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silver_sunI know, I know I really need to update this more, but somehow I never seem to find the time lately, mostly because work has been kind of nuts for the last couple of weeks.
So far this month we've had half the office off sick (of there's only 7 of us I my department, but still), the computer network go down, somebody got stuck in the lift, the computer update stopped all the barcoded document filing system from working (and it still isn't working), all the internal doors jammed open and the external door jammed shut (they are on an electric circuit and the fire alarm is somehow connected to it and that's what caused the problem) and the single status review I was supposed to do got rescheduled to an unspecified date.
All that in two weeks. I'm so looking forward to the rest of the month ;)
Anyway on with the obligatory Torchwood 2x01 review post. (This will contain spoilers for Torchwood 2x01)
Also the Torchwood game on the BBC website is made is win for a lot of reasons, not least the fact that you get an email from Ianto :)
(okay i know it's the bbc automated email service, but seeing an email in your inbox that says it's from Ianto is still pretty cool)
So far this month we've had half the office off sick (of there's only 7 of us I my department, but still), the computer network go down, somebody got stuck in the lift, the computer update stopped all the barcoded document filing system from working (and it still isn't working), all the internal doors jammed open and the external door jammed shut (they are on an electric circuit and the fire alarm is somehow connected to it and that's what caused the problem) and the single status review I was supposed to do got rescheduled to an unspecified date.
All that in two weeks. I'm so looking forward to the rest of the month ;)
Anyway on with the obligatory Torchwood 2x01 review post. (This will contain spoilers for Torchwood 2x01)
I must say my first reactions to this episode weren't all that great, but on a rewatch (thank you bbc website) I like it better, although I still wouldn't say it was one of my favourite episodes.
It felt like it jumped around too much, that there was too much going on for a single episode and a lot of it felt very rushed, especially in the first half of the episode.
I was pleased to see that the team were actaully working as a team, although why Gwen was apparently in charge I have no idea. Now this isn't because I dislike Gwen, I certainly don't always agree with her, but that's as far as it goes. No, it's because there seems to be no sense in putting the person who's been working there less than a year and has the least practical experience with the job, in charge.
The fact that everybody got a fairer share of screen time was good as well.
That Jack admitted that he'd found the Doctor and that's who he'd been with was great, although the fact that there was no mention of Saxon (the Master) was odd - although I think that maybe they are waiting for later in the series for that. (I won't say any more than that as I don't want to talk about spoilers for any other episode in this post)
And Captain John, what's not to like. Crazy, mad bad and dangerous to know, he's what Jack was before he met the Doctor.
I'm not sure about the whole Captain John plot of fake radiation bombs and stolen diamonds, it all seemed a bit... actually i'm not sure what it seemed, contrived maybe?
Also did he know Jack was there or does he just switch on his Time Agency wrist thing and try to contact Jack everytime he goes somewhere new?
I hope we'll get to see more of Captain John.
Okay, so the Jack and Gwen scene that seems to have annoyed a lot of people certainly annoyed me at first. I really don't want the series to go down the route of pairing up the male and female leads - it has been done to death on just about every show and it's time for something different.
My main objection is that if they want Gwen to be the human connection in the series, the one who's trying to live a normal life while dealing with all the Torchwood craziness, then they shouldn't pair her off with Jack. Not because it gets in the way of Jack/Ianto (although I will be the first to admit that I am Jack/Ianto fan girl), but because it takes away some of what is supposed to set her apart.
What I want to see is Gwen making a go if it with Rhys, proving that you can have a life and still work for Torchwood,
I think that maybe the Jack and Gwen scene was a way of introducing the fact that she's now engaged.
I don't think it was the fact that Jack was sad that this meant he couldn't try it on with Gwen, I think some of it is sorrow that the fact she's going to have the sort of life he would like and cannot have. I think some of it might be worry as well, worry at what could happen,once Gwen is married, will she want to start a family with Rhys? and if she does how will she manage it with danger that Torchwood presents to her everyday. Would she leave? and if she did would he have to retcon her because of it? Or will Torchwood split her and Rhys up, will he, by giving her a job at Torchwood have ruined her chance of a normal life.
The Jack/Ianto office seen where he asks Ianto out on a date was lovely. I hope we get to see/here more about this later in the series. Jack seemed nervous that Ianto would say no and the happy, surprised smile that he has went Ianto confirms that he did actually say yes, is lovely.
I've see a few people suggest that the Jack Gwen scene makes the Jack Ianto one seem like he's treating Ianto like second best, just asking him out because he can't have Gwen. I don't think so, although I think him finding out Gwen is engaged may have something to do with the timing of it. He sees Gwen trying to have a normal life and he realises he want's that too, and he knows who he wants it with, so at the first opportunity he gets when he's alone with Ianto he asks him out.
It's the slightly nervous way in which Jack asks Ianto out that's so endearing, the idea that he really wants to make Ianto happy, want to have a normal realationship with him. It seems to say that he sees Ianto as far more than just a casual sexual partner.
There also seems to be hints towards maybe some Owen/Tosh. i'm not too sure what to think about that, so i'll reserve any judgement until I see how that all plays out. At the very least i'm please to see that Owen appears to have grown up a bit and that Tosh is shown to be the intelligent and funny person that I was sure she was in the first series but never really got enough scene time to show it properly.
They whole grey or gray thing at the end is certainly going to cause any amount of speculation. My own current theory is regarding Grey is pretty vague at this point, but I suppose the main points are that I don't think grey is related to Jack. Grey sounds like a surname and you don't usually call members of your family by their surname. However grey certainly means a lot to Jack, and it's somebody that Jack didn't think would either be found or was alive.
That was probably fairly incoherant, and i'm sure there is a whole lot of other stuff that I really liked and should really talk about but that all I can think of for now.
I'll probably do another rambly post about the spoilery trailer after the show sometime tomorrow.
It felt like it jumped around too much, that there was too much going on for a single episode and a lot of it felt very rushed, especially in the first half of the episode.
I was pleased to see that the team were actaully working as a team, although why Gwen was apparently in charge I have no idea. Now this isn't because I dislike Gwen, I certainly don't always agree with her, but that's as far as it goes. No, it's because there seems to be no sense in putting the person who's been working there less than a year and has the least practical experience with the job, in charge.
The fact that everybody got a fairer share of screen time was good as well.
That Jack admitted that he'd found the Doctor and that's who he'd been with was great, although the fact that there was no mention of Saxon (the Master) was odd - although I think that maybe they are waiting for later in the series for that. (I won't say any more than that as I don't want to talk about spoilers for any other episode in this post)
And Captain John, what's not to like. Crazy, mad bad and dangerous to know, he's what Jack was before he met the Doctor.
I'm not sure about the whole Captain John plot of fake radiation bombs and stolen diamonds, it all seemed a bit... actually i'm not sure what it seemed, contrived maybe?
Also did he know Jack was there or does he just switch on his Time Agency wrist thing and try to contact Jack everytime he goes somewhere new?
I hope we'll get to see more of Captain John.
Okay, so the Jack and Gwen scene that seems to have annoyed a lot of people certainly annoyed me at first. I really don't want the series to go down the route of pairing up the male and female leads - it has been done to death on just about every show and it's time for something different.
My main objection is that if they want Gwen to be the human connection in the series, the one who's trying to live a normal life while dealing with all the Torchwood craziness, then they shouldn't pair her off with Jack. Not because it gets in the way of Jack/Ianto (although I will be the first to admit that I am Jack/Ianto fan girl), but because it takes away some of what is supposed to set her apart.
What I want to see is Gwen making a go if it with Rhys, proving that you can have a life and still work for Torchwood,
I think that maybe the Jack and Gwen scene was a way of introducing the fact that she's now engaged.
I don't think it was the fact that Jack was sad that this meant he couldn't try it on with Gwen, I think some of it is sorrow that the fact she's going to have the sort of life he would like and cannot have. I think some of it might be worry as well, worry at what could happen,once Gwen is married, will she want to start a family with Rhys? and if she does how will she manage it with danger that Torchwood presents to her everyday. Would she leave? and if she did would he have to retcon her because of it? Or will Torchwood split her and Rhys up, will he, by giving her a job at Torchwood have ruined her chance of a normal life.
The Jack/Ianto office seen where he asks Ianto out on a date was lovely. I hope we get to see/here more about this later in the series. Jack seemed nervous that Ianto would say no and the happy, surprised smile that he has went Ianto confirms that he did actually say yes, is lovely.
I've see a few people suggest that the Jack Gwen scene makes the Jack Ianto one seem like he's treating Ianto like second best, just asking him out because he can't have Gwen. I don't think so, although I think him finding out Gwen is engaged may have something to do with the timing of it. He sees Gwen trying to have a normal life and he realises he want's that too, and he knows who he wants it with, so at the first opportunity he gets when he's alone with Ianto he asks him out.
It's the slightly nervous way in which Jack asks Ianto out that's so endearing, the idea that he really wants to make Ianto happy, want to have a normal realationship with him. It seems to say that he sees Ianto as far more than just a casual sexual partner.
There also seems to be hints towards maybe some Owen/Tosh. i'm not too sure what to think about that, so i'll reserve any judgement until I see how that all plays out. At the very least i'm please to see that Owen appears to have grown up a bit and that Tosh is shown to be the intelligent and funny person that I was sure she was in the first series but never really got enough scene time to show it properly.
They whole grey or gray thing at the end is certainly going to cause any amount of speculation. My own current theory is regarding Grey is pretty vague at this point, but I suppose the main points are that I don't think grey is related to Jack. Grey sounds like a surname and you don't usually call members of your family by their surname. However grey certainly means a lot to Jack, and it's somebody that Jack didn't think would either be found or was alive.
That was probably fairly incoherant, and i'm sure there is a whole lot of other stuff that I really liked and should really talk about but that all I can think of for now.
I'll probably do another rambly post about the spoilery trailer after the show sometime tomorrow.
Also the Torchwood game on the BBC website is made is win for a lot of reasons, not least the fact that you get an email from Ianto :)
(okay i know it's the bbc automated email service, but seeing an email in your inbox that says it's from Ianto is still pretty cool)