Jack and Mr.Jones
I was browsing for something to read in WHSmiths and saw issue 5 of the Torchwood Magazine. Normally I’m not one for buying the tie-in magazines for TV shows, but the front cover story of this one was the Jack/Ianto relationship. Or, as they call it, ‘Jack & Jones’.
‘Go you!’ I thought. ‘Finally an acknowledgment that this is a big factor in the show’s appeal, rather than just an afterthought.’ So I bought it. And I’m really quite glad I did, because there was stuff in there which doesn’t seem to have made it into fandom knowledge yet. Such as the fact that the Zombie resurrection thread which ended up going to Owen was originally planned for Ianto.
After all the ‘King Ianto’s Coffee Club’ icons I’ve seen going around fandom, it was a weird blast of deja vu to find Gareth talking about how someone had told him all about it, and even made it a logo. And it was with a great sense of fandom pride that I grinned at this page:
I was also very interested in what Gareth said about Ianto’s love for the stopwatch, his diary, and old films: he likes things which are low-tech, and which are therefore more reliable. Things which are not going to die on him just when he needs them; because there’s a power shortage or whatever. And in that context, that is part of what he likes about Jack. Jack’s immortality means that Jack is not going to unexpectedly die on him either. To that extent, Jack is far more solid and reliable than anyone else. Given how much Ianto is clearly prepared to invest in a relationship, and his experience with Lisa, that just seems to make so much sense.
Altogether more thoughtful stuff than I expected in a tie-in magazine. And I liked the fashion tips too 😉 (Apparently Ianto’s earlier suits are Marks and Spencers’ best, whereas recently he’s been going for designer. Shame on him! I assumed he’d be into bespoke tailoring, given his father. But perhaps he can’t afford that yet?)
