Torchwood help, please?

Aug. 4th, 2015 at 10:09 PM

I'm trying to write a fic that includes Jack Harkness while he's at Torchwood, but the problem is that I've never seen Torchwood, so I can't be sure at all that I'm writing him or anything else associated with him in character. Would anyone like to comment on the questions I have about the show?

1. I know that part of the show deals with Jack's relationship with Ianto. Is Jack faithful to him, or does he sleep around like he normally does?

2. Martha appears in a few episodes, according to the IMDB listing. What is her function at Torchwood? Does she leave Torchwood, or does she simply fade into the background (meaning, she still works there, but off-screen)? Does she seem to stay there long?

3. It's implied in Doctor Who that Mickey goes off to work with Jack, at least for a while. Is that addressed at all in Torchwood? I know he never appears in an episode.

4. Do other Torchwood teams exist? Or is Jack's team the only survivor of the Battle of Canary Wharf?

5. I kind of assume that the team is based in Cardiff, and that they don't go off-world, for the most part. Is that true?

Thanks!

Comments

( 11 comments — Leave a comment )

locker_monster

Aug. 5th, 2015 03:13 pm (UTC)

1) I don't believe Jack slept with anyone else when he was with Ianto. He still flirted with people, though.

2) Martha was basically a consultant. She was still working for UNIT during her Torchwood appearances and was in Cardiff to investigate some mysterious deaths. After three episodes she left Cardiff and went back to London.

3) I don't think Mickey ended up working for Torchwood. He doesn't even get a mention from what I can recall.

4) Torchwood Three, the Cardiff office, is the only surviving office. There may be some non-canon offices from the books and audio stories; I'd give the Doctor Who wikia a look through.

5) Yup the team is based in Cardiff and they never showed them going off world.

I hope this was helpful. This Doctor Who wikia is a font of information if you need to investigate further: tardis.wikia.com.

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shivver13

Aug. 5th, 2015 09:39 pm (UTC)

Thanks very much! This is exactly what I needed to know. I'm sad that Mickey didn't return for Torchwood, even for an episode or two. I just happened to read that Noel Clarke had been promised some Torchwood work.

Yeah, I use Tardis Wiki all the time, but sometimes it's hard to find exactly what you need. It would have been hard to answer question 1 or 5 within a reasonable amount of time by reading the wiki. (I will admit that 2, 3, and 4 were definitely wiki material.)

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locker_monster

Aug. 5th, 2015 11:41 pm (UTC)

Yeah, it felt like they were setting up Mickey as a member of Torchwood, but I guess Noel Clarke was committed to something else at the time they were filming "Children of Earth". Though, I don't think there's anything on the show that would contradict the notion that Mickey worked for Torchwood for a time. I mean, how else would he get to know Martha?

Wikis are my friend when I'm writing fic. It's always the case that someone has remembered the detail that I can't remember.

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bas_math_girl

Aug. 5th, 2015 03:24 pm (UTC)

It's been a while since I watched Torchwood in chronological order but from what I remember

1. Jack was totally faithful to Ianto once they got together, and wasn't exactly promiscuous before that.

2. Martha came in as a doctor, rather as a guest appearance more than anything. She as on loan from UNIT; and was supposed to return later but Freema was employed elsewhere.

3. I don't recall Mickey ever being mentioned, despite the his getting a job at Torchwood being mentioned at the end of Journey's End.

4. There are other Torchwood teams (numbers 1 to 4, with one of them mysteriously disappearing) but Jack's team never contact any of the others.

5. Yes, they are based in Cardiff bay, and although some characters do manage to go to other worlds via portals, the main team stay on Earth. Jack escapes on a passing transporter at one point but it'd spoil it for you if I say why.

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shivver13

Aug. 5th, 2015 09:40 pm (UTC)

Thanks very much! With this info, I'm not sure that Jack is the right person for this fic. I really need to watch Torchwood. It's on my list!

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bas_math_girl

Aug. 5th, 2015 09:59 pm (UTC)

The other thing, of course, is that the Jack we see in Torchwood isn't the same as we see in Doctor Who. He is much more thoughtful, responsible, tortured (both literally and mentally), and less playful than the character you are familiar with.
Torchwood is definitely worth watching though, if you can. I love it! But just make sure that you have your box of tissues to hand during S3 - it's an emotional rollercoaster.
I forgot to add that there are 3 radio dramas you can access for free, via iPlayer [bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012hkvt/episodes/player] but it helps to be familiar with the Torchwood team first. :)

Edited at 2015-08-05 10:02 pm (UTC)

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shivver13

Aug. 5th, 2015 11:08 pm (UTC)

Yeah, what little I know about "Torchwood", I figured that Jack wasn't the same. That's one of the reasons why I've never written anything with him in it, especially something which obviously would be set during or after "Torchwood", because I just don't know the character.

I just so need to set some time aside to start watching. The box set is literally sitting on the top of the pile of "need to watch" on the table in front of the TV. (The previous top spot was "Takin' Over the Asylum", which I'm halfway through. It's awesome!)

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bas_math_girl

Aug. 5th, 2015 11:18 pm (UTC)

I can totally understand your reticence in writing Jack; especially for something set during Torchwood. Once you do watch it, I'd love to know what you think about it.

Oh my goodness! "Takin' Over the Asylum" is fabulous!!! I waited years and years for the DVD of that to come out (a good 15 years or so), and we watched it avidly when it was first shown. That was our very first sighting of David Tennant, so we looked out for him after that.

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shivver13

Aug. 6th, 2015 04:58 pm (UTC)

He is absolutely fantastic in TOtA! I've heard that he thinks now that he over-acted in it, but I think it was well-suited to the manic Campbell. The show in general is really good and I love Eddie. I especially loved Rosalie's story. The scene where she finally tells Campbell what happened to her son was heartbreaking. I also loved Campbell's manic scene (um, wow, that was an incredible monologue) and then finding out he'd faked it to stay in the asylum. I haven't had the time to watch the last three episodes in the last week, but I'm looking forward to doing so this weekend.

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