In Which I Rant Mightily
I am usually the person defending Russell T Davies. I don't let myself get too bothered by his "go watch Supernatural" comments, or his references to fandom as "a few people typing away on the internet". I recognise that, as a writer, he cannot please everybody, and that if he made doing what fans wanted his driving force in his writing, he would never get anything written, because in our minds, we all have this idea of a "perfect" show, and that "perfect" show is different to each one of us. I accept that this means that, sometimes, he will make decisions that I think are VERY VERY wrong.
Anyone who reads my LJ will know that I think killing Ianto at this point in time was one of those VERY VERY wrong decisions. But I've tried not to get too pissed off (though I've failed miserably), when I hear RTD making that pathetic "It was necessary for the story" excuse, because, you know, any writer would do the same. It's human nature, I think, when confronted by a group of people who violently disagree with you, to dig your heels in and hold your ground. It means you end up making some pretty piss-poor excuses for your choices, but I can understand the reaction. As a fan, it's hard not to be pissed off, because he's spent two seasons building Jack up as a character who would make any sacrifice for the greater good, including the sacrifice of his own integrity, and it's hard because even SARAH JANE SMITH was able to send her best friend and (seperately) her parents to their deaths IN A FUCKING KIDS' SHOW in order to save the world, and it's hard because Ianto's death was completely meaningless in the end -- he didn't save anybody, he didn't grow as a character because of it. He just died, and Jack did what he would have done all along ANYWAY. So yeah, it angers me when RTD makes that excuse... but I can still understand why he makes it. I don't think he's TRYING to be disrespectful to his fans, he's just doing what many people do when they're under attack.
BUT, I am having a VERY HARD TIME seeing this new information from SDCC-- that events of CoE will not be acknowledged in the Doctor Who finales (in which Jack will appear)-- as anything but complete and utter disrespect for Ianto's fans, and towards Ianto's character. It's one thing not to worry too much about fans when you're actually writing a story, for the reasons I outlined above. But ultimately, writers exist in a symbiotic relationship with their fans, and at the VERY LEAST, when writers make a decision that they KNOW will devestate a large portion of their fanbase, they should acknowledge that, in small ways, by remembering the character. With Ianto, that's doubly important-- all he wanted in the end, in those final moments with Jack, was to be remembered, and Jack promised that he would do so. Surely, it is not unreasonable, to see this also as a promise to the fans? Especially when one of the excuses that RTD made in the Confidential, is that important characters need to get big, memorable deaths?
And the thing is, I thought that the need to acknowledge the loss of beloved characters was one thing that RTD really got, because in the past, when he's taken well-loved characters away from us, he HAS made sure that their importance was acknowledged. Rose was referenced throughout S3 of Doctor Who. Tosh and Owen got a mention (in fact, Tosh saved Gwen and Ianto from beyond the grave) in S4 of Doctor Who: even though those references would have made NO SENSE to people who had not watched Torchwood, Rusty felt that their deaths needed to be recognised. Donna has been referred to in the specials we've seen so far (even if it's often implicit), and she got a bit of a tribute in The Sarah Jane Adventures, with Chrissie's "she saved the world and won't remember it" thing -- it's not a direct reference to Donna, but it's in there to let the fans know that she hasn't been forgotten. And with all of this, Ianto gets nothing. Fuck all. It would be SO EASY to acknowledge him in a tiny way -- a small gesture that would nonetheless be hugely meaningful to the people who invested in his character, who kept watching, who bought the books and magazines, because of him.
But Rusty won't even give us that much. He gives us all these big speeches about how bringing Ianto back would cheapen his death, yet he's completely willing to cheapen Jack's promise to remember him.
And that, more than anything else, makes me feel completely shat upon as a fan.
Anyone who reads my LJ will know that I think killing Ianto at this point in time was one of those VERY VERY wrong decisions. But I've tried not to get too pissed off (though I've failed miserably), when I hear RTD making that pathetic "It was necessary for the story" excuse, because, you know, any writer would do the same. It's human nature, I think, when confronted by a group of people who violently disagree with you, to dig your heels in and hold your ground. It means you end up making some pretty piss-poor excuses for your choices, but I can understand the reaction. As a fan, it's hard not to be pissed off, because he's spent two seasons building Jack up as a character who would make any sacrifice for the greater good, including the sacrifice of his own integrity, and it's hard because even SARAH JANE SMITH was able to send her best friend and (seperately) her parents to their deaths IN A FUCKING KIDS' SHOW in order to save the world, and it's hard because Ianto's death was completely meaningless in the end -- he didn't save anybody, he didn't grow as a character because of it. He just died, and Jack did what he would have done all along ANYWAY. So yeah, it angers me when RTD makes that excuse... but I can still understand why he makes it. I don't think he's TRYING to be disrespectful to his fans, he's just doing what many people do when they're under attack.
BUT, I am having a VERY HARD TIME seeing this new information from SDCC-- that events of CoE will not be acknowledged in the Doctor Who finales (in which Jack will appear)-- as anything but complete and utter disrespect for Ianto's fans, and towards Ianto's character. It's one thing not to worry too much about fans when you're actually writing a story, for the reasons I outlined above. But ultimately, writers exist in a symbiotic relationship with their fans, and at the VERY LEAST, when writers make a decision that they KNOW will devestate a large portion of their fanbase, they should acknowledge that, in small ways, by remembering the character. With Ianto, that's doubly important-- all he wanted in the end, in those final moments with Jack, was to be remembered, and Jack promised that he would do so. Surely, it is not unreasonable, to see this also as a promise to the fans? Especially when one of the excuses that RTD made in the Confidential, is that important characters need to get big, memorable deaths?
And the thing is, I thought that the need to acknowledge the loss of beloved characters was one thing that RTD really got, because in the past, when he's taken well-loved characters away from us, he HAS made sure that their importance was acknowledged. Rose was referenced throughout S3 of Doctor Who. Tosh and Owen got a mention (in fact, Tosh saved Gwen and Ianto from beyond the grave) in S4 of Doctor Who: even though those references would have made NO SENSE to people who had not watched Torchwood, Rusty felt that their deaths needed to be recognised. Donna has been referred to in the specials we've seen so far (even if it's often implicit), and she got a bit of a tribute in The Sarah Jane Adventures, with Chrissie's "she saved the world and won't remember it" thing -- it's not a direct reference to Donna, but it's in there to let the fans know that she hasn't been forgotten. And with all of this, Ianto gets nothing. Fuck all. It would be SO EASY to acknowledge him in a tiny way -- a small gesture that would nonetheless be hugely meaningful to the people who invested in his character, who kept watching, who bought the books and magazines, because of him.
But Rusty won't even give us that much. He gives us all these big speeches about how bringing Ianto back would cheapen his death, yet he's completely willing to cheapen Jack's promise to remember him.
And that, more than anything else, makes me feel completely shat upon as a fan.