Meme, Reaction, Life
Jul. 8th, 2011 06:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)

1. The Garden of Eden - Ernest Hemingway
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
3. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
4. The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
This may have stemmed from watching Miracle Day at 4am, but I have decided that Torchwood is a metaphor for its own fandom. Let me attempt a vague explanation with which you will probably not agree. There ARE some spoilers, but really, the first episode isn't that spoilery to begin with. Read at your own risk.
So basically you have Torchwood: The Original. By which I mean Jack, Gwen, Rhys, and Andy (and also Gwen's parents, the inclusion of whom made me so happy, as they used the same actors as in Something Borrowed. It's a little thing, but it reassured me to no end). They are wary, weary, heartbroken, and downtrodden. It was a very post-COE world, and it broke my heart (count the 456 mentions!). And yet, when they see each other, there is such a comfort, such joy. Even Rhys's and Andy's mutual snipings seemed subdued and affectionate. It even felt less like Rhys hated Jack, but rather that he hated what he represented (death, destruction, etc.) for his wife, his family. And you know what? It summed up exactly how I felt. I am wary, too, and still a bit crushed after all of the loss, but seeing them on screen together made my heart do little flips.
This is where fandom, old school fandom, is right now. We're torn.
But enter the new fandom. The equally-wary, but for different reasons. The people blinking rapidly and repeating, "What the FUCK is Torchwood and why is it in Wales!?" Wales even gets compared to Jersey (I would SO watch The Welsh Shore). These people are vastly confused and sort of...hijack Torchwood: The Original (Cast Recording). Meanwhile, Torchwood: The Original (Motion Picture Soundtrack) is a bit ticked off. Okay, no, they're wicked pissed.
I think what best summed it up for me was when Jack was explaining his unhealing wounds to Gwen, and Rex overhears. Basically, Rex is all, "Wait, why is this important?" and Jack says, quite peeved, "It doesn't concern you." And that's just it. I wanted to jump and point at the screen, but as I had already woken my family up at 4am shouting things like, "RHYS!" and "ANDY!" I figured I'd best keep still.
Look, this isn't Seasons 1 or 2. It is darker, smoother, and of a grander scale. But it isn't COE, either. Yes, we're dropped in the midst of the action, but it moves at a fairly comfortable pace. I wasn't confused or second-guessing the motivations of the characters at all. Granted, this is only the first episode, but I have to say...I liked it. It felt like coming home (admittedly to a dysfunctional family that I will probably want to escape again in the near future).
For those worried about the new cast, I will say this: I was, too. Seriously. But Bill Pullman was eerie and yet comfortable as Oswald (also, Parents: Don't name your kids things like that. It does NOT bode well) and Rex? Rex reminds me a bit of Owen. And Esther reminds me of Tosh. And I already ship them SO HARD.
Will you like this show? Maybe, maybe not. Everyone's tastes are different. Mine, so far, align well with what I've seen. Am I still mourning Ianto? Ha. Ianto!? I'm still mourning SUZIE (which I swear has nothing to do with my Serious Crush on Indira Varma. No, really, not at all), and it only gets worse from there. That said, this doesn't gloss over their deaths. More than what COE showed, there is tribute here. Homage, if you will, that was not paid in COE, that was hushed up as though the previous characters and events never existed. (Disclaimer: There were a lot of parts of COE that I truly enjoyed. I like dark. This may influence your opinion of my opinion).
And yes. I'm probably going to rewatch it again, sometime this weekend.
To paraphrase Evan the Cannibal, "I watched because it made me happy." But remember this, friends: Watch or don't, I still love you and hope you'll stick around. :)
In other news, I am Officially on Vacation. The week will be spent at my former coworker's home, while SHE is on vacation in Nantucket. Basically, I am getting paid to lounge in a nice, quiet house with BBCA and pets. And also, radio plays, if I'm lucky. I'm also heading up to Boston on Tuesday to see A Perfect Circle. I CANNOT wait.
Of note, this is the first time in almost 2 years that I've turned off my work email on my Blackberry. I already feel shaky.
Now, I just need to pack, and get my most recent dramaturgical packet out (Richard III, why must you be so complicated?!), and then attempt something like relaxation. Because, as I mentioned...VACATION.
Also, there is a thunderstorm right now. I should probably go play in it.
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Date: 2011-07-08 11:16 pm (UTC)2. I also have the hots for Indira Varma. She is a goddess, especially in those glasses. Did you see her in Rome? She's so wonderful in it, one of the best characters in the show. NGL I am really excited one of the upcoming Torchwood novels features Suzie. I hope she lives on forever! (And I hope whoever's writing her into the new verse does better than the person who brought Bilis back for the novels because UGH)
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Date: 2011-07-08 11:23 pm (UTC)2. I saw her first in Rome, then in Bones when they went to the UK (and now I've got Ridiculous Crossover Fic in my head), and finally in Torchwood. She was the reason I convinced myself to actually watch it. So, yeah, my relationship with Torchwood started with betrayal. I got used to it. And begged for more. (YES. What the HELL did they DO to Bilis? I expected him to suddenly bake the team some gingersnaps or something).
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Date: 2011-07-08 11:28 pm (UTC)2. SHE WAS SO GOOD IN ROME! I didn't know she was in Bones, I'm going to have to search that episode out! I have no idea what the hell happened with Bilis, man. It's like, in the show he wasn't really well-explained but that added to his whole mystique, and then in the novel he STILL wasn't really well-explained, but it just got silly.
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Date: 2011-07-08 11:36 pm (UTC)2. She really, really was. She needs to stop dying, though. I can't keep sobbing at her many deaths. It can't possibly be good for my psyche. As for Bilis, I think the books played down the anxiety of the enigma too much. Sometimes, the simplest explanations (or no explanations at all) are really, really best.
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Date: 2011-07-09 06:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-12 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-09 06:10 am (UTC)and thanks for this. I am of the firm opinion I can have my cake and eat it: I can love Jack/Ianto, like Gwen, mourn Ianto and still look forward to MD - life goes on and it sounds as if that has been captured
now, is it Thursday yet? (
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Date: 2011-07-09 09:35 am (UTC)And yes, exactly. I do like, so far, how they did this. Life has progressed, moved forward, as it does...but the actors did a decent job of portraying the pain (and the happy moments) they would be feeling.
Let me know what you think when you see it!
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Date: 2011-07-09 10:47 am (UTC)I'm not a person who usually writes reviews / reactions - so I'm still in two minds about doing that... that said, plotbunnies are already brewing from what I've heard :D
Spoilers
Date: 2011-07-09 07:16 am (UTC)That said, I was actually quite 'meh' about the first ep, although first eps are often a bit of a slog. Oswald was always going to be a sticking point for me and he is already the character I love to hate. BP did a wonderful job of being suitably creepy. But I hated Rex 4 minutes in and am hoping he'll be dead at the end of it. What an arse! The blonde - ? - was a bit bland and actually reminded me more of Gwen in 'Everything Changes' than Tosh. Perhaps she's a hybrid of the two?
I do like the story idea itself, but then I liked COE's plot (I just wish they hadn't tried to jam TW in a pre-written script). The Welsh contingent were lovely, although Eve overacted a bit. Kai was wonderful for the most part and the exchange between Andy and Gwen at the computer was cute.
So far, I'm quite pleased there is no one I'm going to get attached to so I can watch without a horse in the race, so to speak. :)
Re: Spoilers
Date: 2011-07-09 09:43 am (UTC)Oswald is a good love-to-hate character, and I can definitely see hating Rex. I think my Esther-Tosh connection stemmed from the searching files. It reminded me of Tosh in Fragments and I remember thinking, "Icky boxes with all sorts of tape? Pshaw. Secret files look much better in gift bags!"
I didn't even think of the idea of not being attached - that absolutely makes it easier to watch. And you're right. While I adore all of them (the newbies not so much, but I'm definitely interested), I don't find myself mentally clinging to anyone.
At this point, my interest is piqued and I'd like to see where this goes. Now if only I can figure out a legal, non-computer-exploding way to watch the rest of the eps....
Re: Spoilers
Date: 2011-07-09 10:23 am (UTC)You didn't get those ads? I was going mad here! I counted six promos in one hour on two different channels. It wouldn't have been so bad if they were different promos even, but it was the same one and, as today got closer, there were more and more.
Ironically, I haven't seen one single promo today! :)
Re: Spoilers
Date: 2011-07-09 10:26 am (UTC)I just realized that I live in a vacuum. Oh god!
I can imagine all of those promos, all of the time, being rather annoying. I am glad you survived! :D
Re: Spoilers
Date: 2011-07-10 01:49 am (UTC)The yelling of CIA all over the place, and the letting of Esther into the CIA archives were ludicrous, and that really didn't help me want to watch more. I want an explanation of how bodies keep functioning despite horrific injury/illness.
On the other hand, it was incredibly good to see Jack again. Really, really, really good.
Unfortunately, Jack isn't enough to make up for the incorrect activities of the characters that could have easily been checked up on in two minutes on Google. I'll probably watch the next episode, but would be just as happy watching it three months or more down the road. It's not going to be appointment television for me, I'm not going to be waiting on tenterhooks to download it, but it was better than my into-the-negative-numbers expectations.
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Date: 2011-07-10 02:41 pm (UTC)