Captanne

I think it might even be a "taste" thing because -- personally, I'd rather have the MD construct of the (practically non-visualized) government completely flummoxed by a well-defined villain (eternal life*) with a clear threat. As opposed to mindless, impotent cliche government twirling its mustache over a milky muppet from COE. (*The cool thing about having eternal life being the villain is how complicated that thought is.)

I fully own the faults of Miracle Day -- wow, there were some parts that had such potential and then fell so flat (or were inexplicably dropped entirely -- like Jack being so, so cool stalking Oswald through the convention centre, with coat in full flutter, and, then, nuthin'.) There were cavernous OOC holes and WTFs galore. On the other hand -- Angelo's betrayal made a great tour-de-force for Barrowman and Jack. I liked Bartender Brad and even felt sorry for him as the ONS, left snoring behind Jack's drunk-dial to She Who Will Remain Nameless. I would like to just forget all of the airplane episode, please. On the flip side, the "world" in COE was not remotely credible. (Who's calling Israel to tell them about the impending genocide that we're all fine with -- after all, it's just a couple of kids? Let me know how that goes. I'll be in the nuclear fallout shelter I have over here. You can reach me at 1-800-BUGGER OFF.) Also, the government was so cliche my eyes rolled right out of my head and under the sofa. And the junkie muppet in a box who couldn't breath the air but we just couldn't figure out a way to neutralize? Please. (But we can defeat Abaddon and Daleks and Sleepers and Cybermen?)

Riipper Street reminds me a bit of Sherlock Holmes (the canon) in the way that it's got that Victorian, "Wait. Just wait. The solution is an Asian snake? A snake? Or, for the love of mike, an orangutan? Seriously?" The Victorians loved their exotica. (Poe is the same way.) So, I don't begrudge RS the occasional Doomsday Cult storyline but -- man, Rose gets into these hokey places all the time, doesn't she? First series wasn't she drugged up by some lunatic snuff film maker who spirited her off to his mansion to take film? (That, I read, was actually grounded in some sort of historical fact.) ETA: I was delighted by the Merrick storyline and was sorry to see him gone. Btw, that's not really a spoiler, technically, but I don't think folks who haven't googled or read the story of The Elephant Man should be spoon fed.

I actually have no problem with the pick up of Bartender Brad -- I found it almost as cathartic as Jack probably did. (Especially now that I see the "love the coat" nod more clearly.) It strikes me as very true to Jack's character, too. (It warmed my heart when he joked with the dying Judas, er, Angelo, about "liking Ianto".) "Miracle Day" was so bad in so very many ways but I liked it over all. The one moment that rang the truest to me was when Jack told Gwen he'd rip her skin off. Talk about "cathartic for the viewer" -- that was like water to a man lost in the desert.

PS: Someone just blogged this this morning. It took me a minute to get the point but then I said, "Yes. That look over that shot glass. That look of recognition." (I guess I have to give the Bartender Brad scene more credit. I totally missed that. Certainly more credit than that other bar scene -- you know, the one where Ten pimped Lt. Frame out to Jack?)

If RTD didn't write the character of Jack Harkness specifically with John Barrowman in mind, I'll eat my hat. I have no proof of that assertion but I believe it with every fibre of my being. I love all the scenes you mention, Swansong and have to laugh about the stopwatch because -- all the fanwanking in the world could never convince me what the "pickup" was in that line. LOL (I'm very old and have plenty of sexual experience, TMI, but I can't for the life of me think of something really sexually appealing about a stopwatch that isn't so strained as to think, "Aren't there more obvious things to do?" LOL) This is also speculation, but if I give the writers of S1 and 2 credit with Jack and Ianto, it's how they did their best (speculation, maybe they didn't give a rat's ass, IDK) to deal with no direction from On High (that's the speculation part atout RTD.) How one works with two charismatic actors who can make a stopwatch-over-a-friend's-corpse sexy without any affirmative "Yes, they are in a physical relationship and like each other" (that simple, for the love of God) from the Powers What Be, is quite beyond me. ETA: It's not so much that creative minds can't come up with something sexy to do with a stopwatch. I have faith in human creativity. I just don't think it's your standard, "Hey baby, come here often?" sort of pick up line. My response would have to be, "A stopwatch? We just met. I don't know you that well -- yet." LOL

Oh, Buckaroo Bonzai (where is that sequel you promised us, guys??) was lightening in a bottle. Peter Weller, Clancy Brown, one of those blonde actresses, John Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum -- just amazing. And, Perfect Tommy. LOL It reminds me a bit of the Twinkie (™, me) that GDL played. It's one of those moments that is captured and you kind of wonder if it should be forgotten and then you smile, shake your head and realize it's "kind of wonderful" instead.

You're welcome. It only took a request and Glark set it up tout de suite! So, thanks to Glark we have a new hangout.

I give GDL the lion's share of credit for Ianto. Utterly. The writers are not responsible for his keeping in character on screen even though he wasn't in the main dialogue. (Another young actor who is very good at that is Jesse Spencer from "House".) And GDL's comic timing was/is impeccable. Even when he was cringeworthy (frex: crying) it was appropriate to the scene and the moment. No one, really, but the actors can take credit for on screen chemistry so chalk another one up for GDL (and Barrowman.) It's hard for me to give the writers too much credit. (And RTD is another matter entirely.) Psst: Wasn't it "Perfect Tommy"?

I certainly hope so!! I got an email from BFF the other day about our winter here in DC. (This is on topic, I swear.) They have a swirling wooden artwork in their garden that is in the form of a helix. Our winter has been so bad that the ice storms and wind formed icicles that grew almost perpendicular to the ground because of the centripetal forces. She aptly compared the helix and icicles to the "bad guy's" ships in Buckaroo Bonzai. http://www.gonewiththetwins.com/pages/80s/screenshots/buckaroobanzai/002.jpg Then she said sadly, as a last sentence, "Rawhide is my Ianto." AWWWWWWWW. SPOILER ALERT for a cult film that is decades old: The bitter. It never ends.

Just wondering if anyone has requested a forum for Torchwood or if it might be lurking somewhere under Doctor Who (there is a Jack Harkness joke waiting to happen, there.)