As I got back into watching some of my favorite time-travelers over the holidays, and saw many of my friends, real life and online, dive headfirst into falling in love with the Doctor for the first time, I started thinking about these two particular men.
The time-travelers in question? Obviously, the Doctor, and his on-again, off-again traveling companion and savior, Captain Jack Harkness.
Why the reference to a random John Tobias (not the guy who wrote Mortal Kombat) poem in the title? Because it popped into my head (I have a book with that poem) and it seemed to fit. These guys are seriously old and have been incredibly well-preserved, hence the pickling theory. Also, I think they are a gift. A gift to the world of science fiction television and a gift to the people who like eye candy.
I like both Doctor Who and Torchwood, as many people out there do, but my husband isn't a fan of Torchwood. So we started talking about why he thought DW was better, why he didn't like TW, but why he still thinks Captain Jack is kickass.
Reason #1:
Doctor Who, while scary, creepy, and serious, is still light-hearted, campy, and fun when it wants to be. Torchwood is basically creepy as frak (see episode 6 from the very first season, "Countrycide" for proof).
Apparently Torchwood is too procedural-y and X-Files alien-y for the boy. He doesn't like crime procedurals, and I suppose it is a bit like that, so if that style of storytelling isn't your cup of tea, then perhaps you'd feel strongly about it.
In Defense of Jack:
We came to the conclusion that he's the perfect foil for the Doctor when he's with the Doctor. When he's leading his Cardiff crew, whatever... But he's kind of the opposite of everything the Doctor stands for, and yet, he saves the Doctor's ass more than once. They're both basically immortal for one reason or another. They both have lived a long time, traveled extensively, seen much of the known universe, and are both incredibly attractive. I think the similarities end there, though, and this is a good thing. We don't really need to Doctors running around do we? Well, ok, there's this one time, but I won't spoil anything. ;)
Like I said, Jack is everything the Doctor isn't. He's dashing, charming, and (wo)manizing. The Doctor, while he does fall for a few women here and there isn't an overt flirt, nor is he exactly dashing. More like charming in an accidental, bumblingly cute kind of way (Keep in mind, I'm talking about Tennant's Tenth here). The Doctor prefers to talk first, a negotiator, upholder of the Shadow Proclamation. Good ol' Jack, who's participated in his fair share of fights, wars, and battles (and isn't scarred by it as the Doctor) is a bit more like Han. Shoot first, ask questions later. I guess what I'm saying is, Jack Harkness is the gangsta to the Doctor's nerdy self, and that's all right with me.
One last note. Because my brain doesn't think in this way very often, I wouldn't have ever discovered this, but did you know that Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who?
2 comments:
oooh i really need to start watching torchwood. it's been on my list, but i haven't gotten to it yet. i love creepy stuff and copy shows :)
I think Jack's an excellent foil for The Doctor and I love how they go back & forth on things like Jack's wrist-strap. Or guns. I think I love The Doctor more than I love Jack, but the pain that Jack goes through...living past people, dying over and over...his version of immortality carries the same pain as The Doctor's (suddenly thinking of what happened to the TW team before the one on the show).
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