"We could release a single"

[drakyndra]

I honestly don't know what I think about this week's Torchwood episode. There were things I liked, things I didn't like, and things I liked in theory but wish had been changed in execution.

Also, I'm LOLing at all the people squicked out by food now. Vegetarianism, totally paying off here


WTF is going on with the writing for Tosh? Is there a complete and utter lack of character continuity, or are we supposed to infer some decision she made to actually persue Owen? Which looks even stranger given the continuity of Tosh liking pool (and going on dates where she can play it)

As a side result of that bit of writing, Owen looks really, incredibly, stupidly clueless about Tosh's interest. Which, given his ladykiller stuff, seems odd and OOC. He is actually getting decent medical type stuffs to do in the plot otherwise.

And it was nice to see Tosh actually pointing out the "arming themselves for the future" part of the modus operandi.

As for Ianto, he was at his snarktastic best again. And seemed highly amused by the "sad and single" proclamation of Tosh (it was her who said that, right). Obviously him and Jack aren't common knowledge yet.

Also, UNEXPECTED HARDCORE!IANTO.

Rhys was, well, Rhystastic. He's clever, and came up with the amusing jingle, and he finally knows what's going and approves of it all. And he and Gwen finally had that confrontation we needed to have. And refusing to Retcon Rhys was a stand Gwen needed to make. I love Rhys.

Gwen... there were a few moments where I was annoyed at her, but making her stand at the end really redeemed a lot for me. And she and Rhys were actually sweet together once they got over the fighting. I wonder if we'll get scenes of Gwen talking with Rhys about work now, because that'd be adorable.

Jack was much less with the badly acted intimidation this week, and I totally empathised with Gwen's "So you have a heart" line. I just wish we could have seen a bit more of his sympathy for the meat whatsit, even if the lines we heard of it were a) slightly dodgy and b) made him sound like he was channeling the Doctor.

As for the meat creature plot, it was a bit blah. Or rather, it was a potential good moral debate that could have been explored and wasn't ever really picked up on, and so we were left with the bare bones, which were blah in execution.

Now, onto the crux of the matter: I wish that the show would bloody well make up it's mind about where it's pushing the Jack shipping. And Gwen shipping, for that matter. Now, being me (and considering we're talking about Jack), I'm deeply against having a single OTP. I like Jack/Ianto, and oddly enough also like the idea of there being love between Jack and Gwen. But Gwen has a relationship going on with Rhys - and actual serious one, and she does seem to love him (and I like Gwen/Rhys) - and put all this together and it's making both Jack and Gwen look insensitive and unpleasant. When Rhys confronts Gwen about if she's shagging Jack, I genuinely wasn't sure how to react because of all the mixed messages.

Seriously, tone it down a notch (or a number of notches, actually) and it'll make everyone look better.


Also, WAY TO SPOIL THE BIG HONKING MYSTERY IN THE NEXT WEEK TRAILER, GUYS!

On an entirely different note, I was reading a Sweeney Todd over at ff.net Yes, my senses of shame and taste seem to have fallen down the back of the couch when I came across this author's note:

Did you know that every time you read and/or favorite and/or alert BUT not review a story, a hot singing barber is sent to Australia?

It's true. Happens all the time.

Please, think of the barbers.

So, I have decided to think of the barbers. Very, very hard. And not review. Yes, send me the hot singing barbers!

Comments

[gryffinclaw.livejournal.com]

I guess it takes a lot to gross me out because I was not bothered by the meat thing. *shrugs* You can pretty much eat anything if it is cooked right.

Rhystastic! I LOVE that word. Loved him standing up to Jack.

Tosh...the time has come to acknowledge that you and Owen is just not going to happen. He does not like you sweetheart. I wish he did, but he does not. Please move on love. For your own sake.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I shall attempt to bring Rhystastic into the common vernacular!

The weird feeling, though, is I do think they're going to end up going Owen/Tosh. Just... not yet.

[gryffinclaw.livejournal.com]

I feel like he will break her heart. I really do.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

If he does that, all his likability points he's gotten with me so far in S2 will be gone in a flash.

But, um, have you heard the Owen spoilers for the next few episodes?

[gryffinclaw.livejournal.com]

Spoilers? No! Tell me please! Please!

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Erm, have you heard about the Weevil thing yet?

[gryffinclaw.livejournal.com]

You are teasing me! Lol I have heard nothing! Tell me everything!

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I just don't want to spoil anyone else who comments here.

I'll just drop a link to someone who's seen episode 6 (Martha's first one), which also mentions the later episode rumours: http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?s=&showtopic=3131800&view=findpost&p=9691043

ETA: Big spoilers for ep 6. Smaller ones beyond that.

[gryffinclaw.livejournal.com]

Well thank you for that.

Well I did not know about the Tosh/Owen thing..I guess we will see how it plays out. I have mixed feelings I want her to be happy but I do not trust him.

I heard the rumours of him..you know what. But I did not know the Weevil thing.

Thanks for the link.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Now that I've reflected a bit on it, I can see exactly what they're doing with Owen/Tosh: They're doing the good old "just when the crazy kids have worked things out OMGTRAGEDY!" See Tara/Willow in S6 Buffy.

[koshiroryuu.livejournal.com]

OMG NO NOT OWEN! Oh, please tell me the spoiler that made you LOL after my comment downthread isn't what I think it is. I like Owen! Er, sort of. But you know what I mean!

ohnoes owen :(

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Wait and see, dear, wait and see.

Unless you want spoilers.

[koshiroryuu.livejournal.com]

*flails indecisively*

[yattara.livejournal.com]

Also, WAY TO SPOIL THE BIG HONKING MYSTERY IN THE NEXT WEEK TRAILER, GUYS!

Word. *sighs*

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

They sort of fail at trailers.

[yattara.livejournal.com]

They couldn't reach success with a 10'-bargepole when it comes to trailers.

[danel4d.livejournal.com]

I really wasn't sure what to think about the scene when they seemed to be going for Jack/Gwen chemistry - as they notice Rhys apparently working with the villains. Not so much inappropriate as simply totally bizarre.

And as regards the Tosh/Owen - it's particularly weird what with it being reversed last week, and Owen seeming interested in Tosh while she was happily oblivious with Tommy. Perhaps that's what they've decided to do now - they'll alternate being oblivious and interested, so next week Owen'll be trying to ask Tosh on a date while she ignores him, and so on and so forth.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I honestly think a big dose of subtlety would make things a lot simpler - it's the heavy-handedness of the Jack/Gwen subtext that makes it so jarring.

As for Tosh/Owen, having spoiled myself for the next few episodes, I think I actually know what they are trying to do - they're trying to make us know these two are meant for each other without actually hooking them up. It's just the method they're using is... of debatable success.

[lotus79.livejournal.com]

As a side result of that bit of writing, Owen looks really, incredibly, stupidly clueless about Tosh's interest.

You think so? I read that totally the opposite way. I assumed Owen was playing dumb in order to avoid hurting Tosh's feelings with a flat rejection; but Tosh just wasn't picking up on it and kept pushing the issue. (I was cringing for her, she was just so needy!) I'd like to see her get over the crush and make him chase her. Or not chase her--at the moment Tosh/Owen has zero interest for me because it's, well... sad.

I also may be alone in not seeing Jack's interest in Gwen as romantic--in my reading, she represents everything he wants but now can't ever have. And for her part, he's almost a mythical figure. Not that I think that would stop them from doing the nasty at all, in the heat of the moment y'know. ;)

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I didn't really see it as a rejection from Owen at all. That said, I so totally agree it'd be neat for a role-reversal and have Owen chase her, whether it's reciprocated or not.

I also may be alone in not seeing Jack's interest in Gwen as romantic--in my reading, she represents everything he wants but now can't ever have.

That's actually my normal opinion of the Jack/Gwen stuff, which is why I've been finding the Torchwood shipping debates so lolarious thus far. It just seemed... far more heavily sexualised/physicalised this episode, which threw me a bit.

Of course, subjectivity et al (see every ship war ever).

[shaggydogstail.livejournal.com]

That's what I thought as well - the bit where he suggests a Torchwood pool torment when Tosh asked him out seemed like a classic avoidance tactic. (I, er, may have used that one myself in the past...) He does seem to care about Tosh - he was very concerned about her in the previous episode - so I think either he's not interested but doesn't want to hurt her or he is interested but is just very wary of getting into any sort of relationship.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Going from some of the episode writer's comments I've seen elsewhere, I think it was intended as ignorance rather than the brush-off. But whether that was the way the actors decided to play it is debatable.

It still doesn't look like a brush-off to me, but subjectivity...

[koshiroryuu.livejournal.com]

Is there a complete and utter lack of character continuity, or are we supposed to infer some decision she made to actually persue Owen?

I'm going with Door #1. 'Cause, y'know, Torchwood.

Still, though, the way I read it (or maybe the way I'm choosing to read it, whatever) is that she hadn't thought about it in ages, she's been busy with other things, but he's been bringing it up so it's sort of in the back of her head, so when they start talking about how none of them can get any and how it would have to be someone who knows and that's only them, it makes her think about it again, so she makes him sandwiches and wants to go play pool, and two days later she's going to look back on that and think "Dude. Dude. What was I thinking?" and meanwhile he'll be all "Wait a minute... Was Tosh hitting on me two days ago?" and they'll switch over again just for lulz.

This is, of course, too complicated to be anything they've actually thought of, but it works, so I'm going with it. It's either that, or she actually secretly hates him, and she's figured out that anyone she dates will die horribly, so she's decided to date him as a simple way of bumping him off. Either way makes sense, I think.

Also, I liked flirty Jack, especially with the office girl. But serious Jack made me laugh at inappropriate moments, which was also entertaining but for quite the wrong reasons. I liked Ianto a lot in this episode, though. But I think they're going a little overboard with Owen's soft side at this point, they're kind of trying too hard now. And when Gwen had that line about how all she asked for was some honesty, I cringed hardcore on account of the Owen/Gwen from last series. Oh, and I <3 Rhys.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Hey, you're handwaving it, you can be as complex as you want. God knows I expect we'll get a bit of fic written about it.

On another note, something you said there made me laugh hysterically, but it's deeply spoilery so I can't really mention it. Want me to spoil you for it, or just wait and see, and then you can look back and LOL?

Ack, I was so going to mention the office girl flirting in my review but I forgot! It was lolarious. But Rhys is indeed love.

[koshiroryuu.livejournal.com]

Oh oh oh! Is it because next week will be made up entirely of Serious!Jack, and even though I could tell by the preview that they want me to cry, I'm pretty damn certain I'm going to be laughing my ass off so much that I may have to start watching that episode every day as part of an ongoing weight loss program?

If not, then don't tell me. I'm trying to be good! I really am! *tries to be good*

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

No, it's not that. It's from Martha's first episode, and you'll know exactly what it is when you see it.