Review: Torchwood S2 11 Adrift

[crabby_lioness]

Now that's the way I like Torchwood -- strong, hot, and dark.

Chris Chibnall turns in his best and most intricate plot yet, and maybe the most Torchwood intricate plot so far, in the vein of Things Are Not What They Seem.  In the process of a procedural investigation/coverup story we learn a lot about different characters in the series and see some

Comments

[anonymous]

You know all the kinky things you wondered if they did in the Hub while no one else was there? Apparently they do them.

Surely they do -- hee hee.

What I liked about it the most was the sheer joy of their play -- they are so absorbed they do not hear the door alarms or the wheel door slamming open; and then while they are talking to Gwen, they seem very at ease with everything. I mean Ianto is a little embarrassed about getting caught, but not about what he's doing, if you see the distinction. His smile when he says "he always cheats" -- talk about cats and canaries!

I also liked Gwen's reaction (yeah, me, go figure); she's embarrassed at walking in on them, but she's giggling and girly and amused by it all.

[crabby_lioness]

"Captain Jack will get you high tonight."

Truefax!

[anonymous]

They are high on each other, and it shows. For me, it seems as if Ianto was reassured by Jack's unspoken admission in Last Man -- and he has thrown himself into the relationship full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes. And Jack, being Jack, will never do things half-measure.

[eumenidis]

What kink? All I saw or heard referenced was straightforward, wholesome fun. Maybe a bit of romance, or Adam & Steve in the Garden of Eden, since they were doing it amidst all those plants...

[justinej]

She's a fangirl! Who can blame her. I'd have just sat down and asked them to carry on.

Great review of what was probably my favourite episode so far.

[crabby_lioness]

Thank you. It was great to see the an episode without any major bumps in writing, production, or performance.

[louiex]

Yay new meta from you! I have to run so this has to be quick, I was wondering -since you did that awesome meta on Ianto Mr "Step-Mom"- what you thought of Ianto literally having Gwen's back throughout the entire episode. In the office scene he makes eye contact with her and leaps after Jack to try to ease his anger/convince him to help her and then slips her the GPS.

Just thought it interesting that in one of the first eps where Jack's 'NO!' finally was a 'no' that Gwen couldn't squirm her way out of (see chasing Kieran in Countrycide and pursuing the case in Random Shoes and her actions all throughout Meat) that Ianto steps up to be the person who gives when Jack doesn't. :D

[criccieth]

meta? She's done another meta? Where? I must have missed the post.

[crabby_lioness]

I haven't actually posted the "Ianto as Stepmother" piece. I've been too busy to finish it, but hopefully I'll have it up within a week. But this episode definitely supported it.

I didn't see Ianto's actions as so much supporting Gwen over Jack as keeping the peace within the "family". Gwen was bound to find out sooner or later, the longer it took the bigger the explosion would be, and the more stress Jack would be under. His actions lessoned the stress on Jack in the long run.

[antelope_writes]

But this episode definitely supported it.

Did it ever. The fight in the boardroom looked like nothing more than a petulant child having a temper tantrum, one parent in a full-on froth, and the other parent running between them to sort it out.

[love_jackianto]

'Apparently it's Time Agent code for 'Sex now'. That does give us some idea of the Time Agent definition of 'work.'
We all know what I hard worker Ianto is ;)

'And an hour after that Ianto is dressed and making coffee while Jack yells for him. Why?'
Maybe Ianto needed a break because he was tried from all his 'play'. Or maybe after Ianto wears Jack out he tries to get some actual work done(someone has to keep Torchwood running).

'I've loved everything Chibnall has written for Torchwood.'
Me too. It's a shame he's moving on.

'Third, if she kept poking, what other secrets might she have stumbled on?'
What is Ianto's special project, I wonder?

One point I would like to make is that some people have said that the 'naked hide-and-seek' line trivializes Jack and Ianto's relationship, but I thought it showed that their so comfortable that they could joke around. And Ianto didn't seem all that bothered, he was smiling when he said 'he cheats'.

[criccieth]

he also seemed pretty happy with Jack's suggestion!

[crabby_lioness]

I wish we could have seen Gwen's face then.

[maxine_mirkwood]

he also seemed pretty happy with Jack's suggestion!

Well, duh. The boy is 24 (god I feel old...) and is being offered on a plate all the wild, crazy, spontaneous sex he can handle by his gorgeous, charismatic older boss whom he kinda hero-worships. My sex life should be so trivialised!

[anonymous]

"Those boys are so high on endorphins it's a wonder their feet touch the ground" - tell me about it - Ianto especially is kind of blissed...

oh and I 100% agree with your suggested reasons for Ianto going behind Jack's back - matter of fact I was having a Plot Bunny Visit along those precise lines earlier today. After all, remember his line from "SLeeper" - no-one knows more about this place than I do. What other, even darker/harsher/more dangerous secrets does Ianto know?

Agree that Owen knows about the place. My reckoning is Jack funds it, Ianto keeps it running and Owen is the medic. The girls don't make it on the "need to know" list, so they didn't know. My bet would be Suzie didn't either.

[criccieth]

whoops, sorry that anonymous above is me!

[crabby_lioness]

Hi!