Staging Ianto

[crabby_lioness]

While timing the characters I noted some interesting things about how Ianto is handled on the stage.  Here's my observations lifted from OG:

Watching these with the sound off, it's hard to miss how often the camera favors Ianto. He may be in the background in most eps, but except for GBG he's usually only a degree or two off from the dead center of

Comments

[fajrdrako]

All good points.

I think there is a reason for this, though I am speculating. When they first conceived series 1, they had planned to kill Ianto off - probably in "Cyberwoman". (I'm so glad they didn't!) Then they decided - and 'they' probably means Russell T. Davies - to keep him on, and make him Jack's lover. But the scripts were done, the stories set up, they could only increase his role so much without commissioning new scripts - and it was too late for that even if they could afford it.

So: what to do? Make him prominent (and attractive) on camera. Takes small but significant actions from other characters and let him do them. Show him as being closely supportive of Jack in visual implication, not words, or not just words.

I figured we were going to get something between Jack and Ianto from the time of the "looks good in a suit" comment.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

[crabby_lioness]

I've heard that theory before, even promoted it. But Peter Angehides says that by the time the novelists were brought in Ianto's role wasn't in doubt. And considering that Ianto has played gay characters before, including a gay love interest for RTD before, I think that was the plan all along.

[fajrdrako]

So where did the story that Ianto was originally meant to be killed off come from? Very, very early in the process, perhaps. Interesting.

I haven't read "Border Princes" yet, but I could see all sorts of hints in "Another Life" (like flirtation!) that something would eventually develop between Jack and Ianto. Not so with "Slow Decay". I wondered why there was a difference.

[ceindreadh]

AFAIK, it was that Ianto wasn't going to be in every episode. Possibly his absence would have been explained by him say working in the Tourist Office while the others were in the Hub. I think he may have originally been conceived as the 'cleaner upper' guy, the one who tidies up the mess but doesn't share a hand in creating it. Obviously TPTB soon figured out that GDL/Ianto was much more interesting than that, but not soon enough to fit him into the earlier scripts. Here's hoping S2 is a little more even handed.

[indiefairy]

You get so much love for timing the characters, it certainly makes for an interesting read. Would have commented over at OG but I'm still being a persistant lurker.

I'm glad you've highlighted Ianto's screen presence, it's something I've noticed whilst watching Torchwood, and it's something I love about his character. In fact my eye is drawn to him more often than not when he is in shot.

Some great observations here hun.

[crabby_lioness]

It's hard not to watch him, isn't it? And it's not just that he's pretty.

[missjemmaxxx]

This was lovely to read, I'm glad you picked up on this - because I hadn't!

There's so much RTD bashing at the minute, so this was refreshing! Mem-ed it :)

[crabby_lioness]

Thank you. I had picked up on in subliminally, but I hadn't worked it out before.

[fatchickengirl]

The moment, that for me, predicted the relationship (or hinted they had one b4 Lisa) was in 'Small Worlds'. At the very beginning when Jack touched Ianto's shoulder and Ianto flinched. It cld be read so many ways and the fangirl that I am thought 'I wonder' and I didn't think it wld be developed to for a long while. But in 'TKKS' he is always there! Then he has the 'naughty torch sequence' anyone seeing that must known what is coming (in more ways than one)!!!

[crabby_lioness]

Yes. Ianto is shown subtley working his way through the stages of the grief process between Cyberwoman and TKKS. It really is an amazing job for an actor of his youth. One of these days I must post one of my writings about that here.

[fatchickengirl]

For me greatacting is a combination of beliveabilty and what they don't say. GDL does this so well in such an underwritten part. Little is said about Ianto and had very little to do and yet is the second most popular character and that is down to performance.

[santousha]

naughty torch sequence
what do you mean with that?

[stoplookingup]

This is interesting -- but to describe Ianto as "quieter but smarter" and "plain Jane" is incredibly simplistic.

I agree wholeheartedly that RTD draws heavily on literary sources, but not Disney versions of fairy tales. If anything, given RTD's heavy reliance on biblical sources in Doctor Who and Torchwood, and particularly on a gnostic interpretation of those sources, Ianto can perhaps be seen as Judas (betraying Christ with a kiss, though it seems likely that the whole team shares this role), a betrayal that allows Jack to fulfill his destiny by battling the big bad beastie. Ianto is also Welsh for John, author of the Book of Revelation, another tie-in to the season's apocalyptic ending.

So, yeah, it's fair to talk about Ianto's centrality in events, but reductive to boil it down to a ship.

[crabby_lioness]

This is interesting -- but to describe Ianto as "quieter but smarter" and "plain Jane" is incredibly simplistic.

Yes it is incredibly simplistic, which is why I usually use terms from more sophisticated sources. But sometimes simple works as well.

I love looking for literary allusions in DW and TW. Look around my site and you'll find a lot of those essays, including Cyberwoman as Oedipus Rex, DocNine as Oddyseus, and DocTen as an old-style Celtic Fairie.

[stoplookingup]

I'll check it out. Thanks.

Somewhat OT

[coffeegirl18]

Ooo I'm reading those...love the literary references. BTW Anyone think of Jack being like Hamlet in the end of Parting Of the Ways (series 2) on Doc Who. I mean he's a man of inaction (or essentially sexing up anything that moves) to a man of action. Do I need to reference the whole 'to be or not to be', I mean he's seriously a tragic hero except he can die and get back up again. Ooo should write that essay myself. Oh and speaking of the play Hamlet; I see Ianto as a Horatio-type, in the background but incredibly important to the play/storyline.

PS I'm starting to wonder if they're going to use Gwen as an Ophelia-type character.