TW CoE: more flaws, more spoilers
Jul. 12th, 2009 12:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethIt would be nice if I could stop seeing them, but no:
I keep trying not to notice this, because convenient plot is convenient, but: Clem. Finding him in the first place. So Gwen picked up a video of him that was sent to the police. Or say the Torchwood computers did, because they're Just That Cool. But... a mentally ill person in a mental hospital was standing still, staring into space, and chanting. Here to tell you: not going to excite anyone, let alone upset them. Make three staff members run outside with a camera and send it to the police? Why?
Also, you know how those kids faked it to do 'We want a pony'?
You know there's going to be a shitload of people on YouTube giving it variations on the above, or just joining in.
So Clem is noticeable. Okay. I could buy it if it were the only logic jump. Just... blah.
And basic failure in spycraft. Failure in thefts too, why all that showing your face stuff? Face to face cons and one car theft of opportunity, rather than sneaky, or being prepared, or car theft of skill. I thought it would play into the 456 plot, have the aliens be the equivalent of the waiter-towel game, but no. So easy to connect it, all that fuss created to cover a more subtle theft elsewhere, but we got none of that. And why is it Gwen teaching how rather than our two favourite con artists knowing stuff? Even as Torchwood they nick stuff for a living. They don't have to be subtle about it, granted, but. Blah!
Spycraft fail: Send Rhys out to a secret location with the data. I actually loved the secret location. But then he has to be phoned to send the data? Gwen is planning to get captured! It's an auto fail. What you do is set up a deadman switch, set it up so Gwen has to call to not release the data. Which has the added storycraft bonus of giving you a ticking clock that can interact with your main plot in ways Jack and Gwen might not have intended and fuck up everyone's timing.
simple things.
but at this point I'm having trouble finding what holds together.
The emotions stuff. That's it. That holds and tracks throughout, even if I hate where it goes.
That isn't what's meant by character driven story.
I have been trying not to get into complaints about Jack and Ianto's relationship in this. But they didn't set up a problem then find a solution, they set up a problem and had everyone die. I hate that. Problem is, mixed signals and mismatch of expectations and Ianto trying to fit Jack into the frameworks Ianto grew up with. Solution is: Happily ever after.
Or else it's just wrong.
I hate Romeo and Juliet. Always have. Everyone dies of stupid.
Stupid is easy, do something difficult, live.
I keep trying not to notice this, because convenient plot is convenient, but: Clem. Finding him in the first place. So Gwen picked up a video of him that was sent to the police. Or say the Torchwood computers did, because they're Just That Cool. But... a mentally ill person in a mental hospital was standing still, staring into space, and chanting. Here to tell you: not going to excite anyone, let alone upset them. Make three staff members run outside with a camera and send it to the police? Why?
Also, you know how those kids faked it to do 'We want a pony'?
You know there's going to be a shitload of people on YouTube giving it variations on the above, or just joining in.
So Clem is noticeable. Okay. I could buy it if it were the only logic jump. Just... blah.
And basic failure in spycraft. Failure in thefts too, why all that showing your face stuff? Face to face cons and one car theft of opportunity, rather than sneaky, or being prepared, or car theft of skill. I thought it would play into the 456 plot, have the aliens be the equivalent of the waiter-towel game, but no. So easy to connect it, all that fuss created to cover a more subtle theft elsewhere, but we got none of that. And why is it Gwen teaching how rather than our two favourite con artists knowing stuff? Even as Torchwood they nick stuff for a living. They don't have to be subtle about it, granted, but. Blah!
Spycraft fail: Send Rhys out to a secret location with the data. I actually loved the secret location. But then he has to be phoned to send the data? Gwen is planning to get captured! It's an auto fail. What you do is set up a deadman switch, set it up so Gwen has to call to not release the data. Which has the added storycraft bonus of giving you a ticking clock that can interact with your main plot in ways Jack and Gwen might not have intended and fuck up everyone's timing.
simple things.
but at this point I'm having trouble finding what holds together.
The emotions stuff. That's it. That holds and tracks throughout, even if I hate where it goes.
That isn't what's meant by character driven story.
I have been trying not to get into complaints about Jack and Ianto's relationship in this. But they didn't set up a problem then find a solution, they set up a problem and had everyone die. I hate that. Problem is, mixed signals and mismatch of expectations and Ianto trying to fit Jack into the frameworks Ianto grew up with. Solution is: Happily ever after.
Or else it's just wrong.
I hate Romeo and Juliet. Always have. Everyone dies of stupid.
Stupid is easy, do something difficult, live.
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flip side, a good thing
Date: 2009-07-12 11:35 am (UTC)something I'd noticed but not formulated - Ianto was one of those 10% they'd write off. And as this commenter says, Ianto was always trying to be more, be better, be the man that saves the world and loves the hero.
I think the story would have been better if he'd, you know, succeeded.
The way the story worked out, with nobody actually making a difference, kind of fails to contradict all the shit said by those politicians.
But it should. Ianto was brilliant.
no subject
Date: 2009-07-12 12:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-12 12:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-12 01:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-12 02:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-07-13 09:19 pm (UTC)I can think of one reason for the 456 to insist on a 'gift' - if the Shadow Proclamation are something to worry about. Can't object to a gift, sort of thing. And then it would be a story of how secrecy and isolation sucks, cause we can't call the space police.
I can't even remember if I wrote that down already.
I should just go back to transcripts.