I agree with you about the lack of mutual ILU, and I agree with much of what you're saying about Jack's character, though it doesn't cause me to dislike him - I find flawed, fucked up characters more interesting, tbh. I agree too that Jack and Ianto's relationship came from this very fucked up and dark place. I think they actually worked surprisingly amicably and well considering the levels of both their baggage and maladjustment - Ianto's recent and traumatic bereavement, Jack's involvement in that, Jack being Jack with all attendant man!pain, their working relationship, Ianto's mortality always being an unspoken third party etc.
For me, the lack of mutual ILUs saved the scene from descending entirely into cheesy, OTT melodrama, because sometimes people don't say what they ought to say right when they should, and then it's too late, and such is life (and death). I think less is often more in these scenes which are meant to be both sad and beautiful, and it gave the whole scene a bittersweet edge. Far more meaning and sadness and poignancy was packed into that "Don't!" than could have gone into a cliche ILU.
Also, IMHO, deathbed ILUs have limited value anyway - if Jack had said it at that point, I still might not have believed him. I think they did love each other on some level, but theirs wasn't storybook romantic love, and I'm glad it didn't end like that.
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Date: 2009-09-11 10:49 am (UTC)For me, the lack of mutual ILUs saved the scene from descending entirely into cheesy, OTT melodrama, because sometimes people don't say what they ought to say right when they should, and then it's too late, and such is life (and death). I think less is often more in these scenes which are meant to be both sad and beautiful, and it gave the whole scene a bittersweet edge. Far more meaning and sadness and poignancy was packed into that "Don't!" than could have gone into a cliche ILU.
Also, IMHO, deathbed ILUs have limited value anyway - if Jack had said it at that point, I still might not have believed him. I think they did love each other on some level, but theirs wasn't storybook romantic love, and I'm glad it didn't end like that.