Ianto Jones
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| Torchwood character | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Ianto Jones | |
| Affiliated with | Torchwood Institute |
| Race | Human |
| Home planet | Earth |
| Home era | Early 21st century |
| First appearance | "Everything Changes" |
| Portrayed by | Gareth David-Lloyd |
Ianto Jones (born August 19th 1983) is a fictional character and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who, played by Gareth David-Lloyd.
Ianto Jones acts as Torchwood Three's "general support officer". His job entails manning the reception desk in the Information Centre that acts as a cover, administering the computer systems, serving coffee and tea, receiving reports and cleaning up loose ends – such as covering up deaths and destroying information that could trigger "retconned" memories. While he primarily functions as an administrator for the team's headquarters, Ianto does, and is fully able to, accompany the team on investigations.
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[edit] Appearances
[edit] Television
Before joining Torchwood Three in Cardiff, he worked as a junior researcher at Torchwood One, based in Canary Wharf, London. During the events of Doctor Who episode "Doomsday", his girlfriend, Lisa Hallett, was partially converted into a Cyberman. In events shown in flashback in the episode "Fragments", he found the whereabouts of Torchwood Three (Cardiff), and helped Captain Jack Harkness in a Weevil attack. He begged a reluctant Harkness for a job, and whilst helping him capture a pterodactyl, convinced Harkness to recruit him in a support role. In a conversation with Harkness just prior to his recruitment, he falsely stated that Lisa was dead. Once recruited, he took Lisa to Torchwood Three, hiding her in the basement until a "cure" for the partial cyber-conversion could be found. However, Lisa's Cyberman personality asserted itself over her human emotions and she tried to take over the Hub, intending to use it as a staging area for a new Cyberman army. Viewing her incomplete conversion to cyber form as "flawed", Lisa transplanted her own brain into the body of a pizza delivery girl to begin the process anew together with Ianto, but her new body was shot and killed by the rest of the team ("Cyberwoman").
In "Everything Changes" he hacks into Gwen Cooper's computer and erases a document containing information about Torchwood. Aside from his quiet efficiency, little is initially revealed of Ianto's personality. He is the only Torchwood agent not shown as having taken an alien artifact home in "Everything Changes", and his personal page on the Torchwood website was originally empty except for an apology for not updating. After "Cyberwoman" aired, the page now contains instant messenger and online counselling session transcripts (the latter dated incorrectly as 2006), as well as pictures of him and Lisa prior to the events of "Doomsday".[1]
The others appear to take the quietly efficient Ianto for granted; during the events of "Cyberwoman", they pay little attention to him before the mayhem starts. When interrogated on what else he is hiding from the team, Ianto bitterly replies that he just "cleans up [their] shit... no questions asked" and that they never ask him about his life. At one point he calls Jack a monster and threatens to leave him to die if given the opportunity to save him. Although the Cyberwoman incident places strain on his relationship with the rest of the team, he returns to work the next day with Jack's tacit approval. In an attempt to show he has put the incident behind him, Jack tries to be friendly and even pats Ianto on the back in "Small Worlds", although the conversation about the teams' last kisses in "Countrycide" reveals that there is still some lingering tension between the two over the incident.
In the episode "Countrycide", Ianto starts to take a more active role. He describes to Toshiko Sato his inability to comprehend the adrenaline rush she and the other Torchwood members share in the face of danger. Like Gwen, his humanity is highlighted, but he makes attempts to actively fight alongside his colleagues.
In the episode "Out of Time", he is able to calculate the amount of money for food that Emma has left, quickly in his head, even when she grabs multiple chocolate products after finding out that she has some money left over.
In the closing scenes of "They Keep Killing Suzie", it is hinted that Ianto may be having a sexual relationship with Jack. This is supported by an instant messenger conversation between him and Jack on the Torchwood Institute website that suggests that like teammates Jack, Toshiko and possibly Owen and Gwen, Ianto is bisexual; Ianto also explains he would not resurrect Lisa with a second resurrection gauntlet,[2]. This is confirmed in the first part of the season finale, "Captain Jack Harkness", when Owen makes remarks about the sexual nature of Ianto and Jack's relationship and the conclusion, "End of Days" when Jack kisses Ianto after returning to life.
In "Captain Jack Harkness", Ianto and Owen spar for leadership of the team with both Jack and Toshiko trapped in the 1940s, although Owen asserts he is second-in-command, replacing Suzie Costello who previously held the title. However, Ianto displays authority in Jack's absence that Owen was not aware he had. Ianto goes as far as to shoot Owen in the shoulder to prevent him using the Rift Manipulator. In "End of Days", an apparition of Lisa convinces Ianto to side with Owen against Jack. After believing Jack was dead, a distraught Ianto breathes in the scent of his coat, in a scene reminiscent of Brokeback Mountain, and seeing Jack alive at the end of the episode, the two kiss upon reunion.
After Jack's disappearance he, along with the rest of the Torchwood Three team, was dispatched on a "wild goose chase" to the Himalayas by Mr. Saxon.
By the second season premier "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" Ianto has apparently taken on a more active role in the Torchwood Team (taking part in field missions) to compensate for the space left by Captain Jack. When Jack returned, he asked Ianto out on a date, which Ianto accepted. In the episode, Ianto meets Jack's ex-partner, the nefarious rogue Captain John Hart. Jack and Ianto's relationship continues to develop, and Ianto confirms it verbally in a conversation with Martha Jones in the episode "Reset", and in another conversation Ianto has with Owen Harper in the episode "A Day in the Death".
In "Adam", it is revealed that Ianto keeps a paper diary, which he uses to write down interesting Rift activity as well as more personal concerns. When he confronted 'Adam' about his role in the Torchwood team, the alien gave Ianto false memories of killing three women, which affected him deeply. He was eventually able to rid himself of these memories when Jack retconned the team to purge the alien's influence. The entire Torchwood Three team lost a total of 48 hours. In "Something Borrowed", Ianto reveals that his father was a master tailor, the first real clue to Ianto's background we have had yet in the series. At the end of Something Borrowed is the first public display of Ianto and Jack's relationship, when they dance together at Gwen's wedding. In "From Out of the Rain", Ianto tells Gwen and Owen that he used to go to the Electro movie theatre with his father as a child.
In "Adrift", Gwen walks in on Ianto and Jack, who are half-naked and (presumably) engaged in some sort of sexual act. Before resuming, Ianto points Gwen to a package on her desk, containing a GPS unit with the location of the secret facility on Flat Holm island. This provides a resolution to Gwen's private investigations into missing persons, which she had pursued even though Jack had ordered it closed. Later in the episode, Jack states that the location had to have been supplied by Ianto.
In "Exit Wounds", Captain John takes Jack prisoner and Ianto is desperate to save him, to the point where he nearly attacks Captain John and threatens to kill him "very slowly" if Jack is not alright. When Jack finally returns, Ianto hugs him along with Gwen. Later in the episode Toshiko and Owen die and Ianto is given the job of updating their records. He looks distressed when doing so and sad when he watches Tosh's final goodbye. The Series ends with Ianto, Jack and Gwen standing together in The Hub.
An unrelated character named Yanto Jones, also played by Gareth David-Lloyd, appeared in the 2004 comedy/drama Mine All Mine, written by Torchwood creator Russell T. Davies.[3] Where he played the blind date of Leo Vivaldi. But upon completion of the show the last 2 episodes were made into a 90 minute episode so all of his scenes were cut.
[edit] Literature
Ianto appears in the first six of the Torchwood novels, published by BBC Books. The first wave, Another Life by Peter Anghelides,[4] Border Princes by Dan Abnett,[5] and Slow Decay by Andy Lane,[6] were published in January 2007.
Published in March 2008, and tying in with the concurrently airing second series of Torchwood, Ianto appears in the novels Trace Memory by David Llewellyn,[7] The Twilight Streets by Gary Russell,[8] and Something in the Water by Trevor Baxendale.[9]
Ianto also appears in the first two Torchwood audio books, Hidden by Steven Savile, narrated by Naoko Mori (who plays Toshiko).[10] and Everyone Says Hello by Dan Abnett, narrated by Burn Gorman (who plays Owen).[11]
Ianto's first week at Torchwood One is shown in a flashback in the novel Trace Memory. The segment also depicts his budding relationship with Lisa Hallett. Also expanding on Jones' time living in London, the comic The Legacy of Torchwood One! (Torchwood #1) shows how Ianto was taken under the wing of Rupert Howarth, a senior researcher, during his first few weeks at Torchwood One.
Ianto's dedication to Jack is displayed in the book "The Twilight Streets". Where he is only half being controlled unlike the rest of the team, minus Jack, in the dream sequence of himself, Jack, Toshiko and Owen is killed in a possible future where Tosh, Owen and Gwen are using Jacks imortality as a way of harnessing rift energy, Ianto tries desperatly to save Jack. Ianto also mentions he spends some time with Jack on roofs, but Jack doesn't like roller coasters, calling them death traps, Ianto says this to Gwen up on the roof of the millennium stadium.
As with all Doctor Who and Torchwood spin-off media, the canonicity in relation to the television series is unclear.[12]
In the torchwood magazine Gareth David-Lloyd admitted Ianto was originally the character who was supposed to die at the end on 'Reset', after meeting with both Gareth David-Lloyd and Burn Gorman, Russell T Davies decided that Owen should instead be the one to die, since he enjoys his life more openly then Ianto in the show.
[edit] Character development
Initially, in series 1, Ianto is a quiet and more reserved character. Throughout the first series, Ianto's secrets are exposed to the team, particularly in "Cyberwoman" when his motives for joining Torchwood Three are exposed. From this point, Ianto's focus changes and he begins more and more to come out of his shell. Appearing in series 2, Ianto now assists the team in field missions and is used by the writers as a vehicle for one-liner jokes. Commenting on this, portrayor Gareth David-Lloyd notes that "This season it's much more relaxed and he's not all about keeping secrets, he's about Torchwood and Jack - he's found his meaning and his place so his dry humour comes out a lot more and he’s happier."[13]
[edit] Cultural impact and reception
The British entertainment and technology news website Digital Spy awarded Ianto the status of "Cult Spy Icon", describing him as a "cult legend", citing his dour demeanor, one-liners and "eye candy" label as contributing factors in this.[14] Gay men's website AfterElton.com placed Ianto as their seventh best gay and bisexual character in modern science fiction (encompassing television, film and comic books), ranking higher than Buffy character Andrew Wells, with Torchwood's Jack, Ianto's lover, receiving first place.[15]
[edit] References
- ^ About Us: Ianto Jones. Torchwood External Hub Interface. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
- ^ Torchwood External Hub Interface - Jack and Ianto instant messenger transcript
- ^ Mine All Mine: Episode 5. TV.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
- ^ Anghelides, Peter (January 2007). Another Life. BBC Books. ISBN 978-0-563-48655-8.
- ^ Abnett, Dan (January 2007). Border Princes. BBC Books. ISBN 978-0-563-48654-1.
- ^ Lane, Andy (January 2007). Slow Decay. BBC Books. ISBN 978-0-563-48655-8.
- ^ Llewwellyn, David (March 2008). Trace Memory. BBC Books. ISBN 184607438X.
- ^ Russell, Gary (March 2008). The Twilight Streets. BBC Books. ISBN 1846074398.
- ^ Baxendale, Trevor (March 2008). Something in the Water. BBC Books. ISBN 1846074371.
- ^ Dan Abnett (author), Burn Gorman (narrator). (2008-02-04). Everyone Says Hello [Audio book]. BBC Audio. Retrieved on 2008-04-06.
- ^ Stephen Gray. "The Whoniverse Guide to Canon", Whoniverse.org. Retrieved on 2006-12-30.
- ^ TExclusive Interview: 'TORCHWOOD'S' GARETH DAVID-LLOYD TALKS ABOUT LOVING CAPTAIN JACK. If Magazine (2008-03-31). Retrieved on 2008-04-02.
- ^ Cult Spy Icon: Ianto Jones ('Torchwood'). DigitalSpy (2008-01-13). Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
- ^ Ten Best Gay and Bisexual Science Fiction Characters. AfterElton.com (2008-01-20). Retrieved on 2008-01-21.
[edit] External links
- Ianto Jones on the BBC's Torchwood website
- Ianto Jones on the BBC-created Torchwood Institute website
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