Fragments
That episode was wonderful! I can't really think of anything about it I didn't like (well the cgi with Jack and Myfanwy was... awful. But I'm in a forgiving mood).
I loved that Rhys came to help and that Jack first words to him were "What's he doing here?".
Jack's backstory was pretty close to what I'd been expecting; the crazy Victorian lesbians were awesome. ("Why aren't you dead yet?" *giggle*) I felt really bad for Jack here, he seemed so lost he's waiting for the Doctor but what is he supposed to do in the meantime?
Alan was lovely too (although I don't ever want his 'help') it's interesting that's where Jack got his "the 21st century is where it all changes" line from and not from any kind of future knowledge.
Poor Tosh. I think anyone who is mean to Tosh should go to the special hell. And UNIT? Not so nice. Bad UNIT.
The scene between Jack and Tosh is brilliant. He is really impressed with her and manipulating her and really Tosh has no choice but to go with him. Although Jack says 'give me five years' and that was five years ago. Does that mean Tosh could leave now, if she wanted?
Also Tosh made a sonic screwdriver! How awesome is that?
Ianto - I'll come back to Ianto.
Owen. This was probably the weakest story for me. I'm not sure why but it didn't quite grab me like the others did. Burn was great as usual, and the idea of the brain parasite was really interesting. Loved Owen's insistence that he's having a mental breakdown and his reasoning about being a doctor and never being able to save enough people was heartbreaking.
Now for Ianto. Oh Ianto *hugs him*. I really loved this backstory, I loved that Jack didn't want anything to do with hi a first. I think that had a lot to do with Ianto being from Torchwood One. This is the organization that - as far as Jack knows - got Rose Tyler killed. Not to mention he has had first hand experience of the "anything for the empire" mentality.
Yet despite this went they are trying to catch Myfanwy he tell Ianto a lot. Just odd little comments dropped into the conversation (51st century hormones) I got the feeling that Jack wasn't quite censoring himself as much as he would normally. With Tosh and Owen Jack was presenting a very carefully constructed front that seemed to be more absent here. Possibly because Ianto is chasing him instead of the other way round.
It shows why Jack was so angry during Cyberwoman. Ianto had tricked him pretty much completely. And he likes Ianto; I don't think Jack is used to his instinct being that wrong.
Also it explains why Ianto didn't tell them about Lisa. Jack doesn't want anything to do with the remains of London, other than taking the dangerous stuff away. He says he's cut all ties with London and that Ianto is "not my responsibility". There was nothing there that would leave Ianto to believe there was any chance of help.
Ianto's backstory left me thinking. Ianto had a close relationship with his Dad when he was younger but he ended up taking temporary job and 'drifting'. So Either Ianto's Dad died or they had some kind of falling out? Also Yvonne Hartman's Torchwood hired 'the best of the best' so why would they hire a 20 year old drifter? Either there's more to that story than made it onto the records, or Ianto was expecting Jack to check him out and doctored his records. It would make sense that he would make himself look, useful but mostly harmless... Just a thought.
At the end when Ianto walks away, he's devastated. He's got into Torchwood Three but he likes Jack. He attracted to him and more than that he had fun catching Myfanwy. It's possible that he hasn't had a lot of that since Canary Wharf. He's got to feel bad that he's enjoying himself while Lisa still needs saving as well as the fact that he's going to be betraying Jack from pretty much day one.
So on to next episode (two weeks!). Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, except for Captain John clearly. And Grey!