(no subject)
Overall: Good, but not as good as some of the previous weeks.
Okay, first, a very important announcement regarding this episode:
IANTO AND I HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY. He is two years older, though. I couldn't stop grinning for a while after Jack said that.
And onto the rest...
The frame was a little problematic for me, but that was bound to be the case. Flashback episodes are hard to do, but at least it wasn't a clips episode! I really liked the opening sequence, liked the individualized reactions to the bomb (Ianto closing his eyes, resigned), and I liked the shots of them being pulled from the rubble. But I guess I was just hyper-aware of the fact that, as far as real-time is concerned, nothing happened. The frame was just that, a convenient forum for explaining how each of them joined the team, and that was obvious.
Still, I love backstory, and that's exactly what we got here. On to the flashbacks...
Jack, oh Jack. That bottle looked painful.
I adore Victorian girl power Torchwood, and think I may have a crush on the Scottish one. (Who, I would like to point out, is wearing a tie.)
The best parts of Jack's section were the time-passing montage, which was so incredibly gorgeous, and the death of his team in 1999. I would have liked to see more of 1999 and less of Victorian!Jack, I think. To me, it makes perfect sense that Jack was only a field officer for all that time. He is a natural second-in-command. He only took command when he had to, before there was no one else.
I wonder if the Lodmoor Research Facility is the "government think tank" that Mary was referring to? But if that's the think tank Mary meant, Tosh had been with them since she was 20... was spying the entire time, I wonder? Or was it a different think tank? And I guess this means that in DW, Tosh was undercover for Jack.
I don't like that UNIT is so... Torchwood. I'm sure that we're supposed to recognize a) shades of Gitmo and b) that it's post-911, but... I don't know. Torchwood is supposed to be the morally ambiguous one. That's why no one likes them, and presumably why they're effective.
So... In late 2007, Mary said Tosh'd been with Torchwood only three years. She could have meant 3+, which would put the date of recruitment at early 2004, and it could be late 2008/early 2009 in the current timeline...? That could equal out to 4.5 or 5. Still, that means a lot of time has passed during S2. TW timeline hurts my head.
Oh, Ianto. Ianto. He looks so young, doesn't he, and so desperate. He is just doing whatever he can to get his foot in the door.
Did I mention that he has my birthday? It's also different than the one in Torchwood magazine. So, Ianto could be 24 or 25, depending on the current Torchwood timeline. Meaning he was probably 23 when Canary Wharf happened, and turned 24 while at Torchwood Three (a bit before Everything Changes, maybe?). Which means he was 21 when he joined Torchwood.
We have a fair enough of Ianto details now. We know when he was born, that he was an able but not exceptional student, that he shoplifted, that his dad was a tailor, and that he is presumably from the Cardiff-area (in order to go to the Electro?). Oh, and that his coffee apparently is that good.
Also, that he had a number of temporary jobs and was a 'drifter'-- so... I wonder what kind of education that means. 'Junior researcher' at Torchwood One seems like it should require a degree. If so, and if he did join when he was 21, he couldn't have had too much of a gap between uni and TW, so temp jobs make sense.
Hee. The little comparisons to Torchwood London are great. The special equipment line makes me think back to "Do we need special weapons?" from KKBB (which is such a Torchwood One thought). Dinosaur nets! I wonder how long it takes Ianto to stop comparing the Torchwoods. Also, it occurs to me that Ianto admits to have possession of Torchwood technology and Jack doesn't seem to care. (Ianto = the right hands?)
Interesting little mention of two members of Jacks team scavenging the ruins, too. Not Jack, apparently. Suzie and Tosh, perhaps?
You know, I think my favorite part of the episode is the rolling. It's just such a perfect, understated character moment. The laugh, the pause, the almost kiss... and then Ianto pulling away because he realizes that he's already in too deep. He's obviously attracted to Jack, but I don't think that's all that is. When Ianto laughs there, it isn't forced, it isn't goal-oriented-- he laughs like he's forgotten that Torchwood One fell and that his girlfriend is half-converted. No wonder he runs off so quickly; the last thing he wants to do is forget. It probably scares him that he could.
I remained convinced that Jack and Ianto didn't have sex while Lisa was still alive. I suspect that if Ianto was willing to go that far, he would have kissed Jack right there. Instead, I get the feeling that Ianto was sincerely interested, but as long as Lisa was there, he kept pulling himself back. I'm sure similar things kept happening. So maybe the Jack/Ianto suddenness is because it's all been building up?
His face when he gets the job is heartbreaking. It's so clear that he's in constant pain, but that he's just been hiding it, and it's clear that having to use Jack has made it hurt that much more. I wonder if maybe he hadn't actually realized, before, that hiding Lisa would mean lying to real people, even ones he might actually like. It's a necessary touch; Ianto has been so manipulative, and flirty, and persistent, but... that one detail makes it so that his persistence is pathetic (as in pathos) instead of calculating. I'm glad, because his 'agenda' could have easily been taken too far.
Knowing the story of how Ianto and Jack caught the pterodactyl makes me cringe even more when I think about Cyberwoman. Did that occur to Jack-- or to Ianto?
We essentially see Ianto try out three personalities. The dark and mysterious "looks like a Weevil to me" came first. Then the young, eager, and vulnerable. And lastly, the professional and well-turned out in a suit. I wonder if he did that purposely.
Owen's backstory was lovely and sad, but I don't have all that much to say about it.
Okay, first, a very important announcement regarding this episode:
IANTO AND I HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY. He is two years older, though. I couldn't stop grinning for a while after Jack said that.
And onto the rest...
The frame was a little problematic for me, but that was bound to be the case. Flashback episodes are hard to do, but at least it wasn't a clips episode! I really liked the opening sequence, liked the individualized reactions to the bomb (Ianto closing his eyes, resigned), and I liked the shots of them being pulled from the rubble. But I guess I was just hyper-aware of the fact that, as far as real-time is concerned, nothing happened. The frame was just that, a convenient forum for explaining how each of them joined the team, and that was obvious.
Still, I love backstory, and that's exactly what we got here. On to the flashbacks...
Jack, oh Jack. That bottle looked painful.
I adore Victorian girl power Torchwood, and think I may have a crush on the Scottish one. (Who, I would like to point out, is wearing a tie.)
The best parts of Jack's section were the time-passing montage, which was so incredibly gorgeous, and the death of his team in 1999. I would have liked to see more of 1999 and less of Victorian!Jack, I think. To me, it makes perfect sense that Jack was only a field officer for all that time. He is a natural second-in-command. He only took command when he had to, before there was no one else.
I wonder if the Lodmoor Research Facility is the "government think tank" that Mary was referring to? But if that's the think tank Mary meant, Tosh had been with them since she was 20... was spying the entire time, I wonder? Or was it a different think tank? And I guess this means that in DW, Tosh was undercover for Jack.
I don't like that UNIT is so... Torchwood. I'm sure that we're supposed to recognize a) shades of Gitmo and b) that it's post-911, but... I don't know. Torchwood is supposed to be the morally ambiguous one. That's why no one likes them, and presumably why they're effective.
So... In late 2007, Mary said Tosh'd been with Torchwood only three years. She could have meant 3+, which would put the date of recruitment at early 2004, and it could be late 2008/early 2009 in the current timeline...? That could equal out to 4.5 or 5. Still, that means a lot of time has passed during S2. TW timeline hurts my head.
Oh, Ianto. Ianto. He looks so young, doesn't he, and so desperate. He is just doing whatever he can to get his foot in the door.
Did I mention that he has my birthday? It's also different than the one in Torchwood magazine. So, Ianto could be 24 or 25, depending on the current Torchwood timeline. Meaning he was probably 23 when Canary Wharf happened, and turned 24 while at Torchwood Three (a bit before Everything Changes, maybe?). Which means he was 21 when he joined Torchwood.
We have a fair enough of Ianto details now. We know when he was born, that he was an able but not exceptional student, that he shoplifted, that his dad was a tailor, and that he is presumably from the Cardiff-area (in order to go to the Electro?). Oh, and that his coffee apparently is that good.
Also, that he had a number of temporary jobs and was a 'drifter'-- so... I wonder what kind of education that means. 'Junior researcher' at Torchwood One seems like it should require a degree. If so, and if he did join when he was 21, he couldn't have had too much of a gap between uni and TW, so temp jobs make sense.
Hee. The little comparisons to Torchwood London are great. The special equipment line makes me think back to "Do we need special weapons?" from KKBB (which is such a Torchwood One thought). Dinosaur nets! I wonder how long it takes Ianto to stop comparing the Torchwoods. Also, it occurs to me that Ianto admits to have possession of Torchwood technology and Jack doesn't seem to care. (Ianto = the right hands?)
Interesting little mention of two members of Jacks team scavenging the ruins, too. Not Jack, apparently. Suzie and Tosh, perhaps?
You know, I think my favorite part of the episode is the rolling. It's just such a perfect, understated character moment. The laugh, the pause, the almost kiss... and then Ianto pulling away because he realizes that he's already in too deep. He's obviously attracted to Jack, but I don't think that's all that is. When Ianto laughs there, it isn't forced, it isn't goal-oriented-- he laughs like he's forgotten that Torchwood One fell and that his girlfriend is half-converted. No wonder he runs off so quickly; the last thing he wants to do is forget. It probably scares him that he could.
I remained convinced that Jack and Ianto didn't have sex while Lisa was still alive. I suspect that if Ianto was willing to go that far, he would have kissed Jack right there. Instead, I get the feeling that Ianto was sincerely interested, but as long as Lisa was there, he kept pulling himself back. I'm sure similar things kept happening. So maybe the Jack/Ianto suddenness is because it's all been building up?
His face when he gets the job is heartbreaking. It's so clear that he's in constant pain, but that he's just been hiding it, and it's clear that having to use Jack has made it hurt that much more. I wonder if maybe he hadn't actually realized, before, that hiding Lisa would mean lying to real people, even ones he might actually like. It's a necessary touch; Ianto has been so manipulative, and flirty, and persistent, but... that one detail makes it so that his persistence is pathetic (as in pathos) instead of calculating. I'm glad, because his 'agenda' could have easily been taken too far.
Knowing the story of how Ianto and Jack caught the pterodactyl makes me cringe even more when I think about Cyberwoman. Did that occur to Jack-- or to Ianto?
We essentially see Ianto try out three personalities. The dark and mysterious "looks like a Weevil to me" came first. Then the young, eager, and vulnerable. And lastly, the professional and well-turned out in a suit. I wonder if he did that purposely.
Owen's backstory was lovely and sad, but I don't have all that much to say about it.