Torchwood Questionnaire: Why Bring Back The Teaboy?

It was September 7th of 2009 that the fan-base for Ianto Jones took a harsh blow. Worldwide, the people watched in shock as a sharp dressed Welshman died from airborne viral exposure – right in the arms of an immortal man. Soon after there were monuments set out in Wales in the wake of his passing, and a campaign was started to spread the word about his importance. The people of the world issued a plea to have Ianto Jones returned to Torchwood even after Miracle Day came to America through the STARZ network. There are many questions that should be answered first to justify why this amazing civil servant should be resurrected.

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Q: What experience did Ianto bring to the Torchwood team?

A: Ianto Jones didn’t just serve within the HUB of Torchwood Three, Cardiff. His first run in with aliens was actually in London when he worked in the labs of Torchwood One. That branch was located in Canary Wharf, using the sky scraper to blend in without any officials asking questions. His job there was to prepare the labs for any technological and biological experiments needed to learn about aliens. He also carried quite a bit of tech support skill in the form of hacking through public and private records. Ianto also fought to protect his girlfriend Lisa, in a feat of loyalty during the Battle of Canary Wharf. From what we could see on screen he also had a way about dealing with aliens without hurting them, whether it be hands on or indirect. All of these skills and personality traits carried on when he continued to work within Torchwood Three, Cardiff.

Q: Ianto wasn’t a field worker, so why would his job be important?

A: Ianto’s job may not be directly on the front line, but it was necessary in order to keep the members of the team sane during the long hours without a break. He offered them the essentials such as food and drink, kept their paperwork organized, did all the cleaning and also gave moral support when they needed it the most. On the rare occasion when his job did land him on the front line, Ianto had also been the figure to protect or enforce the team in any way necessary. In general, Ianto Jones went above and beyond the usual job description – which had built up over time to make him important.

Q: Back then, could the team manage without him?

A: No, not without a challenge. Whether the team members admitted it or not, they depended upon the things Ianto did for them. When the rush of rift activity surged a wave over the HUB even Captain Jack couldn’t find time for the little things. That’s what Ianto’s job was for. Owen may have opened an occasional insult to try to put the value of Ianto’s job on the back burner, but even he didn’t have time to fill in the small gaps of his job. Gwen’s way of juggling two lives between work and her husband Rhys couldn’t be possible without Ianto to help her organize. Even her wedding needed a little support, landing Ianto as the DJ for a day. Tosh didn’t even write a full report when decoding or repairing alien tech in front of her. At best, she would write a summery as a cue card when presenting her results in a meeting, leaving the rest of the paperwork for Ianto to do. So the job of a secretary in the HUB was absolutely essential, even though no one ever voiced it.

Q: Could the team manage without him now?

A: The only team members left from Torchwood Cardiff after season three is Captain Jack Harkness and Gwen Cooper, so we can break down how they lived after the death of Ianto Jones…

Gwen Cooper went into hiding after the battle with the 456, but it seemed that the run-away family had a terrible time adjusting. Gwen had her baby girl named Anwen and then began to focus on what she could do to protect the infant and her husband, Rhys. She turned it into an obsessive 24/Hour job, investing in weaponry and a Victorian style house out in the country where they could be away from public – with the idea that no one could find them… but there was a problem. Within her there was still a fire that yerned to see what the world held, unable to part the thoughts from her home life like she used to.Gwen didn’t have a teaboy to help her cope with alien life against home life anymore. As a result, she had nightmares and her home was bare and lifeless, unlike the flat she once kept while working for Torchwood Three.

Captain Jack Harkness was well able to live without Ianto before and after ever meeting him. What choice did her have – the man was immortal. But that doesn’t mean he liked it in the slightest. He was just beginning to warm to a real romance with the teaboy rather than the intimate dabbling, only to have the 456 take Ianto away. His death weighed heavily upon Jack’s heart, which lead him to completely give up and jump off the planet to try to burry his emotions. Without Ianto’s support and encouragement, he fell apart.

Gwen and Jack were reunited in the events of Miracle Day, but the Welsh was still clear in the immortal man’s mind. After taking on a late night mingle Jack tried to seek out the same comfort from Gwen. He gave her a call wondering what it would be like if things were a little bit different, and she gave a simple yet soft reply: “Ianto would still be here…”

Q: Away from the script, what symbolism comes with Ianto Jones?

A: This question is a little unfair toward the teaboy in particular, because barely has any screen time in which he is not working. We see the way Jack, Gwen, Tosh and Owen lived away from the HUB, but never Ianto. In season three we had a glimpse of it when he visited his sister Rhiannon and her family. It was here that we learned that they were the only family left for him. However, that doesn’t mean that Ianto’s life left an unimportant symbol. In that single visit he broke the foundations of every day relationships. Society usually sees love displayed only between men and women, leaving same sex couples to be fueled in an image of simple sexual lust. When Ianto finally speaks his feelings about his relationship with Jack Harkness to his sister he shatters that image completely. In his exact words, Ianto explains, “It’s not men, it’s just him… It’s only him.” These are words from a man who had only ever romanced with women before he met Captain Jack Harkness. Worldwide, he set himself as a simple of genuine compassion in the form of a same sex relationship.

Q: Is it possible to bring Ianto back?

A: It’s quite possible to bring the teaboy back. This is the perfect sci-fi universe for it. Torchwood is a branch off from Doctor WHO, which has often embraced the concept of regeneration and resurrection. Even Captain Jack Harkness’s immortality was a work of art built through the Doctor WHO universe. Owen Harper managed to return to life in awareness, even if his body was technically not alive. Ianto’s life can be sustained again by alternative means, and the options are vast. Roleplayers all around the world come up with ways every day. Some of them make sense without ever tampering with the scripts already put out for Torchwood.