(no subject)
Not having regular Internet access at the moment means I come too late to all the good discussions. So, another ramble inspired by a post on Torchwood_house.
SPOILERS HERE BE.
Certainly, I think this is one of the questions that CoE wants us to think about. It wants us to reexamine our concept of a hero, and what being a hero means and what a hero should do. The standard we are given to measure heroes against in this universe is obviously the Doctor. That's a no brainer when it comes to Jack, of course, since it was involvement with the Doctor that set Jack on his current path, and Jack has striven to become such a hero as the Doctor ever since circumstances landed him in his current situation, as an immortal not by choice, struggling to make the best of what's happened to him.
It's highlighted for us at the moment that Jack quotes the Doctor's philosophy as he challenges the 456, but more on that later.
In 1965, Jack gave up twelve children to the 456. He did it because Torchwood ordered it of him, and with the understanding that he was saving millions of people by doing so. Jack is discomfited by being put in this position, and carries out the handover with visible reluctance and distaste afterwards.
At first, I questioned for myself whether I believed this was an in character action, but in thinking back to series 2, I had to admit that it is. We've seen Jack disagree with the actions of Torchwood in the past and fail to challenge them, specifically when Alice Guppy shot an obviously juvenile (and thus less responsible) alien in front of him. Jack does challenge her, he does demand to know her reasons for doing so, but then he backs down. He condones her actions when he continues to work for Torchwood, although he could have refused to continue the association. The Doctor has pointed out to us viewers on more than one occasion, that Torchwood is a wicked and misguided organization. When Captain Jack takes over, we might have felt like Torchwood itself is redeemed, because we know Jack is a good guy, after all. Perhaps we should not have been swayed by our fondness for Jack, and remembered who's Hero #1 in this 'verse.
Ianto points out for Jack why this was an unheroic action: because he gave in to the enemy's demands, when he ought to have refused. He ought to have fought the evil.
Whether there was any useful way of fighting the 456 is immaterial. The message is: to be a hero you must not give up your ideals.
Let's look at the specific danger in the 1965 situation again. An Indonesian flu virus is about to kill millions of people. The aliens have offered the antivirus in exchange for the children, but they aren't responsible for the virus's outbreak on Earth. If Earth doesn't give them the children, millions of people still die. But if standing up to the demands is the right thing to do, and refusing to compromise his ideals, means Jack had to allow those people to die, then what Jack, and all of the others failed in back then, was accepting that nothing is worth the sacrifice of their principles, not even saving millions of lives.
So, when we learn what Jack did in 1965, it's the first part of the illumination of Jack's character, introducing doubt. Is he the hero we thought he was?
The confrontation against the 456 in Thames House is our answer. No, he's not.
Because Ianto dies, and that's how we appreciate, and how Jack finally appreciates, how much was hanging on a choice Jack made years and years ago because he didn't care enough to do the right thing, and now the 456 have returned to demand more children and endanger every person on Earth. Ianto's death, and the deaths of everyone in Thames House are directly Jack's fault. Jack rushed into that encounter, with no plan beyond emulating the Doctor again, even spouting the Doctor's philosophy, and it doesn't work, because Jack has not bothered to live by that philosophy. He even wants to take it back when Ianto's life is threatened.
We can see what a profound effect the deaths have on Jack. He can no longer deny to himself that he's failed to be the hero he tried to be. And from that place of utter defeat, Jack finally becomes a hero by the act of sacrificing Steven.
As tragic and brutal it is to torture a child to death, it's clearly the right choice in this situation. Jack has finally learned that he must fight, that he must uphold his ideals, even if people die. Even if people he loves die.
So, that's the tragedy of Jack's heroic aspirations. He has to lose everyone he holds dear in order to truly become a hero, and then he finds he can't bear it and abdicates from his hero role.
You know, I hate what Children of Earth did to the show I love, but I can't deny this is compelling tragedy. It's just that I'd have preferred to have more of that other show, which was more cheerful and had a lot of characters I could enjoy, rather than just one whose angst makes me want to cry inside. Yes, I know there's still Gwen, and I adore Rhys, but Gwen is not going to interest me again until she gets hurt to deal with, or stops being so well adjusted for some reason. (Remember when she retconned Rhys? That made many fans dislike her, but for me it was the first time I sympathized with her problems as a character. Guess I like 'em twisted.) Rhys has always been most interesting when interacting with Jack, or when at odds with Gwen, IMO, and I have to say that right now things in the Gwen/Rhys department look pretty lovey-dovey from here.
On the other hand, Jack's story is left in a puzzling place. Is it going to be picked up again in a future Torchwood series? Has he still, then, got further to go along the path to Doctor-hood, or is it time for a whole new story for Jack? Hard to guess, but it makes me wish the BBC would have someone do a serious novel exploring Jack's character, because I really think there's much more to go through than a TV series will ever manage.
SPOILERS HERE BE.
Certainly, I think this is one of the questions that CoE wants us to think about. It wants us to reexamine our concept of a hero, and what being a hero means and what a hero should do. The standard we are given to measure heroes against in this universe is obviously the Doctor. That's a no brainer when it comes to Jack, of course, since it was involvement with the Doctor that set Jack on his current path, and Jack has striven to become such a hero as the Doctor ever since circumstances landed him in his current situation, as an immortal not by choice, struggling to make the best of what's happened to him.
It's highlighted for us at the moment that Jack quotes the Doctor's philosophy as he challenges the 456, but more on that later.
In 1965, Jack gave up twelve children to the 456. He did it because Torchwood ordered it of him, and with the understanding that he was saving millions of people by doing so. Jack is discomfited by being put in this position, and carries out the handover with visible reluctance and distaste afterwards.
At first, I questioned for myself whether I believed this was an in character action, but in thinking back to series 2, I had to admit that it is. We've seen Jack disagree with the actions of Torchwood in the past and fail to challenge them, specifically when Alice Guppy shot an obviously juvenile (and thus less responsible) alien in front of him. Jack does challenge her, he does demand to know her reasons for doing so, but then he backs down. He condones her actions when he continues to work for Torchwood, although he could have refused to continue the association. The Doctor has pointed out to us viewers on more than one occasion, that Torchwood is a wicked and misguided organization. When Captain Jack takes over, we might have felt like Torchwood itself is redeemed, because we know Jack is a good guy, after all. Perhaps we should not have been swayed by our fondness for Jack, and remembered who's Hero #1 in this 'verse.
Ianto points out for Jack why this was an unheroic action: because he gave in to the enemy's demands, when he ought to have refused. He ought to have fought the evil.
Whether there was any useful way of fighting the 456 is immaterial. The message is: to be a hero you must not give up your ideals.
Let's look at the specific danger in the 1965 situation again. An Indonesian flu virus is about to kill millions of people. The aliens have offered the antivirus in exchange for the children, but they aren't responsible for the virus's outbreak on Earth. If Earth doesn't give them the children, millions of people still die. But if standing up to the demands is the right thing to do, and refusing to compromise his ideals, means Jack had to allow those people to die, then what Jack, and all of the others failed in back then, was accepting that nothing is worth the sacrifice of their principles, not even saving millions of lives.
So, when we learn what Jack did in 1965, it's the first part of the illumination of Jack's character, introducing doubt. Is he the hero we thought he was?
The confrontation against the 456 in Thames House is our answer. No, he's not.
Because Ianto dies, and that's how we appreciate, and how Jack finally appreciates, how much was hanging on a choice Jack made years and years ago because he didn't care enough to do the right thing, and now the 456 have returned to demand more children and endanger every person on Earth. Ianto's death, and the deaths of everyone in Thames House are directly Jack's fault. Jack rushed into that encounter, with no plan beyond emulating the Doctor again, even spouting the Doctor's philosophy, and it doesn't work, because Jack has not bothered to live by that philosophy. He even wants to take it back when Ianto's life is threatened.
We can see what a profound effect the deaths have on Jack. He can no longer deny to himself that he's failed to be the hero he tried to be. And from that place of utter defeat, Jack finally becomes a hero by the act of sacrificing Steven.
As tragic and brutal it is to torture a child to death, it's clearly the right choice in this situation. Jack has finally learned that he must fight, that he must uphold his ideals, even if people die. Even if people he loves die.
So, that's the tragedy of Jack's heroic aspirations. He has to lose everyone he holds dear in order to truly become a hero, and then he finds he can't bear it and abdicates from his hero role.
You know, I hate what Children of Earth did to the show I love, but I can't deny this is compelling tragedy. It's just that I'd have preferred to have more of that other show, which was more cheerful and had a lot of characters I could enjoy, rather than just one whose angst makes me want to cry inside. Yes, I know there's still Gwen, and I adore Rhys, but Gwen is not going to interest me again until she gets hurt to deal with, or stops being so well adjusted for some reason. (Remember when she retconned Rhys? That made many fans dislike her, but for me it was the first time I sympathized with her problems as a character. Guess I like 'em twisted.) Rhys has always been most interesting when interacting with Jack, or when at odds with Gwen, IMO, and I have to say that right now things in the Gwen/Rhys department look pretty lovey-dovey from here.
On the other hand, Jack's story is left in a puzzling place. Is it going to be picked up again in a future Torchwood series? Has he still, then, got further to go along the path to Doctor-hood, or is it time for a whole new story for Jack? Hard to guess, but it makes me wish the BBC would have someone do a serious novel exploring Jack's character, because I really think there's much more to go through than a TV series will ever manage.