Since I'm re-watching Children of Earth on BBC America--because there's something to be said for watching TV the old fashioned way, on the TV--I figured I'd post my original thoughts along with a few new ones.
Here's the original post.
And under the cut are my final thoughts, which I will get to after I join PC Andy in a police meelee...
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 5:
"I just stood back, a strategy that's worked all my life." God, Dekker, could you be any more callous?
I remember watching this the first time and being thrown when they revealed the 4-5-6 wanted to get high off of the children. Of all the reasons, I never would have come up with that one.
John Barrowman kills me this whole episode. It's sort of amazing/harrowing/depressing to see the journey they've put this character on since introducing him as a time-traveling conman way back when on DW.
Giving over Frobisher's kids as a PR gesture? Not only do I want to punch Green in the face, I want to whack him a few times with a lead pipe, maybe hit him with my car, and then feed him to Janet the Weevil...if she's still around. If not, Myfanwy will do. Or a Hoix.
Gwen breaks me heart when she's talking to Andy on the way to Rhiannon's. It's the speech she gave in "End of Days" but about 100 time worse, punching-me-in-the-gut-wise.
Of course this being THIS show, we can't have a proper untarnished happy moment, and Rhiannon has to throw it in Gwen's face that if she bought Ianto's stories about his dad then she didn't really know him at all. Torchwood: We're "up" people!
Re: Steven "He'll be fine; the nice kids are safe." Big flashing neon "DED" sign? Just ignore that...
Ianto's superpowers were making a damn fine cup of coffee and knowing everything. Rhiannon's are just being generally awesome and rolling with it. Johnny's is being able to start a riot with no notice. What a wonderfully diverse family.
I can't figure a way to summarize my thoughts better than plagiarizing myself, so this is from my initial thoughts, in case you don't want to bother clicking the link, plus a couple of extra things at the end:
I don't begrudge Gwen getting off with relatively little damage--that's apparent anyways, who knows what kind of PTSD she's gone through between the end of the 456 threat and the "six months later" post script. I have no idea how she got through it, but I know like all the others she would have the strength to pick up and start again, Rhys and the coming baby there to give her love and meaning. I want to hate Jack even more for leaving her there--alone as the last of Torchwood Three--but I do understand some of his reasons. Everyone he has known, knows, and will know in the future will die--either because of him, knowing him, or simply the steady march of time--and he will always be left to keep going. I don't blame him for wanting to leave a planet where love and loss are so intertwined that it feels like he is suffocated by every memory he's ever had of the place. Of course, running away won't magically solve all his problems; it just means he'll have to deal with them on Omicron Persei 8 or wherever the hell instead of Earth. I hate him for being a cowardly bastard, but he was a cowardly bastard before he met the Doctor, and some part of him will always be a cowardly bastard. It's just one part of who he is--nonetheless, it's a shitty part. I hate him for leaving Gwen behind. But I don't hate him as a person. He's done monstrous things and said it was for "the greater good", for "Queen and country", for any number of reasons. Yet, I can't hate him because no matter what he does it is his fate to keep on living no matter what happens, what he does or does not do, whether he chooses to love or not, whether he does good or not. Someone who will live that long, I can't even begin to fathom, to contemplate, what it will do to him. And because of that, I can't help but sympathize, but mourn a bit that every connection he makes, every person he meets, every place he goes, he will outlast them all. The only solace I find is that he will be able to keep connecting in spite of this, that he will keep his humanity, that he will keep fighting for it.
Also at LJ
Friday, July 24, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Torchwood: Our sexy strutting is all the identification we need!
Since I'm re-watching Children of Earth on BBC America--because there's something to be said for watching TV the old fashioned way, on the TV--I figured I'd post my original thoughts along with a few new ones.
Here's the original post.
And my new thoughts come under the cut after I check all my weapons with security.
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 4:
Totally rehashing what I said last night, but the whole 1965 sequence is so disturbing, and not just for the way Jack acts. You can tell he's not all eager to do this but has rationalized to himself the value of it and how that allows him to do what he sees needs to be done. Major props to everyone involved with that sequence--the filming of it, the acting, the music. All perfect and perfectly creepy. And then to top it off, Jack's obvious deep remorse in the present for what he did back then about kills me. He knows "for the greater good" won't placate his people, but it's all he has. And Clem...god, Clem. And Ianto's reaction--*wibble*. I always felt the show worked best when it operated at the individual human level and addressed questions that had no easy answers and didn't pander to the audience by giving one, with episodes like "Adrift" and "Out of Time", and this sequence revealing what Jack did is another example of that.
God, that poor cameraman sent into the chamber. You know he's going to be effed up for life after that, if he survived the gassing/stampede--I don't know if he did or not.
The 4-5-6 are like a more disgusting version of the Slitheen family from DW, if getting more disgusting than that is possible.
The whole cabinet room sequence turns my stomach. Calling children "units". RTD making this such an integral part of the plot is great because it shows the state and it's actions and complicity are just as horrific as the 4-5-6. I think that it's grounded in a reality that's all too possible, the way they treat it matter-of-fact-ly and clinical as a way of distancing themselves from the barbarity of it, is what makes it especially upsetting to watch. Not having any "good" choice but merely bad and slightly less bad choices. Humanity is it's own worst enemy.
Knowing what I know is about to happen to Ianto and Jack makes me appreciate all the more the greatcoat glamour shots waistcoat/sartorial porny goodness.
Haven't said it for awhile: Gwen is AWESOME.
Guh. Ianto's and Jack's last wrods to each other. Ianto's "I love you" and Jack's answering "Don't" choke me up every time. And the ways you could interpret that "Don't"--don't say that, don't love me, don't give up--I can't not love a show that can make you examine the nuances of a contraction.
I didn't actually cry the first I watched this episode--too shocked I guess--but seeing Eve Myles cry like that broke me this time.
I've had time to digest what happened, hear what RTD and the actors had to say about Ianto dying, work through my feelings about it, read countless opinions through the fandom, and I've come to accept what happened for what it is. The very nature of Torchwood, the world in which they operate, means no one is safe for long. Ianto had been living on borrowed time for years and his death at the hands of the 4-5-6 was the bullet with his name finally catching up to him. Of course I hate that he died, and in my fantasies he and Jack get to be together forever and have lots of wonderful adventures. In reality, Ianto was always going to die; we just didn't know when or how. I don't hate RTD or James Moran or any of TPTB for deciding to kill Ianto, unlike some of the more hysterical people in the fandom, I'm just sad that Ianto died. I loved that character. I'll always feel like we never got enough of his story--just because I could never not know enough of his backstory/inner workings, so whether he died at this point or it had been later I'd still feel the same.
Also at LJ
Here's the original post.
And my new thoughts come under the cut after I check all my weapons with security.
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 4:
Totally rehashing what I said last night, but the whole 1965 sequence is so disturbing, and not just for the way Jack acts. You can tell he's not all eager to do this but has rationalized to himself the value of it and how that allows him to do what he sees needs to be done. Major props to everyone involved with that sequence--the filming of it, the acting, the music. All perfect and perfectly creepy. And then to top it off, Jack's obvious deep remorse in the present for what he did back then about kills me. He knows "for the greater good" won't placate his people, but it's all he has. And Clem...god, Clem. And Ianto's reaction--*wibble*. I always felt the show worked best when it operated at the individual human level and addressed questions that had no easy answers and didn't pander to the audience by giving one, with episodes like "Adrift" and "Out of Time", and this sequence revealing what Jack did is another example of that.
God, that poor cameraman sent into the chamber. You know he's going to be effed up for life after that, if he survived the gassing/stampede--I don't know if he did or not.
The 4-5-6 are like a more disgusting version of the Slitheen family from DW, if getting more disgusting than that is possible.
The whole cabinet room sequence turns my stomach. Calling children "units". RTD making this such an integral part of the plot is great because it shows the state and it's actions and complicity are just as horrific as the 4-5-6. I think that it's grounded in a reality that's all too possible, the way they treat it matter-of-fact-ly and clinical as a way of distancing themselves from the barbarity of it, is what makes it especially upsetting to watch. Not having any "good" choice but merely bad and slightly less bad choices. Humanity is it's own worst enemy.
Knowing what I know is about to happen to Ianto and Jack makes me appreciate all the more the greatcoat glamour shots waistcoat/sartorial porny goodness.
Haven't said it for awhile: Gwen is AWESOME.
Guh. Ianto's and Jack's last wrods to each other. Ianto's "I love you" and Jack's answering "Don't" choke me up every time. And the ways you could interpret that "Don't"--don't say that, don't love me, don't give up--I can't not love a show that can make you examine the nuances of a contraction.
I didn't actually cry the first I watched this episode--too shocked I guess--but seeing Eve Myles cry like that broke me this time.
I've had time to digest what happened, hear what RTD and the actors had to say about Ianto dying, work through my feelings about it, read countless opinions through the fandom, and I've come to accept what happened for what it is. The very nature of Torchwood, the world in which they operate, means no one is safe for long. Ianto had been living on borrowed time for years and his death at the hands of the 4-5-6 was the bullet with his name finally catching up to him. Of course I hate that he died, and in my fantasies he and Jack get to be together forever and have lots of wonderful adventures. In reality, Ianto was always going to die; we just didn't know when or how. I don't hate RTD or James Moran or any of TPTB for deciding to kill Ianto, unlike some of the more hysterical people in the fandom, I'm just sad that Ianto died. I loved that character. I'll always feel like we never got enough of his story--just because I could never not know enough of his backstory/inner workings, so whether he died at this point or it had been later I'd still feel the same.
Also at LJ
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Torchwood: Using advanced alien tech for sexy shananigans!
Since I'm re-watching Children of Earth on BBC America--because there's something to be said for watching TV the old fashioned way, on the TV--I figured I'd post my original thoughts along with a few new ones.
Here's the original post.
New thoughts after under the cut after I do a quick wardrobe change, because track pants really don't do anyone any favors.
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 3:
I imagine Jack got a kick out of Gwen suggesting they run cons...and dabbling in his conman past just a little bit for the forces of good. And stealing a flash car doesn't hurt.
"Bloody beans" indeed, Ianto. A fandom collectively cursed Rhys forever for that.
Guh, I can feel Lois' squicky-ness at what she did to get herself into Thames House.
I know there have been lots of complaints in the past about how RTD and co. shoved it down our throats that Gwen was the humanitarian of the crew, and I did feel that was true to a certain extent in the first season; however, during this whole arc, I feel like they've finally struck the perfect balance between her humanity and steeliness.
Ianto + pinstripe = OTP
I know I sort of ragged a bit on the way they showed (or not) the 4-5-6, but watching this a second time all I can think is how fucking creepy and disgusting they are.
I want to punch PM Green in the face. Repeatedly. Until he has no face left.
Of course Ianto knows shorthand, because he does know everything. Even when it doesn't say so at the bottom of the screen.
It's one thing to hear about Jack's less than upstanding past--vague and circumspect those details may be--but it's so much worse to see it play out. To see him so calmly give those children over "for the greater good" and he just gets on with it. As disturbing as it is to see though, I'm glad they didn't shy away from these aspects of Jack's past. Someone whose been around as long as he has, seen what he's seen, done what he's done--you can't just gloss over that.
Also at LJ
Here's the original post.
New thoughts after under the cut after I do a quick wardrobe change, because track pants really don't do anyone any favors.
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 3:
I imagine Jack got a kick out of Gwen suggesting they run cons...and dabbling in his conman past just a little bit for the forces of good. And stealing a flash car doesn't hurt.
"Bloody beans" indeed, Ianto. A fandom collectively cursed Rhys forever for that.
Guh, I can feel Lois' squicky-ness at what she did to get herself into Thames House.
I know there have been lots of complaints in the past about how RTD and co. shoved it down our throats that Gwen was the humanitarian of the crew, and I did feel that was true to a certain extent in the first season; however, during this whole arc, I feel like they've finally struck the perfect balance between her humanity and steeliness.
Ianto + pinstripe = OTP
I know I sort of ragged a bit on the way they showed (or not) the 4-5-6, but watching this a second time all I can think is how fucking creepy and disgusting they are.
I want to punch PM Green in the face. Repeatedly. Until he has no face left.
Of course Ianto knows shorthand, because he does know everything. Even when it doesn't say so at the bottom of the screen.
It's one thing to hear about Jack's less than upstanding past--vague and circumspect those details may be--but it's so much worse to see it play out. To see him so calmly give those children over "for the greater good" and he just gets on with it. As disturbing as it is to see though, I'm glad they didn't shy away from these aspects of Jack's past. Someone whose been around as long as he has, seen what he's seen, done what he's done--you can't just gloss over that.
Also at LJ
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Torchwood: Yes, we can operate heavy machinery!
Since I'm re-watching Children of Earth on BBC America--because there's something to be said for watching TV the old fashioned way, on the TV--I figured I'd post my original thoughts along with a few new ones.
The original post is here.
And my extra thoughts are under the cut after I bum a tenner to get some dinner.
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 2
I get that BBC America is ad-supported, but having a commercial break every 5-7 minutes is ABC-level annoying.
Knowing what we know about Jack, the government's theory that the Hub is the source of All Power is laughable. And I would like to know what started this whole "kill Torchwood/Jack" thing in the first place--they never did get really clear about that.
I LOVE Ianto's sister, still don't understand why Ianto's not closer with her.
You know, they never did say what happened to Myfanwy. What happened!? These are the enduring questions.
Seeing Jack literally regrow in the body bag: morbid and creepifying.
Knowing what I know Lois does later in the series, I must say I am a much bigger fan of her than when I first watched this.
Decker, the guy in charge of building the 4-5-6 room, is just CREEPY. No other word.
I know it's such a big plot hole you could drive one of Rhys' lorries through it, but how awesome is it to have Ianto literally breaking Jack out of prison like that?!
Also at LJ
The original post is here.
And my extra thoughts are under the cut after I bum a tenner to get some dinner.
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 2
I get that BBC America is ad-supported, but having a commercial break every 5-7 minutes is ABC-level annoying.
Knowing what we know about Jack, the government's theory that the Hub is the source of All Power is laughable. And I would like to know what started this whole "kill Torchwood/Jack" thing in the first place--they never did get really clear about that.
I LOVE Ianto's sister, still don't understand why Ianto's not closer with her.
You know, they never did say what happened to Myfanwy. What happened!? These are the enduring questions.
Seeing Jack literally regrow in the body bag: morbid and creepifying.
Knowing what I know Lois does later in the series, I must say I am a much bigger fan of her than when I first watched this.
Decker, the guy in charge of building the 4-5-6 room, is just CREEPY. No other word.
I know it's such a big plot hole you could drive one of Rhys' lorries through it, but how awesome is it to have Ianto literally breaking Jack out of prison like that?!
Also at LJ
Monday, July 20, 2009
Torchwood: Just look for us by the Bay!
Since I'm re-watching Children of Earth on BBC America--because there's something to be said for watching TV the old fashioned way, on the TV--I figured I'd post my original thoughts along with a few new ones.
Here's the original post.
And after the cut I'll have a few more once I get a full body scan to see if I've picked up an alien hitchhiker of my own.
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 1:
The fact that they don't even really bother to cover their tracks anymore, so you know more people than Kathy Swanson and little grannies on the street are muttering "bloody Torchwood" in their wake. I suppose Ianto is too busy being awesome in other arenas to keep up with the Retcon/Tourist Info subterfuge.
From the brief glimpse of Rupesh before we found out he was a mole and subsequently a dead mole I liked him. Still bummed that was a dead end. Why yes, I did walk right into that.
Okay, dude. Jack's action!man running is freaking hilarious. Like he was part Auton, but only from the waist up.
I love Ianto's family--Ria is AWESOME and warm and why doesn't Ianto spend more time with her, Johnny starts in with the gay jokes but not in a mean way, Mica and David are all "money, kthanxbye".
As I said earlier, I love the strangeness between Jack and Alice. And that to her he is Daniel(?) and it's all awkward silences and putting your foot in it.
As I watch this for the second time, I'm still unclear why the assassin squad wants to demolish all of Torchwood Cardiff if what they really want is just Jack. I mean, maybe it's to make sure they leave no trace, but it's still not really clear at first. And what were they doing trying to infiltrate Torchwood for all those months prior to the 4-5-6--was it just to study Jack? Why is another government agency trying to take down Torchwood if Torchwood was set up to be "outside the government, beyond the police"? WTF. NOT CLEAR!
The super-advanced body scanner is clearly a disassembled photocopier. I mean, seriously props people. Can't you put a little more effort into it?
Also at LJ
Here's the original post.
And after the cut I'll have a few more once I get a full body scan to see if I've picked up an alien hitchhiker of my own.
Addendum for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 1:
The fact that they don't even really bother to cover their tracks anymore, so you know more people than Kathy Swanson and little grannies on the street are muttering "bloody Torchwood" in their wake. I suppose Ianto is too busy being awesome in other arenas to keep up with the Retcon/Tourist Info subterfuge.
From the brief glimpse of Rupesh before we found out he was a mole and subsequently a dead mole I liked him. Still bummed that was a dead end. Why yes, I did walk right into that.
Okay, dude. Jack's action!man running is freaking hilarious. Like he was part Auton, but only from the waist up.
I love Ianto's family--Ria is AWESOME and warm and why doesn't Ianto spend more time with her, Johnny starts in with the gay jokes but not in a mean way, Mica and David are all "money, kthanxbye".
As I said earlier, I love the strangeness between Jack and Alice. And that to her he is Daniel(?) and it's all awkward silences and putting your foot in it.
As I watch this for the second time, I'm still unclear why the assassin squad wants to demolish all of Torchwood Cardiff if what they really want is just Jack. I mean, maybe it's to make sure they leave no trace, but it's still not really clear at first. And what were they doing trying to infiltrate Torchwood for all those months prior to the 4-5-6--was it just to study Jack? Why is another government agency trying to take down Torchwood if Torchwood was set up to be "outside the government, beyond the police"? WTF. NOT CLEAR!
The super-advanced body scanner is clearly a disassembled photocopier. I mean, seriously props people. Can't you put a little more effort into it?
Also at LJ
Saturday, July 11, 2009
"I began to like it, and look what I became...and still, I have lived so many lives."
SPOILERS for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 5 after I gorge myself on mint chocolate ice cream:
So I gave myself a day to process how Torchwood finished, and I still can't come up with something even sort of coherent, some elegant or erudite summary of my feelings about it. I guess what I feel most is...CONFLICTED. I hated how it ended, for the most part, but I didn't hate it. The writing was bleak and dark and realistic; the acting was top-notch all around. It was horrible and devastating and even though Jack saved the children of the world, he sacrificed his own grandson to do it--which is abhorent. I've never thought Jack more a bastard and never felt more sorry for him than I did at the moment he made that decision. I hate that Ianto died, and that his death wasn't a moment of glorious go-for-broke heroism but simply an attempt to help Jack make his point to the 456. Yet, that grandiosity isn't always how heroes die, and Ianto sealed his fate long ago when he joined up with Torchwood Three. He was lucky to made it as far as he had, and his and Jack's last moments together were heartrendingly beautiful. There was an ugly sort of beauty to those last few seconds. I don't begrudge Gwen getting off with relatively little damage--that's apparent anyways, who knows what kind of PTSD she's gone through between the end of the 456 threat and the "six months later" post script. I have no idea how she got through it, but I know like all the others she would have the strength to pick up and start again, Rhys and the coming baby there to give her love and meaning. I want to hate Jack even more for leaving her there--alone as the last of Torchwood Three--but I do understand some of his reasons. Everyone he has known, knows, and will know in the future will die--either because of him, knowing him, or simply the steady march of time--and he will always be left to keep going. I don't blame him for wanting to leave a planet where love and loss are so intertwined that it feels like he is suffocated by every memory he's ever had of the place. Of course, running away won't magically solve all his problems; it just means he'll have to deal with them on Omicron Persei 8 or wherever the hell instead of Earth. I hate him for being a cowardly bastard, but he was a cowardly bastard before he met the Doctor, and some part of him will always be a cowardly bastard. It's just one part of who he is--nonetheless, it's a shitty part. I hate him for leaving Gwen behind.
I guess that's all I have. I highly recommend this and this--both are reactions to the finale and the second includes a beautiful ficlet starring Ianto. They summed up many of the things I was thinking/feeling.
I still have lots of mixed feelings about it, but this won't sour me on Torchwood forever if they do decide to give it a fourth season--based on the ratings, it's a strong possibility. I'd like to see where they take the story, if there is more to tell.
Just going to be sad for awhile.
Also at LJ.
So I gave myself a day to process how Torchwood finished, and I still can't come up with something even sort of coherent, some elegant or erudite summary of my feelings about it. I guess what I feel most is...CONFLICTED. I hated how it ended, for the most part, but I didn't hate it. The writing was bleak and dark and realistic; the acting was top-notch all around. It was horrible and devastating and even though Jack saved the children of the world, he sacrificed his own grandson to do it--which is abhorent. I've never thought Jack more a bastard and never felt more sorry for him than I did at the moment he made that decision. I hate that Ianto died, and that his death wasn't a moment of glorious go-for-broke heroism but simply an attempt to help Jack make his point to the 456. Yet, that grandiosity isn't always how heroes die, and Ianto sealed his fate long ago when he joined up with Torchwood Three. He was lucky to made it as far as he had, and his and Jack's last moments together were heartrendingly beautiful. There was an ugly sort of beauty to those last few seconds. I don't begrudge Gwen getting off with relatively little damage--that's apparent anyways, who knows what kind of PTSD she's gone through between the end of the 456 threat and the "six months later" post script. I have no idea how she got through it, but I know like all the others she would have the strength to pick up and start again, Rhys and the coming baby there to give her love and meaning. I want to hate Jack even more for leaving her there--alone as the last of Torchwood Three--but I do understand some of his reasons. Everyone he has known, knows, and will know in the future will die--either because of him, knowing him, or simply the steady march of time--and he will always be left to keep going. I don't blame him for wanting to leave a planet where love and loss are so intertwined that it feels like he is suffocated by every memory he's ever had of the place. Of course, running away won't magically solve all his problems; it just means he'll have to deal with them on Omicron Persei 8 or wherever the hell instead of Earth. I hate him for being a cowardly bastard, but he was a cowardly bastard before he met the Doctor, and some part of him will always be a cowardly bastard. It's just one part of who he is--nonetheless, it's a shitty part. I hate him for leaving Gwen behind.
I guess that's all I have. I highly recommend this and this--both are reactions to the finale and the second includes a beautiful ficlet starring Ianto. They summed up many of the things I was thinking/feeling.
I still have lots of mixed feelings about it, but this won't sour me on Torchwood forever if they do decide to give it a fourth season--based on the ratings, it's a strong possibility. I'd like to see where they take the story, if there is more to tell.
Just going to be sad for awhile.
Also at LJ.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
"Why didn't you tell me; I could have helped...I tell you everything."
Below the cut are my initial initial thoughts on the episode followed by a few less hysterical observations. I've since had a bit of time to digest, read some other people's reactions, and I have a few more thoughts. But I wanted to preserve what I first typed.
And so, SPOILERS AFOOT for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 4 as soon as I perfect my sexy packin' heat strut.
Don't know if this counts as spoilers for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 4, don't care--right now, I'm whack-a-mole with my emotions.
I can't even......just......I don't even know where to.......GOD!
Why?!
I have you so much right now, RTD. So effing much.
Can't even form a coherent thought.
I NEED to know how this all turns out...
...dammit!!!!!!
Okay, now for some more coherent thoughts:
One of the first things that stuck in my mind were the many shots of Ianto in his waistcoat. Mmmmmm... Is there a such thing as sartorial porn, with a subcategory of waistcoat fetishes? Because, dude....WIN.
I loved Ianto's convo with his sister and how he said he even kinda like Johnny now. Heh.
I kinda dig Lois now, because while she did do what needed to be done, at least her reaction and pants-pissing angst while screwing up the nerve to step up were well played and not all gung ho and annoyingly Mary Sue-ish like I was afraid of.
The whole sequence of the bigwigs discussing how many and which children to sacrifice was disturbing and disgusting.
It was sad to see Clem die, but in the wake of Ianto, I can't really care too much.
The ending scene of the episode was sad and tragic and beautifully played by Eve and John.
There's this part of me that insists that Ianto can be saved somehow--it's stupid, but I refuse to give up all hope until I see the final episode tomorrow. I think part of my distress comes from the fact that his death came so soon episode-wise after Tosh and Owen, even if in the timeline of the show much more time has passed. It still feels like piling shit on top of more shit. And of course there the Jack/Ianto shipper-ness in there too, but it's more than that. I just love the character of Ianto to pieces, and to have him gone form the show would be a real shame.
Also at LJ.
And so, SPOILERS AFOOT for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 4 as soon as I perfect my sexy packin' heat strut.
Don't know if this counts as spoilers for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 4, don't care--right now, I'm whack-a-mole with my emotions.
I can't even......just......I don't even know where to.......GOD!
Why?!
I have you so much right now, RTD. So effing much.
Can't even form a coherent thought.
I NEED to know how this all turns out...
...dammit!!!!!!
Okay, now for some more coherent thoughts:
One of the first things that stuck in my mind were the many shots of Ianto in his waistcoat. Mmmmmm... Is there a such thing as sartorial porn, with a subcategory of waistcoat fetishes? Because, dude....WIN.
I loved Ianto's convo with his sister and how he said he even kinda like Johnny now. Heh.
I kinda dig Lois now, because while she did do what needed to be done, at least her reaction and pants-pissing angst while screwing up the nerve to step up were well played and not all gung ho and annoyingly Mary Sue-ish like I was afraid of.
The whole sequence of the bigwigs discussing how many and which children to sacrifice was disturbing and disgusting.
It was sad to see Clem die, but in the wake of Ianto, I can't really care too much.
The ending scene of the episode was sad and tragic and beautifully played by Eve and John.
There's this part of me that insists that Ianto can be saved somehow--it's stupid, but I refuse to give up all hope until I see the final episode tomorrow. I think part of my distress comes from the fact that his death came so soon episode-wise after Tosh and Owen, even if in the timeline of the show much more time has passed. It still feels like piling shit on top of more shit. And of course there the Jack/Ianto shipper-ness in there too, but it's more than that. I just love the character of Ianto to pieces, and to have him gone form the show would be a real shame.
Also at LJ.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
"Just buying essentials...let's not forget the creature comforts. Coffee, obviously..."
TENSE music is tense!
SPOILERS AHEAD for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 3 just as soon as I get a cup of Ianto's coffee--because it is THAT essential:
A litany of the AWESOME and possibly questionable:
Torchwood: guns, pen knife, laptop (dead), credit cards and phone (traceable), stamps, pair of contact lenses, fifteen quid, plus twenty-five pence
Heh, Rhys getting pissed that Jack knew first--so obvz and telegraphed, but still so funny.
"So one day you'll see me die of old age, and you'll just keep going." Oh Ianto, I want to pet you right now... (and I love his thoughtful/speculative face)
"It should take about twenty minutes--" "Thirty minutes." "--Thirty." And then foiled by Rhys and his beans!
I realize it's pretty preposterous--but in the realm of preposterous things, this is one of the lesser offenses--that Ianto would be able to get, like, an identical greatcoat for Jack, but so NOT CARING about that! Or about Ianto's new pinstripe three-piece. Because the power of the PRITTY and God compels me!
"I mean what's it gonna be, like a spaceship?" "What are you doing in Camden" Oh, Andy. *hug*
I applaud Ianto's brother-in-law's entrepreneurial spirit, but dude...I bet you could have charged 20 quid a kid!
"and who's the queer?" "OI! It's not 1965 anymore." "Queer, I can smell it."
Only on Torchwood: sexy time shenanigans with top-secret contact lenses.
The whole not really seeing the 456 is getting very M. Night Shamylan--not exactly a compliment.
A question for the modern age: smileys, Y/N?
"No. I gave 'em the kids...1965, I gave them twelve children...as a gift." WTF?!?!?!?!?!
Also at LJ.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 3 just as soon as I get a cup of Ianto's coffee--because it is THAT essential:
A litany of the AWESOME and possibly questionable:
Torchwood: guns, pen knife, laptop (dead), credit cards and phone (traceable), stamps, pair of contact lenses, fifteen quid, plus twenty-five pence
Heh, Rhys getting pissed that Jack knew first--so obvz and telegraphed, but still so funny.
"So one day you'll see me die of old age, and you'll just keep going." Oh Ianto, I want to pet you right now... (and I love his thoughtful/speculative face)
"It should take about twenty minutes--" "Thirty minutes." "--Thirty." And then foiled by Rhys and his beans!
I realize it's pretty preposterous--but in the realm of preposterous things, this is one of the lesser offenses--that Ianto would be able to get, like, an identical greatcoat for Jack, but so NOT CARING about that! Or about Ianto's new pinstripe three-piece. Because the power of the PRITTY and God compels me!
"I mean what's it gonna be, like a spaceship?" "What are you doing in Camden" Oh, Andy. *hug*
I applaud Ianto's brother-in-law's entrepreneurial spirit, but dude...I bet you could have charged 20 quid a kid!
"and who's the queer?" "OI! It's not 1965 anymore." "Queer, I can smell it."
Only on Torchwood: sexy time shenanigans with top-secret contact lenses.
The whole not really seeing the 456 is getting very M. Night Shamylan--not exactly a compliment.
A question for the modern age: smileys, Y/N?
"No. I gave 'em the kids...1965, I gave them twelve children...as a gift." WTF?!?!?!?!?!
Also at LJ.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
"Have you got the penknife?" "Rhys, you are not eating uncooked potatoes!" "We need it to get out!"
Just a few brain dribbles before I go to bed.
SPOILERS ARE COMING! For Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 2:
Badassery, thy face is Gwen.
I'd like to order a Rhys of my very own, kthnx!
Even all artfully dusted up, no one works a three-piece like Ianto Jones.
Gwen telling Rhys about the baby while in a lorry full of potatoes was just the thing to about break me--and his reaction and all of that was a big mushy ball of why I love this show so much.
I hope they tread carefully with the Lois character (Plucky New Assistant) because I want to like her but not if they make her l33t hax0rz skllz and shove it down our throats.
I repeat, Gwen is AWESOME.
For someone who was buried alive in concrete, Jack emerged looking quite alright. Mmmmm, ass shot....
...and that he takes the coat Gwen give him and just slings it over his shoulder and she's all "not looking there now". Bah!
Also at LJ.
SPOILERS ARE COMING! For Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 2:
Badassery, thy face is Gwen.
I'd like to order a Rhys of my very own, kthnx!
Even all artfully dusted up, no one works a three-piece like Ianto Jones.
Gwen telling Rhys about the baby while in a lorry full of potatoes was just the thing to about break me--and his reaction and all of that was a big mushy ball of why I love this show so much.
I hope they tread carefully with the Lois character (Plucky New Assistant) because I want to like her but not if they make her l33t hax0rz skllz and shove it down our throats.
I repeat, Gwen is AWESOME.
For someone who was buried alive in concrete, Jack emerged looking quite alright. Mmmmm, ass shot....
...and that he takes the coat Gwen give him and just slings it over his shoulder and she's all "not looking there now". Bah!
Also at LJ.
Apparently South Dakots is a massive dead zone with cow poo in it.
A couple thought on the new Sci Fi--I'm sorry, Syfy, because then maybe they'll fool people who aren't nerds into watching their network--series Warehouse 13:
CCH Punder is made of awesome. She can deliver lines like "How'd you get in here?" "Through the door." with such stone-cold bad-assery that it makes anything sound good.
Why is it that of the intrepid artifact-finding duo, it's always the girl who is the humourless pusbag? In this case, it's lady Secret Service Agent Mika. Partnered with just-quirky-enough Pete. I kind of had higher expectations since I saw this was co-created by Jane Espenson. Here's hoping this situation improves in future episodes.
More Saul Rubinek!
The steampunkiness of the secret warehouse office is pretty awesome, as are the gadgets they use to retrieve the weekly Maguffins. The pilot featured what was billed as a Tesla-designed stun gun and 2-way video communicators that looked like they dated back to the '40s. All glass and brass and wood and awesome looking.
Overall, I enjoyed the pilot enough for me to want to give it a chance. I like the interplay between the three main characters. My only concern is that they might get too dependent on the artifact/Maguffin-of-the-week formula at the expense of continuing story arcs, but I think with Jane Espenson involved there will be enough interesting character developments and snappy dialogue to keep my attention for awhile yet.
Also at LJ
CCH Punder is made of awesome. She can deliver lines like "How'd you get in here?" "Through the door." with such stone-cold bad-assery that it makes anything sound good.
Why is it that of the intrepid artifact-finding duo, it's always the girl who is the humourless pusbag? In this case, it's lady Secret Service Agent Mika. Partnered with just-quirky-enough Pete. I kind of had higher expectations since I saw this was co-created by Jane Espenson. Here's hoping this situation improves in future episodes.
More Saul Rubinek!
The steampunkiness of the secret warehouse office is pretty awesome, as are the gadgets they use to retrieve the weekly Maguffins. The pilot featured what was billed as a Tesla-designed stun gun and 2-way video communicators that looked like they dated back to the '40s. All glass and brass and wood and awesome looking.
Overall, I enjoyed the pilot enough for me to want to give it a chance. I like the interplay between the three main characters. My only concern is that they might get too dependent on the artifact/Maguffin-of-the-week formula at the expense of continuing story arcs, but I think with Jane Espenson involved there will be enough interesting character developments and snappy dialogue to keep my attention for awhile yet.
Also at LJ
Monday, July 6, 2009
"Heh, 'you two'...it's all a bit new to me, that's all--laser saw?"
SPOILERS AHOY!! for Torchwood: Children of Earth episode 1
Like I said on Facebook, this was a concentrated dose of all the AWESOME that Torchwood creates when they're not doing episodes that are Weevil Fight Club episodes.
Forthwith, a partial list of AWESOME:
1. Jack and Ianto being all cute and "Now who's calling us a couple?" "You are." "No, you are."
2. Gwen, like the whole episode. Awesome all around, but especially when she's driving across the Severn Bridge and talking to Rhys and when she finds out she's preggers.
3. Rhys! Because he's awesome just by being there.
4. The picture of Tosh and Owen at Gwen's work station, because it was a lovely moment when Gwen said "Good morning" to it and to know that she was slowly getting past that horrific time.
5. Ianto, when he wasn't getting the car stolen. I want to know how those people were able to steal it, since Ianto isn't stupid like Owen and leaves the keys in the ignition. Anyways, Ianto! Being all awkward with his sister and her prying it out of him that he's with Jack.
6. Not necessarily AWESOME, but interesting, that Jack has an adult child, who's not all warm Hallmark greetings toward dear old Dad. Yeah, more like AWKWARD. But that's something I'd love to know more about.
7. Teh hot kissing action before EXPLOSIONZZZZZZ TEIM!!!
Finally, the one thing that was NOT AWESOME:
When Plucky New Assistant wants to know what Torchwood is, she gets an info page that looks like something out of Wikipedia, but not so close as to infringe copyright:
Like, how original, British Government. Why is it on TV and in movies they always insist on dummin' it down by making these computer screen shots RLY OBVS with headings like "Super Sekrit Government Sekrits" or hopelessly lame like "Government Information Network". Yes, yes, I realize this is a nitpick on the level with Comic Book Guy insults but it still stuck out at me to a ridiculous degree.
Okay, that's all for tonight. Only.....22 hours until the next fix!!
Also at LJ.
Like I said on Facebook, this was a concentrated dose of all the AWESOME that Torchwood creates when they're not doing episodes that are Weevil Fight Club episodes.
Forthwith, a partial list of AWESOME:
1. Jack and Ianto being all cute and "Now who's calling us a couple?" "You are." "No, you are."
2. Gwen, like the whole episode. Awesome all around, but especially when she's driving across the Severn Bridge and talking to Rhys and when she finds out she's preggers.
3. Rhys! Because he's awesome just by being there.
4. The picture of Tosh and Owen at Gwen's work station, because it was a lovely moment when Gwen said "Good morning" to it and to know that she was slowly getting past that horrific time.
5. Ianto, when he wasn't getting the car stolen. I want to know how those people were able to steal it, since Ianto isn't stupid like Owen and leaves the keys in the ignition. Anyways, Ianto! Being all awkward with his sister and her prying it out of him that he's with Jack.
6. Not necessarily AWESOME, but interesting, that Jack has an adult child, who's not all warm Hallmark greetings toward dear old Dad. Yeah, more like AWKWARD. But that's something I'd love to know more about.
7. Teh hot kissing action before EXPLOSIONZZZZZZ TEIM!!!
Finally, the one thing that was NOT AWESOME:
When Plucky New Assistant wants to know what Torchwood is, she gets an info page that looks like something out of Wikipedia, but not so close as to infringe copyright:
Like, how original, British Government. Why is it on TV and in movies they always insist on dummin' it down by making these computer screen shots RLY OBVS with headings like "Super Sekrit Government Sekrits" or hopelessly lame like "Government Information Network". Yes, yes, I realize this is a nitpick on the level with Comic Book Guy insults but it still stuck out at me to a ridiculous degree.
Okay, that's all for tonight. Only.....22 hours until the next fix!!
Also at LJ.
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