Hopefully I will not make any mistakes and delete another post this time around, but I had to talk about Jack + his men. First, for some reason they show Jack as being gay, which he is not, he is omnisexual. I still think that he has issues mixing sex and love, but in this episode we see he that in the past he gave love + sex, the old school girl try. Well, to read my feelings about Jack/lanto you can refer to the old link that is in the former post.
I discussed Ianto a great deal in that post: http://koft2009.livejournal.com/2052.html#cutid1.
Oh Jack, our beautiful Jack you have horrible taste in men. Oh, and PS it looks like JB has gained the weight back, and looks like charming, sexy Jack again. Mikhail Phiffer said at Comicon, that they filmed out of order, so JB probably had to lose weight, or was thinner to begin with to look as old, and thin as he did in some of the early episodes.
Let's Begin:
First, I was a little confused on the timing of this visit to the US: just prior to the Great Depression. He talks to Angelo about things that the Dr. said, in Utopia, which was during the time he had left TW between seasons one and two. During that year in an alternate timeline,or the year that never was, he was tortured by the Master for that entire year. So I am wondering when he met Angelo because it had to have been after Utopia, because he tells him that the Dr. told him he was a "fixed point in time". So maybe he went there while he was away the past 1.5 years after COE? I guess we'll never know.
Remember it was also the Dr. who asked him if he wanted to die in Utopia, and we hear Jack say "No". I think that he did want to die at first, but then he got used to it, but sadly he has paid for it, as a victim, and by being called a liar, hated, and making choices that he was not proud of. In fact, it would be a curse of immortality, as you know too much, and have lived too long, your perspective on life, and choosing the survival of the many over the one , begs the question, would anyone begin making those types of decisions? Especially if you were from the 51st century, travelled to other planets, knew aliens, saw the Earth at different times during the future; yeah, your perspective would be different. I don't think Jack is a liar, I have always thought he has been judged too harshly as he witholds things for a reason. Some out of shame, and some out of the fear of what his knowledge could do to this timeline.
First, I was a little confused on the timing of this visit to the US: just prior to the Great Depression. He talks to Angelo about things that the Dr. said, in Utopia, which was during the time he had left TW between seasons one and two. During that year in an alternate timeline,or the year that never was, he was tortured by the Master for that entire year. So I am wondering when he met Angelo because it had to have been after Utopia, because he tells him that the Dr. told him he was a "fixed point in time". So maybe he went there while he was away the past 1.5 years after COE? I guess we'll never know.
Remember it was also the Dr. who asked him if he wanted to die in Utopia, and we hear Jack say "No". I think that he did want to die at first, but then he got used to it, but sadly he has paid for it, as a victim, and by being called a liar, hated, and making choices that he was not proud of. In fact, it would be a curse of immortality, as you know too much, and have lived too long, your perspective on life, and choosing the survival of the many over the one , begs the question, would anyone begin making those types of decisions? Especially if you were from the 51st century, travelled to other planets, knew aliens, saw the Earth at different times during the future; yeah, your perspective would be different. I don't think Jack is a liar, I have always thought he has been judged too harshly as he witholds things for a reason. Some out of shame, and some out of the fear of what his knowledge could do to this timeline.
We have now learned that there are two people he has passionately loved; that we know about at least; Angelo and Gwen. But he seems to choose men who are not anything like him, they actually are very needy. Angelo was a small town inexperienced gay man who clung to Jack, and he asked Jack questions, like an eager child. Gwen has become his equal, I mean would lanto have ever called Jack "stupid"? So, Jack, the mortal/immortal/mortal man was always a risk taker, he loved being a Time Agent, and I love, how we saw with John, how they dress from their favorite time periods.
So as we know he was very sexy, and had a great deal of bravado prior to becoming immortal. When we first met him, he was a con man, he had just left the Time Agency, since he had two years wiped from his brain. I wish they had incorporated that somehow into TW this season; it would have been so cool! He has always been charismatic, smart, good looking, a leader, and used to getting what he wants. He was also like a god in the Time Agency. Sometimes,I don't think he realized how much being immortal changed him, and in a lot of ways made him love the fun and the risk of TW so much better. He even says so at the end of COE; remember how he tells Gwen how he loved being the Hero; but it made him a monster?
So as we know he was very sexy, and had a great deal of bravado prior to becoming immortal. When we first met him, he was a con man, he had just left the Time Agency, since he had two years wiped from his brain. I wish they had incorporated that somehow into TW this season; it would have been so cool! He has always been charismatic, smart, good looking, a leader, and used to getting what he wants. He was also like a god in the Time Agency. Sometimes,I don't think he realized how much being immortal changed him, and in a lot of ways made him love the fun and the risk of TW so much better. He even says so at the end of COE; remember how he tells Gwen how he loved being the Hero; but it made him a monster?
Jack picks men who are needy, and who he has this "fatherly" hold over, like with lanto. Don't misunderstand; I don't mean he acts like their Dad, but remember how he talks to Angelo when they are in bed? How no one would know he was gay if he didn't want them to know? He was nodding and reassuring him, like one does with a child. He did that with kissing lanto, when he reassured him that he cared for him. The difference is that when Jack tells Angelo that he wants to stay with him, and Angelo touches him affectionately, Jack acquiesces. I think the "fatherly" element is simply part of the human need to feel needed and wanted; emotionally. He also tells Angelo that he can't be with someone who feels Catholic guilt and basically can not man up into a relationship w/another man. Also remember Jack has those 51st century pheromones, which made him extra difficult to resist. Then, Jack decides maybe he can try and see if he has found someone to be with; at least for a little while. He mentions the Dr., and how he has a companion while he travels the world and that "it looks nice," because he knew that he most likely can not have that same thing. It actually made me very sad, because you see how lonely he is, which I had mentioned was part of the kind of love he had for lanto; having companionship.
As we know there are so many types of love, but all of these were/are more than platonic. But lanto knew where he stood with Jack, even though it made him very unhappy, as he was unable to have the bond that Jack and Gwen always had. He was always the monkey in the middle, and he knew it. lanto was not like Angelo in his naivete; he knew exactly what was going on, and Jack never lied to him.
As we know there are so many types of love, but all of these were/are more than platonic. But lanto knew where he stood with Jack, even though it made him very unhappy, as he was unable to have the bond that Jack and Gwen always had. He was always the monkey in the middle, and he knew it. lanto was not like Angelo in his naivete; he knew exactly what was going on, and Jack never lied to him.
I digress and I am repeating myself......when he brings Angelo into his scheme of getting caught by the bootleggers, and talks about The Tracer Brigade, he was not thinking. Ignorance can be dangerous, and technology is not easily explained to people who have no concept and would be unable to imagine what he was doing except by thinking it was something evil. I believe there is a book about a man from the 18th or 19th century who was sent forward to the 20th century, and went insane because our world was too loud, and tooo FAST.
Continuing on: Thus, Jack realized that he could not have Angelo with him, but then as I said above, he acquiesces. But Jack can be very confusing, as he was laughing when telling the Priest about all of his sins, and Angelo freaks out when Jack mentions having sex with his teacher. Angelo's all we just did something so beautiful, and that Jack cheapens it...he does sound like a girl, right? But Jack does, he has so much sex, because it is like doing something fun or like being drunk to forget about his problems. Also, he is hardly monogamous; he found men other than lanto, remember The Stolen Earth? So I believe that he forgets when he and Angelo go see the parasite, that Angelo was not not a companion, like the Dr.'s, and that the high he just got from saving the world, the chase, and knowing even if he gets caught and shot, (which he knows is possible, but forgets that Angelo would witness it) is part of his being immortal.
Continuing on: Thus, Jack realized that he could not have Angelo with him, but then as I said above, he acquiesces. But Jack can be very confusing, as he was laughing when telling the Priest about all of his sins, and Angelo freaks out when Jack mentions having sex with his teacher. Angelo's all we just did something so beautiful, and that Jack cheapens it...he does sound like a girl, right? But Jack does, he has so much sex, because it is like doing something fun or like being drunk to forget about his problems. Also, he is hardly monogamous; he found men other than lanto, remember The Stolen Earth? So I believe that he forgets when he and Angelo go see the parasite, that Angelo was not not a companion, like the Dr.'s, and that the high he just got from saving the world, the chase, and knowing even if he gets caught and shot, (which he knows is possible, but forgets that Angelo would witness it) is part of his being immortal.
But then Angelo sees him die, and that is where Jack messed up. Angelo is a naive, young man from a small village, who Jack has an instant attraction to, and vice versa. I mean Jack is gorgeous, comes on strong, and came with the promise of excitement, being openly gay, and showing Angelo a world that he had never seen. Angelo ate it up like a small child; and this is where Jack screwed up, and as far as we know he never tries to be this close with anyone again; not even with lanto. But he has that connection with Gwen, but there is no sex. I believe it is why he has problems mixing love and sex.
When Jack returns after a year in LA, to pick up Angelo; Angelo freaks out. Jack lies about recovering, and forgets just how small town Angelo is, and he did not think that he would betray him as he did; he's Jack Harkness after all. If he had thought about the smallness of Angelo's life, the fact he's been in prison, the small lives of those in his Italian neighborhood, and the strong influence of Catholicism, he would never have returned. But I felt so sad for Jack, as he tried; and he came back, which he said was something that he had never done before.
When Jack returns after a year in LA, to pick up Angelo; Angelo freaks out. Jack lies about recovering, and forgets just how small town Angelo is, and he did not think that he would betray him as he did; he's Jack Harkness after all. If he had thought about the smallness of Angelo's life, the fact he's been in prison, the small lives of those in his Italian neighborhood, and the strong influence of Catholicism, he would never have returned. But I felt so sad for Jack, as he tried; and he came back, which he said was something that he had never done before.
Then, we have to go through another torturous horrible, destruction of Jack. I thought COE was bad, but this was horrifying and I mean being stabbed for hours on end; and Angelo just watching it. Jack was screaming and I am sure this broke his spirit in a way we have not seen since lanto died. The way he lay there, while Angelo washed his bloody feet; I guess they were trying to make a correlation between the resurrection of Christ and Jack's immortality with the feet. I think it was unnecessary, but it works if you correlate how Catholicism, influenced why the mob was trying to decide if he was the Devil or a blessing. But due to the influence of religion, the collecting of his blood (ever seen those pieces of Saints they have in the churches in Europe?), it made sense, since religion was playing a big part in Angelo's choices.
I just cannot stand how Jack is constantly being victimized, and the pain is so horrific that you can see why he is emotionally bereft. I mean he is always betrayed by someone; but this time it was ignorance, but w/Gwen; well she is a mother, and nothing trumps that. She gets him, and he understands her fierce protection of her family, and why they come first. It is why they always forgive each other, and why they are now closer than ever.
I just cannot stand how Jack is constantly being victimized, and the pain is so horrific that you can see why he is emotionally bereft. I mean he is always betrayed by someone; but this time it was ignorance, but w/Gwen; well she is a mother, and nothing trumps that. She gets him, and he understands her fierce protection of her family, and why they come first. It is why they always forgive each other, and why they are now closer than ever.
During the torture, Jack sees the three families make a deal to buy him and that they would share "it" as they said. But apparently as we found out in episode 4.08, they were collecting his blood, and used that to create the blessing, since he had escaped. Anyway he was so out of it, he asked Angelo about it, and he did not know what he was talking about. So he helps Jack to escape, and all naive and childish tells him that they will go to LA, and live in the moment, etc.... Oh Angelo, did you really think that Jack would want to be with someone who let him be tortured for hours on end? Then, even more annoying he would not let Jack go, so he had to throw himself off the roof saying that "men like him, kill him"; and I don't think he meant just "men", I think he meant people in general. NOW, Angelo gets upset that Jack is dead. Whatever Angelo, you just watched him die, and wake up god knows how many times, and now you get sad?
Thus Jack goes off to his next life, which I (pathetically) finally understood why he says that he lives so many lives; each time he dies he begins somewhere else. I don't know where my head has been, because after 4.08 I also realized that I finally got what the Time Agents did; ensure that timelines remain the same. So in the end, Angelo was Jack's attempt to have love and a relationship, but he did not pick an equal. Gwen is his equal, but he does not pick men who are like that; except the crazy ship he had with John, who was also crazy. But I still hold to my theory that the sex is with men at this point, and real, passionate love is for Gwen.
A commentary on Angelo/Jack that continues into 4.08:
So, now we go to Episode 4.08 where we learn that Angelo has been stalking Jack for years, and tracking the 3 families as well. Apparently they bought his blood, which was dumb because we all know that was not how he became immortal. He says as much to Angela Collesanto, but she didn't care, as she only found him because it was her grandfather's last wishes. She doesn't like him at all, and tells him that he is not so special. However, Jack thought he would be seeing a young Angelo, but instead he sees a man over 100 years old, lying attached to machines.
Then Angela says how it is easy to live long, and all the crazy things Angelo did to stay alive longer; wierdo! I don't care what anyone says, he had an unnnatural obsession with Jack. An obsession it seems everyone in his family knew about, as he kept pictures of Jack in his house through the decades. Crreeeepy! I don't care what anyone says, Angela says he loved her grandmother, and his family, but he always talked about Jack. He wanted to find the key to immortality, but he was not part of the 3 families. He was spying on them as well, so I believe his obsession with Jack turned into a belief that he knew that Jack could stop Miracle Day, because he saw what the 3 families were planning. But then Angela says that they did not include Angelo in all their big plans because he was gay! And now she has no problem telling them who the three families were, and the only smart thing she says is that what better place to hide then "in plain sight". We learn this is oh so true, because the lovely CIA agent, Charlotte, is one of them. It also seems the families have taken Esther's sister and most likely her kids, and made sure she got in on the volunteering to be a Category 1. I knew this was true by the room she was in, the darkness surrounding the person watching her, and that she found out Esther reported her, which is against the law. Only someone with connections would have been able to find out that information. I can't wait until Rex gets his sexy hands on Charlotte.
We get a moment when Jack goes to see Angelo, after his grand-daughter is blown up by Friedken; Rex's boss who was bought by the families years ago. I had mixed feelings about Jack's comments to Angelo at this point, because at first it seemed like he thought it was great! and that Angelo should have stopped by and said hello. But then I realized when Jack says "I can't believe you followed me all of these years", and sadly said, that if he had said "hello", he would never have recognized him. But I think that Jack saw it as, wow, someone who really loved him and kept track of him all of these years. He did not think stalker!!! It made me so sad for him, as this ship with Angelo has demonstrated Jack's emotional state more than any of the series. When Angelo starts coding after Jack kisses him, Jack unplugs the machines. So he makes a little sex joke using the plug. So we see once again, sex is just sex, right?
However, it turns out that Angelo knew about Miracle Day and that it was coming and saw that the families wanted this society to collapse and clearly build a new one. I believe that he took the tech from the ruins of the TW hub, so that Jack would find it. He put it in his will, so Jack had to be found, and come to see him. We don't know how much Angelo changed over the years, but it was obvious that he became a very powerful man, with an obsession with Jack and immortality. I think everyone was lucky that this obsession, enabled him to become aware of the families' plans and that they had to be stopped. But he definitely planned death by Jack; and originally I had thought for revenge, but now I think, as Jack said, it was a clue.
However, it turns out that Angelo knew about Miracle Day and that it was coming and saw that the families wanted this society to collapse and clearly build a new one. I believe that he took the tech from the ruins of the TW hub, so that Jack would find it. He put it in his will, so Jack had to be found, and come to see him. We don't know how much Angelo changed over the years, but it was obvious that he became a very powerful man, with an obsession with Jack and immortality. I think everyone was lucky that this obsession, enabled him to become aware of the families' plans and that they had to be stopped. But he definitely planned death by Jack; and originally I had thought for revenge, but now I think, as Jack said, it was a clue.
Finally, we see Jack sitting on the bed looking really upset and Gwen knew something was up. He was not sad about Angelo, but he was scared, really scared and did not know what to do. Even while he tells Esther to ignore the lines in the floor, he looked slyly over to Gwen who knew she had to back him up and get out of there. She continues to defend him to Shapiro, even though Jack has not told her what the problem is, she knows it is a TW problem. She backs him up, and while being deported is screaming his name ,and that she will find him. Then we see that scene on the plane of her crying, not touching her food. She can't stand being separated from him, especially when there is a chance she might never see him again. Remember the helicopter scene in COE, when they were both welled up? Now who says they are just friends?
So, now to the next posting which will be about the rest of 4.08.....
*Images from Showtime's "The Borgia's"
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