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[solitary_summer]

30 Days of Torchwood: Day 22: Favourite Jack Moment

*sigh* There are a couple of moments from CoE I could probably pick, but most of them are just too painful to fit the 'favourite' category. The conversation with Alice in Day One is brilliant and heartbreaking, though. Family is something that RTD always writes really well.

After some deliberation, the scene between Jack and Adam at the end of Adam. I'm still not sure the thing with Jack's memories makes complete sense, but it's one of my favourite episodes regardless and I've always loved that scene. Jack's wariness, then giving in to the temptation, the brief moment of happiness, the raw, undisguised grief and longing changing into outrage when he realises what Adam had done, and then you suddenly see the other, older, colder, Jack coming through as he holds up the pill again, and Adam tells him if he takes it now, he'll lose everything, and Jack just looks at him, still with tears in his eyes and on his face, and rolls the pill between his fingers just a bit, his face hardening by the moment. And then swallows it, and slides down the wall, still struggling to hold on to the memories as they turn into dust. You see a lot of Jack in those four and a half minutes.

I don't really care if it's objectively good acting or bad acting; I'm not a judge of that. But it works for me completely and breaks my heart every time.

(And here's another moment I really like, but that somehow never fit into any of the CoE meta: Jack's last line at the end of Day Three: When he tells Gwen that in 1965 he gave the 456 the twelve children there's nothing but regret and shame and horror at what he'd done in his voice. But then Gwen asks, 'What for?', and Jack says, 'As a gift', and his voice... changes. His face changes. All the emotion disappears again. And suddenly you see the man who did that, who was able to do that. Once again, a lot of Jack in just three lines.)



Day 01: Favourite Torchwood Member
Day 02: Least Favourite Torchwood Member
Day 03: Favourite Series
Day 04: Favourite Episode
Day 05: Least Favourite Episode
Day 06: Something You Liked That Most People Didn't
Day 07: Favourite Alien/Villain
Day 08: Favourite Minor Character
Day 09: A Scene That Made You Cry
Day 10: A Scene That Made You Smile
Day 11: A Scene That Made You Angry
Day 12: Favourite Quote
Day 13: Favourite Promo Picture
Day 14: Favourite Couple
Day 15: Favourite Couple Scene
Day 16: Favourite Piece of Music
Day 17: Something You’d Like To Re-write
Day 18: Character You Relate To The Most
Day 19: Favourite Outfit
Day 20: Favourite Gwen Moment
Day 21: Favourite Ianto Moment
Day 22: Favourite Jack Moment
Day 23: Favourite Owen Moment
Day 24: Favourite Toshiko Moment
Day 25: Shag/Cliff/Marry?
Day 26: A Torchwood Geek Moment You’ve Had
Day 27: Favourite Location Or Set
Day 28: Where You Think The Series Should Continue To
Day 29: Best Torchwood on Doctor Who Moment
Day 30: Why You Love Torchwood

Comments

[elisi]

I've been all rushed off my feet, but wanted to come back to this post.

and then you suddenly see the other, older, colder, Jack coming through as he holds up the pill again, and Adam tells him if he takes it now, he'll lose everything, and Jack just looks at him, still with tears in his eyes and on his face, and rolls the pill between his fingers just a bit, his face hardening by the moment. And then swallows it, and slides down the wall, still struggling to hold on to the memories as they turn into dust. You see a lot of Jack in those four and a half minutes.
*nods a lot* There is a fic I want to rec, but I can't find it. If I do, I'll link you, it was brilliant and touched on this exact thing.

But then Gwen asks, 'What for?', and Jack says, 'As a gift', and his voice... changes. His face changes. All the emotion disappears again. And suddenly you see the man who did that, who was able to do that. Once again, a lot of Jack in just three lines.)
Oh God, this. I have never found the words to properly describe how amazing that moment is. It's almost as if he's standing outside himself, surprised at what he did. Because it's a terrible, terrible answer, the kind of thing that belongs in legends, dark and bloody. And yet he did it. Without a single word of protest.

[solitary-summer.livejournal.com]

It's fascinating how much of CoE it's difficult to find words for... I don't think mine are adequate either, but it's the best I could do, and I wanted to finally bring this up somewhere. It's such a good moment that says so much about Jack and how his mind works. I love these moments when you get a glimpse of those layers of personality, instead of only seeing the one Jack choses to project. (Again, bad choice of words. *sigh*)

[elisi]

I know what you mean though. And yes, it's near-impossible to pin down.

Anyway that multilayeredness was one of the reasons I enjoyed writing 'My Immortal' so much. Because if anyone's an expert when it comes to 'centuries-old guys with a dark past who may or may not be evil' it's Buffy... But, it was the layers that made it interesting, the way Jack let Buffy glimpse different sides, different parts (sometimes on purpose, sometimes by accident), and I loved writing that story way, way too much. *sigh* I sometimes think I could write Jack forever.

[elisi]

I found the fic! *dances*

We All Fall Down.

Really, really excellent.

[solitary-summer.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you so much. This is really good.

It’s dark and cold where they are now, and the whispering voices are no longer enticing, but angry and ugly and scared. They are at the edge of a pit and when Adam peers over, it looks like it goes on and on forever.

“This is me, too.” Jack says, shoving him closer to the edge. “Are you scared yet?”

Whoa. I love this metaphor.

I really should start reading fanfiction again...

[elisi]

Whoa. I love this metaphor.
This post reminded me of it, since it's one of the best attempts at capturing Jack that I've ever come across.