Meme, Reaction, Life

[sariagray]

(Doing Day 7 now because tomorrow may get a bit hectic).

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.

Comments

[heddychaa.livejournal.com]

1. This is a really lovely meta on the ep and very reassuring to me with all my Feelings as I go into the new series. (I know I seem RAH RAH SERIES 4 FOREVER! all the time, but I'm quite insecure at points!)
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)

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

1. Thank you! I am still nervous. I feel more unprepared than I have ever felt before. Honestly, your cheerleading helped get me back into it after I ran off to lick my Torchwood-inflicted wounds. I think we all feel like this. There is a whole "Feelings About Torchwood" spectrum, and more people seem to fall somewhere in the middle than I initially thought. Which is good, because I was feeling lonely there. Have you seen the first episode yet, or are you waiting until tonight?

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).

[heddychaa.livejournal.com]

1. Yeah, I think a lot of people fall in the area of "Cautiously excited" or "Excited but also scared" or "Not really sure but willing to give it a chance". I think things are likely less polarized than we think. I haven't seen the first ep though, we don't get it until tomorrow night in Canada. I kind of fly between "YAY MY SHOW IS COMING BACK AND I GET TO BE A PART OF FANDOM AS IT HAPPENS" and "OH GOD COE WAS SO GOOD BUT IT HURT SO BAD AND I CAN'T GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN WHAT AM I SUBJECTING MYSELF TO!?"

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.

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

1. Yes, this exactly. I mean, I mainlined all of Seasons 1-3 in...less than a week? So pretty much everyone died (for me, in Real Time) within 48 hours of each other. I have decided that this cannot possibly be worse than that. That said, it's so nice to be a part of something as it's happening, rather than years down the line when people have stopped caring quite as much. I feel like we should have a chain of hand-holding through the episodes, or something.

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.

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

on point 2 - ignore my comment re Luther *hides*

[chamilet]

2. She's in an episode of Law & Order (Criminal Intent, I think). It was the first time I saw her. Can't remember if she dies in it or not, but I think she doesn't.

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

Have you seen Luther season 1 - more Indira for you!

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? (

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

I have NOT seen it, and, despite your comment which makes me think she dies, I will try to see it anyway. Because I adore her!

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!

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

you have interpreted my comment correctly... but as it happens in the last episode (I think)... lots of goodness (and geekdom, she kisses Paul McGann who played Doctor 8 - yes, TW/DW crossover in my mind)

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

[remuslives23.livejournal.com]

I think the bombardment we got with promos EVERY SINGLE HOUR numbed me to any lingering grief about losing Classic TW. I DL'ed this for hubby and decided at the last moment to watch it. I am surprised by how little it hurt and I think that watching it has actually firmed the line between Classic TW and MD for me. It felt so entirely different that I can very easily separate the canon in my head.

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

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

This bombardment...may have something to do with ill feelings/lack of ill feelings. I have not seen or heard a single TW promo except for the ones I've actively clicked on. This may be why I'm more excited than usual.

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

[remuslives23.livejournal.com]

I haven't read anything about the show, really. Everything I knew came from accidentally reading MD posts/comments on my flist.

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

[sariagray.livejournal.com]

Well, the ads MAY have been on TV, but I don't watch actual TV...on the TV, that is. And what my family watches is generally on the comedy networks, so no MD ads there. But my coworker did say she heard ads on the radio (and again, I don't really listen to the radio - or at least, the sort of radio with ads).

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

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty meh over it as well. It's definitely not *my* beloved Torchwood. It feels *very* different. I wound up fast forwarding through all of the Bill Pullman stuff. By the end of the ep, I *really* dislike Rex's attitude. Esther (the Tosh character) is (for me) such an non-entity that she's about as solid as wispy, drifty fog. I liked this Gwen better than any of the previous ones, but found her inconsistent (I'm not sure whether it's the acting or the writing, because I've never seen Eve play a non-Gwen part.)

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.

[jolinarjackson.livejournal.com]

I was so scared when I watched MD, because I thought, "What if it is rubbish?", but I'm so relieved now because rubbish isn't what I would call it. I'm not head over heels, yet but I like it very much. The new characters are intriguing and Jack and Gwen were there (I kept grinning like crazy when Gwen and Rhys appeared the first time). Andy is there and Gwen's parents and there are inside jokes about the classic Torchwood. All in all: I'm can't wait for the next episode.