Torchwood: Random Things

[fangrrl_squees]

Since I can't join in the squee about Torchwood eps 8 for another eight hours or so (wah!) I'll just dump a load of Torchwood meta here, instead.

As usual, spoilers are ahead.

So, the whole Jack doesn't sleep thing. Interesting - if unforeseen - side effect of having (nigh) immortality thrust upon one, or silly nubbin created by the writers' without much thought?

Here's how I feel about the Jack-is-immortal thing: it's a good idea that's been ruined by being rushed out, half-baked.

I like the idea, I really do. It makes a certain amount of sense. Rose as time-godess brings Jack back from the grave via nifty powerz borrowed from the TARDIS. Naturally there's going to be more than just your run-of-the-mill DC comics style resurrection going on. I can buy into the regeneration bit (see, "nifty powerz borrowed from the TARDIS") and I could even buy into the notion that Jack might need a lot less sleep than regular humans - another aspect of Time-Lord-ish existence conferred upon him by Rose/the TARDIS¹.

But-and-however. No sleep? At all? Sorry, can't buy it. He'd go stark staring mad within about three days. Mind you, who's not to say that he didn't, but he's clearly functional now, and there's been nothing to address how that's possible. My own pet theory involves "Russian sleep", that device so beloved of SF writers in the 1960s, or else some serious meditation - something by which the unconscious mind does the necessary information dump every 24 hours or so.

And the does Jack need to eat? debate is another aspect of the immortal!Jack that's irritating me. Never mind the Why does he usually drink water? thing. I think that's just a matter of prefence and taste.

IIRC, squeakydalek believes that Jack's body/metabolism has been 'frozen' at the point of resurrection, and every time he dies, it returns to that state. Following her theory, it could be believed that Jack doesn't need to eat, or drink, or sleep (or go to the bathroom, or anything of that sort) because he's not burning energy to keep going. Also, Tosh's observation of Jack's mind would fit that theory. Jack is, in many ways, dead. He just hasn't quit moving yet. I think that's a bit morbid, myself, and I'm not keen on morbid.

I dunno, I just feel like the undead/undying Jack plot was bodged together on the fly. Extra refinements to a simple idea ("Can't die. Yeah, that sounds good") were added in because of the dreaded kewlness factor - and devil take anyone who tried to apply even an ounce of logic to the setup.

Yeah, I know, more sleepless nights are caused by trying to apply logic to SF than by the national debt. Sigh.

And, unfortunately, I think the slapdash presentation of Jack's immortality is a microcosmic reputation of Torchwood's most significant weakness. The season seems to be careening from story to story with an off-the-cuff approach to storytelling, rather than an overall season arc in mind. I wouldn't mind that - not all shows can be B5, I know - if it wasn't for the fact that the show's promoters are trying so hard to sell it to us as a clever, sophisticated SF thriller. If you want me to believe that this show is a cut above the usual SF offering, can you at least try to look like you were planning more than one story ahead?

I'm worried that the season ender will be Bad Wolf all over again. Heavily foreshadowed and yet still not making a lick of sense and reading like RTD had to create a plot to fit the clues, rather than the other way around. All of a sudden, some Big Thing That's Been There All Along, Really will be revealed and leave us going "Huh?" As usual, I'd love to be wrong.

However, to offset the rather gloomy sentiments, above, here are the Five Things Fangrrl Loves About Torchwood.

1. The characters are all clearly brilliant, in their way, but prone to making colossal mistakes, too. Yay for geniuses who make bad decisions.
2. Myfanwy. Another manifestation of kewlness factor, but I love me the pterosaurs.
3. Minimal commentary about nookie, especially the same-gender moments.
4. Cardiff as the center of a (potentially) world-threatening space-time rift. Cardiff, for heaven's sake! But it's a lovely change from defaulting to London.
5. Gorgeous production design. Not always sensible, mind you, but gorgeous.


¹ - I think the TARDIS had a bit of a thing for Jack, but I'll save that sort of thought for when I feel like stirring things up at doctard or something. :-D

Comments

[tamago.livejournal.com]

My personal crack-smoking theory is that Jack is Rassilon. Maybe when Bad Wolf said, "I create myself" s/he meant that as the last surviving artifact of the Time Lords, it was time to go back to the beginning and create Time Lords again. It would explain the whole Rassilon may or may not have a special connection with the Doctor thing...

[fangrrl-squees.livejournal.com]

I'd rather Jack was Omega. Rassilon's a complete dickhead - well, if one goes by BFA continuity, which I know the BBC doesn't give a toss about, alas.

Your theory is probably a lot saner and more plausible than whatever the producers have come up with.