Children of Earth: My verdict

[tencrush]

This will probably be an incoherent list of thoughts about CoE, just to get it out of my system so I can move on.


OBSERVATION THE FIRST:
IF I WERE COMPLETELY CONVINCED THAT THERE IS NO SEASON FOUR, I'D PROBABLY BE A LOT HAPPIER ABOUT SEASON THREE. A lot of people praising it into the heavens are calling it a swansong and saying their teary goodbyes to Torchwood, and I think a lot of the people who aren't doing that, aren't doing that because they think they've been set up for GWEN COOPER: EARTH DEFENDER. Look, the thing is, I, like many others, am a cynical person. And I don't hate Gwen, and I don't think she interferes with Jack/Ianto (which I never really shipped anyway, I think Ianto could do better), I thought she was kickarse and good in series three and I didn't think she was all that bad in series two either. But there was a story Russell wanted to tell. In order to tell it, Ianto Jones had to die. He had to die because having a man by his side who had such an unwavering faith in Jack's goodness would have rendered Jack incapable of making the sacrifice he had to make. He didn't have to die for any other reason, there was no plot-related reason as to why Ianto was in that room, without protection, there was one, authorial, reason Ianto was in that room, and that is because Russell wanted Ianto to die. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's a rather cheap and nasty thing called refrigeration. A death that has no reason apart from that of spurring the hero into action. Chick, or Ianto, gets killed by alien virus, tortured hero finally stops being angsty and tortured, takes his finger out of his arse and does what needs to be done. Completely pointless, except for the part where it was pivotal and crucial to the total destruction of the character of Captain Jack Harkness. So, yeah. In a way, I understand that, a really cheap way to get to the ultimate goal. It's just that, the more you think about that, the more difficult it becomes to understand why Russell T. Davies felt the character of Captain Jack Harkness needed to be demolished so totally and utterly. I can understand wanting to tell this reasonably well-crafted, undoubtedly critically acclaimed, dark, depressing tale. But why butcher THESE characters to do it?

A funny thing happened in Day Five. (Apart from the funny funny joke about dead Ianto being GAY, lol.) The story reached a point where I no langer cared about any of it, and even as I was watching, I started to step out of the tale (which had been ENGROSSING, from day one up until Frobisher shot himself in day five) and wonder what the hell was going on. Where was this going? Why is Russell going here? What is he trying to tell us? Why is he destroying this character? I literally fell out of the story about 15 minutes before the end, which is why I posted that LOLOLOL reaction about Jack flying away, because I just didn't understand what the hell was going on anymore. Ianto's dead. Jack is broken. Gwen has lost faith in humanity's goodness. Not enough to not want to put a child on this earth, but only by the narrowest of margins. Why? And, even while I was watching that cynical part of my brain said Oh. I get it now. There IS a series four and it's that Rose Tyler: Earth Defender thing that Russell's always wanted to make, but with Gwen Cooper, and in order to be allowed to make it, he had to A)get the ratings B)at Moffat's request, sever the ties to Who by getting rid of Jack and C)get rid of teh ghey. Now, of course, that's not true. Right? But that's what my brain was thinking even as I was still watching the story play out. I ceased being able to be affected by the story and became obsessed with the actions behind it and the question of WHY the story was being told. And apart from that cynical reasoning, I can't really think of any other reason. Maybe there's another reason in there somewhere. I don't know. All I know is, before the story had ended, my brain was already saying FAIL FAIL FAIL.

IT'S GUY LOVE BETWEEN TWO GUYS!!!
Man... that was good, wasn't it? Remember how Russell touted this relationship between Jack and Ianto around as being groundbreaking and boundary pushing and wow, we're trying to give people a whole new groovy and relaxed outlook on sexuality? Lol. That was funny, wasn't it? How many SHINY NEW VIEWERS did series three get, guys? People who had never seen this show before? What did we teach these FEW MILLION people? Ianto WAS A GHEY. For those of you who didn't get it from the "bender" and "gayboy" jibes (which meant "We love you anyways you daft git", and were thoroughly well-written, absolutely necessary in terms of character and the establishing of how much Ianto's family loves him), we've upped you a "QUEER!" and a "WAS HE GAY?" for good measure. We've rewritten him as a standard-by-the-book-dramatic-gay, he's unsure of himself, he comes out, he gets insulted, he's suddenly doing all those things the gheys in soap operas do (Man, I remember a time when Ianto said "and I don't care" What the fuck happened to that guy?). And then we kill him, obviously, because the gay must die. It's a lovely, lovely message for those shiny new viewers of yours, Russell, and it's one I hope you get called on again and again and again until the day you die. Fuckwit.

There are several aspects to this "love story" that are disturbing to an uncomforatble degree, one of which is better articulated by xtricks here, read the whole thing, and it's that "men don't say they love someone - not unless one or the other is dying," and, as commenter lawsontl says in the comments of that post "The "love story" we were hyped up on by Euros and RTD, it was bait and switch. Jack/Ianto getting their last chance at intimacy blocked in a joking scene about beans is not a love story. Being shown that they still have trouble communicating with each other, right to the very second Ianto is dying in Jack's arms - that's not a love story... it takes Ianto dying for Jack to realize how deep his feelings really are. That is brutal; for him, for Ianto, and for fans of the show. Moreover, I think it's blatantly wrong. Jack's over 200 years old... He may be a bit of a cad, he may choose to avoid emotional entanglements for good reasons, but he's got to know feelings when he has them." Yeah. That. Like I said, my brain's been slow to process this pile of fail, so I'm just gonna quote other people atcha. Sorry.
If that weren't bad enough, then there's the retcon of Ianto Jones. Debenhams and broken legs and everything it implies. Daddy issues. Hero worship. Those cynics who railed on Ianto for being ALL ABOUT JACK were right all along. Thanks, Russell. You couldn't even let us cling onto the idea that maybe Ianto was his own man. You had to twist the knife there. Which brings me to...

THE DEATH AND DEATH OF IANTO JONES OR LOL WHY ARE WE SO UPSET?
Ianto Jones died of authorial intent. That's not a pleasant thing for any fan of Ianto Jones to have to experience, but his death was, given the direction his tale was headed in, something of an inevitability. And after the wailing and the gnashing of teeth, it was something fandom could have probably accepted and lived with, in spite of its pointlessness. And we were upset, yes. Why? Well, the thing about Ianto Jones was that we were never really told that much about him. We never really knew very much about Ianto Jones. We speculated and discussed what made him tick and what was going on behind those suits and that coffee fetish of his, we guessed at his family life and his romantic past, we wrote fic and meta and, in my case, made elaborate picspams about the size of his metaphorical cock. Ianto Jones, given the amount and size of the holes in his canonical character, became, for those that loved him, a guy we invented in our heads. That's what fandom, hardcore fandom, does. We fill in the gaps. We make the character our own, and the opportunity had never been so readily available as it was in Ianto Jones, l33t manwhorespy of mystery. We knew next to nothing, so we made him up. And that's why it hit us so hard when he died the first time. It was like someone had gone into our brain and found the Ianto file we'd so meticulously been piecing together for two years, taken it out, ripped up all the little bits of paper and scattered them around the floor. That's two years' work, dude, what did you have to go and do that for? That hurts, it really does, and that's why Ianto fans were hurting so bad. But... we'd have got over it. Eventually. But then a funny thing happened to Ianto Jones in Day Five. He died again. And that was just... cruel. Death by Debenhams. WE NEVER KNEW IANTO JONES. He was a liar, he was ashamed (ashamed of that wonderful, wonderful family you've just made us care so much about), everything you knew about him was wrong. Why does that make people so mad? Because it's gratuitous. It's as gratuitous as bringing up his sexual orientation AGAIN, even AFTER his death. And again, it's one of those things that makes you step out of the tale and think WHY? Why do this to our memory of this guy? Because as far as the plot goes, as far as the story goes, there's no reason for it. Let the guy rest in peace. But no, the author decides to give us one more snippet that upsets our whole view of the man and all we can do, we, the people who put all that work in, is take that as the final FUCK YOU to our Ianto file. All that stuff in those scraps of paper, all that shit we were hoping to maybe tape back together and make legible again? Pissed on. Not your file to make, dudes. My toy. Always has been. It's no wonder some people have gone batshit angry towards RTD and the team. Which brings me to...

OH LOL THE HILARIOUS INTARWEBS N00BNESS OF JAMES MORAN
Yeah, okay, don't be batshit towards James Moran, guys, because that's not cool, but on the other hand, seriously, James Moran? Don't flounce of the internets when you can't take the heat. It's pathetic. There's a mousie on who_anon who sums up the James Moran situation better than I ever could (this post has mostly turned into a collection of links to people who sum things up better than I can, sorry.) here:

Moran was more than happy to ride the Janto fandom bandwagon to boost his own profile wrt Torchwood. The Captain's Blog on the BBCA website, for example, was by his own assertion intended to flesh out the relationship far beyond what was happening onscreen. He did it in an intensely shippy way, esp. in having Jack express a romantic and emotional interest in Ianto, more than a sexual one.
And the fans lapped it up. And he's been gleefully lapping up their appreciation ever since, right down to playing along with the pseudo-RPS malarkey Twitterfen were making up, to decide which of him and Joe Lidster was the bigger Janto fan.
And he was a direct active member of the creative team that just shat on that happy relationship.
It doesn't matter what lofty authorial intent/serving higher plot demands BS he wants to spout now: Moran helped that fanbase to choose their pet puppy, joined in with them fussing and petting it, and then helped the nice men take it outside and wring its neck in the backyard while the fans all watched.
I may not agree with the way some of them are expressing their anger and upset, but I sure as fuck understand why so many of them feel like Moran personally betrayed them in this.

So, yeah, that. Whoever you are, anon, word. So what does James Moran do? He flounces off the internet. He says ne NEVER tried to mislead ANYONE, EVER. Now, see, the thing is, James, you were part of that team. This would be the same creative team that brought us these promotional pictures



with the bigMFgun that never was. And if you, James Moran, are now completely refusing to even slightly hold your hands up and say "Yeah, okay, we may have done a tiny bit of a bait and switch on you there," then you're lying. You, who wrote COCKBLOCKED BY BEANS, a scene in which our hero, Jack Harkness, can't even bring himself to JUST BE FORTHRIGHT, and say to Rhys "Hey, dude, could you leave me and Ianto alone for a bit? We've been through hell and we could do with a cuddle. I'm sure you understand." He can't even do that for this man he allegedly cares about, yet you have the gall to call this a "love story." And no, no author deserves to be personally attacked for what they've written, of course not. But you fuck with people's heads and expectations, you're going to get some flak. And if you can't deal with that flak, then maybe you shouldn't be in the business of trying to make an audience care about the characters you create.

That's it. That's all I have to say about Children of Earth. I've reached the point where I don't want to think about it or write about it ever again. I tried to find some beauty in it and I tried to find some hope, I tried to find an uplifting theme, something about Ianto having come from that 10%, but every time I thought about it, I just ended up back at pointless death, hopelessness and despair. And while I understand that that's a tale that needs telling sometimes, I didn't want my big gay cracky pterodactyl show to be used to tell it. I'm upset that it was, and I think I have every right to be upset. If you enjoyed it, good for you, I'm glad somebody did. I didn't, and I reject it. It never happened, dudes. That's my final word on the subject.

Comments

[neadods.livejournal.com]

while I understand that that's a tale that needs telling sometimes, I didn't want my big gay cracky pterodactyl show to be used to tell it.

Yeah. The only problem with the Torchwood miniseries is it had Torchwood in it. If it were just the Frobisher side of the story, I'd love it with all the capslock disgust I have now.

Well, just like every other toy broken and abandoned by the creator, it'll be picked up, dusted off, and revisited by the fandom. We have the skills. We have the technology.

[rowanswhimsy.livejournal.com]

We have the technology.
And thank god for that because I expect we're going to see some pretty amazing alternate S3 stories.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I had a couple in the pipeline; once I finish getting over the shock, I think I'm just going to be setting them post S2 forever 'n' ever.

[torchwoodheaven.livejournal.com]

That was just made of awesome. I really hope someone sent that to Moran. I love the "what, you don't LOVE it, well, I'm hiding now" thing he's got going.

Please send this to someone. Not sure RTD really cares but you make some great points.

It's really so sad. I was so excited by a new season. Now I just feel sick.

[little-iago.livejournal.com]

I just finished watching the TW Declassified for CoE. I've transcribed a couple of quotes that caught my notice:

- RTD -
“You cannot have a threat to the Earth that’s this big [...] without there being consequences." ... "Drama is not there just to make you smile and go 'Isn’t everyone happy and all the people I like have survived'. That’s just rubbish. The good drama actually does rip your guts out and does make you bleed and makes you remember Ianto forever."

and

-RTD-
“I don’t know if [Jack] could have gone through with what he goes through with Stephen if Ianto hadn’t died. I thought there was something damaged, something dead, something ruthless in him at the same time that has to push him into that final action."


** Please note that I'm not posting the above as an endorsement of what RTD says or for what he wrote, but I thought some might find this of interest to the topic(s) of discussion here. **

[subtle1science.livejournal.com]

100% spot on, every point. Please send this to the BBC, to Davies, to random people drawn from the phone book.

The single worst moment of the entire series was the Debenhams comment--Davies' attempt to rewrite two years of Ianto Jones, just to obliterate the character.

Homophobic crap is all the show was.

[jo02]

I realise now what those promo pics of Ianto were.
I know they were meant to cover the fact, prior to the showing, that Ianto wasn't going to be there all the way through, but now we see that they are just another lie to add to all the lies that made up Ianto Jones.

And you're right again. I probably could have come to accept the death of Ianto Jones, even death by lamest of plot devices. What makes it impossible for me to accept his death though is that they turned it into an ugly, festering wound. One that feeds on itself and won't get better.
I could (eventually) live with his death, but I cannot live with the fact that before he died they went to lengths to twist their relationship into something sad and (more) dysfunctional and reduce him to a needy, unlikeable queer woobie -- and then they continued to destroy his character and make him dirty after he died. The Debenhams thing was a shock when it first happened, and now it just continues to fester.
It's the over-riding need to make Ianto Jones dirty that I just can't live with.

[rallyemadartep.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[coffee-kris.livejournal.com]

I actually really loved CoE through Episode 3; shit, if Ianto hadn't died, I'd have adored the whole thing, warts and all (ya know, TW's usual warts of continuity and shit like why would the Govt ever kill Jack and destroy TW when there's a big bloody alien threat coming?)

Until the end of Ep 4 and Ep5, I saw in the Jack/Ianto interactions things that I loved and wanted to see explored in fanfic. Like Ianto's nervous laugh about Rupesh treating them like a couple "It's just new to me, that's all" and Jack being annoyed that Ianto would be embarrassed by their coupledom. Shit that whole scene is just squeeing Janto happiness for me! Tons to explore; is Ianto resistant to Jack wanting a more formal commitment? He's been part of a couple before, it didn't end well, is that his issue? Are they a couple and Ianto is trying to stay closeted? Why? I want to know, and until the end of CoE, I think the answers to those questions would have been as fascinating to explore as "Well, I've still got tha' stopwatch..."

Then back at the hub "You are going to get us killed." "No, you will die like a dog." *sob* But the bantering was great, the grin when Gwen told Jack to get stuffed, the handing off of the coat. Just brilliant Janto moments I would love to see people write about (or attempt myself, pathetically).

The "couple" conversation, to me, was all about Jack and Ianto being in love and being together and the joy and pain that brings to two men who just lost two beloved team members and are still figuring out what it means to be truly together. Plus the little moments of "I hate the term couple." "Me too." Don't loved ones often take the piss out of each other in ways that hurt more deeply than anyone else could ever manage? Again, things I'd like to know more about.

And then the bomb, Ianto's dedication to Jack, the way he fucking watched him stay to die, watched him - god, listened to him! everyone says listening to Frobisher kill his family was horrific but watching Ianto listening to Jack scream as he DROWNED IN CEMENT and then put those binoculars back up to his face and force himself to watch... Again, I don't know how anyone would think that wasn't the most moving, loving, committed, horrific thing anyone has ever done on TV - until Jack killed his grandson, of course.

I could go on - tons of stuff in Ep 3 with Ianto and getting the coat and the "some day I'll grow old and you'll watch me die" and Jack's (understandably) muted reaction and the way they worked through so many issues with just the expressions on their face was just so moving and perfect. Even the beans. "Bloody beans." That was FUNNY. Until they killed Ianto. But there shouldn't have had to be a "last fuck" scene; Ianto shouldn't have died. Where were those bloody gas masks Jack had so handy in "Day One" when Gwen released that sex gas?

And that's what makes me so pissed about this series. Ianto didn't have to die; Jack had to sacrifice Steven and I think Ianto would have made him do it. He had already watched him do it once before and forgiven him with Jasmine. Ianto would have *understood* he would have agreed, he would have known, like he did so many other times, that Torchwood exists to make these kinds of hard decisions. So no, he didn't have to die, except if you want to make Jack give up - which is what he did. He gave up. And then he didn't care. And then he did - and I suppose that's what Ianto did for him, his death, as bad as it was for Jack, reminded him that there was a lot more at stake, and so he did what Ianto would have done FOR him if he'd been around.

I think RTD hates his fans; he wants us to suffer. He said as much in interviews after Series 2. And guess what? I hate him back. I hate him for writing Ianto the way he did through Ep 4 of CoE and then fucking all of that apart with the crap in Ep 5.

And I just hope I stop caring so much soon because this shit is killing me. And sorry for the ridiculously long post.

[dividedloyalty.livejournal.com]

And while I understand that that's a tale that needs telling sometimes, I didn't want my big gay cracky pterodactyl show to be used to tell it.

That was probably the best description for all the raging emotions going on with fans right now.

[michele659.livejournal.com]

I hope you don't mind my commenting here. I am a member of Ninja Teaboy,and I've always thought we saw Ianto in the same way. So I've been interested in your take on S3 and what happened to Ianto.
I think the whole reversal of Ianto's backstory was an afterthought. I'm convinced that Ianto was not lying when he spoke about his dad being a master tailor when the episode aired. It was done for this Season,probably for the reasons you mentioned. Ianto had to know that his dad's profession would've been easy for Jack to find out. It's not like it was top secret or anything. So when he says "as you know,my dad was a master tailor" he was saying he knew Jack knew about his background,and Jack agreed. If he had said something like,"Remember I told you my dad was a master tailor?" then I would believe it was possible that he was lying. The way he said it, it was like he knew Jack checked on that,and knew it was true.
I don't think Ianto was ashamed of his family. I think he wanted to have a different life than his family had,but that's not so unusual.Especially since his overall experiences with his dad seemed to be difficult and quite different from Rhiannon's relationship with their dad. (I also don't think that means he lied when he told Jack his dad took him to the cinema. Again, I think that was part of a different backstory for Ianto than we saw in S3,but even if it wasn't it's certainly possible to have a conflicted relationship with one's parent. Just because his dad pushed him too hard doesn't mean he never did any bonding with Ianto).
I never got the sense that Ianto hero worshipped Jack. I thought Gwen did,but I always felt Ianto saw Jack's good and bad qualities and accepted them. I never got the sense he was desperate for Jack's approval,or saw him as a father figure.
I don't think his problems with his father had much to do with his relationship with Jack.
Of all the things that hurt me about CoE besides Ianto's death was the way the fans were lied to. There is no universe where the writers could've thought we would be "happy" with the way the relationship was shown in this Season,and how they could possibly say we would be happy with the outcome is beyond belief.That was just a blatant ratings hype,and it pisses me off more than anything.
Also,Jame Moran,OMG! I so agree with you! I totally am against any cursing,insulting,and especially threatening of anyone. But if you do something that is hurtful to the fans you've been courting all along,then you have to expect a fallout of some kind. Even if it is a bunch of angry,hurt people. He says we were never lied to-excuse me? Let me go back and check the comms for all the false info we got. He and RTD and crew have been so condescending about the fact that we are fans,and they are WRITERS! We don't count,this is not a democracy! Kind of hard to say that when you go out of your way to get the fans to watch by telling them lies! Not that I expected them to say, "By the way,Ianto dies!" But this was out and out bullshit. I can only think this was done so that the ratings would be huge,to justify the move to BBC1 and ensure a fourth season.
Which will probably turn into "Gwen Cooper, Earth Defender",with Jack popping in every so often. Or maybe the fourth season will move the show ahead a few years and Jack comes back and is either broken and in need of fixing by Gwen,kill me now,or is all better from his time with the Doctor-also,kill me now(and I do love the Doctor,but the Doctor fixing Jack just by Jack being in his presence makes me ill).
I do think that Jack loved Ianto and knew it before Ianto was killed,and I believe his plea to the 456 that he'd take it all back and not fight if Ianto could live was a definite declaration of that. But I wanted to hear the words as well and suspect that RTD didn't give us that just to screw with us.
I'm hoping things change if there is a S4,since RTD is going to America,but I guess that would depend on who takes over.
I believe fan reaction does help. I've seen it many times,and I'll contribute to the effort to get Ianto back if there is a new season.
And I'll always love him and his mad Ninjaskillz,and his BigMotherfuckin'Gun-literally,and figuratively!

[tencrush]

I personally don't buy that Ianto had any daddy issues, either, but by God, did Russell attempt to shoehorn them in there somewhere and fuel that impression that some people have of Ianto as a hero-worshipping sap. I don't understand why he even went there.

And the James Moran thing? Yeah, so he got a half-dozen batshit fangirls calling him names, that really is wholly to be expected after the way he shamelessly courted them and fed their Janto obsession and told them they'd love what was about to transpire. If he didn't realise he was setting himself up for that then I'm afraid he's just a bit dim.

[as1mplegirl.livejournal.com]

Although I do sometimes go with the cynical we're going to get Gwen Cooper Earth Defender. I think this was an end. They've gone for a scorched earth policy with a big Fuck You to fans so nobody can continue it. That goes double with Davies leaving. It got good ratings but it was his show. The man's a dick but he had clout in the British TV industry. He's not left them the format intact to just slot another show runner in either.

Totally word wrt Jack and the Doctor. I'm cringing at the thought already. Doubly so as the Doctor tends to treat Jack like shit.

My biggest issue is the lying. The difference between what we were promised and what we got. It's been my opinion since CoE aired that if they'd been flogging a product other than a fictional story line they wouldn't be defending themselves on a blog or DVD extra. They'd be defending themselves in a court from a civil claim or a criminal prosecution.

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

That goes double with Davies leaving. It got good ratings but it was his show. The man's a dick but he had clout in the British TV industry. He's not left them the format intact to just slot another show runner in either.


RTD may have created it, but AFAIK, it belongs to the BBC. And with the ratings it got, they'll be very disinclined to just drop it.

As for the format, well this is SciFi, I'm sure there's somebody out there able to figure a way to fix it.

[loqia.livejournal.com]

You probably don't need randoms coming in here telling you how much they love you, but... I think I love you.

Thank you for articulating so distinctly everything I've been flailing for.

[tencrush]

I love people telling me how much they love me.

Seriously, I'm glad it helped. Personally, I've retreated into denial and crack!fic.

[loqia.livejournal.com]

For me it's drawing bad comics at 2am.

Fuck getting up for work, shitty writing is SRS BIZNES. >:O

[edibleflowers.livejournal.com]

I just got here so randomly from a link to the picspam, and it was so lulzy that I thought I'd check out more of your journal, and this, well. This pretty much sums up all of the inarticulate frustration I've been attempting to deal with since last week. So may I say: WORD. And thank you, especially for bringing up the Debenham's parting shot bullshit. I think I love you now, I hope that's all right.

[tencrush]

That's perfectly acceptable, yes. I'm glad I spoke for at least a few people with this, and I'm not the only one who feels like I've been buttfucked by RTD and co for his own amusement.

Dropping in....

[be-a-rebel.livejournal.com]

Look, the thing is, I, like many others, am a cynical person. And I don't hate Gwen, and I don't think she interferes with Jack/Ianto (which I never really shipped anyway, I think Ianto could do better)

OH FINALLY. FINALLY. I've been saying that for so long and wanting someone else to agree. FINALLY.

Thinking back on CoE I'm coming to a realisation that I honestly am not that fond of CoE Ianto. I like some scenes....the start where Jack asks him if they should go with Rupesh but then all the second guessing about his sexuality......honestly, what happened to the Ianto who said I don't care? Who calmly propositioned Jack over THE BODY OF SUZIE? Wtf Torchwood? WTF.

I did love Canon!Ianto in s1. Except in Captain Jack Harkness, the whole 'Jack needs me' bit....made me cringe. The problem was that they'd make him phenomenal and then make him say something so remarkably cringe-worthy that I'd be screaming in my head. Yet I will say that overall I did love him in canon, probably because I shut my eyes and nah-nah-ed through the silly and Gareth managed to rescue the rest (I love that man so.)

I think fandom took the greatness, the quips, the smirks, the calm demeanour, the dealing with bodies, the clean ups, the coffee and wrote him the way he should have been written. The way he was written, in some rare moments.

Also I think Jack would have done to Stephen what he did anyway. He is Jack. The man gave 12 children away in 1956. Any love or lack thereof he had for Ianto would not stop him if his connection to his daughter didn't. Seriously, I am still annoyed by the for the sake of the story remarks. When you guys write a brilliant, flawless story? Than you can say that.

*had calmed down but is furious again*

Re: Dropping in....

[tencrush]

Welcome. I'm trying to concentrate on lulzy picspams and stuff now because whenever I think about what I wrote here, I get really angry. Again. I'm so not over this.

Re: Dropping in....

[be-a-rebel.livejournal.com]

Come over to my mind frame....I'm pretending it's AU. I managed to completely deny my brain the absorption of Tosh and Owen's deaths and I'm trying to do the same thing now.

Also fandom splits. I'm a little amused. I'm in the liked the acting and the dialogue and the scene of Ianto's death drama wise but GOD SO UNNECESSARY bandcamp.

I don't see the point of Torchwood without him. Gwen and Jack are so fucking one dimensional they make my teeth hurt. I can't be bothered to watch them. And if they throw in Lois Habiba....GOD. MORE ONE DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS. WTF.

Anyway, I'm checking out the picspams. I'm giggling yet hurting. Why'd GDL pick s3 to become brilliant in sad scenes? I want the squidgy face of s1 and s2 back. Then I could laugh my way through it.

*points at her icon*

This? Ianto we knew and loved. Btw, I hated the queer/gay jokes as well. Dear TW, really not funny.

[kelticbanshee]

May I just say, I bow to you, I agree with you (you've read my reaction over at my LJ), and I would like to link to this from my "what others are saying" ever growing post?

Seriously, there's a few things in your post I hadn't thought about. I'll have to *ponder* and *think* and maybe write a bit more...

[tencrush]

Please, link away. We need to stick together in these dark, dark, times. Or something.

[kelticbanshee]

Linked! *sigh*