Every time I see John Barrowman talk about Ianto’s death in COE, I can’t help but wonder how he must have felt about it when it happened.
I mean, in the KKBB interview back in April, he did talk about how Ianto and Jack’s relationship really mirrored his own relationship, and that was part of the reason why it was so important to him (or something to that effect).
But I mean, I think a lot about how pissed off I am at the blatant ‘bury your gays’ in COE and the fact that Ianto’s death made no real sense except as cheap drama. I can’t imagine how it must have felt playing this incredible immortal action hero from the future whose attraction knows no bounds of gender, playing this character whose personality is so incredibly similar to his own, and having this onscreen relationship with another male character that is so front-and-center, and has such a massive impact on so many people, only to have one of the characters straight up die for no real, justifiable reason.
And it’s not even a very dignified death. Ianto (as Gareth has repeatedly said) did not go down in a hail of bullets saving the world. His death didn’t mean saving the world, and it didn’t serve as Jack’s atonement or whatever other bullshit. He’s choked by alien poison and dies among everybody else. He is one of hundreds of bodies under those red sheets, even when is entire character arc focuses around him finding his place, finding his purpose in the world. But he dies just like everyone else.
And one can’t help but read that as meaning, “Ianto and Jack didn’t deserve to get a happy ending. There was nowhere for their relationship to go. Bullshit. Fucking. Absolute. Bullshit.
“nowhere for their relationship to go” “they would have just sat at home drinking tea” FUCKING. WHERES THE PROBLEM.
What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with two male characters in a loving relationship living together and drinking tea who just happen to save the world sometimes? What’s wrong with Ianto and Jack being together, and it not having to be exciting?
Isn’t Torchwood supposed to be about humans who live real lives and just happen to work for an organization that hunts aliens? Isn’t that the point?
make it make sense. please.
sorry for the rant i just,,,, gahhh i have a lot of feelings.
