Torchwood: Exit Wounds (2x13)

[fajrdrako]

I can't write much but I at least want to say something about Torchwood now rather than later.

I watched Torchwood at 7 a.m. yesterday, staying awake through the whole thing despite the painkillers I'm taking for my broken foot. They make it hard to stay awake for a whole hour at a time. The interesting story helped.

About which I can think of many things to say, the first being: aieeeaii. "Aieeeaii" in a good way.

Two significant aspects are things I thought I'd never see on TV. They totally floored me they were so unexpected and brilliant. But First, the part I thought was odd, and this was maybe because of the pain pills and my less-than-normal powers of concentration or following a story, but it felt as if it started out as one story and then became another completely different story.

The story it looked as if it would be: confrontation between Captain Jack Harkness and his old lover/enemy, Captain John Hart, holding Cardiff hostage in their battle. (A straight parallel with the Doctor/Master situation in "The Last of the Time Lords".)

The story it became: Grey's vendetta against Captain Jack, with the Torchwood Team heroically saving Cardiff and paying the necessary prices.

Captain John really didn't have anything much to do with it at all. Which in a way was a pity, because he's such a good character, but in a way... it's good because it leaves him free for later stories. Oh, I hope!

What I most loved? Penance. I was floored. Because in any other story we'd be thinking and saying, "what happened to Grey wasn't Jack's fault", and I was thinking that, weren't you? But Jack saw right through all that as a smokescreen: it didn't matter whether it was his fault or not, that wasn't the point, the point was taking responsibility, and he took it without hesitation. Two thousand years of penance. An act of expiation all the more remarkable in its spiritual extremity.

And yes, we've seen Jack paying for his various sins over and over. The sin of almost killing mankind in "The Empty Child". The sin of being a con man. The sin of his friend's torture and death, the sin of letting go of Grey's hand, and so on. The redemption theme. And Jack has paid the price over and over: dying for the Doctor in "The Parting of the Ways", dying for mankind in "End of Days", and so on. Just as the Doctor in Doctor Who series one had his own redemption story: he killed his own race (and symbolically his past) in order to destroy the Daleks, and then offered his race, himself, Jack, mankind and the future as sacrifice in "The Parting of the Ways".

I love redemption themes.

This totally took me by surprise: that Jack's triumph came not by fighting Grey, but capitulating to him, forgiving him, loving him, and essentially putting another 'mercy killing' to Torchwood's credit.

As heroic figures go, Jack's is not so much the obvious contemporary superhero or action hero - he's a medieval martyr. It has nothing to do with justice or even atonement, because the wrongdoing was not his own - but in a mystical sense, there was a spiritual price to pay.

So: who'd've thought Jack could outdo his messiah resurrection act from last season? But he did. Wow.

I am so impressed. It's just a whole different level of emotional perception and thought than I've ever seen on any TV show - even Doctor Who. And all part of a plot that was a bit of a mess, or at least confusing, or maybe that was just because of my pain pills....

The other thing I loved: that it ends with Jack holding, loving, both Gwen and Ianto. Appeals so much to the romantic in me.

...So maybe PC Andy and Rhys will actually join Torchwood now there are places vacant? Though what they seem to need are a technical genius and a superlative doctor. I could choose Martha for the second role.

Dare I hope that Captain John will return to Torchwood, since he seems to be in no hurry to leave the present time? and he still loves Jack? I am now completely confused by his story: was what we saw in "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" all an act set up by Grey? Is John really crazy and homicidal? The events in "Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang" make perfect sense if you assume Grey was forcing John to do everything he did and John was trying to sabotage Grey - even to the point of John trying to kill Jack as another mercy killing to keep him out of Grey's vengeful hands, and in saving the Torchwood Team when he could have killed them.

I am not convinced. It could be that John was crazy and on drugs, and was cured somewhere along the way. It could be that I missed some story point. I'd like to know. As it was, his departure was somewhat ... anticlimatic. And enigmatic. I couldn't read Jack's attitude to him at the end: anger? forgiveness? mistrust? indifference? Whatever it is or was, it's clear John is not, like Gwen and Ianto, in the charmed circle of those Jack loves.

I thought there was no structure to this story, and not much coherence, but it was powerful - and so much better put together than "End of Days". How many times has Jack lived through 1941 now?

Whose exit wounds does the title refer to?

Oh, dear, I should say something about Toshiko and Owen. I'm not sure what to say. I liked their deaths. Toshiko brave (physically, emotionally and spiritually), Owen redeeming himself with both kindness and courage. I'm glad Owen is gone, frankly, because I don't know where I'd want them to go with the character. In series 1, I didn't like him, but he had fascinating character development and was always interesting. In series 2, though I sometimes liked him and sometimes hated him, his character was all over the place - from mild-mannered dweeb to smart-ass to dead guy to heartbroken fiancé and respectable doctor - never settling on one thing.

Gwen: superb. At her best, or at least, the way I like her best. Glimpses of what she could be. Loved it when she asked Rhys to marry her again. And loved Rhys... He used to be the perfect boyfriend. Now he's the perfect husband.


I love it that they're not doing the obvious.

Comments

[jwaneeta.livejournal.com]

As heroic figures go, Jack's is not so much the obvious contemporary superhero or action hero - he's a medieval martyr. It has nothing to do with justice or even atonement, because the wrongdoing was not his own - but in a mystical sense, there was a spiritual price to pay.


I loved that. I'm still bemused/ticked off about... other things, but I love that Jack's heroic mold is so unique and lofty, especially since, superficially, he's just another door-kicking action guy.

And I love that Jack's superpower is forgiveness. That's something they introduce right at the starting gun in S1, abd they've been loyal to that theme. It puts clear blue water between Jack and pretty much everybody else in the world-saving game, including the Doctor. I forgive you, I forgive you... it's, like, his prasad. And this time he got to ask for forgiveness in addition to offering it to all and sundry, so that was nifty.

[liliaeth]

As heroic figures go, Jack's is not so much the obvious contemporary superhero or action hero - he's a medieval martyr. It has nothing to do with justice or even atonement, because the wrongdoing was not his own - but in a mystical sense, there was a spiritual price to pay.

So: who'd've thought Jack could outdo his messiah resurrection act from last season? But he did. Wow.

I agree, and one more thing, it sets him up for becmoing the wise creature that the Face of Boe was. It's like he's growing into the wise one, kinda like a Gandalf figure, instead of going the hero's journey. If that makes any sense. As if we've already seen him grow into the hero and now he's going beyond that, which is a rare thing in contemporary television.

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

Oh phew, you liked it. There seem to be many people out there who didn't, and I've seen a few comments that loathed the martyr/messianic Jack. It's nice to read someone who liked that bit.

I'm not sure how I think about it myself as I don't make that kind of parallel until someone else points it out - I'm usually trying to think out how it would work. But your explanation of the penance concept makes it make more sense to me and I like the idea of Jack having medieval attitudes in a way despite being from so far in the future. I admit I think the tactically sound ending would have been to kill Gray, but I can also see why Jack can't.

My explanation for how it worked is that Jack really didn't die that often. I figure once he'd used up all the air available, there would be none to get to his brain when he revived so he probably wouldn't regain consciousness after the first one or two. So he spent the two thousand years hanging around in the dark on the other side, and it's entirely possible time passed differently there - that's the only way I can explain why he didn't go utterly insane!

I liked how they twisted the expectation so that it wasn't John driving the action like everyone had assumed it would be. I think that in KKBB, John was acting on his own volition though - I've been trying to remember if we ever saw his right wrist in that, but even so I think he was genuinely messed up and out of control and following his own selfish ends in it. My own theory is that John rescued Gray before KKBB, lapped up playing the hero for a bit and then they split up while John was pursuing his own goals (presumably Gray was looking for Jack). John met up with Gray again after KKBB, probably so he could gloat about having one up on Jack still, then let slip he'd run into Jack - at which point Gray went postal and John realised he was in very deep shit and had to reevaluate some things, like how far he would really go and how he did feel about Jack.

Jack's attitude to John at the end is interesting. I think he probably still doesn't want him around but I think he is grateful and likely trusts him a little more - just not enough to want him to stay. They've definitely left it open for a return though, and that is cool.

All I have to say about Toshiko and Owen is that I cried my eyes out and between them Naoko and Burn broke my heart. *sniff* I was expecting one of them to die, but I never thought they'd have the nerve to kill them both off at once so it was a real shock.

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

Yay! I'm so glad that someone else saw the same things that I did. The whole thing utterly floored me, making my husband ask "why do you watch these things" and me waving my hands and going "because it's good", then going in search of more tissues.

As heroic figures go, Jack's is not so much the obvious contemporary superhero or action hero - he's a medieval martyr.
I utterly love this. One of the most common complaints about this episode has been 'how does Jack come out of it sane?' which I have to admit I hadn't even thought of. Because he chose what happened to him, he went into it willingly. People will do truly extraordinary things for what they believe, and I don't see this as any different. Not that it didn't hurt like hell, in every sense, but that was the point. And it's not as though he was exactly unscathed beforehand - just on your list, that's an extraordinary set of circumstances to live through, and who knows what happened to him before that. This was bad. There's a niggling feeling in the back of my brain that it might not actually be the worst.

Of course, I still have no idea how his greatcoat survived the centuries, but I'm going with 'it's Jack!' which has always worked as an explanation up til now...

I'm absolutely with you on wanting to see more of Captain John, and I kind of like the idea that he was working for Gray, right from the beginning. The mercy-killing would definitely make sense, because he does seem to have genuine love for Jack. On the other hand, although 11 episodes pass in time for us, the whole 'working vortex manipulator' thing means that who knows how much time has passed for John, in his terms. Could be that he'd found Gray already, but that Gray only started using him after Jack rejected him. Or something like that.

I think I might need one of your pain pills to make better sense of this! Torchwood is definitely scoring high points for character, not so much for plot.

[raissad.livejournal.com]

Somewhere in the ep, Jack mentioned that they originally partnered psycho John with Jack, because Jack was the only one who could get through to/control John. I think what happened in this ep. was the fruits of that dynamic. But, I was left with the same questions re: John's initial motivation in KKBB in relation to this.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

Now I see why you didn't want to answer, on the phone earlier today, when I asked if Toshiko was one of those who'd died... ah.

Whose exit wounds does the title refer to?

I can see this as a linguistic trick. As in, Captain John's "exit wounds" Captain Jack, for many reasons related to the things you pointed out as being still unexplained by this episode (and the entire season) about their connection and relationship.

I can also see it as a clear use of the term as it is medically used: when a person has been struck by a projectile which does not then come to rest within that person's body, the projectile causes an exit wound as it leaves that person's body. More than one projectile, more than one exit wound. Two team members lost... and Jack has two more exit wounds in his psyche.

Just a thought.

[karaokegal.livejournal.com]

I'm really interested in this penance theme. I'd never ever thought about the Doctor Who related stuff so much as a concern that Jack is being punished for being Jack. As if being so good-looking and charming is somehow a crime. Or his sexuality. I reallyreally wonder if RTD thinks that needs punishing on some level as well. As if having someone be that happily omni doesn't fit into his personal canon of behaviour. (If I really wanted to get weird I'd say he was being punished for the het side of the equation which has been so blatantly curtailed in this series.)

Total love for Owen's redemption, not that I thought he needed it and pleasepleaseplease bring back Capt. John.

[(Anonymous)]

I love your reviews, but this time I have one small doubt. If John had just taken him back to 27AD, then all that followed with Gray would have been right. But, Jack had seen the explosions in Cardiff. I think if lots of people are in peril, then I think you should try and save everyone and forgive them, not just Gray. In reality, Tosh and Owen might not be dead, if he'd taken a different path. He does have a wondrous gift of forgiveness, but this time I'm not so sure.

[cionaudha.livejournal.com]

the point was taking responsibility, and he took it without hesitation. Two thousand years of penance. An act of expiation all the more remarkable in its spiritual extremity.

Are you done yet? With the making me cry?

My immediate bawling was for Owen and Tosh, but later, after thinking about it, my tears were for the beauty of Jack's sacrifice. A sacrifice that only he could ever make.