Torchwood POV-character ponderings

[black_eyedgirl]

So I was thinking, as you do, about some of the criticisms levelled at Torchwood. Specifically the one more personal to those of us who are fans of the show, but still feel the need to point out that Countrycide/Random Shoes/Small Worlds/pick your episode, aren't what we call intelligent science-fiction

Comments

[zabbers]

I think it would've been cool. But at the same time, I don't know how much I would have cared. And the reason it would be cool would be because I care. Gwen may not be my favorite, but I care about everybody at Torchwood. And I'm not sure that after one introductory Gwen's-POV pilot episode, I would have cared enough about her for her death to have more of an impact than Eugene's death in Random Shoes (granted, he died before the episode started, rather than at the end). Maybe if she had died a little later in the season, say around the end of the third episode? When we're still basically following the story from her point of view, but we know her just a little better. The other problem, though, is that so many of the characters are essentially black holes of information. They see everything and give away nothing. And I like them that way. Without Gwen to balance it out, we would know so little about any of them until some big bombshell drops, and even afterwards, we find we still don't really know anything about them (

[black_eyedgirl]

I'm not sure that after one introductory Gwen's-POV pilot episode, I would have cared enough about her for her death
This is probably right, though I do think it would have been more shocking than Eugene's death, in that he was set up as a one-episode character, and Gwen was set up as a POV. But yeah, a few episode in would have been worse/better. Upsetting, anyway, and possibly more trust-destroying than doing it in ep1.

The information part, at least information other than just how Torchwood works, we probably would have had problems with. Especially with Jack, who is not a man for revealing his secrets. But then we found out about Ianto's independently of Gwen, and Tosh is the one told about Jack in the end, when he thinks they're stuck. I'm not saying it wouldn't have been harder to do, but I do think the show could have managed it. And the "Jack keeping secrets and thus provoking his team to betray him and nearly end the world" arc would have been interesting to play with when we really knew nothing about anyone else.

[zabbers]

But then we found out about Ianto's independently of Gwen, and Tosh is the one told about Jack in the end

Oh, I do think we could have gotten what information we do have about them without Gwen. More like...if we put everything we know about all the characters into a pool and average it out, without Gwen, the average would come out a bit smaller.

Though Jack keeping secrets and not knowing anything about anyone else--definitely interesting, IF they were able to pull it off.

[black_eyedgirl]

*g* Sorry, I understand what you meant now - I may not be quite awake! Yes, you're definitely right there. It wouldn't have bothered me so much - see my desire for the grand-secrets theme which someone posited recently - but it would probably have put some people off. And made people stop watching, therefore endangering S2, so we're probably okay as we are!

[zabbers]

And made people stop watching, therefore endangering S2, so we're probably okay as we are!
Is it wrong of me to prefer that the show is not as excellent as it could be than to endanger future seasons with feats of daring?

[black_eyedgirl]

*G* Absolutely not. Or else I'm wrong too. I've had too many good shows die young - I'd like one to stick around for a while!

[zabbers]

Word.

[richandme]

Actually, the character that was originally envisioned shockingly dying a couple of episodes into the series was Ianto.

I unfortunately can't footnote a definite reference to that, however. So RTD presumably thought about this kind of thing. (although bearing in mind Ianto's closeted nature, keeping him about longer works, I feel.)

[zabbers]

Oh god, *shudders*. You're right, though, we didn't barely even see him until later, and it would have been one of those 'oh' sort of moments, and although of course the love started from the very beginning, it wouldn't have had time to really bloom. I remember how often, even though I liked him quite a bit, I wouldn't even quite realize he wasn't there.