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A (minor) complaint re. ep 2 of MD.
First of all, then this is not a major rant or anything. I was just thinking about this scene and ended up lamenting a missed opportunity.
ETA: Darn it, knew I was forgetting something! I'm watching on the UK schedule, and so have not seen ep 3! Plz do not spoil me.
ETA2: Spoilers for ep 3 in the comments.
The scene in question is Jack's near-death by arsenic on the plane. Don't get me wrong, I think it was nicely done, but... it could have been any show. Would have fitted beautifully on CSI. Plus, we know that Jack doesn't die. So... nice, but a bit pointless. Felt like filler.
Those are minor niggles however. My main problem is that Jack is now mortal - and we were given precisely zero insight into how this near-death experience affected him. Now they might delve into this later (I rather expect them to), but for now? Zilch. During S1 of TW he very clearly longed for death (and admitted as much to the Doctor in 'Utopia'), although he managed to find meaning again during S2. Then came 'Children of Earth', and in 'House of the Dead' (the last proper look into him, his final goodbye to Gwen revealed very little) he was desperate and suicidal:
Ianto: “You can’t die!”
Jack: “Next best thing. Eternal oblivion! Lost in the space between worlds, forever!"
And now? Now he almost dies. It was obviously extremely painful, but did he want death? Does he feel he deserves it? Does he want to stay around in order try to fix the world? (Does he worry that it's his fault?) How does he feel about the fact that something he has wanted for centuries was almost his, but then snatched away?
Instead of any of this, he was cast as the damsel in distress, with no agency or independent motivation, and I think the show could do better. We had all of S1 with Jack as a shark, or iceberg, only a snippet showing - it was a problem then, and it's a problem now. I understand why they wrote it like that, but having your main character be a big unknown is a gamble. (Gwen's lovely. But I'm not watching for Gwen. I'm watching for Jack. Since I no longer have Ianto...)
Like I said, missed opportunity. It wouldn't have killed the writers to add just a line or two for Jack - just something, anything, to show that ALMOST DYING was a big deal.
ETA: Apparently this will be addressed in ep 3. Good to know.
~~~
Random silliness: You know the ramblers that showed up at Gwen's door in ep 1? Could be my parents! Didn't *look* like them, but the outfits, the query, the line about having the right kind of shoes? THEM TO A T OMG! Really, it was uncanny... (You don't expect your parents to turn up on TV. Esp not on something like Torchwood.)
ETA: Darn it, knew I was forgetting something! I'm watching on the UK schedule, and so have not seen ep 3! Plz do not spoil me.
ETA2: Spoilers for ep 3 in the comments.
The scene in question is Jack's near-death by arsenic on the plane. Don't get me wrong, I think it was nicely done, but... it could have been any show. Would have fitted beautifully on CSI. Plus, we know that Jack doesn't die. So... nice, but a bit pointless. Felt like filler.
Those are minor niggles however. My main problem is that Jack is now mortal - and we were given precisely zero insight into how this near-death experience affected him. Now they might delve into this later (I rather expect them to), but for now? Zilch. During S1 of TW he very clearly longed for death (and admitted as much to the Doctor in 'Utopia'), although he managed to find meaning again during S2. Then came 'Children of Earth', and in 'House of the Dead' (the last proper look into him, his final goodbye to Gwen revealed very little) he was desperate and suicidal:
Ianto: “You can’t die!”
Jack: “Next best thing. Eternal oblivion! Lost in the space between worlds, forever!"
And now? Now he almost dies. It was obviously extremely painful, but did he want death? Does he feel he deserves it? Does he want to stay around in order try to fix the world? (Does he worry that it's his fault?) How does he feel about the fact that something he has wanted for centuries was almost his, but then snatched away?
Instead of any of this, he was cast as the damsel in distress, with no agency or independent motivation, and I think the show could do better. We had all of S1 with Jack as a shark, or iceberg, only a snippet showing - it was a problem then, and it's a problem now. I understand why they wrote it like that, but having your main character be a big unknown is a gamble. (Gwen's lovely. But I'm not watching for Gwen. I'm watching for Jack. Since I no longer have Ianto...)
Like I said, missed opportunity. It wouldn't have killed the writers to add just a line or two for Jack - just something, anything, to show that ALMOST DYING was a big deal.
ETA: Apparently this will be addressed in ep 3. Good to know.
~~~
Random silliness: You know the ramblers that showed up at Gwen's door in ep 1? Could be my parents! Didn't *look* like them, but the outfits, the query, the line about having the right kind of shoes? THEM TO A T OMG! Really, it was uncanny... (You don't expect your parents to turn up on TV. Esp not on something like Torchwood.)
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