Chemistry

[sinjinh1.livejournal.com]

I thought aobut something while I was watching COE last night and the JB marathon that BBCA had on Sunday.  There's not any chemistry between John Barrowman and Eve Myles.  There was chemistry between John and Billie Piper.  There was chemistry between John and Freema Agyeman.  And don't get me started on the chemistry between John and Gareth.  To me for it to be an effective pairing there has to be chemistry between the actors.  I don't think it's there between John and Eve.  At least not in a romantic way.  I see it between Eve and Kai Owen. 

Forget that I can't stand the character, because I can't otherwise I wouldn't be part of this community.  I just don't see why the PTB at Torchwood, especially RTD, seem to take glee in forcing a pairing that wouldn't work down our throats.

Comments

[sleepyheathen.livejournal.com]

Completely agree, I've never seen any chemistry there.
Of course I don't see chemistry in a lot of relationships that are actually canon in my other fandoms, and sometimes I'm afraid that I'm crazy and there's actually crazy chemistry, so it's good to see that others agree with me, at least here.

[sinjinh1.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm still trying to see the chemistry between Sarah and Grissom on CSI. Let alone Jack and Gwen.

[slns7552.livejournal.com]

I also have never seen any chemistry. Not even in the so-called hot target range scene. All of their scenes seemed forced.

[sinjinh1.livejournal.com]

Their actions do seem forced. And I didn't find that target range scene hot at all. I just don't get it, but hey, I'm not the only one.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

You certainly aren't. That scene made me laugh hysterically. My mother came over from the other room to see why I was giving those weird noses...

[blucougar.livejournal.com]

In that scene in ep 3, where Jack was teaching Gwen to shoot, it seemed like any chemistry being felt was entirely on Gwen's side.
Jack was definitely flirting with her, but I think he took more pleasure in her delight at mastering the weapons than in her responses to said flirting.

[sinjinh1.livejournal.com]

And Jack flirts with anyone and everyone. He flirted with at least three different persons in Utopia.

I think you're right that he took more pleasure in her mastering the weapons than with the flirting.

[holdingoff.livejournal.com]

stepping back from the characters and looking at the actors themselves, i would venture to say the reason we mostly fail to see any on screen chemistry between JB and EM is because they both have the same acting foibles. As much as I like JB, he is a musical theatre actor and that's BIG and EXAGGERATED so you can see all the way in the back. EM seems to do the same thing- everything is melodramatic. Put the two together and it's just a train wreck.

both Kai and Gareth are much more subtle actors when given the chance and that's why each works so well when paired with the polar opposite acting styles. Naoko Mori and Burn Gorman could also tone things down and could effectively pull JB's acting into line; but EM, let's be blunt. She's a soap opera actress with all of the failings that comes with.

RTD designed Torchwood as a vehicle for EM and as is readily apparent in all of the publicity for all 3 series, she is the main focus. JB got billing because he was the Doctor Who link and (as both RTD and JG reluctantly admitted in the TW pre-air special on BBCA) very popular with the audience. i doubt there was much of any actual testing of the two together before shooting because anyone with even a bit o experience would have to sit back and say, "erm, no. that's not working."

[sinjinh1.livejournal.com]

I think if they had screen tested the two of them together, she might not have gotten cast. From what I understood, Torchwood was supposed to have been built around Jack, but RTD always did have his own agenda. I'm not looking forward to a season 4 if there is one. And quite frankly I don't think there will be, neither do my friends. They agree that no one would watch the Gwen show.

[ceindreadh.livejournal.com]

If they'd screen tested them together, EM would still have been cast, because IIRC, she was the one the show was written for. (didn't you read her interview where she says it's filmed in Cardiff because of her? Guess BBC Wales had nothing to do with that)

From what I've heard, RTD wanted a show called Excalibur, featuring a Gwen like character, but he couldn't get it off the ground until he added Captain Jack and tied it in to Doctor Who.

[onlyoneargess.livejournal.com]

I guess BBC Wales didn't get their memo.

Here in the States, if/when an actor is cast. Most of the time the studio, production house, and station agree to casting or it doesn't happen.

I guess things are different in the UK.

[wingslapped.livejournal.com]

This makes me think of the How do you solve a problem like maria scenes where John works with the girls on being comfortable with a leading man, forming a connection, and then surprise them with a snog. He had more chemistry with some of them than with Eve.

[maxine-mirkwood.livejournal.com]

THIS. A thousand times this. It's exactly why I feel that RTD steadily slaughtered the rest of the cast until we were only left with what he had decided we were supposed to like and exactly why I can't understand how wiser and less emotionally involved heads in the BBC would let them get rid of all the more capable actors in the show. The only thing I can see that suggests there's any kind of common sense prevailing here at all is in the strength of the incidental cast in CoE, maybe this is the plan for the future - single story lines mostly involving the non-Torchwood characters played by solid, recognisable British actors while JB and EM mug their way through forced UST in the background. Not my Torchwood but I suppose if they think they can get 5 million+ casual viewers to tune in for it, they're not exactly going to worry if there's no "fans" any more.

[jsks.livejournal.com]

my sister who has been avoiding spoilers for the show kept complaining through out tonight's episode about all the gwen time and asking where ianto and jack where. jb and gdl could take turns reading the phone book together and i would watch because of the spark between them.

[sinjinh1.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think JB had all of three lines last night. But he was naked. It was a bit too much the Gwen show last night, but I suppose we have to get used to that.

[stargazer60.livejournal.com]

YES! I've been thinking this way for a LONG time....

[crystalshard.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure. I certainly don't see any between Jack and Gwen, but I do see chemistry between John and Eve. This kind of discrepancy may be where a lot of the confusion on the part of the writers/producers is coming from - because John and Eve get on so well, they don't realise that it doesn't translate to their onscreen characters.

[zen_raven.livejournal.com]

Or it does, but it's just not SEXUAL chemistry. I could see Jack and Gwen being playful together and egging each other on, but when they try the smoldering sexy thing, it's just epic fail.

[crystalshard.livejournal.com]

*nod* Good point. I saw a tiny flare of it when Rhys was following Gwen around in Meat, and Jack and Gwen met by the water tower.

Perhaps if we'd seen more of Jack and Gwen being playful, rather than the attempts at intimacy that we were given, it would have been more believeable that there was chemistry there.

[emzbuckley.livejournal.com]

I've always seen Gwack as more of a student teacher thing. He's the teacher and she is this young student who has a crush on her teacher and tries to get his attention but he isn;t really interested in her. I have seen girls like this at school where they try and try to get the teacher to cave in and be with them but then they find out they have a partner and they jealous and try to get them to have an affair, its sad really. And that is what her behaviour in season 2 is, she basically is jealous because he chose someone else and she was acting out like a spoiled brat.

As for chemistry, as time has gone on, i think there has been less and less chemistry between them. There is far more chemistry between GDL and JB both on and off screen. But i also think the there seems to be a divide between the cast and Eve, as more time goes on. Probably not helped by the fact that the whole writing and directing cast seem to be up her arse. I bet they are all pissed off with the whole eve is the best and she is the only thing in the show thing. And even worse she is starting to believe it.

As for acting, i think, there has been a big improvement in John's acting over time. There has been no difference in Eve's what so ever. Looking at her ep in DW to how she is in TW, there has been no change. John has definately refined his his acting from how he was at the beginning as is showing the signs of being a real power actor, his acting in ep 5 was amazing.

[ruby-took.livejournal.com]

I'm very late to this discussion, but I've just been reading through old posts, and I felt the need to comment.

As for acting, i think, there has been a big improvement in John's acting over time. There has been no difference in Eve's what so ever.

And John continues to improve. I don't know if you're watching him in the new show "Arrow", but I think he's doing some incredible stuff there, getting surprisingly subtle at times, too.

I think the most dangerous thing Eve can do to her career is to believe all that kool-aid about being such a brilliant actress, because it can easily lead to her believing that there is no room for improvement. And acting is a bit like science that way: if you start to believe that you know everything, no longer need to improve anything, don't need to question your methods, etc, you won't get very far with it.