Torchwood - Exit Wounds, the Jack/Ianto story

[tencrush]

Okay, I have to admit, I was totally spoiled for this episode, I knew Jack was going to be buried for 2000 years, and I have to conclude that knowing this fact totally made me get my hopes up. I figured that there would be repercussions from the 2000 year thing. I didn't know what those repercussions might be, but I figured Jack/Ianto would either be OVER, or we'd get some sort of on-screen confirmation that this is more than a fuckbuddy thing for Jack. And yes, I KNOW what Jack said in TTLM, and I KNOW there's been lots of hints about how Jack feels about Ianto, but hints can only really carry a story for so long. So yes, personally, I was disappointed there wasn't much going on on the shipping front.

Ianto was very upset, that was blatantly obvious, about Jack being missing, that was played well and it was abundantly clear how happy he was to have Jack back. But, again, I didn't really see much from Jack about where he stands with Ianto. (Have you read the Captain's blog for Adrift, by the way? They seem to be SHOVING it down the Americans' throats, but that's half-canon, aimed at one specific audience, why just there? Why can't we be shown any clarity on screen, seriously?)

Sure, they're not majorly affectionate with each other, and I didn't expect Ianto to fall into Jack's arms like Gwen did, that would have been completely OOC. But I would have liked to have seen a scene akin to the Gwen/Rhys thing on the sofa, just to let us know whether these two crazy kids are still together. As an aside, I think that scene WAS probably filmed and cut, and I think those two crazy kids ARE still together. I just don't think, on the whole, the writing has done a great job of proving that to me throughout the season, and especially not in this episode. Sorry, dudes, but that was a bit fail.

Comments

[tencrush]

Yeah, the reason I think that there was a scene filmed is that I think somewhere along the line, there was someone who thought it would be nice to show the difference between these two relationships and the different ways in which they help each other cope. I'm sure there was someone with some vision who figured it would be a nice juxtaposition to have Gwen and Rhys comforting each other by snuggling on the sofa while Jack and Ianto do whatever it is they do (probably just booze it up in Jack's office again) to comfort each other. Because that WOULD have been a nice little insight into the differences and similarities between these two relationships and I'm sure someone thought it would be cool to show that before I did just now.

That and, on a technical note, the Gwen/Rhys thing seemed oddly disembodied, and was preceded by an aerial shot of the Plass, and not Cardiff generally, which usually means the next scene's in the Hub.

[louiex.livejournal.com]

Because that WOULD have been a nice little insight into the differences and similarities between these two relationships and I'm sure someone thought it would be cool to show that before I did just now.

I would LOVE to give the production team the benefit of the doubt but I'm not sure if I'm really going to hold my breath for it. Its a bit cynical yeah, but I'd rather be pleasantly shocked at them thinking so logically/character-wise like that than hope and find nothing :D However, you're completely right. This season has had a lot of comparisons between the three core relationships and that would be just another great example to show different coping/grieving mechanisms as well as signs of how these characters will go on from such a painful place.