I JUST REALISED!!

[tencrush]

WHY I HATE FROM OUT OF THE RAIN SO MUCH.

It just... so little thought went into this episode when it comes to characterisation, like I and many other people have mentioned, it just DIDN'T MATTER who was the centrepiece of the story, there were no character-related reasons for it to be Ianto, it could just as easily have been Tosh, or anyone. The writing focussed SO MUCH on getting the plot across to the viewer (and IT EVEN SUCKED AT THAT), that no thought went into which character was fulfilling what role.

IF I COULD REWRITE FROM OUT OF THE RAIN, it would go like this, and it's really very simple and it solves a myriad of problems of exposition and such whilst at the same time dealing with some bits and bobs of characterisation and answering some questions that are still mulling around in the minds of your average avid fan:

OPENING SCENE: Carnies. Weirdness. Spooky, yah, cut to credits.
NEXT BIT: Guy does stuff with film, Jack hears spooky music in the Hub, asks Ianto WTF? Ianto tells him to STFU and hands him his coat. Jack and Ianto go to Electro for night out.
REST OF EPISODE: Same, with slightly less exposition needed due to Jack already being clued up, giving us a bit more time to let the baddies actually be scary.

SIMPLE AS THAT. Seriously, if anyone had put any thought into this episode from a character arc perspective, that's how it would have played out. It would have shown us quite cleanly that Jack and Ianto do indeed have a relationship that involves more than sex in the Hub, which I believe is what the writers would like us to believe. At the same time, the resulting spookiness would have amusingly shown us how patently impossible it is for these two to keep their work and private lives separate, which would have been a nice segue into the shagging in the Hub in Adrift (without the shagging in the Hub coming across as QUITE SO CARNAL, but more of an acknowledgement that they're really just going to have to get it where and when they can.) Clean. Simple. Easy as that. AMINORITE? YUS?

Comments

[iko.livejournal.com]

What I loved about this specific episode was the imagery. I thought it was quite rich and I felt there was a lot of effort to make it really atmospheric. I liked that it tried to present the story from Ianto's perspective, but I do think that it felt very generic (a quick substitution of Gwen for Ianto and still have it make sense is not good).

I still think and like the idea that the story could be told from Ianto's perspective and trace his contributions to solving a case. It needs to commit to it, though. Really follow him, so we don't get conversations that Ianto isn't privy to (with exception of the baddie POV).

I do love this idea:

Jack hears spooky music in the Hub, asks Ianto WTF? Ianto tells him to STFU and hands him his coat. Jack and Ianto go to Electro for night out.

I think very much in character for Ianto and Jack. And you're really right about too much time is spent with Jack trying to be clued up.

Rewatching bits, Jack offers almost no information about his time with the carnies and no resolution to how he got out of being involved with them. That did bothered me. It's almost like there's too much material and they are trying to make the storyline believable in only a single episode.

Also, the whole "Ianto, I need your local knowledge" is really... it doesn't make sense. Ianto's been in Cardiff for how long compared to Jack?

So many nifty ideas, just not brought together well.

the resulting spookiness would have amusingly shown us how patently impossible it is for these two to keep their work and private lives separate

Yeap! It would make for an interesting contrast to Gwen/Owen last season.

[tencrush]

Ianto's been in Cardiff for how long compared to Jack?
Good Lord, that's never even occurred to me. How shit am I?

Rewatching bits, Jack offers almost no information about his time with the carnies and no resolution to how he got out of being involved with them.
Yeah, like I said in my review at the time, so much potential wasted in this episode, there were so many chances to get some personal insight into both Jack and Ianto (this episode also being the one that cemented my theory that Ianto's family are all dead) and they were all just thrown away becasue we needed the plot explaining to us over and over again.

[iko.livejournal.com]

Good Lord, that's never even occurred to me. How shit am I?

The lack of continuity/sensibility from one episode to the next really bugs me in Torchwood. (I have it on good authority that the show lacks a writer's "Bible", which probably accounts for the uneven characterization and lack of depth.)

this episode also being the one that cemented my theory that Ianto's family are all dead

Oh definitely.
I get the impression that Ianto has very little to lose. That makes him delightfully dangerous.

[tencrush]

I have it on good authority that the show lacks a writer's "Bible", which probably accounts for the uneven characterization and lack of depth.
Yeah, I've written a few essays on that particular topic. Bastard showrunners.

[iko.livejournal.com]

*mind boggles*

Sometimes, watching Torchwood is like watching a RPG where the characters have interesting backgrounds and the set-ups provide great potential but then are given to writers players who chose to ignore it or forget what their character sheets say.

"Dude, your character is supposed to be gregarious!"

"Is she?" Writer Player reviews character sheet. "Oh yeah, I forgot."

Argh.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

Yeah. As much as I love this show the writings not all that great. If it wasn't for the casts awesome acting (even the minor character are great) I don't think I'd watch this show.

[rowanswhimsy.livejournal.com]

Maybe we'll get lucky and the next showrunner will actually care about things like characterization and plot.

[love-jackianto.livejournal.com]

I hope so, I really do.

[erinnthered.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, watching Torchwood is like watching a RPG where the characters have interesting backgrounds and the set-ups provide great potential but then are given to writers players who chose to ignore it or forget what their character sheets say.

I think GDL said as much at The Rift this weekend. I believe he used the word "rubbish," in fact.