TW 2.13
OK, I had to wait till today to watch it, living in Israel and all, and can I just say: Woah. I had to go and read other reviews, cause I was choked up, and I haven't been this choked up from a TV show/Movie since I was a kid. Last time I was this emotional, I was a kid and watched My Girl and Macaulay Culkin's character died. I cried so hard after watching that.
On to the review, if it's coherent enough.
John/Jack
* For two weeks I've had Jack/John fantasies. The trailers made me believe John was Psycho-Ex-Boyfriend and I loved imagining Jack being tortured (a bit of a kink of mine). When the episode started, we had John declaring his love and then machine-gunning Jack (a bit of an overkill, don't ya think? Geez), handcuffing him, electricuting him and blowing up his city. I loved it. Later when it turned out he was being forced to do it, I felt a bit guilty for loving it so much.
* I'm glad John's still kicking after the episode, with potential to bring him back. I love his relationship with Jack- Jack thinking he can reason with him (love that that's why they paired them up and that not everyone at the Agency is a psycho), John deciding they have a song, declaring his love twice... When Jack said he could make things right, how exactly was he planning that? Run away with John? John's "hold me" kinda made me giggle.
* Then we got to the reveal and the interesting part. I knew from spoilers that Gray was mental and out for revenge, but I didn't know that he was forcing John. I loved his hurt that Jack didn't figure out this wasn't something he'd do (but didn't he do the exact same thing in KKBB? Unless he figured they'd get to Gwen in time and never planned to kill Jack). And him not wanting to bury Jack, but Jack gave him the ok. I loved his devotion to Jack and how he decided to set things right in the end. Some people said they "spikified" him too quickly, I just like to think he's slightly unbalanced and complicated. Then again I always loved Spike, even in later seasons...
Gray
Bad accent and bad acting. Seriously.
Jack
*How many times did Jack die this episode?
**hugs him fiercely* Quite the emotional ringer. I think JB's acting in this episode was great, seriously. I believe that Jack kept looking for Gray, kept blaming himself all these years (well, when the memory wasn't blocked) for what happened to Gray. Then to have him be psycho and blame you and want to hurt you... Ouch. Just ouch. Angst angst angst that didn't stop this episode- and I hope some of it leaks into future episodes. I don't want angsty season 1 Jack, but I don't want him to pretend none of this happened.
* Why didn't Gray kill him immediately when he was in the freezer? Where did the chloroform come from?
* Jack forgiving Gray and wanting him to forgive him back. Is this the root of Jack always forgiving everyone? That he feels that he can't be forgiven, yet secretly hopes that someone will? Am I overanalizing?
* Is he now older than the Doctor? Does his time in the ground count? I'm going to forget about his clothes surviving that long and move to more important things: Did he experience all that time being buried alive, like Gray wanted him to? Did he keep reviving and dying, or did he stay dead until Torchwood dug him out? What was the year, 1901 or so? Where was he back then? It'll be a while before I can rewatch this. Is this the fourth time he's been through 1941, even if it was through a drawer?
* Jack holding Gray and telling him he knew it was his fault, Broke my heart, JB did. God I wanted to hug Jack. I could understand him not being able to kill him, but John's right- what is he expecting? Maybe he thinks he can unfreeze him every once in a while, have a chat? I think Jack takes the whole "hold on to those you love" a bit too seriously. Searching for the Doctor for 140 years, afraid of losing Gwen, bringing Owen back from the dead and now freezing his brother in a drawer. Jack just can't let go, he's got some abandonement issues.
* I think Jack needs some therapy. First the whole Gray thing, then missing two years, then being abandoned by the Doctor and being immortal... Then said Doctor calling him wrong and the Valiant and now all this... How long can Jack go before he has a nervous breakdown? And all those memories, can the human head even deal with all of it?
Gwen
* I could actually see her being a leader when Jack was gone. I liked her in this episode, which is something coming from me. I loved how strong she was in front of the other coppers, and how scared and a bit weak she was privately with Rhys.
* Rhys and PC Andy are made of win! Especially when they team up! When the rumors of Gwen ending the season "broken but strong" I was worried they'd kill Rhys. I loved how he was there for Gwen and helped and was still his lovable self. LOL at him telling Andy he can keep secrets and there's a Time Agency in Cardiff and Andy replying that he asked and he told him. Loved that bit.
Ianto
* Didn't notice till the episode was over, but he was prominent much, was he? I loved him and Tosh kicking ass and taking names! I kinda wished he and Jack would have had a bit of a tender kiss in the end, like in EOD, ya know? Not full-on, just a bit of a cuddle or kiss. Especially considering Jack's been burried alive for 1800 odd years and then in the freezer for almost 100 more. I think the man needs a hug.
* I loved him threatening John, John calling him "Eye Candy" and Ianto yelling after Gray in the vaults. Loved it.
Tosh and Owen
* That creature that Owen knocked out was in Love and Monsters, right? I remember it all being rather silly, running down corridors. That whole episode was silly and I didn't not like it. I do however like all the DW shout outs this episode.
*I've been spoilered, so I knew they'd die, though I didn't know how. Gotta say, brilliant acting by both of them and they both died heroes. This part will be short, cause I don't want the lump to return to my chest.
* I jumped when Tosh was shot, seriously, I cheered when she was so so strong and crawled in pain to get that device and help Owen save the world. Tosh was so brave and just....
* Owen just saying all those things to the engineer and being Weevil king. I didn't like Owen in season one, cause he was a prat and a would-be-rapist. I cheered when Ianto shot him and didn't think he deserved forgiveness for betraying and murdering Jack. But season 2 made me love Owen and I grieved for him in Reset (was NOT spoilered for that! What a shock) and knew this was coming.
*Loved him not being ok with dying and raving and raging! And then Tosh's line "because you're breaking my heart" just about broke mine. I was so close to tears that whole segment and it's one of the only times I liked Tosh/Owen. Cause they connected and they just felt so... So right and and... *I'm only sniffling cause I got a cold damnit!*
* Space pigs! Way to fill in a plot-hole. Loved the explanation.
* Some people seem to think Owen might not be dead. I'm inclined to believe he is. Tosh died in Jack's arms and after watching Fragments this scenes seems so bittersweet. Cause he forced her into a 5 year contract, forced her to work for Torchwood. It must be eating Jack up inside, I keep thinking back to Adam and Jack telling Tosh he noticed she was special and that he would save Owen.
* The remaining team members looked so broken.I loved the video Tosh left and her believing Owen was still around and I just wanted to hug Tosh. It's amazing how she stayed so sane and loveable throughout everything the writers put her through these past two seasons. Out of the two of them, Owen had the most character development and it felt less tragic than Tosh's death. She had so much potential and they never really found what to do with her character till these last two episodes.
* Rhys was comforting Gwen, Ianto was erasing some computer files and Gwen and Jack were packing their belongings. Jack holding Gwen and Ianto. I love those three comforting each other. Luckily the three closest to each other remained, they can draw strength from each other *is hoping for good Janto comfort fics*
*No tie in to DW and I'm kinda glad. I liked the ending the way it was.
In conclusion-
Oh God, this is so sad! But they did it all so well. It didn't feel like emotional manipulation, it was genuinely heartbreaking, in a good way. I loved the episode, was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved Captain John, all the acters (except Gray) were on top of their game, Tosh and Owen, though I'll miss them, had a great death. I'm slightly more coherent now and gotta study for my test on Monday, but Gah. This episode killed me. I think it'll be a while before I can rewatch it. Great season, great (and heart-wrenching) ending.
On to the review, if it's coherent enough.
John/Jack
* For two weeks I've had Jack/John fantasies. The trailers made me believe John was Psycho-Ex-Boyfriend and I loved imagining Jack being tortured (a bit of a kink of mine). When the episode started, we had John declaring his love and then machine-gunning Jack (a bit of an overkill, don't ya think? Geez), handcuffing him, electricuting him and blowing up his city. I loved it. Later when it turned out he was being forced to do it, I felt a bit guilty for loving it so much.
* I'm glad John's still kicking after the episode, with potential to bring him back. I love his relationship with Jack- Jack thinking he can reason with him (love that that's why they paired them up and that not everyone at the Agency is a psycho), John deciding they have a song, declaring his love twice... When Jack said he could make things right, how exactly was he planning that? Run away with John? John's "hold me" kinda made me giggle.
* Then we got to the reveal and the interesting part. I knew from spoilers that Gray was mental and out for revenge, but I didn't know that he was forcing John. I loved his hurt that Jack didn't figure out this wasn't something he'd do (but didn't he do the exact same thing in KKBB? Unless he figured they'd get to Gwen in time and never planned to kill Jack). And him not wanting to bury Jack, but Jack gave him the ok. I loved his devotion to Jack and how he decided to set things right in the end. Some people said they "spikified" him too quickly, I just like to think he's slightly unbalanced and complicated. Then again I always loved Spike, even in later seasons...
Gray
Bad accent and bad acting. Seriously.
Jack
*How many times did Jack die this episode?
**hugs him fiercely* Quite the emotional ringer. I think JB's acting in this episode was great, seriously. I believe that Jack kept looking for Gray, kept blaming himself all these years (well, when the memory wasn't blocked) for what happened to Gray. Then to have him be psycho and blame you and want to hurt you... Ouch. Just ouch. Angst angst angst that didn't stop this episode- and I hope some of it leaks into future episodes. I don't want angsty season 1 Jack, but I don't want him to pretend none of this happened.
* Why didn't Gray kill him immediately when he was in the freezer? Where did the chloroform come from?
* Jack forgiving Gray and wanting him to forgive him back. Is this the root of Jack always forgiving everyone? That he feels that he can't be forgiven, yet secretly hopes that someone will? Am I overanalizing?
* Is he now older than the Doctor? Does his time in the ground count? I'm going to forget about his clothes surviving that long and move to more important things: Did he experience all that time being buried alive, like Gray wanted him to? Did he keep reviving and dying, or did he stay dead until Torchwood dug him out? What was the year, 1901 or so? Where was he back then? It'll be a while before I can rewatch this. Is this the fourth time he's been through 1941, even if it was through a drawer?
* Jack holding Gray and telling him he knew it was his fault, Broke my heart, JB did. God I wanted to hug Jack. I could understand him not being able to kill him, but John's right- what is he expecting? Maybe he thinks he can unfreeze him every once in a while, have a chat? I think Jack takes the whole "hold on to those you love" a bit too seriously. Searching for the Doctor for 140 years, afraid of losing Gwen, bringing Owen back from the dead and now freezing his brother in a drawer. Jack just can't let go, he's got some abandonement issues.
* I think Jack needs some therapy. First the whole Gray thing, then missing two years, then being abandoned by the Doctor and being immortal... Then said Doctor calling him wrong and the Valiant and now all this... How long can Jack go before he has a nervous breakdown? And all those memories, can the human head even deal with all of it?
Gwen
* I could actually see her being a leader when Jack was gone. I liked her in this episode, which is something coming from me. I loved how strong she was in front of the other coppers, and how scared and a bit weak she was privately with Rhys.
* Rhys and PC Andy are made of win! Especially when they team up! When the rumors of Gwen ending the season "broken but strong" I was worried they'd kill Rhys. I loved how he was there for Gwen and helped and was still his lovable self. LOL at him telling Andy he can keep secrets and there's a Time Agency in Cardiff and Andy replying that he asked and he told him. Loved that bit.
Ianto
* Didn't notice till the episode was over, but he was prominent much, was he? I loved him and Tosh kicking ass and taking names! I kinda wished he and Jack would have had a bit of a tender kiss in the end, like in EOD, ya know? Not full-on, just a bit of a cuddle or kiss. Especially considering Jack's been burried alive for 1800 odd years and then in the freezer for almost 100 more. I think the man needs a hug.
* I loved him threatening John, John calling him "Eye Candy" and Ianto yelling after Gray in the vaults. Loved it.
Tosh and Owen
* That creature that Owen knocked out was in Love and Monsters, right? I remember it all being rather silly, running down corridors. That whole episode was silly and I didn't not like it. I do however like all the DW shout outs this episode.
*I've been spoilered, so I knew they'd die, though I didn't know how. Gotta say, brilliant acting by both of them and they both died heroes. This part will be short, cause I don't want the lump to return to my chest.
* I jumped when Tosh was shot, seriously, I cheered when she was so so strong and crawled in pain to get that device and help Owen save the world. Tosh was so brave and just....
* Owen just saying all those things to the engineer and being Weevil king. I didn't like Owen in season one, cause he was a prat and a would-be-rapist. I cheered when Ianto shot him and didn't think he deserved forgiveness for betraying and murdering Jack. But season 2 made me love Owen and I grieved for him in Reset (was NOT spoilered for that! What a shock) and knew this was coming.
*Loved him not being ok with dying and raving and raging! And then Tosh's line "because you're breaking my heart" just about broke mine. I was so close to tears that whole segment and it's one of the only times I liked Tosh/Owen. Cause they connected and they just felt so... So right and and... *I'm only sniffling cause I got a cold damnit!*
* Space pigs! Way to fill in a plot-hole. Loved the explanation.
* Some people seem to think Owen might not be dead. I'm inclined to believe he is. Tosh died in Jack's arms and after watching Fragments this scenes seems so bittersweet. Cause he forced her into a 5 year contract, forced her to work for Torchwood. It must be eating Jack up inside, I keep thinking back to Adam and Jack telling Tosh he noticed she was special and that he would save Owen.
* The remaining team members looked so broken.I loved the video Tosh left and her believing Owen was still around and I just wanted to hug Tosh. It's amazing how she stayed so sane and loveable throughout everything the writers put her through these past two seasons. Out of the two of them, Owen had the most character development and it felt less tragic than Tosh's death. She had so much potential and they never really found what to do with her character till these last two episodes.
* Rhys was comforting Gwen, Ianto was erasing some computer files and Gwen and Jack were packing their belongings. Jack holding Gwen and Ianto. I love those three comforting each other. Luckily the three closest to each other remained, they can draw strength from each other *is hoping for good Janto comfort fics*
*No tie in to DW and I'm kinda glad. I liked the ending the way it was.
In conclusion-
Oh God, this is so sad! But they did it all so well. It didn't feel like emotional manipulation, it was genuinely heartbreaking, in a good way. I loved the episode, was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved Captain John, all the acters (except Gray) were on top of their game, Tosh and Owen, though I'll miss them, had a great death. I'm slightly more coherent now and gotta study for my test on Monday, but Gah. This episode killed me. I think it'll be a while before I can rewatch it. Great season, great (and heart-wrenching) ending.