T's Thoughts On Torchwood
Mar. 6th, 2008 10:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thehappyfangirlSo I've been cruising the Torchwood comms on LJ, discovered the rampant character bashing that others have complained about, and have been ruminating on the various ships, canon or otherwise. while watching season 2 (Ahhh, torrents. How I love thee).
So without further ado, ahoy mateys!
All Aboard the Good Ship Torchwood!
There's so much shipping potential for this series you can cut the UST with a knife and spread it on a cake. We'll start sequentially:
Gwen/Rhys: I love this pairing, and I wince to see all the Rhys-bashing that goes on in the Jack/Gwen shippers comm. Rhys is a good guy. A little pig-headed sometimes, but he cooks and cleans and puts up with Gwen's job and the fact that she's working with one smokin hot American bloke who obviously has feelings for her. Even better, when he finds out what Gwen really does at Torchwood, he's so excited by it and amazed (though still a touch wary and resentful of the smokin' American bloke) it almost made me cry. I'm so glad that Gwen didn't retcon him, and seeing their feelings for each other shine on their wedding day was so sweet.
Sadly, Gwen's the one who cocked this one up by cheating on him, and then making matters even worse by confessing the deed and then retconning him so he wouldn't remember the confession. Bad form, Gwen. Bad, bad form. I doubt she's ever going to tell him, and that's a sad thing (though I would hate to see Rhys crushed by it). She did something stupid while overwhelmed with the new implications of her job, and seems to have gotten her priorities in order since then...well, mostly. Given what she confessed to shapeshifter!Jack in "Something Borrowed", her choice and convictions, while clearly defined by the marriage, were shaken to the core by the introduction of Jack in her life. At least this time I think she'll be able to stick to this choice.
I have to wonder at the age of the Rhys-bashers - I'm starting to gain a "Pff, kids today," attitude as I start to trundle towards 40, and I keep wondering if the people railing against the good, supportive, sweet guy are people who are still in the bad boy/dashing hero phase of WannaMan-itis.
Jack/Gwen: God, the chemistry between these two. The shooting scene in "Ghost Machine" had me showing that clip to everyone and saying, "That, look! That's sex with clothes on!" However, many times on the show, I feel the chemistry has kind of been shoved in there to provide conflict for Gwen and as a vague kind of fan-service. Still, there's something in the way that Jack treats Gwen, like he knows something that's coming and he wants to make sure she's prepared for it. Despite the sexual tension in them being pretty thick at times, his feelings towards her seem more protective than anything else. I hesitate to say 'paternal', but given Jack's true age, it rings a little true, right?
I think they both love each other (Gwen's even said it), and it's no secret that they're attracted to one another, but if they ever did anything more than a kiss, I think they would both regret it terribly. Every time I think of Jack/Gwen (despite the fics I've been reading), I see him comforting her, protecting her, holding her, loving her, but not desiring her. He needs her - he's said as much, and in the past few episodes they have been leading the team in tandem. It was odd to see him sitting back and letting her give the orders in "A Day In the Death", but it was intriguing.
I also find it interesting that Gwen/Rhys is the only couple that Jack hasn't knowingly had a hand in destroying (I'm not sure how much he know about Owen/Diane), other than telling Gwen to retcon him after "Meat", and even then he relented when Gwen stood up to him.
I might end up writing, and will certainly look to read, Gwen introspection of what shapeshifter!Jack confessed to her (as it was obvious that the shapeshifter managed to glean some telepathic knowledge of its subjects).
Jack/Ianto: Hee, I like these two. Their relationship is all over the place, especially when I think about the tender moments that followed Ianto's rage in "Cyberwoman". I love watching those moments, though :) I knew their names and knew they were a fan-favorite slashy ship before I even watched the show - when I found out that it was a canon ship I smiled even bigger.
The semi-overt nature of their relationship is an interesting one too. Their intimate moments have been unseen (save for Jack's post-resurrection greetings) or retconned (their dance at Gwen's wedding, and that was the first real moment I think the team saw them interact romantically on the show), but Jack's made no secret of his attraction for him. Ianto has only truly spoken of his attraction when asked directly.
It's an odd ship, but one that I enjoy - the innuendo-laden flirting they do makes me happy in all kinds of places.
Jack/Estelle: While this was a bit Highlander-ish, seeing that Jack did once love someone, and still so obviously care for her, was so sweet, and lent a bit more mystery and heart to the Mysterious Leading Man.
Gwen/Owen: I didn't like this pairing at all. I still don't. I think this pairing was forced and awkward on both their parts, and I never, ever saw any chemistry between them. Given that Gwen's attraction seems to be more for the "good guys" (handsome, loyal and caring), I remain unconvinced that this ship would have happened if they were real people.
Bleh.
Owen/Diane: I don't buy this one either. It turned the tables on Owen, as a strong woman seduced him, but I don't think he loved her. I think that he's infatuated with the idea of her, especially because their relationship was so fleeting (and he didn't do the leaving, thus he didn't have proper closure).
Heh, guess I'm doing a bit of bashing myself. I don't like Owen much, and am only just starting to warm up to him. His emotional moments seem forced and awkward, from "Ghost Machine" to "A Day In The Death". I'm still trying to find sympathy for him, but if it helps, I don't hate him as much as I did in season one.
Owen/Tosh: I'm slowly, so slowly, warming up to this pairing. I like to think Tosh is too smart to be attracted to someone like Owen. With Owen's current state of being, however, I think they'll be an interesting pair. Ironically, this is the pair that I want to write smut for (just because Owen can't get an erection anymore, or orgasm, it doesn't mean that he can't pleasure her and enjoy it vicariously, which would lead to some lovely conflict where he starts to feel, quite literally, like a sex toy).
Sadly, Tosh seems to have the kiss of death when it comes to ships, and all but one have been ended, either directly or indirectly, by Torchwood/Jack. Perhaps she and Owen can make a proper go of it :)
Jack/Jack (from "Captain Jack Harkness"): The quiet desperation between these two was heartbreaking, and I loved watching them together. I'd have to watch the episode again to give a more thorough breakdown, but it was lovely.
Jack/Agent John: Good god, that was hot. I need to watch that one again too. *purr*
Whee, my first ship manifesto! Hope I didn't bore you :)
So without further ado, ahoy mateys!
All Aboard the Good Ship Torchwood!
There's so much shipping potential for this series you can cut the UST with a knife and spread it on a cake. We'll start sequentially:
Gwen/Rhys: I love this pairing, and I wince to see all the Rhys-bashing that goes on in the Jack/Gwen shippers comm. Rhys is a good guy. A little pig-headed sometimes, but he cooks and cleans and puts up with Gwen's job and the fact that she's working with one smokin hot American bloke who obviously has feelings for her. Even better, when he finds out what Gwen really does at Torchwood, he's so excited by it and amazed (though still a touch wary and resentful of the smokin' American bloke) it almost made me cry. I'm so glad that Gwen didn't retcon him, and seeing their feelings for each other shine on their wedding day was so sweet.
Sadly, Gwen's the one who cocked this one up by cheating on him, and then making matters even worse by confessing the deed and then retconning him so he wouldn't remember the confession. Bad form, Gwen. Bad, bad form. I doubt she's ever going to tell him, and that's a sad thing (though I would hate to see Rhys crushed by it). She did something stupid while overwhelmed with the new implications of her job, and seems to have gotten her priorities in order since then...well, mostly. Given what she confessed to shapeshifter!Jack in "Something Borrowed", her choice and convictions, while clearly defined by the marriage, were shaken to the core by the introduction of Jack in her life. At least this time I think she'll be able to stick to this choice.
I have to wonder at the age of the Rhys-bashers - I'm starting to gain a "Pff, kids today," attitude as I start to trundle towards 40, and I keep wondering if the people railing against the good, supportive, sweet guy are people who are still in the bad boy/dashing hero phase of WannaMan-itis.
Jack/Gwen: God, the chemistry between these two. The shooting scene in "Ghost Machine" had me showing that clip to everyone and saying, "That, look! That's sex with clothes on!" However, many times on the show, I feel the chemistry has kind of been shoved in there to provide conflict for Gwen and as a vague kind of fan-service. Still, there's something in the way that Jack treats Gwen, like he knows something that's coming and he wants to make sure she's prepared for it. Despite the sexual tension in them being pretty thick at times, his feelings towards her seem more protective than anything else. I hesitate to say 'paternal', but given Jack's true age, it rings a little true, right?
I think they both love each other (Gwen's even said it), and it's no secret that they're attracted to one another, but if they ever did anything more than a kiss, I think they would both regret it terribly. Every time I think of Jack/Gwen (despite the fics I've been reading), I see him comforting her, protecting her, holding her, loving her, but not desiring her. He needs her - he's said as much, and in the past few episodes they have been leading the team in tandem. It was odd to see him sitting back and letting her give the orders in "A Day In the Death", but it was intriguing.
I also find it interesting that Gwen/Rhys is the only couple that Jack hasn't knowingly had a hand in destroying (I'm not sure how much he know about Owen/Diane), other than telling Gwen to retcon him after "Meat", and even then he relented when Gwen stood up to him.
I might end up writing, and will certainly look to read, Gwen introspection of what shapeshifter!Jack confessed to her (as it was obvious that the shapeshifter managed to glean some telepathic knowledge of its subjects).
Jack/Ianto: Hee, I like these two. Their relationship is all over the place, especially when I think about the tender moments that followed Ianto's rage in "Cyberwoman". I love watching those moments, though :) I knew their names and knew they were a fan-favorite slashy ship before I even watched the show - when I found out that it was a canon ship I smiled even bigger.
The semi-overt nature of their relationship is an interesting one too. Their intimate moments have been unseen (save for Jack's post-resurrection greetings) or retconned (their dance at Gwen's wedding, and that was the first real moment I think the team saw them interact romantically on the show), but Jack's made no secret of his attraction for him. Ianto has only truly spoken of his attraction when asked directly.
It's an odd ship, but one that I enjoy - the innuendo-laden flirting they do makes me happy in all kinds of places.
Jack/Estelle: While this was a bit Highlander-ish, seeing that Jack did once love someone, and still so obviously care for her, was so sweet, and lent a bit more mystery and heart to the Mysterious Leading Man.
Gwen/Owen: I didn't like this pairing at all. I still don't. I think this pairing was forced and awkward on both their parts, and I never, ever saw any chemistry between them. Given that Gwen's attraction seems to be more for the "good guys" (handsome, loyal and caring), I remain unconvinced that this ship would have happened if they were real people.
Bleh.
Owen/Diane: I don't buy this one either. It turned the tables on Owen, as a strong woman seduced him, but I don't think he loved her. I think that he's infatuated with the idea of her, especially because their relationship was so fleeting (and he didn't do the leaving, thus he didn't have proper closure).
Heh, guess I'm doing a bit of bashing myself. I don't like Owen much, and am only just starting to warm up to him. His emotional moments seem forced and awkward, from "Ghost Machine" to "A Day In The Death". I'm still trying to find sympathy for him, but if it helps, I don't hate him as much as I did in season one.
Owen/Tosh: I'm slowly, so slowly, warming up to this pairing. I like to think Tosh is too smart to be attracted to someone like Owen. With Owen's current state of being, however, I think they'll be an interesting pair. Ironically, this is the pair that I want to write smut for (just because Owen can't get an erection anymore, or orgasm, it doesn't mean that he can't pleasure her and enjoy it vicariously, which would lead to some lovely conflict where he starts to feel, quite literally, like a sex toy).
Sadly, Tosh seems to have the kiss of death when it comes to ships, and all but one have been ended, either directly or indirectly, by Torchwood/Jack. Perhaps she and Owen can make a proper go of it :)
Jack/Jack (from "Captain Jack Harkness"): The quiet desperation between these two was heartbreaking, and I loved watching them together. I'd have to watch the episode again to give a more thorough breakdown, but it was lovely.
Jack/Agent John: Good god, that was hot. I need to watch that one again too. *purr*
Whee, my first ship manifesto! Hope I didn't bore you :)
