rionaleonhart | This Is Probably Going To Blow Up In My Face.

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This Is Probably Going To Blow Up In My Face.

Behind the cut, I talk about Why I Don't Particularly Like Jack/Ianto (why am I so ranty at the moment?). Spoilers for the first series of Torchwood (especially 'They Keep Killing Suzie' and 'Captain Jack Harkness') and 'Last of the Time Lords'. With thanks to

geekgirlofdoom for helping me actually realise why I didn't like it.

The basic gist of this rant is 'I don't mind the idea of the pairing in itself; it's the way it's presented in the canon that bothers me and makes it difficult for me to be enthusiastic about it.'

Torchwood is so clearly created to pander to the fangirls, and what it seems to believe is that we'll be blissfully happy if the two most attractive male members of the cast are suddenly revealed to be in a sexual relationship. I dare say some of us are happy with it, and there's nothing particularly wrong with that, but it doesn't work for me personally. When I pair up characters, it's not just because I find the pairing aesthetically pleasing (although I'll admit that that can help; I am not going to claim that I'm completely devoid of shallow inclinations, and I do find the idea of Doctor/Master more appealing when the Doctor hasn't been artificially aged); it is because I think that the characters interact in interesting ways. Before I went insane and started fancying Jeremy Clarkson, I thought that James May was much more attractive than him, but I was still more fond of Jeremy/Richard than of James/Richard because I was fascinated by the bickering we're-friends-but-we'll-never-admit-it dynamic.

It's not that I don't like the characters: I adore Jack (even though I far prefer his happier, more flirtatious character in Doctor Who; I rather hope that his having left the Doctor of his own accord this time means that he'll be more cheerful in the next series of Torchwood) and I like Ianto's quiet, dry humour very much when he's not bawling his eyes out; it's just that they barely seemed to say two words to each other before the sudden 'OH, YEAH, DID WE MENTION THAT WE ARE HAVING SEX? WE ARE. AREN'T YOU HAPPY NOW, SLASH FANS?'

The relationship between the two Jacks in the episode 'Captain Jack Harkness' (which was contained entirely within the space of fifty minutes, whereas the relationship between Jack and Ianto basically stagnated until the sudden 'oh, yes, and we are shagging' in 'They Keep Killing Suzie' - the eighth episode, so the writers were hardly lacking in time to build up the relationship) had everything the Jack/Ianto relationship didn't: it had gradual development, it had tension, it worked up the audience to the point of screaming 'FOR GOD'S SAKE, YOU'RE BOTH ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER, REALISE IT' at the screen before making it solid text. That's what we ('we' meaning, er, 'slashers who are like me'; no offence is intended if your view is different) want. Before the characters kiss, we have to desperately want them to kiss. That's why we write slash: to make the subtext text. We need the subtext first; without it, the text has nothing to rest on. We would expect some sort of foreshadowing or chemistry before the confirmation of a heterosexual relationship; why should a homosexual relationship be any different? The writer shouldn't become complacent because he thinks 'well, the fangirls will be gagging for canon homosexuality, they won't care whether it's believable or not'. (Perhaps the writer was actually thinking 'won't it be great if Jack/Ianto is suddenly, unexpectedly revealed to be canon? A LOVELY SURPRISE FOR THE FANGIRLS.' While I'd be happier with the motives there, I'd still have been even happier if it hadn't been a SURPRISE PAIRING.)

I realise that this is taking too broad a view of why people pair characters up; after all, we may pair up characters who have never actually met in canon because we believe that they would relate to each other in an interesting way if they did, or we may write a pairing that makes no logical sense at all because we think it would be fun or, more likely, because

dracothelizard made us do it. These fanfics often explore the way the relationship develops, however. Even if they don't, it's 'just fanfiction' (I hate the term, but it does seem appropriate); it is not as expected to develop relationships believably over time as the canon is. In the canon, is it too much to ask for the revelation that Jack and Ianto are in a relationship to be an emotionally satisfying conclusion to a build-up of subtext?

Maybe the second series could have some sort of flashback to how the Jack/Ianto relationship came to be a sexual one? That would be nice.

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See, I'm going to disagree here. And here's my theory.

Ianto is evil. Now, don't laugh. I think Ianto is a spy, or a double-agent, or definitely has his own agenda. He's not, and never will be, a part of the Torchwood team - not properly. To me, it's blatant that he's shagging Jack for his own reasons, whatever they may be. To lull Jack into a false sense of security. Gareth David-Lloyd actually said at a con, re: S4, that Ianto is bisexual when it suits his purpose.

So the suddenness, the pastede-on aspect of Jack and Ianto's relationship totally works for me, because I can see it as something Ianto suddenly decided to do, in order to gain some small advantage over Jack.

And Jack, being Jack, he'd tap that.

And when I said S4, I mean S2, because I was confused in my brain.

Ooh! You see, I'd really rather like this to turn out to be true, both because it would give an explanation for the suddenness of it all and because the fandom would explode hilariously.

Oh, secretly!evil!Ianto, I like that!

Especially if evil!Ianto kills Owen. I'd like that even more. Actually, Ianto doesn't even need to be evil to do that.

And Riona, you have a good point in that Jack and Ianto don't really have chemistry together besides 'we look pretty together' but pairing up Jack with anyone else in Torchwood just makes my brain hurt, so it's the lesser of several evils.

Although if Jack decided to get it on with Rhys, I would laugh so much.

I wouldn't mind Jack/Tosh; they were rather sweet in 'Captain Jack Harkness', but, again, I'd have to see more of their interactions before I begin to find the idea of their relationship believable.

And the problem is that Ianto didn't need to be the lesser of several evils, because the Jack and Ianto relationship could have been wonderful if the writers had just shown us a little more of their interactions leading up to it, and they missed that chance. I get the impression that they wanted to make the 'stopwatch scene' an OMG SURPRISE! moment, and they managed that at the expense of on-screen development. I'd take the latter any time.

And considering that Ianto and Jack never dealt with Ianto keeping his cybersexkitten ex-girlfriend in the basement and that Jack got her killed makes their relationship extra weird, and Cyberwoman was what, episode 4 or 5?

Secretly!evil!Ianto has so got to kill Owen. Then Martha can get her doctorate and come and work for Torchwood where she can have hot sex (with Jack - and she tops) and Get Things Done, because she is a million times more competent than anyone there. *wants this to happen*

WORD to your rant - the Jack/Ianto thing seemed to pop out of nowhere, and it seems we were meant to buy into it because they both look cute. Doesn't work for me, either! I demand my subtext!!

YOU ARE A GENIUS. The BBC should obviously hire you as a writer for Torchwood, because your ideas would clearly make the second series one thousand times better than the first.

I agree with this to some extent, even though I'm a Jack/Ianto fangirl. I've always been very disappointed by their development on the show. I've got their whole backstory and relationship laid out in my head and fanfic, and if you have to do that with a canon couple, it's most likely a sign of weak writing. So I'm hoping for some actual interaction in S2, so I don't have to keep making it all up.

I also think what you said is true for the relationships on

Torchwood

as a whole. They just sort of randomly throw them in there if they think it would be fun in an episode, but they so rarely do it the right way like with Jack/Jack.

See, I agree with you, but not quite for the same reasons. I think there was intended to be subtext there- the comment about harassment in the first episode, Ianto saying he didn't care what Jack's sexuality was (which to me was a silent "I'd fancy him anyway")- but like you say, it wasn't enough, and also it wasn't consistently done. The subtext level was the same as on any show where people end up slashing the nearest two attractive male characters, which in my opinion is not high enough to justify an actual relationship, i.e. the writers are telling us that we have to cope with the same level of subtext as with any other show (at least, one that acknowledges the gay), and also telling us that it means more. Which is something I've only just decided is happening, and which now irritates me.

Also, I am much more interested in the first time two characters kiss than, say, the fourteenth. I like the feeling of potential, and we really got that in 'Captain Jack Harkness'- everything worked, the build-up, the slow realisation, the way the real Jack and the audience could see the other meanings in what our Jack was saying. Sudden revelations of sex-having only really work for me when it genuinely seems impossible that the characters in question aren't doing it- which was not the case with Jack and Ianto. Plus it was strangely difficult to work out the Jack/Ianto dynamic- why they were in the relationship, how serious it was, what each of them thought they were getting out of it. I second the flashback idea.

Or you could just argue that the only relationships RTD is really good at writing are the ones that are completely doomed.

I rather hope that his having left the Doctor of his own accord this time means that he'll be more cheerful in the next series of Torchwood

Very much seconded. TBH I agree with most of this post. Hrm. NOW I HAVE NOTHING TO CONTRIBUTE.

Since time is all fuxxored, and the Doctor now has ~~Jack's sex aid~~ his hand back, Jack needs a new outlet.

I'm ficcing about how the sexual relationship came about and where it's going because it's a MASSIVE swing from "I actually hate you and wish you were dead" to "lol, we're sexxing and happy". mostly because I think RTD shoudl NEVER BE ALLOWED TO WRITE ANY WHO VERSE STUFF EVER AGAIN!!!

I am a big Ianto/jack fan but I do agree with some of the stuff you are saying. Am I the only one who didn't see it coming? I know they flirted around each other but I just figured it was Jack being Jack. Ive always loved the small snarky comments Jack and Ianto say to each other and I think the episode small worlds shows you just a little tiny bit of Ianto and Jacks relatiopnship changing. But I do wish you had seen more between them and the build up to them getting together.

The one that bothered me alot was the in the last episode was Ianto betraying Jack I know he saw Lisa and she is probaly his biggest weakness but I thought Ianto was smarter than that and would have trusted Jack to know what he was doing especialy considering they were in a kind of relationship

I like the idea of Ianto turing evil even just for one episode but not turning out to be a spy or anything as intresting as it would be. :)

oh well ramble finished for now I hope this is readable

It's definitely readable, and I'm glad the fans aren't jumping on me for this. We're all owed a bit more background, really: the people who aren't fans of the pairing so it will feel less frustrating and nonsensical; the people who are fans because they should be able to see where it came from.

Im still a big fan of Ianto/Jack but you are right about the lack of background I hadn't even thought abou it befour I read your post because I was just happy they were together. I hope in season 2 they make it clear if they are still together of not. Im hopeing they are

If I may be even more controversial ;) I think it goes further than that - I think that's the problem with Torchwood. Not just the Jack/Ianto pairing, but the whole thing. It seems to have been written for the fans, but with an imperfect understanding of what the fans want. You (or rather, I) get the sense that the writers of Torchwood had a brainstorming session about what they/the fans would like to see (YAY! Jack sexes everyone, YAY bisexual aliens, YAY weird alien technology, YAY! Jack pining for the Doctor a bit) but then they didn't weave them together properly, and they ignored the others things I like (YAY! Believable characters, YAY! plots that make sense, YAY! subtext - you do not have to spell everything out, YAY! character development).

Sorry, that went on a bit. TW could have been SO great, and it really isn't, and it makes me very sad.

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This Is Probably Going To Blow Up In My Face.

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