well I lie and I'm easy /but I'm never sure why I need you
So, I have seen the first two episodes of Torchwood S2.
1. Captain-on-Captain action = the new hotness. As soon as Jack walked into that bar I was saying, “They’re going to kiss,” and damn, did they ever kiss. That whole scene, from the kiss to the manly fist-fighting set to Song 2, was hands down my favorite of the series. (and on a side note, what a great use of music, the best since they broke out “Starman” for Random Shoes. Torchwood doesn’t it every episode, but when they decide to get clever with the music it’s always quality).
Moving away from “Boys are pretty!” shallowness, they did some interesting things with Captain John. Obviously he’s supposed to be a dark mirror for Jack; Jack was never that bad, but if the Doctor and Rose hadn’t stopped his downward slide I’m sure he was wondering if he could have been. John’s not only a mirror for Jack, though; in that come-to-the-Dark-Side seduction scene I thought he was also a Dark Mirror for the Doctor, or at least Jack’s relationship with the Doctor. Everything he was offering Jack was a corrupt and self-serving version of what the Doctor offers Jack, with the kicker being that having met the Doctor is what gave Jack the responsibility to resist John in the first place.
2. Very interesting that there was not one word about Jack’s missing memories. One would think his ex-partner would bring up the reason Jack left the Agency in the first place; it makes me wonder if John honestly doesn’t know, and Jack just up and left one day with no explanation. It would explain the warning that Jack was untrustworthy and his generally carrying on in that scene like a spurned lover (“We had something.”) And yes, pot calling the kettle black on the untrustworthiness issue, but I get the feeling that for Jack at least John could always be trusted to be untrustworthy (I’ve played in groups with CN rogues, so I know the type:). If Jack did just up and run, I get the feeling John never saw it coming.
3. So, what do you think they do in murder rehab?:) I love this universe. "Murder rehab" is quickly going to become a running gag in my D&D group, I can already tell.
4. The scene where Gwen told Jack she's gotten engaged made me queasy (mind you, I like Gwen. This is about Jack.) Jack needs to not do that. He talks out of both sides of his mouth with Gwen; he says he wants her to keep her non-Torchwood life, but every time it seems like she might come to her senses he starts flirting to change her mind. He knows she's attracted to him, and he uses that against her, even throwing her little bits of personal information to reel her in further. It's one of the reasons she knows the most about him, even though she's known him the least amount of time. He digs into his old bag of conman tricks (he pulled a similar line on Rose when he met her), showing off his dimples when he thinks it'll let him manipulate his way out of things. I don't think he would've pulled that on, say, Tosh.
5. Speaking of people Jack manipulates with his dimples: Oh, Ianto. Oh, sweetie, run now. Don't fall for Jack any further than you already have. Jack asking Ianto out was adorable, especially since Jack's hardly ever on the defensive relationship-wise, but I wonder if he would've have done it if it hadn't been incredibly obvious that Ianto was incredibly ticked off at him. I like that Jack clearly doesn't know quite how to handle Ianto; he expected the outburst from Gwen, but Ianto isn't confrontational even though he was probably even more upset. They've let Ianto show more of his personality in these two episodes, and he's so adorable I want him to be with someone you'll actually put him first, and Jack? Ain't that guy. Let's put the immortality aside. Let's put even put Torchwood: Jack can swear he's committed to this and that he'll never leave until he's blue in the face, but if the Doctor ever showed up at the Hub and said, "Captain, I need your help, I'm---" Jack would have his coat on and be out the door before he finished the sentence.
6. Speaking of the Doctor, I'm just waiting for someone to figure out that "my doctor" should actually be "the Doctor." Although considering how well known the Doctor was at Torchwood I, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Ianto already did. (Tosh is my second choice).
7. 7. "Sleeper" was a nice set-up for the invasion storyline, but what I really liked about it was how it highlighted just what Gwen's role on this team is. No one else was prepared to empathize with Beth, even if they did genuinely feel bad about the situation. Beth needed someone to believe that she was human so that she could behuman; take Gwen out the equation, and Beth probably would have surrendered to her programming just like all of the others. It was a good Gwen episode.
8. It's occurred to me that Jack doesn't lie so much as tell half-truths he desperately wishes were true. The line he fed Gwen about how thinking of her and the team was what kept him coming back from the dead time after time was almost true; they were part of it, but not a bigger part than that the Doctor had a plan and was depending on him. He doesn't just do this to Torchwood, either; in "Utopia" he tells the Doctor that he "remade" Torchwood after Canary Wharf to redeem it, which I think is bull. I don't believe he's been doing this for only two years (only been doing it with this team, maybe, but I got the impression that Suzie at least had been around for a while) and his primary reason was to find the Doctor again. Otherwise he wouldn't have dropped everything and flung himself had the TARDIS at his first opportunity.
But I think Jack believes it, or at least is a good enough conman to convince himself, and that's going to catch up with him someday.
9. Everyone commenting on how big the Hub is reminded me of how people react when they see the inside of the TARDIS for the first time.
10. There were a lot of good one-liners. I particularly liked, "It is more fun when he's around, though.":)
I've figured out that the reason I want to see Jumper like burning is that it looks like someone's Heroes fanfic with the serial numbers filed off. Now obviously that's not true, considering how long it takes these things to be made, but seriously. Look at it. Evil, mysterious organization! Dumb young hero discovering his power! Smart ass mentor-ish figure with a hot accent! Stick fighting! All this, and Mace Windu beating up on Anikin Skywalker! It's like it was made for me!
1. Captain-on-Captain action = the new hotness. As soon as Jack walked into that bar I was saying, “They’re going to kiss,” and damn, did they ever kiss. That whole scene, from the kiss to the manly fist-fighting set to Song 2, was hands down my favorite of the series. (and on a side note, what a great use of music, the best since they broke out “Starman” for Random Shoes. Torchwood doesn’t it every episode, but when they decide to get clever with the music it’s always quality).
Moving away from “Boys are pretty!” shallowness, they did some interesting things with Captain John. Obviously he’s supposed to be a dark mirror for Jack; Jack was never that bad, but if the Doctor and Rose hadn’t stopped his downward slide I’m sure he was wondering if he could have been. John’s not only a mirror for Jack, though; in that come-to-the-Dark-Side seduction scene I thought he was also a Dark Mirror for the Doctor, or at least Jack’s relationship with the Doctor. Everything he was offering Jack was a corrupt and self-serving version of what the Doctor offers Jack, with the kicker being that having met the Doctor is what gave Jack the responsibility to resist John in the first place.
2. Very interesting that there was not one word about Jack’s missing memories. One would think his ex-partner would bring up the reason Jack left the Agency in the first place; it makes me wonder if John honestly doesn’t know, and Jack just up and left one day with no explanation. It would explain the warning that Jack was untrustworthy and his generally carrying on in that scene like a spurned lover (“We had something.”) And yes, pot calling the kettle black on the untrustworthiness issue, but I get the feeling that for Jack at least John could always be trusted to be untrustworthy (I’ve played in groups with CN rogues, so I know the type:). If Jack did just up and run, I get the feeling John never saw it coming.
3. So, what do you think they do in murder rehab?:) I love this universe. "Murder rehab" is quickly going to become a running gag in my D&D group, I can already tell.
4. The scene where Gwen told Jack she's gotten engaged made me queasy (mind you, I like Gwen. This is about Jack.) Jack needs to not do that. He talks out of both sides of his mouth with Gwen; he says he wants her to keep her non-Torchwood life, but every time it seems like she might come to her senses he starts flirting to change her mind. He knows she's attracted to him, and he uses that against her, even throwing her little bits of personal information to reel her in further. It's one of the reasons she knows the most about him, even though she's known him the least amount of time. He digs into his old bag of conman tricks (he pulled a similar line on Rose when he met her), showing off his dimples when he thinks it'll let him manipulate his way out of things. I don't think he would've pulled that on, say, Tosh.
5. Speaking of people Jack manipulates with his dimples: Oh, Ianto. Oh, sweetie, run now. Don't fall for Jack any further than you already have. Jack asking Ianto out was adorable, especially since Jack's hardly ever on the defensive relationship-wise, but I wonder if he would've have done it if it hadn't been incredibly obvious that Ianto was incredibly ticked off at him. I like that Jack clearly doesn't know quite how to handle Ianto; he expected the outburst from Gwen, but Ianto isn't confrontational even though he was probably even more upset. They've let Ianto show more of his personality in these two episodes, and he's so adorable I want him to be with someone you'll actually put him first, and Jack? Ain't that guy. Let's put the immortality aside. Let's put even put Torchwood: Jack can swear he's committed to this and that he'll never leave until he's blue in the face, but if the Doctor ever showed up at the Hub and said, "Captain, I need your help, I'm---" Jack would have his coat on and be out the door before he finished the sentence.
6. Speaking of the Doctor, I'm just waiting for someone to figure out that "my doctor" should actually be "the Doctor." Although considering how well known the Doctor was at Torchwood I, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Ianto already did. (Tosh is my second choice).
7. 7. "Sleeper" was a nice set-up for the invasion storyline, but what I really liked about it was how it highlighted just what Gwen's role on this team is. No one else was prepared to empathize with Beth, even if they did genuinely feel bad about the situation. Beth needed someone to believe that she was human so that she could behuman; take Gwen out the equation, and Beth probably would have surrendered to her programming just like all of the others. It was a good Gwen episode.
8. It's occurred to me that Jack doesn't lie so much as tell half-truths he desperately wishes were true. The line he fed Gwen about how thinking of her and the team was what kept him coming back from the dead time after time was almost true; they were part of it, but not a bigger part than that the Doctor had a plan and was depending on him. He doesn't just do this to Torchwood, either; in "Utopia" he tells the Doctor that he "remade" Torchwood after Canary Wharf to redeem it, which I think is bull. I don't believe he's been doing this for only two years (only been doing it with this team, maybe, but I got the impression that Suzie at least had been around for a while) and his primary reason was to find the Doctor again. Otherwise he wouldn't have dropped everything and flung himself had the TARDIS at his first opportunity.
But I think Jack believes it, or at least is a good enough conman to convince himself, and that's going to catch up with him someday.
9. Everyone commenting on how big the Hub is reminded me of how people react when they see the inside of the TARDIS for the first time.
10. There were a lot of good one-liners. I particularly liked, "It is more fun when he's around, though.":)
I've figured out that the reason I want to see Jumper like burning is that it looks like someone's Heroes fanfic with the serial numbers filed off. Now obviously that's not true, considering how long it takes these things to be made, but seriously. Look at it. Evil, mysterious organization! Dumb young hero discovering his power! Smart ass mentor-ish figure with a hot accent! Stick fighting! All this, and Mace Windu beating up on Anikin Skywalker! It's like it was made for me!