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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Apr 22, 2024 11:46:08 GMT
I must say, I don't actually mind the character. He's far less of a cheesy sleaze than I used to think. I think Barrowman's behaviour over the years has soured his reputation for me (I can't be bothered to get into that debate again), but I don't mind the character and Barrowman isn't an awful actor by any means. He comes across as quite likeable in the show. I like him in Series 3, but it terms of impact I often wonder how effective it would have been if he'd actually died in Parting of the Ways and not come back.
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Post by burrunjor on Apr 22, 2024 12:04:07 GMT
Agreed. It's funny he's one of the few things New Who created that was actually good, they had an actor who suited the part, who was eager and the audience liked him, but they refused to use him for years and then dropped him completely. They get it wrong even for their own creations.
I will admit though Torchwood barring a few episodes was bullshit, but I don't think that was the characters fault. I think a spin off about Jack could have worked, but maybe it needed to be set in the future. After Parting of the Ways, we could have shown Jack trying to help humanity rebuild and explore the after effects of the Dalek invasion? Had it be like the 70s Dan Dare series, a 2000 AD type thing. Honestly I know RTD was wanting an Angel type show, but it just didn't work. Angel's characters are not sleazebags like the Torchwood types. They're kind of dorky outcasts, from a failed actress, to a failed watcher, to a drunken chancer, to a dork like Fred, to a street hoodlum like Gunn. Even though they are obviously all played by pretty people, they are kind of under dogs which made them more endearing.
Torchwood however, typically had a shallow reading and just thought of them as all sex symbols and so that was what he went with, whilst adding nothing new to the concept beyond that.
Still there definitely was potential in Jack, and yes I LOVED him Ten and Martha together. Honestly I'd have made him a regular that year. He served as a good buffer between Ten and Martha, stopped it getting too mopey with his up beat persona and his friendship with Martha throughout was very sweet.
John Barrowman meanwhile is a very good actor. I loved his performance as Malcolm Merlyn in Arrow. Completely different type of character to Jack.
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Post by Ludders II on Apr 22, 2024 13:22:48 GMT
Here's a pic from the good old days when Disney Who was not a reality, but was doing its best to be. The bottom ranking in all episode rankings was always Barrowman. A signifier of the lowest of the low, by the standards of the day. Of course nowadays, we have actual Disney Who, and the gratuitous stereotype is no longer just a supporting character. Captain Jack was the precursor, but today the gratuitous stereotype is the so-called 'Doctor' himself.
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Apr 22, 2024 22:18:49 GMT
Agreed. It's funny he's one of the few things New Who created that was actually good, they had an actor who suited the part, who was eager and the audience liked him, but they refused to use him for years and then dropped him completely. They get it wrong even for their own creations. I will admit though Torchwood barring a few episodes was bullshit, but I don't think that was the characters fault. I think a spin off about Jack could have worked, but maybe it needed to be set in the future. After Parting of the Ways, we could have shown Jack trying to help humanity rebuild and explore the after effects of the Dalek invasion? Had it be like the 70s Dan Dare series, a 2000 AD type thing. Honestly I know RTD was wanting an Angel type show, but it just didn't work. Angel's characters are not sleazebags like the Torchwood types. They're kind of dorky outcasts, from a failed actress, to a failed watcher, to a drunken chancer, to a dork like Fred, to a street hoodlum like Gunn. Even though they are obviously all played by pretty people, they are kind of under dogs which made them more endearing. Torchwood however, typically had a shallow reading and just thought of them as all sex symbols and so that was what he went with, whilst adding nothing new to the concept beyond that. Still there definitely was potential in Jack, and yes I LOVED him Ten and Martha together. Honestly I'd have made him a regular that year. He served as a good buffer between Ten and Martha, stopped it getting too mopey with his up beat persona and his friendship with Martha throughout was very sweet. John Barrowman meanwhile is a very good actor. I loved his performance as Malcolm Merlyn in Arrow. Completely different type of character to Jack. I've watched maybe one full episode of Torchwood in my life. Even as a kid I was never compelled to watch the show.
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Post by iank on Apr 22, 2024 23:49:31 GMT
It was godawful and the blatant attempt to turn Jack into a broody Angel clone was both comical and went against the actor's strengths.
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Post by rushy on Apr 23, 2024 0:07:56 GMT
I thought the character was good during the Eccleston year. I was curious to learn about those missing years that the Time Agency stole from him. The concept of the Agency itself was pretty fascinating, and I thought that logically, any kind of spinoff would revolve around that. Like maybe it'd be an eccentric James Bond/Dr Who mix where he travels in time and deals with something like the Temporal Cold War in Star Trek: Enterprise.
The concept of Torchwood didn't interest me, and Jack's later appearances on the show held less and less appeal because they were tied to that.
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Apr 26, 2024 11:01:54 GMT
I thought the character was good during the Eccleston year. I was curious to learn about those missing years that the Time Agency stole from him. Was that ever explained?
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Post by iank on Apr 26, 2024 21:46:00 GMT
Nope lol
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Post by Cherry Pepsi Maxil on Apr 27, 2024 22:17:11 GMT
It's probably revealed in Volume 24 of a Captain Jack audio series or something.
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