3. No, she's not perfect. She lies so casually to Rhys that we get the impression she's been doing this some time. She then complains about having no-one to talk to, despite the fact that she clearly doesn't trust Rhys enough to tell him anything, so what does she expect? I found her stated reasons for sleeping with Owen shallow and irritating. She claims to have no-one to talk to, no-one who understands work etc, and yet (to use other sources) in an interview, JB said that "Jack's the only one Gwen talks to". So she's sleeping with Owen for what now? The thing with Suzie is that she's painted as a megolamaniacal villain, really. Therefore, her flaws are expected, because they contribute to her descent into madness and murder. Gwen is meant to be our beloved heroine, yet she displays every sign of going exactly the same way as Suzie, only quicker. Why are we meant to feel sympathy (and empathy, scarily) for one and yet be happy when the other is killed? It doesn't quite make sense to me.
4. In the beginning of the series, yes, Gwen brings a much needed humanity to Torchwood. Jack, Owen and Tosh had perhaps become too mired in the work to remember the importance of individuals as well as the idea of "saving the world". Ianto was quite the opposite - so caught up with saving one individual that he didn't have any time left to care about anyone else. But they're not all that bad. Tosh's enthusiasm when she talks to Mary about various aspects of working for Torchwood also encompasses things like letters from an alien to his family - and if we add in the official site, she explores various ways of saying "I love you" with symbols as she tries to understand an alien language. She's far from removed and reserved in those instances - most of the time she just seems to be too shy to show this side of her. Gwen's perspective and "ability to connect with the people involved" did come in useful, and was something they needed reminding of. But in an organisation that deals with all sorts of horrific cases, that could also be a weakness. They have to maintain some sort of professional distance to avoid getting too caught up in things (see Owen in Ghost Machine) and to be able to make rational decisions - not everything can be solved by being emotive and following your heart. Everything in moderation, and Gwen may well take things just that little bit too far...
You have some points I agree with, and I can kind of see why some people like her for all that, but I'm still not converted. Like quite a few of the arguments I've seen so far, this seems to rely on early-series events, and I'm not too sure that everything still applies to Gwen by the end of it all...
Thank you for your lovely long comment, anyway. And you have helped make it a little clearer why some people like her so much - even if I haven't bought into it just yet. :)
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Date: 2007-08-07 11:48 am (UTC)The thing with Suzie is that she's painted as a megolamaniacal villain, really. Therefore, her flaws are expected, because they contribute to her descent into madness and murder. Gwen is meant to be our beloved heroine, yet she displays every sign of going exactly the same way as Suzie, only quicker. Why are we meant to feel sympathy (and empathy, scarily) for one and yet be happy when the other is killed? It doesn't quite make sense to me.
4. In the beginning of the series, yes, Gwen brings a much needed humanity to Torchwood. Jack, Owen and Tosh had perhaps become too mired in the work to remember the importance of individuals as well as the idea of "saving the world". Ianto was quite the opposite - so caught up with saving one individual that he didn't have any time left to care about anyone else. But they're not all that bad. Tosh's enthusiasm when she talks to Mary about various aspects of working for Torchwood also encompasses things like letters from an alien to his family - and if we add in the official site, she explores various ways of saying "I love you" with symbols as she tries to understand an alien language. She's far from removed and reserved in those instances - most of the time she just seems to be too shy to show this side of her.
Gwen's perspective and "ability to connect with the people involved" did come in useful, and was something they needed reminding of. But in an organisation that deals with all sorts of horrific cases, that could also be a weakness. They have to maintain some sort of professional distance to avoid getting too caught up in things (see Owen in Ghost Machine) and to be able to make rational decisions - not everything can be solved by being emotive and following your heart. Everything in moderation, and Gwen may well take things just that little bit too far...
You have some points I agree with, and I can kind of see why some people like her for all that, but I'm still not converted. Like quite a few of the arguments I've seen so far, this seems to rely on early-series events, and I'm not too sure that everything still applies to Gwen by the end of it all...
Thank you for your lovely long comment, anyway. And you have helped make it a little clearer why some people like her so much - even if I haven't bought into it just yet. :)