Your comments are probably one of the most well thought out ones I've read so far for this episode. The overlying theme of clingy!Jack is continued here as he relucantly deals with letting Gwen have a life outside of Torchwood.
I don't think Jack is jealous of Rhys for having Gwen. I think Jack is jealous of Gwen for having Rhys and the "normal" life he represents, a life that immortality denied Jack long before he joined Torchwood. This is corroborated at the end of the episode, when he comes home to gaze pensively at a century-old picture of his own wedding.
It baffles me that so many people seem to discount this last scene, which you have pointed out puts the entire previous dancing scene between Jack/Gwen into a different perspective. I see much of fandom crying about the Jack/Gwen dance saying that the entire thing shows Jack pining and his disregard for Ianto, whereas I believe that Jack was lost in memories of his own wedding as he danced with Gwen. And yes, that means he was not focused on Ianto when the two were dancing but feeling nostalgic for a long dead wife does not negate his feelings for his current beau (Ianto).
However, with that said, I do still think the entire season has suffered from some schizophrenic writing in regards to Jack and Gwen. It's as if some writers want to portray a tragic, star-crossed Jack/Gwen relationship while others want to show a brooding Jack that pines for Gwen's normalcy. Of one thing the writers have been consistent on is Gwen's 'thing' for Jack, which has been shown from KKBB all the way to this week's episode. I think this ruins her character since it makes her appear unfaithful when she is suppose to be the one with the high moral ground (or am I reading too much into her representation as the 'heart' of Torchwood?).
But anyways, I think, given the Eve saying that she won't cheat on Rhys this season, and the fact we have an Jack/Ianto episode coming up, I remain hopeful that the writer will clarify where the relationships are going so we won't have to argue Jack/Gwen vs. Janto until season three!
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I don't think Jack is jealous of Rhys for having Gwen. I think Jack is jealous of Gwen for having Rhys and the "normal" life he represents, a life that immortality denied Jack long before he joined Torchwood. This is corroborated at the end of the episode, when he comes home to gaze pensively at a century-old picture of his own wedding.
It baffles me that so many people seem to discount this last scene, which you have pointed out puts the entire previous dancing scene between Jack/Gwen into a different perspective. I see much of fandom crying about the Jack/Gwen dance saying that the entire thing shows Jack pining and his disregard for Ianto, whereas I believe that Jack was lost in memories of his own wedding as he danced with Gwen. And yes, that means he was not focused on Ianto when the two were dancing but feeling nostalgic for a long dead wife does not negate his feelings for his current beau (Ianto).
However, with that said, I do still think the entire season has suffered from some schizophrenic writing in regards to Jack and Gwen. It's as if some writers want to portray a tragic, star-crossed Jack/Gwen relationship while others want to show a brooding Jack that pines for Gwen's normalcy. Of one thing the writers have been consistent on is Gwen's 'thing' for Jack, which has been shown from KKBB all the way to this week's episode. I think this ruins her character since it makes her appear unfaithful when she is suppose to be the one with the high moral ground (or am I reading too much into her representation as the 'heart' of Torchwood?).
But anyways, I think, given the Eve saying that she won't cheat on Rhys this season, and the fact we have an Jack/Ianto episode coming up, I remain hopeful that the writer will clarify where the relationships are going so we won't have to argue Jack/Gwen vs. Janto until season three!