Torchwood: 2x12 -- Fragments

[butterfly]

A) That may have been the awesomest awesome to ever awesome.

B) This icon is so appropriate.

C) I LOVE THIS SHOW! In yelling all-caps, which I normally never ever use, even.

More specifically -- Jack loves his team. His team loves him. His team loves each other. Jack is super-awesome (and kept looking for the Doctor throughout time... aw!). And we know why he says that thing about the 21st century now! Because Alex said it (and killed his whole bloody team to 'save' them from the future). And if last week was 'see how awesome Gwen is', this week was 'see how awesome everyone else is'.

So, Jack was gifted with TW3 and decided to make it a place of protection, rather than a place dedicated to hunting down the Doctor (hooray!). He saved Tosh from being held by UNIT for all her life (Boo UNIT!). Tosh is so amazing and great and awesome. I love her! And Gwen calling her 'darling' is such love.

Ianto joining the team was brilliant! He totally flirted his way in... but wasn't actually expecting to be attracted to Jack in the warehouse (because he has Lisa) and freaked out (but without letting Jack know). Ianto was awesome!

Dude! Owen with the tragic past! Fiancee killed by aliens! The violence that is such a part of his relationship with Jack!

*hearts them all with a fearsome heartness*

Comments

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I love so much that he gave all of them meaning and in return he got a home in way not even the Doctor and Rose did.

And the best line: I'll kiss him and then I'll kill him. He's so angry at the Doctor but still loved him so much. ♥ so much.

And since he's my favorite: I love so much that Owen wanted to saved people. alskdfslk

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I have nothing but love for these people right now. There is only love!

*bounces*

I love so much that he gave all of them meaning and in return he got a home in way not even the Doctor and Rose did.

He saved them and they are saving him every day and he came for them! All of them!

And the best line: I'll kiss him and then I'll kill him. He's so angry at the Doctor but still loved him so much. ♥ so much.

Yes! He's angry, but he loves him so much. Gah!

And since he's my favorite: I love so much that Owen wanted to saved people. alskdfslk

Yes! I loved that so much! Eee!

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

I just love every single character so much. I haven't burned with love this hard since Avatar: the last airbender.

He saved them and they are saving him every day and he came for them! All of them!
That's totally what he was thinking during the year that wast. <33333333

Yes! I loved that so much! Eee!
Though I missed a lot of the dialog. I need to download a version that has better sound quality.

Speaking of sound, I love Grey's music.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

He was totally thinking of them and worrying about them down on the Earth without him.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

The master sent them on a wild goose chase and he can't protect them. And then they could have been killed. (I really wish TLoTL had some development there but KKBB made up for it a lot.)

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

KKBB really was such a great showcase for Jack's love for the team. And he picked them over traveling with the Doctor and that says so much, too.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

Let's hope he doesn't up and leave them again.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I hope not! They've generally been better with emotional continuity than that. Hmm.

[a-white-rain.livejournal.com]

This time he might tell them with minimal details. IT'S SLOW PROGRESS BUT PROGRESS IT IS.

[transtempts.livejournal.com]

I just...*flail* He gathered them up, gave them a place, and wow, they are a family. Yes, that's what this episode was. Team=FTW.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Yes! It was so amazing to see how they all got there and how Jack gave them something to hold onto when they really needed it. I love them all so much!

[honorh.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I thought! All of it! But especially Ianto. You know he totally did his homework and realized that Jack has a weak spot for cute boys and girls--but he didn't expect the attraction to be mutual. GDL is an actor I've underestimated; the expressions that crossed his face as he walked away from Jack in the warehouse said absolutely everything.

Tosh is even more my woobie now. Mean UNIT, treating her like that! The lesson we can gather from this episode is: never trust mysterious government agencies, boys and girls. They'll screw you over six ways from Sunday.

And Owen--you can really see where that chip on his shoulder comes from. Sex is good, but love will rip you to pieces (a lesson Diane only reinforced). Life's a bitch, so be a bastard.

One of the best things about this season is that it's really showing that yes, Jack really loves these crazy kids, and they love him, too. And not just in a Naked Hide-and-Seek way.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Mean UNIT, treating her like that! The lesson we can gather from this episode is: never trust mysterious government agencies, boys and girls. They'll screw you over six ways from Sunday.

This is where I have a problem (see own review). Not with the principle, but with it being UNIT. And I suppose it will be the divide between New Who and TW only watchers on the one hand, and Old Who watchers on the other, because much as it's possible that a organization would change post 9/11 that way, it still is an emotional slap in the face for it to be one of the most loved parts of DW (old school canon). Imagine how you'd feel if in a hypothetical future where someone other than Joss does a new revived Buffy on screen every single member of the Scoobies other than Buffy is shown having joined the bad guys.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

That part bothered me as well, even with the limited backstory we got on DW--Nine called them "good people" in AoL, after all. But then, the whole US Army isn't Guantanamo Bay; maybe it's just a small segment of the organization.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

True enough, and I hope we'll get a more balanced picture in s4, because otherwise I just can't take a Watsonian stance on this - i.e. going with the story - when my inner Doylist is screaming "Chibnall, Rusty, you BASTARDS, how dare you trash canon (UNIT) to build up your OC (Torchwood 3)?!?"

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I thought! All of it! But especially Ianto. You know he totally did his homework and realized that Jack has a weak spot for cute boys and girls--but he didn't expect the attraction to be mutual. GDL is an actor I've underestimated; the expressions that crossed his face as he walked away from Jack in the warehouse said absolutely everything.

GDL was really great there -- he's been terrific all this series. I'm glad that they kept him on, as I really love where they've gone with his character. And this segment here was not only perfectly in character, it also made me feel better about the whiplash from "Cyberwoman" to the Jack/Ianto relationship.

Tosh is even more my woobie now. Mean UNIT, treating her like that! The lesson we can gather from this episode is: never trust mysterious government agencies, boys and girls. They'll screw you over six ways from Sunday.

Indeed. And I get the feeling that the show doesn't much approve of governments in general.

And Owen--you can really see where that chip on his shoulder comes from. Sex is good, but love will rip you to pieces (a lesson Diane only reinforced). Life's a bitch, so be a bastard.

Exactly. His backstory was perfect.

One of the best things about this season is that it's really showing that yes, Jack really loves these crazy kids, and they love him, too. And not just in a Naked Hide-and-Seek way.

*nods*

You can really see why he picked staying with them over traveling with the Doctor (despite how much he still loves the Doctor being clear as well) and that's really great.

[cassandrarose.livejournal.com]

We appear to share the same brain - my thoughts exactly.

I think Fragments has taken the place of Out Of Time and Captain Jack Harkness as my favourite ever episode of Torchwood. I love how everything slotted together, it was so beautifully done.

Series two has been absolutely amazing. I'm so sad there's only one episode left.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I think Fragments has taken the place of Out Of Time and Captain Jack Harkness as my favourite ever episode of Torchwood. I love how everything slotted together, it was so beautifully done.

It really did fit perfectly together. I wouldn't have guessed that backstory for Owen but it works so well. As honorh put it, "Life's a bitch, so be a bastard". And the Ianto stuff and the Tosh stuff and everything with Jack... I really loved it all.

Series two has been absolutely amazing. I'm so sad there's only one episode left.

I know! British television series are far too short!

*is impatient*

[shaela]

Do you think I could watch this episode out of order? I don’t want to miss any of the buildup, but I’m only on episode five.

Re: *is impatient*

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Actually, you probably could. I can't think of anything you'd absolutely have to know in order to enjoy it, other than Rhys knowing what Gwen does for a living now.

Re: *is impatient*

[shaela]

Thanks. I ended up watching them all in order, just… a little more quickly than I’d been planning. (I was going to watch one or two episodes a day, to stretch them out. *coughs* Yeah, that didn’t happen.) Still, thanks for the heads-up.

Re: *is impatient*

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

What she said. *points up at honorh*

It's a backstory-focused episode.

Re: *is impatient*

[shaela]

Thanks. In the end, I couldn’t make up my mind—did I want to know how it all began, or what happened next? So I went with the Gordian Knot approach. I’m all caught up now—the only trouble is, I’m going a little bit nuts waiting for the finale. Tradeoffs. ;)

[dreamiflame.livejournal.com]

I think I love Owen now. I've been working towards it all season, but I really think it's official now. And Ianto, too. We have more explanation for the canon Ianto/Jack now! I am very pleased. Fandom can stop dumping on Gwen for being a threat aaaaaanytime now.

Also? I love my team almost as much as Jack does, if only because I wouldn't be able to die for them repeatedly.

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

I think I love Owen now. I've been working towards it all season, but I really think it's official now.

I've loved Owen since 'Ghost Machine'. I'm not sure whether I should be proud of that or ashamed of it! *grins*

And Ianto, too. We have more explanation for the canon Ianto/Jack now! I am very pleased.

*nods*

This was the perfect way to make sense of the confused signals that Ianto was sending out in first season -- he flirted his way in and it freaked him out when he realized he was attracted! It all makes sense! Mostly!

Fandom can stop dumping on Gwen for being a threat aaaaaanytime now.

I would love for this to happen. I want fandom to realize that Jack is capable of caring for many people and whatever he feels for Gwen does not compete with what he feels for Ianto.

[beck-liz.livejournal.com]

It took me until this evening to get around to watching the episode, but it was so worth it. Fabulous, fabulous episode.

So, Jack was gifted with TW3 and decided to make it a place of protection, rather than a place dedicated to hunting down the Doctor (hooray!).

Awesome. I get the impression he saw a lot of things that Torchwood did that he didn't much like, so when he got control, he decided to do things differently. Oh, JACK.

He saved Tosh from being held by UNIT for all her life (Boo UNIT!).

I really, really hope that they address the Dark Side of UNIT in DW S4. Because that was creepy. UNIT used to be good! And probably is still good, in some sections, since Martha works there and Sarah Jane still has connections there. But honestly. *shudder*

but wasn't actually expecting to be attracted to Jack in the warehouse (because he has Lisa) and freaked out (but without letting Jack know).

That was so amazing. That almost makes up for the lack of emotional continuity last series. Loved that. IANTO!

[butterfly.livejournal.com]

Awesome. I get the impression he saw a lot of things that Torchwood did that he didn't much like, so when he got control, he decided to do things differently. Oh, JACK.

Yes! Yay for Jack. We got to really see that he meant what he told the Doctor in "Sound of the Drums", that he rebuilt Torchwood in the Doctor's honor. As a place that was primarily about protecting people, not about panic and xenophobia.

I really, really hope that they address the Dark Side of UNIT in DW S4. Because that was creepy. UNIT used to be good! And probably is still good, in some sections, since Martha works there and Sarah Jane still has connections there. But honestly. *shudder*

Oh, me too. There's definitely some ugly stuff going on in UNIT these days and I hope they get into it.

That was so amazing. That almost makes up for the lack of emotional continuity last series. Loved that. IANTO!

Exactly, yes.