I just finished watching the episode, and it definitely lived up to its promise. Way fun! And Goddess knows, after all the angst of the past 2 episodes, everyone needed this. I loved snarky!Tosh in this episode, and that she no longer wimps out around Owen. Those cards are on the table, and if they aren't exactly picked up and played, they are seen and acknowledged. Owen has also settled down a bit, and is being realistic about his new limitations rather than flailing against them.
Gwen's the least broken member of the team. However, she's terribly torn between the comforting normalcy of her life with Rhys and the incredible wonders and terrors of Torchwood, and has been threatening to break apart since S1. This lies at the heart of the Rhys/Gwen/Jack dynamic. She needs both normalcy/Rhys and Torchwood/Jack, and both need her. She's not a great candidate for a liminal figure, but that's part of her appeal, I think. As annoying as Gwen can be (and, dear Gods, has she been annoying in S2!), her struggles to navigate the murky waters of conscience and need, duty and desire in a very strange world go far to redeem her for me. She's fundamentally mundane in a way that her teammates are not, which enables her to play the role she does for Jack and for everyone.
I'm curious to read more about your thoughts on Jack and Ianto's relationship. I'm not sure I follow your metaphor, but I know it'll be interesting to see you unpack it and lay it out for us. The Ianto/Jack moments in this episode were wonderful, and it was sweet to see them on the dance floor together. Although there weren't many people to see it (and no one outside of the team and Rhys will remember it), it was a significant declaration for Ianto, I think. I doubt Jack cares who knows who he's "dabbling" with, but he knows that Ianto cares, and is willing to let Ianto set the pace.
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Gwen's the least broken member of the team. However, she's terribly torn between the comforting normalcy of her life with Rhys and the incredible wonders and terrors of Torchwood, and has been threatening to break apart since S1. This lies at the heart of the Rhys/Gwen/Jack dynamic. She needs both normalcy/Rhys and Torchwood/Jack, and both need her. She's not a great candidate for a liminal figure, but that's part of her appeal, I think. As annoying as Gwen can be (and, dear Gods, has she been annoying in S2!), her struggles to navigate the murky waters of conscience and need, duty and desire in a very strange world go far to redeem her for me. She's fundamentally mundane in a way that her teammates are not, which enables her to play the role she does for Jack and for everyone.
I'm curious to read more about your thoughts on Jack and Ianto's relationship. I'm not sure I follow your metaphor, but I know it'll be interesting to see you unpack it and lay it out for us. The Ianto/Jack moments in this episode were wonderful, and it was sweet to see them on the dance floor together. Although there weren't many people to see it (and no one outside of the team and Rhys will remember it), it was a significant declaration for Ianto, I think. I doubt Jack cares who knows who he's "dabbling" with, but he knows that Ianto cares, and is willing to let Ianto set the pace.