I'm so new to fandom that I'm still a little taken aback by the aversion to Gwen, personally, though obviously it exists. And I'm not saying "OMG how can you NOT like Gwen?!" I just don't understand what makes her so irritating/offensive/disliked, I suppose.
So hi. I like Gwen. And here's why:
1) Yes, she's the Everyman character as someone else said. Her main purpose is to introduce us, the viewers, to what Torchwood does, how they do it, the things they get into. Without her, there would be no reason to explain -anything- because the characters would all know how everything worked. There would have been no need to explain the glove, for instance, because they'd all seen Suzie use it. There'd have been no reason to explain the weevils, because they all knew what they were and where they came from, etc. We would very likely not have been given that first tour of the hub with her, because Jack already knows everything that's there and he certainly wouldn't to lead, oh, Tosh around, telling her how all the stuff she already knows works.
2) Tied into that, she is meant to react the way we would react, if we were thrust into Torchwood suddenly. While we all may think that we'd handle the sudden undeniable knowledge that there are real aliens out there better than Gwen does, I really don't think most people would. I think most of us *would* puke at stumbling over those bodies in Countrycide. I think most of us *would* stand and gape at a weevil or a glowing alien girl or the faeries hopping around in someone's back yard.
3) She's not perfect. She lies almost from the moment she learns about Torchwood, to Rhys, and she's -good- at it. It's easy for her. She has an affair with Owen because she can't handle not having someone who understands what's going on at work. She's really, when you boil her down, replaced Suzie almost completely. The glove, Owen, the inability to cope on her own...and yet I haven't seen anyone saying how they don't like Suzie. It's odd. :) I'm fairly certain that she was just as flawed as Gwen, and more so, given the elaborate plan that's discovered in They Keep Killing Suzie.
4) She -is- the human, compassionate part of Torchwood. She does make them consider the people first. Let's face it, the rest of them are not particularly aware of the people aspect most of the time. Tosh is removed and very reserved, Owen has his perpetual coat of I don't care, Ianto has his own issues (which are hard to name, given that I think his character as written has wild personality changes). Even Jack forgets how to handle the human side of things sometimes, so they really do need her perspective and her ability to connect with the people involved, rather than treating everything just as a case. If that makes sense.
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So hi. I like Gwen. And here's why:
1) Yes, she's the Everyman character as someone else said. Her main purpose is to introduce us, the viewers, to what Torchwood does, how they do it, the things they get into. Without her, there would be no reason to explain -anything- because the characters would all know how everything worked. There would have been no need to explain the glove, for instance, because they'd all seen Suzie use it. There'd have been no reason to explain the weevils, because they all knew what they were and where they came from, etc. We would very likely not have been given that first tour of the hub with her, because Jack already knows everything that's there and he certainly wouldn't to lead, oh, Tosh around, telling her how all the stuff she already knows works.
2) Tied into that, she is meant to react the way we would react, if we were thrust into Torchwood suddenly. While we all may think that we'd handle the sudden undeniable knowledge that there are real aliens out there better than Gwen does, I really don't think most people would. I think most of us *would* puke at stumbling over those bodies in Countrycide. I think most of us *would* stand and gape at a weevil or a glowing alien girl or the faeries hopping around in someone's back yard.
3) She's not perfect. She lies almost from the moment she learns about Torchwood, to Rhys, and she's -good- at it. It's easy for her. She has an affair with Owen because she can't handle not having someone who understands what's going on at work. She's really, when you boil her down, replaced Suzie almost completely. The glove, Owen, the inability to cope on her own...and yet I haven't seen anyone saying how they don't like Suzie. It's odd. :) I'm fairly certain that she was just as flawed as Gwen, and more so, given the elaborate plan that's discovered in They Keep Killing Suzie.
4) She -is- the human, compassionate part of Torchwood. She does make them consider the people first. Let's face it, the rest of them are not particularly aware of the people aspect most of the time. Tosh is removed and very reserved, Owen has his perpetual coat of I don't care, Ianto has his own issues (which are hard to name, given that I think his character as written has wild personality changes). Even Jack forgets how to handle the human side of things sometimes, so they really do need her perspective and her ability to connect with the people involved, rather than treating everything just as a case. If that makes sense.
And. That's enough rambling for one comment.