neadods: (yay!)
neadods ([personal profile] neadods) wrote2009-07-24 08:31 pm
Entry tags:

Because sometimes insanity should be celebrated

Warning: This post contains uncut CoE spoilers for Day 4 and bad language. It's uncut because it's not actually *about* CoE, but about fandom.

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When Catherine died, a Beauty and the Beast fan who'd been chairing a feed-the-hungry charity in the show's name shut it down because there was no point anymore if there was no Catherine/Vincent romance. (No point except HUNGRY PEOPLE NEEDING FEEDING. But that's just reality, which is so much less important than a TV show.)

This is why I'm so incredibly delighted that Ianto's death has started a Torchwood charity smackdown. There are now three - three! - charity drives started because of Children of Earth:
- Children of Earth Viewers for Children in Need (aka "Thank you, James Moran"): current total: 286.25 pounds
- Save Ianto Jones: current total: 2,674.83 pounds, also for Children in Need
(A smackdown so uneven that even the BBC doesn't bother mentioning that it is a smackdown.)

And now, Ianto Jones Wants a Pony. A serious charity with a silly name, (and already at 260 pounds and rising) this isn't for saying Ianto has to live or die. It's for adopting a pony from the Lluest Horse and Pony trust, a charity that Gareth David-Lloyd has been championing.

I eyeroll about the bags of coffee and the Internet petitions to bring Ianto back (as if RTD, or anyone, ever listens to the Internet fandom that much). [ETA: That said, I find it really amusing that both pro-Ianto charities are whipping CoE for CiN's financial ass. The fandom is speaking with its collective wallet, and loudly.] But what's wonderful is that even though the kids in Children in Need may not even know who Ianto is, and the horse surely doesn't give a damn about TV, all that angst and anger is doing good in the world for real living things.

And that beats the everlivin' fuck out of punishing hungry families because a fictional character snuffed it.
ext_3965: (Jack Martha Walking Away Journey's End)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2009-07-25 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
I like that. I don't want Ianto back, and think it's stupid of people to insist he should come back (gods, for once I *agree* with RTD - Ianto's death WAS necessary to make that story more powerful and believable), but I like them using their campaigns to raise money for good causes.

[identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com 2009-07-25 12:00 pm (UTC)(link)
I both want Ianto back and am not convinced by RTD's reasons - but then, I think he pretty much firebombed Torchwood so nobody else could play with his toy and left himself a back door to write a Who knockoff.

But I'm beyond thrilled that after the initial explosion of wank, when I was worried that Torchwood fandom would head the way of BatB fandom, people are doing good for the greater world - *especially* after the BatB example.
ext_3965: (Jack Martha Hug Reset)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2009-07-25 12:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Why aren't you convinced by RTD's reasons?

And yes, it does look as if he deliberately broke his toys so no one else could play with them.

[identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com 2009-07-25 02:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I think it would have had more drama and emotional depth if Jack had had to sacrifice his grandson because he knew it was the only way to save the Earth, rather than having to be "pushed" there by the third team death in 5 episodes. (Someone has pointed out that it would have been more wrenching if Ianto was faced with a Sophie's choice between his niece and nephew, which I also agree with. If the point was to be dramatic, why not break new ground instead of repeat Tosh and Owen's deathscenes?)

Also, the more I look at Ianto's death scene, the less I understand the motivations of taking an unprotected man into a room with the intention of shooting the hell out of glass holding back poisonous gas. Had they been successful or unsuccessful, either way, Ianto would have died, which strikes me as being a poor plan, on both their and the writer's part. You'd think at some point in the proceedings Ianto would ask "what happens if we do shoot it up?" (Y'know, I think I just found my story for [livejournal.com profile] ninja_teaboy.)
ext_3965: (Jack Smile)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2009-07-25 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I agree Ianto's death was pointless in terms of the plot except insofar as someone from the team had to die - and it couldn't be Jack, and it wasn't going to be Gwen.

But then, logic's never been Rusty's strong point. It's always necessary to switch off your logic filters when watching a story of his otherwise you'd be dragged out of the story every 30 seconds!

[identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com 2009-07-26 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
It's always necessary to switch off your logic filters when watching a story of his

I'm more likely to do so when I'm happy with the story...
ext_3965: (Jack Martha Walking Away Journey's End)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2009-07-26 04:28 am (UTC)(link)
Sure.

Apparently the BBC have agreed to a fourth season: see here.

[identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com 2009-07-26 12:41 pm (UTC)(link)
That's an awfully vague announcement - that I notice is not getting overwhelming support in the comments.

I wonder what this is supposed to mean vis a vis the announcement that RTD was moving to Hollywood.
ext_3965: (Jack Martha Walking Away Journey's End)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2009-07-26 02:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah I noticed that lack of much enthusiasm.

No reason RTD can't write from the US, modern technology being what it is. Maybe someone else will take over as head of the show and he'll just write some eps?

[identity profile] neadods.livejournal.com 2009-07-26 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
He could write from the US certainly - but he wouldn't be able to oversee shooting as producer from the US. I'm not sure the BBCA has a mandate to produce its own programming, but I am sure that it'll be a very cold day in hell before the BBC (not to mention the actor and behind the scenes unions) allows a British branded and funded product to be shot in America.
ext_3965: (Jack Smile)

[identity profile] persiflage-1.livejournal.com 2009-07-27 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
Well I wasn't even thinking of it being made in America - I'd assumed they'd go on making it in Wales since they're all fiercely proud of it being made there.