"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

[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.