Torchwood: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

[beccaelizabeth]

That was *fun*.

A lot more with the funny than last year, yesno?
Most of the minutes they showed as previews were from the first 10 minutes. Except for the bit with him handcuffed to Gwen. I think I'd rather have not seen that. It would have been more fun if there was any doubt which side he's on.

JB said he's the Master to his Doctor, and there's a whole happy psychopath thing going on there, so I guess I can see that. He's the guy who has all the skills and none of the morals. It's fun. But only to watch.

There's the whole kiss you / kill you thing that he doesn't seem to have quite figured out. The line about rehab - somehow it plays totally funny, but it's totally not if you think about it. He's a wreck. A very pretty wreck, but he's not having fun. He's got no reason to give the 'come to the dark side' speech if he don't mean it, seeing as it was so easy to push him off the roof. And then he didn't seem quite sure how to react to that. Is interesting.

2 weeks / 5 years in a time loop? Now if that was like on Stargate or Groundhog Day where they could do whatever they liked and it reset all the time... I can see a way to connect the loop to the behaviour. Which would be interesting. Or, of course, the Time Agency might just recruit nutjobs.

Only 7 Time Agents left? Hmmm... consider the data source. Also if they're all time travellers there's no good reason that that means anything from here. I mean they could be sending back hundreds of agents in their prime and then have 7 left last time he looked or something. So I don't know why that got said.

Also, we still know nothing about what a Time Agent actually is. Though 'kind of insane' seems to be on the menu.

And that last minute 'oh by the way'... hello dangly plot thread of goodness. Wants!

What else...

Gwen being the boss while Jack was away... okay, fine, she stopped being a newbie. But... her most consistent character trait in the first season was freezing under pressure. I'm not saying that as a Gwen hater, I'm saying that because it's there from Day One, through Greeks, always with the freezing. How did she get all take charge?

The conversation where Jack discovers Gwen's engagement ring... shipper anvils irritate me. I was going to say 'especially when he spent all last season telling her to go be with Rhys'. But then consider 1-12, the whole 'go to her' speech. And suddenly it looks like a pattern.

Tosh - techy competence FTW! And confidence - again, when did that happen? Well, when Jack and the audience weren't there. And I like it on her, but it do feel a bit... I don't know.

Owen though... what's with that speech about finding a girl? Is this the new shiny sympathetic Owen? Because that would be just weird.


Ianto - there was so much Ianto in this episode. Got to love that. I mean given the scarcity of minutes in last season he may have equalled it already. And there's some great moments, like when he's got a gun to his head but doesn't back down, or when he's always ready with the stopwatch. And he seems so cheerful. No rat tummy? But how will we recognise him?

Erm, that's my only complaint actually - if the characters continue being so new and improved they may have new and improved them into a reboot more than a progression. I'm hoping this is just how they kick off and the angsty grim woe shall be there in full measure later on. Seems likely from the previews.

Jack moments... I think I loved Jack in this, all the moments, all the time. I mean he was a bit... it felt like Jack the character was pushing the moments a bit, while the actor was being real subtle to give that impression. Yes? No? Like he's just a bit too full on, like he's been saving up some of this stuff all year and he has to say it all right now.

He asked Ianto out. With dinner and a movie. And had to check he meant yes.
I *hugs* them. Which you know.
I want to watch that bit over again actually. Everything from Jack's speech about the exotic nature of offices through Ianto's distracted working-now answers up to keep fetish to self. That was just neat.

Also neat? Ianto reaction shots. When he looks at the gun when the fish gets shot, that's pretty classic. But the look on his face when there's an orgy on offer? Oh, that's all kinds of classic there.

... Previews? Owen's line? Are we looking forward to some context or what?


I think this was a great kick off to a new season with a potentially new audience. I also think if everything is exactly like this they'll have lost bits I was watching for. But Torchwood does not equal everything exactly like anything, so methinks I'm pretty safe there.


Now I really want to rewatch, but I have very much tired and am awake 4 hours later than I was yesterday and my head hurts even after the painkillers and I've kind of got my eyes closed already. But I have recorded it. So I can go watch it again. As much as I want.

*happy*

Comments

[xxdettiexx.livejournal.com]

"No rat tummy? But how will we recognise him?"
Haha so true!!

"Also neat? Ianto reaction shots. When he looks at the gun when the fish gets shot, that's pretty classic. But the look on his face when there's an orgy on offer? Oh, that's all kinds of classic there."
I too noticed the awesomeness of those reaction shots!! I love the fact he sort of almost thinks he shot the fish =b.
Awesome =b

Ooooh, what's the owen line from the trailer? That trailer went over my head! I think a rewatch is in order!!!

[beccaelizabeth]

I was thinking of:

Ianto: It's...all over.
Owen: (nods) Let's all have sex.
Ianto: And I thought the end of the world...couldn't get any worse.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

the reaction shots just *so* make it. As they've said in a couple of interviews, the producers/directors/writers realised that Gareth does a wonderful delivery of dry one-liners and facial reactions, so damn it, they're going to take advantage of it.

TYhough everyone being newly confident appears to be a completely valid reaction of having to pull together and re-evaluate (plus discover new strengths) due to having been left in the lurch. Basically, Jack previously dominated them so much that they never even tried certain things, and his co-ordination/team running was... not the best. And yeah, as for everyone changing and so on - it happened on a smaller scale in my dept when it expanded, workload went hell in a handbasket and the managers who'd previously been trying to control and guide things got caught up in their own shit. No-one emerged as leader, but the team itself pretty quickly went cohesive and figured out what worked to the point that the few times managers have tried something, we've just raised eyebrows behind their backs and gone 'okay, that's *their* idea. meanwhile, in the real world, practical solutions?'

[transtempts.livejournal.com]

yep, i see the same thing at work. managers say one thing, nurses and aides do what works. in fact, we aides are pretty much asked how to do anything. we will figure it out, know where things are, and can do three or four jobs. and that happens because we all work together, as a team.

[beccaelizabeth]

*nods happily*
So not only more Ianto but better Ianto. win!

[aryas_zehral]

I loved all of the Ianto reactions, the eye roll esp made me laugh and I like the more confident Tosh as well. Not liking Owen (but that's an ongoing thing) or the Gwen/Jack yuckiness. I'm not sure about John. I look at him and see a less fun Spike. Although, you're right about the comments about rehab. If he's really been in them that often then part of him has to want to not be so... wrecked.

I did have have a thought about the Time Agency being less an official thing and more a kind of giant time-crime-syndicate, what with the two agents we've seen both being con-men. But I'm quite tired right now so I'm probably forgetting something.

[beccaelizabeth]

I'm finding him a more fun Spike to be thinking about. Because Spike got the way he was by someone biting him. A completely human guy gets that way through complex psychological processes, possibly involving trauma and angst that Jack would have also been through yet reacted differently. It's way more fun to poke.

My theories on TA range from big time police through to theatrical agency, but crime syndicate also fits the available facts. We need more facts.

[aryas_zehral]

Well from the looks of that trailer for the rest of the season we may just get them. Lets just hope they don't suck. :D

[beccaelizabeth]

Transcript by indiefairy.

Jack: "Oh yeah! Loving that officey feel. I always get excited in these places, to me they're exotic. Office romances, photocopying your butt. Well maybe not your butt, although as we're here why don't we pho--"
Ianto: "The rift was active at these cooridinates, aproximately 200 feet above ground, that means this floor, or the roof."
Jack: "How are you, Ianto?"
Ianto: "All the better for having you back, sir."
Jack: "Can we maybe drop the Sir, now? I mean, while I was away I was thinking, maybe we could, you know, when this is all done... dinner, a movie..."
Ianto: "Are... you asking me out on a date?"
Jack: "Interested?"
Ianto: "Well... as long as it's not in an office. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself."
Jack: "Looks like we're going to have to go through every drawer, bin and plant pot."
Ianto: "Right, okay, I'll do this floor, don't want you getting over excited. And you take the roof, you're good on roofs. Jack. Why are we helping him?"
Jack: "He's a reminder of my past, I want him gone. By the way, was that a yes?"
Ianto: "Yes. Yes."

[fotada.livejournal.com]

*is exceedingly happy too*

I'm just going to paste part of my comments from the S3 thread, in case you don't see it:

"Um, as usual, I didn't entirely grasp some of the plot. I watched half of it last night and the other half this morning, so that might have something to do with it. So John Hart was after three nuclear bomb clusters, or at least that's was he was telling the Torchwood team, but in fact it was some sort of holographic message thingie left by the woman he murdered. He thought the message thingie was going to lead him to a diamond, but in fact, it was some sort of smart bomb that would attach itself to the person who discovered it. Do I have all that right? So, was there ever a diamond? If not, then why would the woman lead John Hart to think there was? Be, can you help me? Anyone? Anyone?"

[beccaelizabeth]

that sounds like the plot, pretty much, yeah. But it wasn't 'person who discovered it' it was 'person who killed her'.
probably wasn't ever a diamond. As to why she'd say there was...
(a) would you tell JM there was a big shiny diamond if there was some possible fringe benefit?
and
(b) you're looking for in depth logic from a show which has an exposition fish introduce the cast for you. A blowfish that was on cocaine. This is not made of subtle.

of course there also might have been a diamond and she was just pissed to be dead. either way works.

[fotada.livejournal.com]

Heh heh. You're absolutely right--this show is not made of subtle. I don't know why but it tickled me that the blowfish had such a upper crust accent.