Fan to Fan: Torchwood Series 4
The blog below was written for a John Barrowman fan site I work for http://barrowmanday.weebly.com/index.html . I thought I would share it here for those that may be a fan of 'Torchwood' or John Barrowman. <3 Please feel free to comment here or at the source: http://barrowmanday.weebly.com/1/post/2010/06/fan-to-fan-torchwood-series-4.html
Hey Barrowman Buddies!
I wanted to take a moment to talk about Torchwood Series 4, how I feel about it, what I want and so on. If you care what I have to say please read on. I've separated by category in case you're only interested in certain topics, yea?
AM I EXCITED?
Darn tooting' I am! Torchwood is my favorite show ever and not only does this mean I get MORE JOHN BARROWMAN, but we get more Captain Jack as well! Everything that made me love the show (minus the obvious exception and I'll get to that) is going to be back. We get Jack, Russell T. Davies, a bit of Welsh fun and the promise of sexy alien adventures. And we get it on Starz, which means virtually no concerns about censorship, hooray!!
CAST SPECULATION
What do we know? We have confirmed John Barrowman and Eve Myles. That's not a bad start. The pair were arguably the "main characters" of series 1-3. That being said it stands to reason that people who enjoyed the first 3 series, already have something similar to look forward to, at least in that sense. John Barrowman's performance and character are regularly incredible and Eve Myles (while I'm no fan of Gwen) is a fabulous actress. As for the rest of the cast, it seems that most if not all will consist of new characters. What I think is that through Torchwood, we've been introduced to a great deal of characters most of which have been well developed, interesting and loved, SO, I reckon we should trust Team Torchwood to deliver again. My main concerns here are that they have yet to announce the return of Kai Owen and Gareth David-Lloyd (Shh! I said I'll get to it.).
MOVING ON
A lot of people after Torchwood: CoE questioned if the series could or should continue and after thinking long and hard I am glad it is. Part of the concern is rooted in the absence of a certain character (be patient) which is a valid concern as he was a major part of the show. Other worries come from the annihilation of the Hub and everything in it, Jack leaving planet to sulk (bless him) and Gwen being pregnant. It seemed like a very easy place to end the show as every character had a conclusion of sorts. The problem of course is that a lot of people were not happy with the ending. It was dark, broke up the team and also that other thing. Russell T Davies has stated that he has had another series in mind and know's exactly how he want's to proceed. The question we have to worry about is, will a new series give us resolution or will it hurt us in a different way to see our characters move on from something we can't seem to. There is a level of risk in continuing the story but I have to hope for the best.
HOPES AND FEARS
If I controlled Torchwood there are a few things I would insist on and one I just couldn't abide.
My list of demands are:
John Barrowman as Jack - This one is a done deal. I hope they retain everything we love about the character without reverting him to his series one antics. He's been through a lot and his character should reflect that but we don't want him too mopey, lest we'd miss that smile!!
Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto - Only still touching on this subject, but let's be clear I am Pro Ianto! Save The Coffee Boy!
Kai Owen as Rhys - Because he's such an endearing character and a great actor. Further he keeps Gwen one foot in the real world and he's her husband/baby daddy. The number one problem with a Torchwood without Rhys is what it implies, and in any scenario writing him out Rhys ends up hurt and alone and the character deserves a better ending.
Welsh Vowels - Heck the entire Welsh factor for that matter, Torchwood is meant to have a certain level of Welshness to it. It's ok to bring in non-Welsh characters or settings, but give us a healthy dose yea?
Sexy Alien Adventures - That after all if the hook of the show, isn't it? Doctor Who for grown ups if you will, let's hope it keeps that factor.
Then there are the potential disasters, no just one, one thing that I NEED kept out of the show, for the sake of my sanity:
GWACK - First and only on the list and a potential heartbreak for me. It's one thing to misstep on Jack mourning for Ianto, it's one thing if they have him in all sorts of hook-ups or even a serious relationship before we're ready to see him there, but if they go the GWACK route, have ANY SORT OF SEXUAL ANYTHING with Gwen and Jack, Torchwood will be very hard for me to watch. Not because I hate Gwen (which I do) but because I hate them as a pair and it feels disrespectful to Ianto, it feels like (to me) that Jack was waiting for Ianto (and maybe Rhys) to be out of the way before moving in on Gwen and that is unBARROWble to me. It makes Ianto seem like a meaningless detour on the way to Gwen. I hate this idea, I hate it! I will always watch Torchwood and be a fan, but this could rip out my heart. Please don't…please.
Disclaimer about the above rant: If they do GWACK I will go MAD. I will keep a brave face, I will tell everyone that Torchwood is amazing and watch it because John Barrowman is brilliant. But, and don't get me wrong because I love Eve Myles, the Gwen bashing will escalate unbelievable amounts, with me and I'm sure others. I don't want to hate her!! Just make her happy with Rhys, we can start over.
SAVE IANTO
Alright here we are, the inevitable land of Ianto. Let me start by saying where I stand. I love Ianto Jones, I love Gareth David-Lloyd, this is my favorite character in the entire Whoverse (just barely edging out Jack). I also have a serious problem with his death. Aside from the fact that he will be missed, the circumstances of his death upset me. I feel like he was used as a plot device, a means to an end, and it wasn't in character for me in some ways. I am not about hating. Ianto is dead, that is a fact. I am not running around with "RTD is Dead To Me" T-shirts, I can appreciate all the awesome things RTD is also responsible for. I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts about the new series of Torchwood but really the number one reason I wanted to write this is because I am saddened by all the fans who are focusing on negatives instead of celebrating the positives. I want Ianto back, I really do and I have hopes that they could bring him back sometime. But, even if they don't can't we all just appreciate how great Torchwood has been and all the things OTHER THAN IANTO that we loved? Most obviously there's Captain Jack, our dear John Barrowman (check the site, we like him). He's the reason Torchwood happened in the first place and the reason many of us tuned in. I've heard people say that they began watching for Jack but stayed watching for Jack and Ianto. There are people saying they are not going to watch unless Ianto comes back. Let me say to all of you the following: If you watched for Jack the first time, do it again! It's a whole new world of possibilities even after Ianto. Watch for Jack and maybe you'll end up staying for Betty! Maybe Betty is the greatest character ever we just don't know about it yet? We have a whole future of Torchwood ahead who knows what amazing characters and moments it may bring! Ianto was a good thing, not the only good thing, not watching wont bring him back it'll only get the show cancelled. It's ok to love Ianto, it's ok to send coffee and postcards and beg for him back, but why spread hate and anger, can't we all just get along? If I'm willing to give Gwen another chance surely you can trust in RTD once more. Let's be positive we all want Ianto back, but let's not get into bashing of Torchwood or our lovely John Barrowman.
Let me finish by saying just this: I am excited about the new series, John Barrowman is going to be brilliant no matter what and IN BARROWMAN I TRUST.
Have a Happy Barrowman Day
<3 Dana
Hey Barrowman Buddies!
I wanted to take a moment to talk about Torchwood Series 4, how I feel about it, what I want and so on. If you care what I have to say please read on. I've separated by category in case you're only interested in certain topics, yea?
AM I EXCITED?
Darn tooting' I am! Torchwood is my favorite show ever and not only does this mean I get MORE JOHN BARROWMAN, but we get more Captain Jack as well! Everything that made me love the show (minus the obvious exception and I'll get to that) is going to be back. We get Jack, Russell T. Davies, a bit of Welsh fun and the promise of sexy alien adventures. And we get it on Starz, which means virtually no concerns about censorship, hooray!!
CAST SPECULATION
What do we know? We have confirmed John Barrowman and Eve Myles. That's not a bad start. The pair were arguably the "main characters" of series 1-3. That being said it stands to reason that people who enjoyed the first 3 series, already have something similar to look forward to, at least in that sense. John Barrowman's performance and character are regularly incredible and Eve Myles (while I'm no fan of Gwen) is a fabulous actress. As for the rest of the cast, it seems that most if not all will consist of new characters. What I think is that through Torchwood, we've been introduced to a great deal of characters most of which have been well developed, interesting and loved, SO, I reckon we should trust Team Torchwood to deliver again. My main concerns here are that they have yet to announce the return of Kai Owen and Gareth David-Lloyd (Shh! I said I'll get to it.).
MOVING ON
A lot of people after Torchwood: CoE questioned if the series could or should continue and after thinking long and hard I am glad it is. Part of the concern is rooted in the absence of a certain character (be patient) which is a valid concern as he was a major part of the show. Other worries come from the annihilation of the Hub and everything in it, Jack leaving planet to sulk (bless him) and Gwen being pregnant. It seemed like a very easy place to end the show as every character had a conclusion of sorts. The problem of course is that a lot of people were not happy with the ending. It was dark, broke up the team and also that other thing. Russell T Davies has stated that he has had another series in mind and know's exactly how he want's to proceed. The question we have to worry about is, will a new series give us resolution or will it hurt us in a different way to see our characters move on from something we can't seem to. There is a level of risk in continuing the story but I have to hope for the best.
HOPES AND FEARS
If I controlled Torchwood there are a few things I would insist on and one I just couldn't abide.
My list of demands are:
John Barrowman as Jack - This one is a done deal. I hope they retain everything we love about the character without reverting him to his series one antics. He's been through a lot and his character should reflect that but we don't want him too mopey, lest we'd miss that smile!!
Gareth David-Lloyd as Ianto - Only still touching on this subject, but let's be clear I am Pro Ianto! Save The Coffee Boy!
Kai Owen as Rhys - Because he's such an endearing character and a great actor. Further he keeps Gwen one foot in the real world and he's her husband/baby daddy. The number one problem with a Torchwood without Rhys is what it implies, and in any scenario writing him out Rhys ends up hurt and alone and the character deserves a better ending.
Welsh Vowels - Heck the entire Welsh factor for that matter, Torchwood is meant to have a certain level of Welshness to it. It's ok to bring in non-Welsh characters or settings, but give us a healthy dose yea?
Sexy Alien Adventures - That after all if the hook of the show, isn't it? Doctor Who for grown ups if you will, let's hope it keeps that factor.
Then there are the potential disasters, no just one, one thing that I NEED kept out of the show, for the sake of my sanity:
GWACK - First and only on the list and a potential heartbreak for me. It's one thing to misstep on Jack mourning for Ianto, it's one thing if they have him in all sorts of hook-ups or even a serious relationship before we're ready to see him there, but if they go the GWACK route, have ANY SORT OF SEXUAL ANYTHING with Gwen and Jack, Torchwood will be very hard for me to watch. Not because I hate Gwen (which I do) but because I hate them as a pair and it feels disrespectful to Ianto, it feels like (to me) that Jack was waiting for Ianto (and maybe Rhys) to be out of the way before moving in on Gwen and that is unBARROWble to me. It makes Ianto seem like a meaningless detour on the way to Gwen. I hate this idea, I hate it! I will always watch Torchwood and be a fan, but this could rip out my heart. Please don't…please.
Disclaimer about the above rant: If they do GWACK I will go MAD. I will keep a brave face, I will tell everyone that Torchwood is amazing and watch it because John Barrowman is brilliant. But, and don't get me wrong because I love Eve Myles, the Gwen bashing will escalate unbelievable amounts, with me and I'm sure others. I don't want to hate her!! Just make her happy with Rhys, we can start over.
SAVE IANTO
Alright here we are, the inevitable land of Ianto. Let me start by saying where I stand. I love Ianto Jones, I love Gareth David-Lloyd, this is my favorite character in the entire Whoverse (just barely edging out Jack). I also have a serious problem with his death. Aside from the fact that he will be missed, the circumstances of his death upset me. I feel like he was used as a plot device, a means to an end, and it wasn't in character for me in some ways. I am not about hating. Ianto is dead, that is a fact. I am not running around with "RTD is Dead To Me" T-shirts, I can appreciate all the awesome things RTD is also responsible for. I thought it would be fun to share my thoughts about the new series of Torchwood but really the number one reason I wanted to write this is because I am saddened by all the fans who are focusing on negatives instead of celebrating the positives. I want Ianto back, I really do and I have hopes that they could bring him back sometime. But, even if they don't can't we all just appreciate how great Torchwood has been and all the things OTHER THAN IANTO that we loved? Most obviously there's Captain Jack, our dear John Barrowman (check the site, we like him). He's the reason Torchwood happened in the first place and the reason many of us tuned in. I've heard people say that they began watching for Jack but stayed watching for Jack and Ianto. There are people saying they are not going to watch unless Ianto comes back. Let me say to all of you the following: If you watched for Jack the first time, do it again! It's a whole new world of possibilities even after Ianto. Watch for Jack and maybe you'll end up staying for Betty! Maybe Betty is the greatest character ever we just don't know about it yet? We have a whole future of Torchwood ahead who knows what amazing characters and moments it may bring! Ianto was a good thing, not the only good thing, not watching wont bring him back it'll only get the show cancelled. It's ok to love Ianto, it's ok to send coffee and postcards and beg for him back, but why spread hate and anger, can't we all just get along? If I'm willing to give Gwen another chance surely you can trust in RTD once more. Let's be positive we all want Ianto back, but let's not get into bashing of Torchwood or our lovely John Barrowman.
Let me finish by saying just this: I am excited about the new series, John Barrowman is going to be brilliant no matter what and IN BARROWMAN I TRUST.
Have a Happy Barrowman Day
<3 Dana