Torchwood: Adrift (2x11)

[fajrdrako]

Ahhh: this week is a good time to be a Torchwood fan.

And it's hard to know where to start in enumerating the ways I loved this one.

1. Gwen Cooper. As I've said before, I love the character, and that includes loving her flaws - no, I don't like liars in the least, but I find it interesting to see a sympathetic lead character who lies and is unfaithful to her boyfriend. Now that Gwen seems to have stopped both the lying and the infidelity, she is no less interesting - her policy of telling the truth is getting her into trouble, too.
   
   So: Gwen in "Adrift" was headstrong, stubborn, dedicated, smart, stupid, resourceful and downright fascinating. Her strengths were weaknesses and vice versa: she listened to the right people at the wrong times, and the wrong people at the right times. And generally went her own way anyway. For the last few episode I hadn't found her as pretty as usual; here she was downright stunning. What's different?
   
   Scene after scene, I loved Gwen's interactions: accusing Rhys of wittering, then being surprised by his forceful reaction; wanting to help Nicky, and then ultimately being able only to give her the knowledge that was more painful than the doubt; her embarrassment, amusement and fascination at walking in on Jack and Ianto's, er, dabbling; and the dirty trick she played on PC Andy at the dock.
   
   Gwen: gorgeous.
   
   
2. Rhys used to be the perfect boyfriend. Now he's the perfect husband. All the more so in that he isn't letting Gwen walk all over him. Feed him toast in bed, that's another matter.
   
   
3. PC Andy. Oh, how I love PC Andy!
   
   
   
   So he didn't go to Gwen's wedding, and went on the defensive when she asked him about it. Sounds as if he said he'd be there, and didn't show - bad form. Look what he missed - a murdering alien, and an experience with Retcon! Gwen thinks he's in love with her: he may be. (Wouldn't blame him.) And he wants to join Torchwood. I'd love to see him there - but does he have an area of extraordinary expertise?
   
   Tell me to get visions of Jack/Andy slash out of my head, okay?
   
   
4. Another reason to love this episode is that there was nothing about the Tosh and Owen relationship. Tosh was - well, not at her very best, but not bad at all. It was fun to see her working with Gwen.
   
   
5. One of the things I enjoyed was a new and unexpected sense of Jack's secrets. We've always known he has secrets from the Torchwood team - his own past as a con man or Time Agent, his knowledge of the Doctor, the future. But now we know he has projects going on that are not directly related to Torchwood. Projects he is reluctant to talk about. He has always told them the Rift was a one-way trip: this exposes his lie.
   
   
6. But Ianto knew about the convalescent home for Rift abductees. This is the first indication we've had that Jack has told Ianto things he hasn't told the others.
   
   Why did Ianto think Gwen should know? Why give her the clue she needed? Perhaps Ianto thought she'd never give up until she knew the truth, and he'd help her before she drove them all crazy. Maybe he thinks Jack should tell everyone, but hasn't presuaded him to do so yet. Will Gwen tell the others, or will she keep Jack's secret? And what other secrets are Jack and Ianto keeping from the others?
   
   
7. Interesting too to see that Ianto has a mind of his own and acts on it, even when it isn't what Jack wants.
   
   
8. maaseru thought it looked like a great many missing people. Gwen seemed to think so, too. The show didn't give statistics - though I loved that scene where at first Nicky thought no one else would show up for her support group, and then more and more people arrived. How many people, in a town the size of Cardiff - or Ottawa - go missing and are never found, over a ten year period? I'm not even sure how to look it up. I suppose the 'and never found' is the tricky bit: of the many people who go missing, over ten years the majority of them would turn up alive, dead, or as runaways. The difference in Cardiff, of course, is you add in a percentage of extra disappearances for Rift anomalies.¹
   
   
9. Jack has always said it was impossible to go through the Rift and come back. Obviously this is not true, but if the Rift takes people randomly, it seems impossible that 17 people would be able to come back to the planet they'd started. Even if there were initially hundreds of them: surely if dropped randomly into other parts of the universe, they would would simply perish in the vacuum of space or in the heart of some star or planet. Seems to me there are implications there: that the Rift is not as random in space and time as it seemed. Those seventeen people were unfixably damaged, but they survived and came back.
   
   
10. Though Gwen says she trusts Jack (and she does), I was amused that she was willing to trust the story of a stranger, Jonah, but not to stay and listed to Jack when he was ready to tell her the whole story. That's what being passionate in one's reactions can do to you. In the end it pretty much backfired on her, but I'm not sure if she would have done anything differently if she'd talked to Jack before going to see Jonah. I suppose it would have depended on what Jack told her: he could have told her Jonah's condition. I think by that time Jack was ready to just let events transpire and see what happened.
    
    
11. Nicky was interesting. I thought at one point, at the end, that she wasn't even going to see Jonah again, that she couldn't bear it - but I don't think that's it. After months of hope, she gets the truth all in one blow and will need some adjustment time.
    
    Why did I get the impression that after returning from beyond the Rift, most of the survivors didn't live long?
    
    
12. What is the relationship between Rift activity and Captain John's vortex manipulator? It looked as if Captain John was able to use the Rift as a wormhole to go where he wanted - was it like getting an extra push into the Time Vortex?
    
    
13. Remember how I've been ranting over the past week - ever since "Out From the Rain" - that I don't have enough sense of the relationship between Jack and Ianto? Well, here we got a good glimpse of it, and I loved it.
    
    And no, I don't mean the sex, though I was happy to see that, too. (More, please.) No, I mean the sense of sexual connection, the awareness each had of the other even when they weren't touching any more - they were getting dressed, they were talking to Gwen (and looking at her) but they were totally aware of each other all the time, in a very visceral way. Of course: they were still aroused, having been interrupted.
    
    And they were giddy with it. High on endorphins. Happy in the moment. Enjoying loving each other. That was what I wanted to see.
    
    
14. So Jack invited Gwen to join them. I had several reactions to that:
    
    
    • He really does want her, and taken by surprise, aroused, and unthinking, expressed what he might not otherwise have said
    
    
    • Annoyed to be interrupted, he expressed what he might not otherwise have said
    
    
    • Ianto knows all about Jack's feeling for Gwen and it's fine with him. He's probably taking all his sexual cues from Jack these days, no limits
    
    
    • It might well be the polite 51st century response anyone would make when caught having sex - invite the other party to join in.
    
    
15. We were discussing a few days ago whether Jack wears his wristband during sex. I had to look at the scene several dozen times to be sure, but his wrists are bare. So: he at least sometimes takes the wristband off. My guess would be that if he is undressing for sex (as opposed to having sex with his clothes on), he takes off the wristband.
    
    
16. Love Ianto's smile.
    
    
17. Love Jack's body.
    
    
18. All the rest aside, it was fun to see how playful Jack and Ianto are with sex. Naked hide and seek? Is that like the game Stephanie Plum calls "hide the sausage" in the Janet Evanovich novels?
    
    
19. Some of the joy of this episode was that many of the things I don't like about Torchwood weren't there. No blood, no fighting, no plastic-headed aliens, almost no Owen. And though I like the off-the-wall stories on crack, I like this better: character-based and realistic, dealing with implications of their situation rather than direct action and monster menaces.
    
    
20. I wondered if anyone came back from the other side of the Rift undamaged enough to go home again. From what Captain Jack said, it seems not. If they did - I imagine no one would believe their experiences, if they were even willing to talk about them.
    
    This struck me as the dark side of the Rose Tyler story. She wandered off into the time vortex with a chance-met alien and came back twelve months later - yes, they'd aimed at twelve hours, but the point is that she came back, happy and safe and sound, despite a few close calls. These people didn't come back safe and sound and will probably never be happy again.
    
    Martha Jones came back changed, but she came back stronger and wiser and braver. Another success story.
    
    The biggest difference, of course, is that both Rose and Martha were in the hands of a benign alien who, though he might get them almost killed on a thousand occasions, cared about them and (so far) always got them out of trouble and back home again.
    
    
21. But we do know two people who went through the Rift and came back again with no more damange than a broken heart - Jack and Tosh did, in "Captain Jack Harkness". Was Bilis responsible for both the guided nature of their disappearance, and the safety of their return - or was it that their Rift manipulator works better than anyone dreamed?
    
    Come to think of it, Jack's knowledge of what happens to people who fall through might be his incentive for building and trying to perfect the Rift manipulator. He wants that kind of thing to stop.
    
    What did Gwen expect from him, when she demanded that Torchwood do something about the problem? Does she think he has a magic wand? Haven't they been trying to 'do something' about the Rift all along? Gwen seemed to be thinking of something more like - a public awareness project, maybe?
    
    As the story ended up showing, knowledge is not always the best thing.
    
    
22. The episode was from Gwen's point of view. It would have been interesting to see it from Jack's point of view. Completely different story. Mind you, we don't get much from Jack's poitn of view. Too bad.
    
    
23. At last - beautiful Welsh scenery. I loved the scene of Jack and Gwen, sitting together. A welcome change after all we've seen of sodden and littered back alleys and city streets.
    
    
24. One of the things I really liked was that Jack, having set up his top-secret hidden hospice for incurable Rift-casualties, goes to visit the people there. I don't think his visit was purely administrative - though it looked as if they might have found another person. I think Jack cares enough to come back, knowing them personally, and caring about their fates.
    

~ ~ ~
¹ Not to mention hungry aliens, vicious Weevils, fairy abduction and Sleeper terrorism.

Comments

[takhys]

A few of of us downloaded and watched while commenting on IRC (darkmyst server, #twtalk - we're open Wednesday nights just in case anyone ever wants to join) and our main rambles were along similar lines.

Couple things, though:
1. Jack really needs to invest in some lightbulbs and maybe a cheery mural for his hidden base o' mystery.
2. If Jack started the hidden hospital when he joined Torchwood, that means that it's a good guess that Ianto had to run the place while Jack was AWOL at the end of time.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Thanks for telling me about the chat on IRC - what time do you do it? I suspect that by the time I get to watch the episode it'd be way too late to catch you.

Jack really needs to invest in some lightbulbs and maybe a cheery mural for his hidden base o' mystery.

A Welsh dragon mural?

If Jack started the hidden hospital when he joined Torchwood, that means that it's a good guess that Ianto had to run the place while Jack was AWOL at the end of time.

I never had the impression that Jack administered it - I thought he just started it and had staff to run it. Torally unconnected to Torchwood. They never actually said that, though. But if he does administer it in any way - surely Gwen, acting head of Torchwood in his absence, would know all about it?

I think Jack is a hands-off interested party who brings them cases (as we saw him do in this episode) and keeps up connections, but lets it be run entirely independently, without Torchwood connections at all.

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

Right? At least paint the damn place white.

[fl-zed.livejournal.com]

"Tell me to get visions of Jack/Andy slash out of my head, okay?"
...*jedi handwave* You're getting tons and tons of Jack/Andy plotbunnies... @__@

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Fat lot of help you are!

Grumble, grumble...

[It's well-nigh irresistible.]

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

I loved the Hub Handjob Special.

I loved their obvious delight in each other.

I loved Jack's squee at going weevil-hunting with Ianto-- like a schoolgirl going out in her boyfriend's Mustang. :-D

I loved Ianto reappearing long after, shirt adrift, making two cups of coffee while Jack bellows for him from above.

That is a lot of sex in one episode!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I loved the Hub Handjob Special.

Wonderful. All the more because... so did they.

I loved their obvious delight in each other.

Yes.

I loved Jack's squee at going weevil-hunting with Ianto-- like a schoolgirl going out in her boyfriend's Mustang. :-D

Weevil-hunting never looked so good.

I loved Ianto reappearing long after, shirt adrift, making two cups of coffee while Jack bellows for him from above.

So cute.

That is a lot of sex in one episode!

No complaints from this quarter.

[halfspokenwords.livejournal.com]

I loved Ianto reappearing long after, shirt adrift, making two cups of coffee while Jack bellows for him from above.

Am I the only one who decided that Jack was handcuffed somewhere?

[elebridith]

The more I read about this season, the more I'm glad I already preordered Season 2 on DVD! June 2nd, if amazon is correct. And no, I'm so *not* counting the days... *stares at calendar*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The more I read about this season, the more I'm glad I already preordered Season 2 on DVD!

What, can we do that? I'd better check Amazon...!

And no, I'm so *not* counting the days... *stares at calendar*

I would be. Really. There has been one, maybe two, episodes I liked less than the others - and one or two that have been sheer craziness - but mostly they have been wonderful.

Truly wonderful.

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

I liked Gwen a lot this week, though I figured she was riding for a fall. Well, I hoped she was - I would have been annoyed if this had been an episode about how Gwen is more human than the rest of TW and therefore right in her reactions and about how they were wrong, wrong, wrong... er, sorry. I think there is some S1 hangover in there. So anyway, I was glad that it worked out differently.

And once again the Gwen and Rhys show was spot on. I could see why Rhys blew up in the park, but I still felt really bad for Gwen coming home to a "sleep on the sofa" hint and I loved them snuggling at the end.

Oh, how I love PC Andy!

Nice to see more of him, wasn't it? I can't believe he fell for the trick with the teas though - I was going "Andy, you muppet!"

he wants to join Torchwood... but does he have an area of extraordinary expertise

Does Gwen? That's not me being bitchy about Gwen, btw, but a serious question. What extraordinary expertise did she have that Andy doesn't?

Tell me to get visions of Jack/Andy slash out of my head, okay

I think you're asking the wrong crowd here. *cheers on the plotbunnies*

Projects he is reluctant to talk about

I don't quite get why he was refusing to tell Gwen about it though. Surely it would have been easier to just explain rather than lay down the law - he must have noticed by now that doesn't work with her. Why the intense secrecy? Especially since Ianto clearly knew more.

He has always told them the Rift was a one-way trip: this exposes his lie.

Is it really a lie though? I'd estimate Gwen had well over a hundred people up on her board, 17 out of that isn't exactly great odds, and the process is obviously random, unpredictable and completely unreliable. So if the question is "can a normal person who fell through the Rift get back?" I would say the answer is "no". And Jack did say that there had been more recently and that this was new - perhaps the only ones that make it back are those that didn't end in the vacuum of space or in the heart of some star or planet and because of the randomness those numbers are small.

I don't mean the sex, though I was happy to see that, too. (More, please.)

Second.

It might well be the polite 51st century response anyone would make when caught having sex - invite the other party to join in

I like that option best!

I imagine no one would believe their experiences, if they were even willing to talk about them

I was thinking about that while wondering if the families could be told - how they could give different explanations for what happened to the missing than the truth, say they were delusional etc. And then I decided that would be worse for the returned people, to not be believed. I did wonder if there were some where the damage and changes to them were small enough that they could be retconned and their families get them back, though that definitely wouldn't work for Jonah.

we do know two people who went through the Rift and came back again with no more damange than a broken heart

But they landed somewhere both known and relatively safe and were only there very briefly. There wasn't time or opportunity for them to really get put through the mill, or see a planet burn or into a dark star. It's not the trip through the Rift that does the damage, it's where they land.

I think Bilis was definitely responsible for the disappearance. I think as well that if he hadn't destroyed the end of Tosh's equation the Rift manipulator would have got them back, but since he wanted a less controlled opening, he was also ultimately responsible for them getting back rather than the manipulator.

What did Gwen expect from him, when she demanded that Torchwood do something about the problem?

That was the only moment where she did annoy me this week. Owen was right too - TW doesn't make sure people get therapy and counselling when people go missing because there are other organisations that exist to do just that.

At last - beautiful Welsh scenery

It was gorgeous. Reminded me a bit of the west coast of Scotland, especially the island.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I was glad that it worked out differently.

Me too, even though I've always liked Gwen. But. Her bad traits can be annoying, and not just personally annoying, but they can make a plot seem contrived. They didn't, here. Gwen was operating on passion, not common sense and intelligence, but she wasn't doing abysmally stupid things, either. She was doing her best.

I could see why Rhys blew up in the park, but I still felt really bad for Gwen coming home to a "sleep on the sofa" hint and I loved them snuggling at the end.

It was all quite wonderful. He was mad at her for undervaluing him and being rigid in her attitude, and quite rightly too, but he really never stops loving her.

I can't believe he fell for the trick with the teas though -

Oh, yes - the dork. And he knows Gwen, knows what he's like. He's such a sucker.

Does Gwen? That's not me being bitchy about Gwen, btw, but a serious question. What extraordinary expertise did she have that Andy doesn't?

Jack liked her. No, really, I think that's it. So if he thinks Andy is cute, too, Andy has a good chance on getting into Torchwood.

I'm not being entirely facetious here. I think Jack likes expertise, but he's got that - Owen's medical skills, Tosh's scientific skills - and he had Suzie's strategic and technical skills, which backfired when she went crazy. So maybe he learned a lesson from that. Since he has the technical set-up he needs and wants, with Gwen he went for intuition, deduction and passion. (And big eyes, gapped teeth and a good body.)

Ianto is also a generalist - his skills are primarily administrative, but he's good at picking up knowledge and I think Jack thinks that in some ways hand-training his people in the areas he needs them to be skilled in is a very useful idea. Gwen and Ianto didn't come to him with the expertise, but they're coming along fine.

I like that option best!

I do, too.

I agree with all your comments on the Rift: it isn't the Rift that's so dangerous, it's what's on the other side.

Jonah's description, if I understood him properly, reminded me of one of the planets at war, described in one of the books, as being on the other side of the Rift. A planet in flames from nuclear war.

Do you think we'll ever see Bilis again?

Reminded me a bit of the west coast of Scotland, especially the island.

Similar, yes, and equally beautiful. I haven't seen nearly as much of that part of the UK as I'd like to - I must see about rectifying that! The only bit of Wales I've seen is the north coast, Caernarvon and the area around Chester.

[gypsylady.livejournal.com]

A few other observations.

1. Gwen apologizes to Ianto, not to Jack. I really think those two have some kind of relationship that we never get to see. Someone wrote a really neat fic about Gwen and Ianto forming a bond while Jack was away; that could explain why he gave her the information. He knows her better than Jack does.

2. Jack is his usual wise-ass self after being caught in flagrante. I expected him to be like that. It was the smiling, only mildly discomfited, happy, joking Ianto that surprised me. "He cheats. He always cheats." (How does one cheat at "find the sausage?" And, yeah, I think that is what they were playing.)

3. Two very pretty men. I still don't care what they're doing with their outie bits but MAN that was a pretty thing to see, wasn't it?

4. They've said before that they can send things back through the rift. They were going to try to send the Spacewhale back, remember? So surely they've all at least thought about the rift taking things. I think Owen knows more than he said. And I think I like that Gwen and Tosh were the ones left out. "Don't tell the girls, they'll just go all soft-hearted over it." Men as such scum, sometimes.

5. How much do I love Rhys? The opposite of scum. The exception that proves the rule.

6. And how pathetic am I that I got up early this morning to watch the episode (it took longer than I'd expected to download) and then jumped online to see your review? LOL!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Gwen apologizes to Ianto, not to Jack.

Good point.

I really think those two have some kind of relationship that we never get to see. Someone wrote a really neat fic about Gwen and Ianto forming a bond while Jack was away; that could explain why he gave her the information. He knows her better than Jack does.

The rapport we see between them in "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" would be evidence for this theory. Yes, I like it. It fits what we see.

Jack is his usual wise-ass self after being caught in flagrante.

Yes: cheeky devil. It's not the first time and it won't be the last.

It was the smiling, only mildly discomfited, happy, joking Ianto that surprised me.

Well, of course he's happy - Jack's got him in a very happy state. Given the high he's on he'd probably smile at apocalypse, the plague and alien attack - at least, if they happened within the next few minutes.

How does one cheat at "find the sausage?"

That is a matter to seriously consider. Hmm.

And, yeah, I think that is what they were playing.

Yes, I think so.

Two very pretty men. I still don't care what they're doing with their outie bits but MAN that was a pretty thing to see, wasn't it?

Oh, yes. Ianto wasn't the only one feeling happy at that moment.

They were going to try to send the Spacewhale back, remember?

True. I'd forgotten that. A long shot, but they thought it worth trying. Initially. Then it didn't work out. Poor space whale. Still - if they'd tipped him into the heart of a sun, that wouldn't have worked out very well for him, either.

So, yes, what they've said is that the Rift can be a two-way portal but it's uncontrollable. Except, presumably, a little bit, by their Rift manipulator that still doesn't quite do the job right, but helps.

I think Owen knows more than he said.

Remember that Owen thought he could get Diane back. And Diane thought she could go back to 1953.

I think I like that Gwen and Tosh were the ones left out. "Don't tell the girls, they'll just go all soft-hearted over it." Men as such scum, sometimes.

Sounds likely.

How much do I love Rhys?

How could anyone not love Rhys? He's just... well, he's Rhys.

And how pathetic am I that I got up early this morning to watch the episode (it took longer than I'd expected to download) and then jumped online to see your review? LOL!

I'm so glad you did! I'm looking forward to seeing it again. I really am.

[velvetfascism.livejournal.com]

And they were giddy with it. High on endorphins. Happy in the moment. Enjoying loving each other.

Well said! :D

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

To me, that's the most important thing of the whole episode. Something I've been waiting to see, and hoping for.

[raissad.livejournal.com]

The episode was from Gwen's point of view. It would have been interesting to see it from Jack's point of view. Completely different story. Mind you, we don't get much from Jack's poitn of view. Too bad.

I enjoy the other characters, but truthfully, I watch for Jack's story. At whatever point JB leaves to go back to theater (and he will eventually, let's face it), I'll be bidding farewell to the show. TW isn't DW. They can't just change the central character and hope to be perceived as the same show.

At last - beautiful Welsh scenery. I loved the scene of Jack and Gwen, sitting together. A welcome change after all we've seen of sodden and littered back alleys and city streets.

OMG! That lighthouse and the corresponding view were exquisite. I do wonder how Jack recruited the staff for the care center. Even with the lie about failed experiments, I doubt Jack could just put an advert in the assorted publications one puts those adverts in. I'd like the backstory on that woman Gwen met for instance.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I watch for Jack's story.

So do I.

At whatever point JB leaves to go back to theater (and he will eventually, let's face it), I'll be bidding farewell to the show.

Seems to me more likely that they'll cancel the show, and then JB will return to live theatre - or musical theatre - or another TV show. We shall see.

And no, I can't imagine watching Torchwood without Jack.

I'd like the backstory on that woman Gwen met for instance.

Helen. An interesting question to ponder. I thought she seemed very strong and competent. I think Jack liked her. There could be an interesting story there.

[lefaym.livejournal.com]

Great review. :) I agree with you 100% about Gwen; I really enjoy her character too, and I think the fact that she's deeply flawed makes her stronger. I've always liked her, in spite of the fact that I don't ship Jack/Gwen at all.

Regarding Jack's "you could join us" comment, I think that's just his way of dealing with getting caught. I didn't really feel like it was a serious offer-- he said it to defuse the tension, and to show that he was taking it with humour, rather than embarrassment. Honestly, I think that Something Borrowed shows us that Jack has a great deal of respect for the Rhys/Gwen relationship, and I don't think he'd do anything to compromise that.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I really enjoy her character too, and I think the fact that she's deeply flawed makes her stronger.

I think it makes her more interesting and more complex than she otherwise would be. She isn't ... simplistic. I find that way too many women on TV shows are too uncomplicated.

I don't ship Jack/Gwen at all.

I don't either, but I like the UST between them.

[tigress35.livejournal.com]

It might well be the polite 51st century response anyone would make when caught having sex - invite the other party to join in.

*giggles* I'd love to see what a Dear Abby column from the 51st century would have looked like!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see what a Dear Abby column from the 51st century would have looked like!

Wouldn't that be fun to see? Jack could tell us what it would be like - !

Or Miss Manners.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

He has always told them the Rift was a one-way trip: this exposes his lie.

When has he said that? I honestly can't think of a time he specifically said that.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Now that you challenge me on it, I can't find a time where he has said that. What he said was that it was "too dangerous" to send someone through - and "Adrift" would be proof of that opinion.

There's an interesting passage in this regard from "End of Days":

Gwen: If Owen managed to open the rift to get you and Tosh back, can't we do the same thing for these people? We've still got the rift manipulator.

Jack: There's a world of difference. We're talking about taking control of time, not bringing two people back from the past. Besides, look at the damage Owen caused. We mess with it further, we'll put the planet in danger.

So - I misinterterpreted Jack. He didn't lie about it.

Going back over transcripts to look at mentions of the Rift, I am surprised how seldom it is mentioned. I think of it as topic frequently raised, and in every episode, but it isn't. Far from it.

Do they still have the Rift Manipulator?

[magika83.livejournal.com]

I didn't think I was going to like this episode, as I am no fan of Gwen (and there was A LOT of Gwen here). But to my surprise, Gwen didn't bother me as much in this ep as in "Something Borrowed" (which I think is the worst Torchwood episode ever, but that's a whole other post). I must admit that going against your boss' direct orders (several times!) is pushing it, and had her boss been anyone else but Captain Jack she'd have been fired on the spot, but I could understand where she was coming from. Yes, she was stuck on the idea that knowing what had happened was the best thing, but although she was wrong in the end, I think she persisted because she genuinely thought knowing would be best for the victims and their families. That's a reason I can live with, as opposed to doing it just because she wanted to know herself.

PC Andy. Oh, how I love PC Andy!
Ah, yes, PC Andy is lovely. And the poor soul has, or at least had, a crush on Gwen. He's so sweet, and I'd like to see him more often.

Tell me to get visions of Jack/Andy slash out of my head, okay?
Get them out of your head! And then you can get them out of my head too, 'cause you're the one that put them there!

Though Gwen says she trusts Jack (and she does)
She does, but not enough. You'd think that after everything that's happened in two series, she'd know that when Jack tells her (orders her, in fact) to leave something alone, it isn't because he doesn't care, but because he knows something she doesn't, something that could be potentially dangerous or destructive. I'm not saying she should have dropped it altogether, because that's not in Gwen's nature, but maybe she should have approached things in a different manner.

Love Jack's body.
Ooh, yes.

At last - beautiful Welsh scenery.
Yes, that was great. I could almost smell the sea.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

"Something Borrowed" (which I think is the worst Torchwood episode ever, but that's a whole other post)

I hope you put it on your LJ, because I'd like to read it. I liked "Something Borrowed" for various reasons, but it's far from a favourite - too silly.

I must admit that going against your boss' direct orders (several times!) is pushing it

Lucky for Gwen that her boss is a total pushover even though he tries to pretend to be a hard-ass. hah! Nobody on the Torchwood team is fooled by his act any more. It isn't every boss who lets you deliberately shoot him in the head without repercussions.

she was stuck on the idea that knowing what had happened was the best thing, but although she was wrong in the end

I think Gwen was right. Nicky was upset, but will adjust: she's really better off knowing the truth and having her son back.

I'm not sure at the end there if Gwen believes she was right - that's why she's upset and telling Rhys about it. What she has learned is that nothing is as simple as it seems.

he persisted because she genuinely thought knowing would be best for the victims and their families. That's a reason I can live with, as opposed to doing it just because she wanted to know herself.

Her tenacious curiosity made it possible for her to carry on, but I think there's no doubt she really wanted to help these people. Gwen is willful but she is not insincere.

He's so sweet, and I'd like to see him more often.

So would I!

Jack/Andy
And then you can get them out of my head too, 'cause you're the one that put them there!

It isn't working. They're still there. Laughing.

You'd think that after everything that's happened in two series, she'd know that when Jack tells her (orders her, in fact) to leave something alone, it isn't because he doesn't care, but because he knows something she doesn't, something that could be potentially dangerous or destructive.

Yes, but I can see her side of this: Jack was refusing to explain, and i'm not sure why he refused to explained. If he had said "this is dangerous knowledge, this is what happens to these people, this is how I have tried to fix things" - she might at least have listened. As it was, his handing of it was completely geared to make them lock horns with each other. They both could have handled it better, but in some ways Jack and Gwen are too alike to be rational with each other.

This is one reason Rhys is so good for Gwen - he isn't like her enough to set of this kind of reinforcement of their worst and most stubborn qualities.