyfriend who always needs rescuing. Especially when he does secretarial duties and brings coffee. Okay, it's an improvement in that we have non-straight people in key roles (yay!) but not in terms of upgrading stereotypes. Moreover, I want to see a heroic Ianto. I love heroic characters. I want more of them. I want to see Gwen, Tosh and Ianto face real danger, real mortal danger, and not be afraid. I omit Owen here because, though he is no more effective, he is more likely to be angry than afraid. Besides, I don't like him as much, and so don't particularly care.

If they are saying Ianto can't handle a crisis, they are implying that (a) he's only the tea boy, and (b) tea boys can't handle crises even when they have a gun and a clear purpose. (Or a clear target. Whichever.)

part 2

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

still manages to headbutt the cannibal when it counts.

Ianto certainly has his moments. And I love every one of them. And if Ianto always lived up to his best moments, I would be so very happy with him.

I'm terribly excited for the rest of the episode,

Me too.

because I love my Ianto so much, I'm a liiittle critical

Yes, that's it. Me too. I feel very much the same way about Gwen. I cringe for them when they freeze and shake because I love them and I want them to be real kick-ass action heroes. Even just occasionally.

It isn't that Ianto is stupid, or new to Torchwood, or isn't getting opportunity to learn.

Another factor is - I don't like the rest of the team looking bad so Captain Jack can look good. Now, I've no problem with Jack looking good, we know that, he's the best of the best and as far as I'm concerned it should be the Captain Jack Show. That being said, he does have a team, it's an ensemble show, and the characters are interesting. So I don't want them to act scared or stupid or slow just so Jack can, in comparison, be brave and smart and quick. He's so clearly all those things that it would be great for him to have a team that's as brave and smart and quick as he is. And if that would be too much then at least they can be mostly brave, often smark, and reasonably quick.

How may days now till the 16th...?

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

Did you see the OTHER preview? With Jack/John?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

No - any suggestions as to where I can find it? I did a search on YouTube but didn't come up with anything. I saw a couple of screencaps from it. I was bouncing.

Suggestions for sources welcome! I can hardly wait to see it.

[txvoodoo.livejournal.com]

here! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-v0szrB5nB8)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Big smooch for you! I love it!