tencrush: (jackanto subtext)
[personal profile] tencrush
Well, no, I wasn't, but apologies if my last post went a bit rambly and weird. Most you have never seen me rambly and weird, though in fact, dealing with people onna OG has made me go rambly and weird before in the past, but it was always about Rose. Must remind myself not to carry my righteous anger over from there to here, because it make NO sense out of context. Sorry, LOL!

Anyway, I kind of promised to explain what the righteous anger was about, so I'll do that now. As an aside, I AM planning on polling to see how widespread the interpretation of Ianto as just the teaboy/Jack's sextoy is, but it's not even really the fact that it is or isn't widespread that bothers me, it's the fact that the writing has even ALLOWED ROOM for that interpretation to exist that gets on my nerves.

So why does it bother me so much? Well, again, it's a question of characterisation. See, to me, interpreting the relationship as Jack using Ianto as a sextoy has a lot of implications for both characters, and it's why I say I don't think it's doing them any favours. The reason I got angry about it isn't because I'm so hugely defensive about Ianto, it's actually down to a few telling statements, statements that I HAVE heard elsewhere in other contexts, about JACK, not Ianto. And all that comes back to a discussion I've had here and elsewhere a few times, about Jack, and whether or not he is still, at this point in the narrative, the omnisexual slut type that he was perceived to be around the time of The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. The fact that the relationship between Jack and Ianto is open to the sextoy interpretation, in my mind, also immediately implies that it is possible for viewers to perceive Jack as THE SORT OF GUY WHO WOULD DO THAT. Harrassment, of a subordinate. Because that's what that boils down to. The thing that got me so riled up wasn't the fact that people think Ianto is the sort of guy that would allow himself to be used as a sextoy (I think that's a plausible reading if you view the show in a certain way, and I think, given the fact that Ianto hasn't really had a major storyline since Cyberwoman, barring the Jackanto story itself, it's understandable that some people might view him that way), it was the attitude of the posters in question, and of people I have spoken to elsewhere, of "Oh, that's just the kind of guy Jack is." Because, really? No. If the storytelling has allowed room for the interpretation of Jack, the leading man, as the sort of guy who would use one of his employees for sex, given all the fucked up power dynamics that that implies, then the character of Jack, with regards to his sexual/romantic leanings in any case, has not been properly put to paper.

And that angers me greatly, yeah. Because Jack, in everyone's big grandiose words is supposed to be this whole new kind of hero for the 21st century. Someone with a progressive and liberal attitude towards sex and sexuality. Someone like you and me (I would hope), who doesn't like to label people and thinks everyone should be free to explore whatever facets of life turn them on. Someone who will serve as an example to that small faction of 15-year-old boys who are squicked by teh ghey, and maybe open their minds a bit. And allowing room for people to see Jack as a guy who just puts it about a bit, who comes on to one colleague, is rebuffed and moves on to the next, really FUCKS THAT UP for me. That's why I was angry.

Am I making sense yet or am I still rambling? The hormones haven't worn off yet, I can never quite tell lately.

Date: 2008-05-14 05:44 pm (UTC)
ext_2877: Long-time default (Default)
From: [identity profile] blackbird-song.livejournal.com
*facepalm* I really should be more careful about proof-reading my comments. I had meant to say, '...certain critical moments....' I fail.

I couldn't agree with you more on all the examples you gave. I, too, am very happy with what they have given us, but am angry about the lack of moments at certain critical points in the series. (That would have been a better way to phrase it, in the first place.) I think that those missing vignettes give the viewers justifiable pause when contemplating Jack/Ianto, especially when they've given us such deep and meaningful moments elsewhere. On the other hand, nothing works better for series TV than stringing the viewers along with worry and speculation about the key relationships. Dammit! ;)

Catherine

Date: 2008-05-14 06:02 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nightspring.livejournal.com
Ah, got you! Glad we cleared that up, lol. As for the Captain's Blog, I completely dislike them. Most of the scenes presented there, I feel like, "Thank god they didn't show that!" or "Thank god they didn't go in that direction!" Not to say there aren't "missing scenes" I wish they'd shown. But I also think some details are best left to individual viewers' imagination. For instance, I'm sure we've all imagined what happened with the stopwatch after Jack sent everyone home in TKKS. And I happen to be rather partial to my version, and I'd hate it if the version in the Captain's Blog somehow suddenly became "canon." And I'm not that broken up that we never saw the date mentioned in KKBB, either. We can imagine it happening, we can imagine things getting in the way and they never managed to go on a date -- I wouldn't say no to an on-screen date scene, but since we didn't get one, that's fine too.

Date: 2008-05-14 06:26 pm (UTC)
ext_2877: Long-time default (Default)
From: [identity profile] blackbird-song.livejournal.com
I'm a bit more ambivalent about the Captain's Blog scenes. I love the one posited for 'Adrift', but I really dislike the one for TKKS. I have a sort of Ianto-ish reaction to that one, in that some fetishes are best kept to oneself, at least from a mass-media point of view. (It encourages much more creative fan-fic, that way.;))

I agree with you about the date in KKBB, on all counts. To me, its absence has made for some wonderful speculation and fic, but it'd also be lovely to see them on a date at some point, even if it's not that date.

I have to say that the fact that they haven't shown us everything has made for a very strong and active fandom. It seems as though the writers do understand the fans in many ways, including their desire to speculate and create around the series. Heck, even GDL's website allows the use of Torchwood images when fans are submitting fanart. I hope that will continue with the next series.

Catherine

Profile

tencrush: (Default)
tencrush

November 2020

S M T W T F S
12 34567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 9th, 2025 08:31 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios