TW drabble

[xparrot]

We were rewatching a couple Torchwood eps last night (after watching Dr. Who, the show gets to me more - positively, because I love Jack on a whole new level, even TW's emo!Jack - and negatively, because knowing what that crew can do, it's frustrating that TW doesn't live up to its potential. It too often feels like they sacrifice plots and characters for the sake of being 'gritty' and 'dark' and 'adult'.)

Anyway! Drabble coda for 1x05, "Small Worlds", the one with the faeries, what is in Jack's face at the end there.



The Definition of Failure


The trees whisper as Jack holds the girl's mother close. She beats her fists helplessly against his chest. He feels their eyes on him, his team, these people he brought together, brought here. They resent him. This woman in his arms is hurting too much to hate, but they can.

Rightfully; he deserves nothing but contempt. He let her go, just a child.

Do the right thing, save the world. What choice did he have?

Tears sting in his eyes, and Jack can only recognize yet another failure. Can only think of how the Doctor would have found another way.

Comments

[yma2.livejournal.com]

Sweet and yeah, that's Jack all over. That waas quite a good episode as I recall, if very sad. I wonder, though, if the Doctor would have found another way... Perhaps not. But if he had then maybe it would have been more a way of making what happened... good. I think he could probably do that.

I utterly agree with you about Torchwood. I *like* dark and gritty but only when it works for the situation. A lot of the time TW seems to do it just because it can, which is a real shame. Oh well, give it another sereis and maybe they'll have improved.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

It was one of my more favorite episodes, because as dark as it was, the darkness worked; it had a purpose in the story, wasn't just there for the sake of making the world seem terrible. I am curious how series 2 will go...(I've heard that Jack might be more his Dr. Who-self in it, which would be really interesting to see...if the TW crew thought Captain Jack was bad before, wait 'til they see him out of Emo mode and into Flirt!)

I swear, Jack lives his life by WWDD - "What Would the Doctor Do?" I don't know if the Doctor really could have solved it perfectly. But I think that Jack thinks the Doctor can do anything...

[airairo.livejournal.com]

It too often feels like they sacrifice plots and characters for the sake of being 'gritty' and 'dark' and 'adult'.)

That's an issue I have with a lot of "mature" shows. I don't have any problem with violence/sex/whatever, but it's different when it's done just for its own sake. It's distracting.

Tho... TW and me are kind of OTP XD I've just watched the first five eps, so for all I know something could frustrated me down the line, but... it's kind of exactly what I need to watch right now XD You know, after DW ripped me into a million pieces and all :(

That said, Tears sting in his eyes, and Jack can only recognize yet another failure. Can only think of how the Doctor would have found another way. <--- YES. A thousand times, yes. That is exactly Jack in that moment. And he's always going to do that to himself. He can't be the Doctor. I *like* TW!Jack so far. He's messed up. No one is the same after being with the Doctor, and it manifests in scary ways for him. It's interesting. Nice drabble!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I liked TW, just with reservations. I give it more leeway than I would for other shows because it balances the 'mature' with PURE UNCUT CRACK. I mean, there's a Cyberwoman, sexy girl in metal bikini...and then - PTERODACTYL ATTACK! I appreciated that.

The trouble with TW for me was the relationships, or lack thereof...the chars get driven apart by the darkness, more than get brought together by it, and that frustrated me.

I do wonder what I would've thought of the show if I'd watched Dr. Who first - and what I would've thought of Jack. I loved him from the start (the "Never doing that again!" was all it took) but rewatching those bits, he makes a lot more sense, being one of the Doctor's...disciples? victims? And when we watched that scene, I swear the guilt in his eyes is because he's failing to live up to the Doctor's standards, and knows it...

[naye]

Awwwwwwwww~! And awww. And oh, Jack.

Beautiful. Love it. You should write more. *hugs*

(And now your reactions to Torchwood are beginning to sound like mine! After two seasons of DW, the
non-teaminess really did get to me. But I have hope for S2. ♥)

[naye]

PS - your icon wins at Jack->Doctor. *loves*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I only wrote this 'cuz watching the ep, it's so clear in Jack's eyes!

Yeah, TW does play differently when you know DW. I think it must be more frustrating, though, because I didn't have any expectations for it the first time through, and knowing now how good friendshipping that team can write...wah! frustrating!

(glad you like the icon too <3 Oh, Jack, could you be more in love?)

[naye]

Now that the whole "I made it for you" thing has been made perfectly obvious? Yeah. Yeah, it is.

But this kind of explains why they're sometimes... not so... uh. Secret? And also professional. It's because they're Jack's, he picked them, they're his ragtag bunch of weird genius misfits, and he tries, so hard, but he's not... not the Doctor. And also not trained in the whole "leadership in the 21st century" thing, so. Well. Again, really hoping they're over most of their non-team issues, and they can spend S2 fighting external threats and bickering and bitching and USTing, but not shooting and betraying each other, and being there for their friends when they need someone...

No. No, he couldn't. I think the ~140 years he spent waiting for his Doctor sort of proves that; if all the little comments and looks and gestures didn't...

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Eeeeee to the icon. Yep, that is so very Jack!

And heee that was what was so awesome about Sound of Drums. J & I had been wondering if one of TW's problems was that Jack was keeping them under the radar - he had quite clearly changed TW's mandate drastically, and probably not with permission (he is a con man...) But yeah, will hope that with Jack more on the ball and not so emo, the team will be too (apparently the cast is all invested, J found an interview talking about how much time they spent discussing Owen shooting Jack, the reasons and implcations and all...)

140 years, I know!! Awwww.

[naye]

I like the look of your icon better, but I'm not going to steal. So. And that quote! It's Jack! Him and Lennier could... okay, not going there, not going there, but - Lenniers disappears off into space? Um. And. Then he can win with the whole "and then she married an alien", and Jack can - sympathize, yes, exactly, not going there... (It's Jack. Jack goes everywhere. This is a problem for my brain.)

Anyway~! Yes! He nicked Torchwood! It's his Torchwood now. (So his team can't have been together for that long? When in the timeline was the Battle of Canary Wharf?)

Have you watched the Torchwood DeClassifieds? Kind of mini-confidentials. Because, yes, the cast definitely gives the impression of being very involved, and I love them for it. ♥

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

(the format of this icon was totally stolen from a really awesome Utopia reactor-room-conversation icon, so you're welcome to steal the format if not the icon itself ^^)

Lennier and Jack...!? Oh dear. Though Jack's love is ultimately generous, unselfish (...okay, the sniping about blondes, but otherwise...) while as Lennier wanted too badly, and let it bring him to ruin (...fine, okay, I know he made one mistake in a lifetime of servitude, but I still bear a grudge. Hey, it's Sheridan & Delenn, I have my priorities! :P)

I am very curious how Jack got control of the Cardiff TW. Was he part of TW already & took advantage of Canary Wharf? Or did he step in after that, show up at the office one day with the right papers and no one stopped him because, well, it's Jack, what're ya gonna do?

And I haven't watched the Declassifieds yet. However I suspect it's only a matter of time because we're going to be suffering severe Who-deprivation soon (darn you for getting us into this at the season's end! You could've waited a while, and then we'd have a short wait instead of 6 loooooooooong and agonizingly Ten-less months!)

[naye]

Yes! I've seen that icon - quite amazing. (I love how these tiny little 100x100 images can be so expressive and beautiful and fun!)

And - yes. I know. I didn't even want to watch that episode, because the betrayal goes so deep, and they are all so hurt by it, but... Well. He started out so well, and then he just - I don't know. He started hoping too much? Wanting too much? Which Jack doesn't seem to do - Jack is perfectly content to have the ones he love be alive and happy, even if they're not with him. (Then again, as I've been saying, Jack sort of has issues there.) But they could still... talk. And Lennier still has to do that brave and beautiful deed that will win his redemption. (Do you think he did before Sheridan died? Delenn's toast could be interpreted in so many ways...)

I could see him just walk in and take over, as the budget and places like the Hub were already around, and he could totally swipe them all for himself in the general confusion of things. I wonder if he would have dared become part of TW before that, being such an anomaly himself. It strikes me as a wise move to stay away from such institutions as might want to dissect you to figure out how you work. But then I don't really know how he found out about Torchwood? Unless he knew about them from his Time Agent days?

I could have waited, but then you would have missed all the fun speculating on the finale and such! ^__^ Plus, of course, this fall you'd be more distracted by new seasons of old loves, so...