Torchwood

2006- 2009 Television Series

Torchwood is an adult-oriented, science-fiction spinoff of the popular family show Doctor Who. Based in Cardiff, Wales, the show is primarily told from character Gwen Cooper's point-of-view, and in theme and content has been compared to The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Angel. Due to it's later timeslot, the series has been free to explore more mature and frightening themes, as well as to show more sex and violence. Also notable is the show's attitude towards GLBT issues and characters; nearly all of the characters are shown as being bisexual, and the same-sex relationship between Jack Harkness and Ianto Jones has been introduced and is viewed very positively by most fans.

Despite its relative popularity, the show has been the subject of much criticism. The acting, writing, and production have garnered their share of disapproval and snark, leading the series to be spoofed by a number of comedians and shows. It's handling of romantic/sexual relationships has also been debated, from Owen Harper's use of an alien pheromone as a date rape drug, to Toshiko Sato's brief and abusive lesbian relationship, to the ongoing conflict between the show's handling of the Gwen/Jack and Jack/Ianto triangle. Race is also a charged topic -- nearly all characters of color who appear on the show are dead or vanished by the end of the episode or series (with Doctor Who's Martha Jones being the only major exception), and the handling of these characters during their time onscreen is also problematic.

Cast of Characters (present) 

Gwen Cooper from the episode Everything Changes.

Gwen Cooper

Marketed and presented as the viewer's surrogate, Gwen Cooper kicks off the show when she finds herself in the middle of a Torchwood case. Her questions about Torchwood and its role provide exposition for the audience, and her emotional confusion regarding her job and its accompanying horrors are a major reoccurring plot arc. In addition to playing viewer surrogate, Gwen is also 'the human one', whose 'normal' attachments and reactions are considered essential to the rest of the team and serve as a reminder of their humanity; her and Jack's mutual attraction seems to fall under this category subtextually, although exact intentions are still unclear. Gwen's character and relationships, and Eve Myles' performance, are major sources of contention within fandom.

Captain Jack Harkness from a series promotional photo.

Captain Jack Harkness

The show's leading man and living connection to the Doctor Who franchise, Captain Jack Harkness has way, way too much history to go into here. As an immortal time-traveling omnisexual, his past loves are many and his potential angst is limitless. He serves as a symbol of everything that is mysterious and ambiguous about Torchwood, drawing in the team through charm and promises of redemption and purpose. Jack is 'the non-human one' to Gwen's 'human one', often countering her arguments about their duty with arguments about necessity, and overall the show seems divided as to whether Gwen or Jack's viewpoint is more correct, rewarding and punishing them both in turn. Jack's relationship with Ianto extends across both seasons, and there's an ongoing debate as to whether it's subordinate to his attraction and friendship with Gwen or not.

Ianto Jones, from the episode A Day in the Death.

Ianto Jones

Unlike Jack and Gwen, Ianto was never intended for greatness. Showrunners have revealed that he and Rhys Williams weren’t supposed to survive the first series, and that Ianto was tentatively planned to die in the second series as well. Introduced as a smartly-dressed, drinks-serving enigma, he was quickly revealed to be hiding his girlfriend (a lobotomized and murderous half-robot) in the basement, a project that did not end well. The second season saw an expansion of his role – he and Jack shared a few moments, he had some close conversations with the other characters, and he survived the season finale, a notable accomplishment given his track record. Ianto is a favorite character among fandom and his relationship with Jack (and thus with Gwen) is the subject of much speculation and fervor.

Rhys Williams, from the episode Adam.

Rhys Williams

Intended for even less greatness than Ianto, Rhys is the only regular character who’s not a member of Torchwood Three. He begins as Gwen’s reassuringly normal boyfriend, whose stability is not enough for her in the wake of a difficult case. Gwen finally tells Rhys she cheated on him with Owen, but then backpedals and removes his memory of the conversation. Several episodes later, in the first season finale, Rhys was killed and quickly resurrected; by the next season, he and Gwen were engaged. He learned about Torchwood early in the second series, and he played a large role in several episodes. Another fandom favorite, Rhys keeps Gwen grounded and often fulfills more of ‘the human one’ role than she does. He also provides an impediment to the Gwen/Jack relationship, and is shown several times being supportive, encouraging, and affectionate to Gwen despite his feelings regarding her job.

Andy Davidson, from the episode Adrift.

PC Andy Davidson

Gwen’s former partner and all-around dorky nice guy, Andy is the shows’ second longest-running minor character. In addition to bristling when Gwen gives him orders, playing Jim Gordon to Torchwood’s Batman, hanging the occasional lampshade, and serving as proof of how much Torchwood has changed Gwen, Andy also finds time to polish his wit regarding place names.

Cast of Characters (past)

Suzie Costello, from a series promotional photo.

Suzie Costello

Second-in-command of Torchwood Three before Gwen’s arrival, Suzie is the Darth Vader to Gwen’s Anakin Skywalker. Like Gwen, she loved her job and was Jack’s loyal right hand, but unlike Gwen, she severed her family connections and surrendered to her fear of death. After committing suicide at the end of the first episode, she returned in They Keep Killing Suzie as a vampiric zombie, draining Gwen’s life in order to heal her old wound and become human again. Ultimately, it wasn’t a bullet to the heart that killed her, but the destruction of the glove she’d cherished.

Captain John Hart, from a series promotional photo.

Captain John Hart

Jack’s ex, and a canonical Mary Sue for all the bisexual boys playing along at home, Captain John Hart could be renamed Captain Spike Ripoff and all you’d miss was the fanwank speculating about his initials. He time travels, acts amoral, kills people, delivers a plot point, acts morally ambiguous, and leaves again. 

Dr. Martha Jones, from the episode A Day in the Death.

Dr. Martha Jones

The Doctor’s ex (-companion, that is), and the only Torchwood character capable of out-badassing Jack, Dr. Martha Jones is a mortal time-travelling heterosexual whose cameo served to highlight the differences between Doctor Who and Torchwood and reinforce some unfortunate similarities. The differences – Martha is crisp, authoritative, and quickly drawn into the murky relationships that are Torchwood’s forte. Her earlier flirtations with Owen becomes painful and stilted after his death, and like a certain other doctor, he thanks her before she leaves. The similarities – Martha starts out central and in command, becomes immobilized, and ends up taking a seat as another doctor steals the show, while finding the time to share a truly cringe-inducing kiss with the male lead.

Dr. Owen Harper, from the episode A Day in the Death.

Dr. Owen Harper

The Weevil King, or ‘the smart ass’ (virtually the only of his characterizations to remain consistent throughout his run), Owen goes from total creep to emo twerp to tragic hero before dying for the second time. Positioned as a median point between Gwen’s humanity and Jack’s lack thereof, he tends more towards the Jack side of the Force, lacking in selfless compassion, carting around a whole lot of angst, and suffering multiple deaths. His treatment of Toshiko ranges from touching at times to deeply unjust, his affair with Gwen may or may not have been retconned, his relationship with Jack was a little incestuous, and his friendship with Ianto was startlingly genuine. His death was the conclusion of his storyline, resulting in his redemption.

Toshiko Sato, from the episode A Day in the Death.

Toshiko Sato

As ‘the geek’, there’s little that can be said about Toshiko that isn’t depressing. Her love affairs, coinciding neatly with the only episodes in which she had a substantial number of lines, were uniformly tragic, and her relationships in general were uneven and unhealthy (to say the least). Like Owen, Toshiko was positioned as a median point between Gwen and Jack, but some nebulous quality prevented her from acquiring Gwen’s true humanity and thus, without an immortality card of her own, resulted in her death. She had a few touching scenes with Jack, Owen, and some pseudo-scenes with Ianto and Gwen. Her death was the conclusion of her storyline, resulting in her finally getting a chance to be with Owen.

Cast of Characters (minor)

Carys, from the epsode Day One.

Carys

A minor character who appeared in the second episode, Carys was briefly possessed by a sex-driven alien until the team freed her. The end of the episode saw her wrapped in a blanket and reunited with her dad, one of the few minor characters to survive their run on the show. Carys’ story, aside from being a cheap shot at the sex-alien genre, touches on more troubling issues like rape and consent, but only through a woman attacking men and only subtextually.

Lisa, from the episode Cyberwoman.

Lisa

A minor characters who appeared primarily to further Ianto’s storyline and establish the connection between Torchwood and Doctor Who, the question of Lisa’s humanity was either, depending on your point of view, a matter of course or never really resolved; the episode was unclear on the subject. Lisa’s story is probably the most disturbing of all of the minor characters’ – after spending the entire episode in a metal bikini while being called a monster by the heroic team, she is gunned down and last shown lying in a pool of her own blood.

Mary, from the episode Greeks Bearing Gifts.

Mary

A minor character who appeared in the seventh episode, Mary began as either a gaseous cloud or a prostitute and ended up as either solar fodder or a dead lesbian. Mary’s story marks the third in the sexy-alien genre, this time a creepy cannibal who literally breaks hearts. Her time on the show coincided with some unusually nasty behavior towards Toshiko and one of the show’s most infuriating slaps in the face, i.e. Jack’s friend Victor/Vanessa.

Eugene, from the episode Random Shoes.

Eugene

A minor character who appeared in the ninth episode, Eugene’s qualities were mostly limited to harmless, quirky, and madly infatuated with Gwen, one of which has earned him fandom’s undying enmity. Eugene’s story was about hope, wonder, and life after death, countering Suzie’s harsh words on the subject an episode before.

Captain Jack Harkness, from the episode Captain Jack Harkness.

Captain Jack Harkness

A minor character who had an episode and an immortal time-travelling omnisexual named after him, Captain Jack Harkness was a noble, heroic soldier who was either redeemed or doomed by the power of Jack’s kiss, depending on how you interpret his radio silence. The Captain’s story is primarily a tragic love affair, perhaps as a mirror of the tragic Owen/Diane relationship a few episodes before.

Beth Halloran, from the episode Sleeper.

Beth Halloran

A minor character who appeared in the second episode of the second series, Beth spent  her time on the show insisting she was human, being revealed to not be human, expression shock, disbelief, and horror to learn that she wasn’t human, killing the only person who could ‘make/keep’ her human, and finally dying, thus becoming human posthumously. Beth’s story also ended in her being gunned down by the heroic team and is last shown lying in a pool of her own blood.

Tommy Brockless, from the episode To the Last Man.

Tommy Brockless

A minor character who appeared in the episode To the Last Man, Tommy is both a commentary on duty and war in general, as well as duty to Torchwood itself. A realistic, honest young man who never really had a chance to live his life, Tommy makes a final decision to return to the war despite his horror in order to save the world, not knowing that he is being sent back to his death by the people he trusts. Tommy’s story is a grim look at Jack and Torchwood without Gwen’s rose-colored glasses, and foreshadows Toshiko’s own death later in the series.

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