"Cyberwoman"

I DVR'ed Torchwood on Saturday because I wanted to go out to the bars after Philly's dismal loss. Thank God they won the NL Division this afternoon or else I would've been more depressed. I sat down to watch the episode earlier and here are my thoughts about this week's episode and the series thus far.

So Ianto's been hiding his Cyberman girlfriend in the storage room of the Torchwood base, eh? No one else knew about it, hmmm? Interesting. I wasn't sure what to make of Ianto's character so far other than he seems to be the resident flunky. Ianto never goes on missions and the only action thus far was erasing data from Gwen's computer when she initially discovered information on Torchwood.

Thank you for character development Russell T. Davies. Besides his difficult name (it's pronounced Yan-toe or Jahn-toe), Ianto came off as flimsy and one dimensional as a piece of cardboard. This week, the writers breathed some life into the boy. He showed heart and grace as he fought to do everything to save Lisa (his girlfriend), a former operative for the Torchwood base in London, from the cyberman process. What's better still, Lisa was a sistah, too! Well maybe not a sistah, I think that's strictly reserved for black folks stateside, but she's black. I'm not sure how popular interracial relationships are in the UK.

Traditionally, the Cybermen never scared me on Doctor Who until the second series came about. They're even more frightening on Torchwood. The scene where Lisa throws the Japanese computer scientist on the Cyber transformation table was edgy. Seeing Gwen almost turned into another cyberwoman was equally terrifying.

Captain Jack is becoming a loose cannon. He shoots first, asks questions second, and comes across as heartless and unfeeling bastard. At one point, Jack questions Ianto's loyalty, points a gun at Ianto, and seriously considers shooting him in the head. For a moment I thought Jack would kill our resident major domo. You felt the seething anger from Barrowman's character (proving John is a excellent actor)!

Jack refuses to hear Ianto's impassioned pleas, his begging, to attempt reversal of the cyber-transformation process, demands Ianto kill her, and threatens to kill both of them if Ianto fails to complete the task. Ianto implores Jack "haven't you ever loved anyone?" and calls him more monstrous than the Cybermen. Jack refuses to answer, however, and continues to cock the gun, standing stoic as ever. Finally, Ianto goes into main chamber, and tries to do his duty to kill his beloved.

Now, I'm struggling to figure Jack out. On Doctor Who, Jack was a wildfire, but wasn't cruel. On Torchwood, Jack is not as fun loving nor the carefree bisexual playboy he portrayed on Doctor Who. Here he's more conflicted and darker. I understand Doctor Who has always been geared towards children and Torchwood is more adult-oriented, but Cap'n Jack is too maniacal at times for my tastes.

Still, Jack's refusal to answer Ianto's question says a lot about Jack's true character and nature. I purchased the October issue of Out magazine with John Barrowman on the cover. It gave some spoilers about upcoming Torchwood episodes; all the bisexual romps and snogging-on. There'll be further explanation to Jack and Ianto's relationship as the series develops. Even if I hadn't read the snippet in Out, the Cyberwoman episode hints Jack's connection to Ianto.

Ianto tries to stop Lisa from killing Toshiko, Gwen, and Owen, begging her to stop (Must admit his begging was a bit annoying). She, in turn, knocks him the fuck out! NO!!! Not Ianto (OK, yeah I like the character, a lot. He's my favorite, next to Gwen. I love her character. She gives the human element the Jack, Owen, & Toshiko seem to lack)!!!

What a nail-biting scene! I had to fast forward because I actually thought Ianto was dead (Suzie, a previous Torchwood operative, commits suicide on the first episode). While the others distract Lisa (the Cyberwoman), Jack tries to revive Ianto, giving him mouth to mouth, eventually turning into a full fledged passionate kiss! Hmmm. Does Jack love Ianto secretly?