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Gwen Cooper

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Template:Doctorwhocharacter Gwen Elizabeth Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. Gwen Cooper is a former police officer recruited into the Torchwood Institute. She is portrayed by Eve Myles, who previously appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead".

Within the series, Gwen is a South Wales Police officer who discovers the mysterious Torchwood Institute into which she is recruited by Captain Jack Harkness. Gwen's character is used as an audience surrogate in the introduction to the show's mythos, much like the typical "companion" character in Doctor Who.

Appearances

Television

Gwen is introduced in the first episode of Torchwood in 2006, where she – a Cardiff police officer – is witness to Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman) and his team's interrogation of a dead man. Acting as an audience surrogate, she notices Jack is following her and she is led to investigate him and his team, eventually discovering by following him to his base that they are Torchwood, a team of alien hunters. Jack wipes the memories of her discovery, but they are later triggered by reports of murders committed with exotic weaponry; Torchwood's own Suzie Costello (Indira Varma) is the serial killer. Present at Suzie's attempt to kill Jack, and her ensuing suicide, Jack (who reveals that he cannot die) rewards Gwen by offering her a job in Torchwood.[1] Jack and Gwen's relationship becomes tinged with romantic implications,[2] despite her long-standing relationship with boyfriend Rhys (Kai Owen) and Jack's developing relationship with teammate Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd). Unable to share her experiences at Torchwood with Rhys, Gwen falls into a short-lived destructive affair with teammate Owen (Burn Gorman) for which she is racked with guilt.[3] In the series one finale, it is for her desire at any cost to resurrect a murdered Rhys that she is willing to mutiny against Jack. After Jack is killed by a supernatural demon, Gwen insists that he will come back to life and stays watch over his body, but after a number of days she is talked into leaving. She gives him a kiss and as she leaves Jack whispers "thank you." Not long after Jack revives he abandons the team to reunite with the mysterious "Doctor" from his past.[4]

Series two, airing in 2008 begins with Gwen having quickly risen to replace Jack as the team's leader. Early the series, she is forced to confess to Rhys the nature of her job at Torchwood when he assumes she is having an affair with Jack, and she defies Jack by refusing to wipe his memory.[5] She also confesses to Jack before taking a amnesia pill that "I love [Rhys] but not in the way I love you",[6] In "Something Borrowed", despite being pregnant with an alien, Gwen refuses to postpone the wedding because she wants to marry Rhys no matter what. Her marriage causes Jack to contemplate his own past marriage.[7] In the series finale, it is Gwen's leadership skills which allow her to co-ordinate Cardiff in the chaos caused by Captain John Hart (James Marsters) and Jack's younger brother Gray (Lachlan Nieboer). When Gray kills teammates Toshiko (Naoko Mori) and Owen, Gwen is desolate.[8] Following from this, Gwen makes her first crossover appearance in Doctor Who alongside Jack and Ianto in its 2008 series' two-part finale, where Torchwood is called on to help contact series protagonist the Doctor (David Tennant) during a Dalek invasion.[9] A familial connection between Gwen and the character of Gwyneth, played by Eve Myles in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead" is alluded to by the Doctor, after he and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) recognize the physical similarity between the two.[10]

The third series of Torchwood has aired as a five-part serial in 2009, titled Children of Earth. In Children of Earth, Gwen is a more militant heroine shaped by the increased responsibilities and pressures of her job.[11] In part one, aliens called the 456 communicate to the world through taking possession of its children and one middle-aged man, Clem McDonald (Paul Copley). Gwen investigates by visiting Clem, who announces to her she is pregnant, which she later confirms using the technology at the Hub.[12] Gwen is forced to defend herself from government assassins after the Hub is destroyed, taking Rhys on the run with her,[13] and re-establishing Torchwood Three in a London warehouse. By making contact with government PA Lois Habiba (Cush Jumbo), Gwen discovers her fugitive status and is able to survey government dealings.[14] When Ianto is killed fighting the 456,[15] Gwen and Rhys return to Cardiff to protect his sister (Katy Wix), niece and nephew from government plans while Jack handles the alien threat. In the dénouement of the final part, Gwen is six months pregnant when she returns Jack's vortex manipulator to him. She insists he stay for her, but he leaves Earth behind and abandons everything.[16]

Literature

Gwen appears in the first six of the Torchwood novels, published by BBC Books. The first wave, Another Life,[17] Border Princes,[18] and Slow Decay,[19] were published in January 2007. Published in March 2008, and tying in with the concurrently airing second series of Torchwood, Gwen appears in the novels Trace Memory,[20] The Twilight Streets,[21] and Something in the Water.[22] Three more Torchwood books were released in October 2008: Pack Animals,[23] SkyPoint,[24] and Almost Perfect, the last of which is set after the series two finale "Exit Wounds".[25] The May 2009 wave of books will be Into the Silence,[26] Bay of the Dead,[27] and The House that Jack Built.[28] First published in January 2008, the monthly Torchwood Magazine began occasionally including Torchwood comic strips, in which Gwen also appears.

In the novel Border Princes, Gwen had an affair with James Mayer during a difficult time with Rhys. Gwen's first day with PC Andy Davidson (played in the TV series by Tom Price) as her partner is portrayed in a flashback in the novel Trace Memory. As with all Doctor Who and Torchwood spin-off media, the canonicity in relation to the television series is unclear.[29]

Audio drama

Gwen also appears in Torchwood audio books, the first two being Hidden written by Steven Savile and narrated by Naoko Mori,[30] Everyone Says Hello written by Dan Abnett and narrated by Burn Gorman,[31] released February 2008, and forthcoming In the Shadows by Joseph Lidster.[32] Joseph Lidster also wrote a Radio 4 Torchwood drama, "Lost Souls" which aired in Summer 2008 as an Afternoon Play featuring the voices of John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd and Freema Agyeman (Martha). Set after the events of the 2008 series, Gwen and the team make their first international adventure to CERN in Geneva, as part of Radio 4's special celebration of the Large Hadron Collider being switched on.[33][34] The special radio episode's plot focuses on the Large Hadron Collider's activation and the doomsday scenario some predicted it might incite, as well as the team's mourning of Toshiko and Owen's recent deaths.[35]

Characterisation

Eve Myles characterises Gwen as an ambitious and feisty young woman who at the same time embodies many aspects of the girl next door archetype.[36] Writer Stephen James Walker believes that what makes Gwen a compelling character is her moral ambiguity. Since she was introduced as an audience surrogate, Walker claims that it would have been an easy trap to fall into to make her a "one-dimensional paragon of virtue". Instead, the writers made Gwen more "realistic" by giving her "distinct human failings", which Walker feels make her "arguably the most complex and interesting of the five regulars". He identifies these failures as her "tendency towards egotism", "self-righteousness", and "selfishness", as evident in her "highly questionable treatment" of boyfriend Rhys. Walker cites her affair with Owen as an example, as well as the scene in "Combat" where she confesses this betrayal to Rhys after dosing him with Retcon so he won't remember. He also accuses Gwen of "gross hypocrisy" in the episode "Meat" where she demands trust from Rhys despite having cheated on him in the past. However, Walker feels that what makes Gwen a redeemable character is that she recognises her own moral failings, as seen in "Combat" where she sits alone sobbing over pizza before picking herself up and trying to do better in the future.[37]

Richard Stokes, in discussing the original intention to kill off Rhys Williams at the end of season one, links Rhys' survival on the show into the characterisation of Gwen. “Russell (T Davies) gave him a reprieve. He realised that, if we lost Rhys, we would lose Gwen’s heart. He is one of the key things that makes her character so fantastic, and by extension the entire show. With Rhys there, it’s a show about real people dealing with extraordinary situations in the real world. Without him, it simply becomes a sci-fi show about sci-fi people, running around and hunting aliens.”[38] Julie Gardner, when asked about putting characters through brutal circumstances, expanded upon the producers decision not to kill off Rhys in relation to the impact it would have on Gwen's character; "There was a discussion early, early on in season one about what would happen to Gwen’s partner Rhys and there was a discussion about in the course of some investigation he should die. Nothing was ever written but it was out there in back of our heads and then you start to see them together and you (realize that) actually (Gwen would) never recover from this. It would be a bridge too far – she wouldn’t choose a job over him in that circumstance. She would have blamed Torchwood forever. She would have taken herself away. I’m glad that relationship is still intact. It’s a show where you’ve got to contrast the ordinary everyday with the extraordinary and (with) Gwen going home to Rhys and then going to work in an underground secret base … its right to have that balance."[39] Richard Stokes goes on to say in relation to the Something Borrowed episode where Gwen marries Rhys, “this is probably the most important day of Gwen’s life, and it’s certainly the most important day of her relationship with Rhys, so it’s a way for her to show him that, even though she’s put him through some really difficult times, she really does love him and want to be with him.”[40] When asked about her character's complex relationship with both Jack and Rhys, Eve Myles explains, "I think it's so fantastic to have those two characters because [Rhys] highlights how extraordinary Jack is, and Jack highlights how ordinary Rhys is. She's very lucky to have both of them in her life. Certainly she wouldn't be the strong character that she is if she didn't have her ordinary life, which is Rhys."[41]

Eve Myles previously appeared in the Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead" as Gwyneth, a clairvoyant servant girl from the 19th century.[42] In response to a question about the supposed similarity between their names, showrunner Russell T Davies denied that the characters were connected at all, stating, "Maybe it's a Welsh thing, but those are completely different names to me. We're not about to reveal that she's a parallel-Gelth-ghost-from-the-Time-Rift, or something; just two names beginning with "G"."[43] However, the Doctor Who episode "Journey's End" later alluded to a familial relationship between the characters, explaining their physical resemblance as the result of "spatial genetic multiplicity".[10] Eve Myles said of the characters' relation, "I played Gwyneth, and it was a beautiful part. It was fantastic. Four years later, to be playing a character who's connected to Gwyneth, to be a relation of hers, is just incredibly clever, I think. It was never on the cards as such, but something in the back of my head always said that they were going to be connected somehow."[44]

Following the betrayal of the government and army in Children of Earth, Gwen claims to be finally able to understand why the Doctor does not save humanity from world crisis – believing that he "must look at this planet and turn away in shame".[16]

Reception

Eve Myles won the 2007 Bafta Cymru Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Gwen Cooper, winning over the parent series' actress Billie Piper.[45] She was nominated again for the award in 2008 but lost out to Anne-Marie Duff.[46]

References

  1. ^ Russell T Davies, Brian Kelly (2006-08-22). "Everything Changes". Torchwood. BBC Three.
  2. ^ "Who's new in time travelling?". thewest.com.au. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
  3. ^ Russel T Davies, Chris Chibnall, Andy Goddard (2006-11-19). "Countrycide". Torchwood. BBC Three.
  4. ^ Russell T Davies, Chris Chibnall, Ashley Way (2007-01-01). "End of Days". Torchwood. BBC Three.
  5. ^ Russell T Davies, Catherine Tregenna, Colin Teague (2008-02-06). "Meat". Torchwood. BBC Two.
  6. ^ Russell T Davies. Catherine Tregenna, Andy Goddard (2008-02-13). "Adam". Torchwood. BBC Two.
  7. ^ Russell T Davies, Phil Ford, Ashley Way (2008-03-05). "Something Borrowed". Torchwood. BBC Three.
  8. ^ Russel T Davies, Chris Chibnall, Ashley Way (2008-04-04). "Exit Wounds". Torchwood. BBC Two.
  9. ^ Russell T Davies, Graeme Harper (2008-06-28). "The Stolen Earth". Doctor Who. BBC.
  10. ^ a b Russell T Davies, Graeme Harper (2008-07-06). "Journey's End". Doctor Who. BBC.
  11. ^ McCabe, Joseph (19 February 2009). "Exclusive: Eve Myles and Director Euros Lyn Talk 'Torchwood' Season 3!". Fearnet.com. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  12. ^ Russell T Davies, Euros Lyn (2009-07-06). "Children of Earth: Day One". Torchwood. BBC One.
  13. ^ Russell T Davies, John Fay, Euros Lyn (2009-07-07). "Children of Earth: Day Two". Torchwood. BBC One.
  14. ^ Russell T Davies, James Moran, Euros Lyn (2009-07-08). "Children of Earth: Day Three". Torchwood. BBC One.
  15. ^ Russell T Davies, John Fay, Euros Lyn (2009-07-08). "Children of Earth: Day Four". Torchwood. BBC One.
  16. ^ a b Russell T Davies, Euros Lyn (2009-07-09). "Children of Earth: Day Five". Torchwood. BBC One.
  17. ^ Anghelides, Peter (2007). Another Life. BBC Books. ISBN 978-0-563-48655-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Abnett, Dan (2007). Border Princes. BBC Books. ISBN 978-0-563-48654-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  19. ^ Lane, Andy (2007). Slow Decay. BBC Books. ISBN 978-0-563-48655-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  20. ^ Llewwellyn, David (2008). Trace Memory. BBC Books. ISBN 184607438X. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  21. ^ Russell, Gary (2008). The Twilight Streets. BBC Books. ISBN 1846074398. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  22. ^ Baxendale, Trevor (2008). Something in the Water. BBC Books. ISBN 1846074371. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  23. ^ Anghelides, Peter (2008). Pack Animals. BBC Books. ISBN 1846075742.
  24. ^ Ford, Phil (2008). SkyPoint. BBC Books. ISBN 1846075750.
  25. ^ Goss, James (2008). Almost Pefect. BBC Books. ISBN 1846075734.
  26. ^ Pinborough, Sarah (2008). Into the Silence. BBC Books. ISBN 1846077532. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |unused_data= (help); Text "Sarah Pinborough" ignored (help)
  27. ^ Morris, Mark (2008). Bay of the Dead. BBC Books. ISBN 1846077532. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |unused_data= (help); Text "Mark Morris" ignored (help)
  28. ^ Adams, Guy (2008). The House that Jack Built. BBC Books. ISBN 1846077397. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |unused_data= (help); Text "Guy Adams" ignored (help)
  29. ^ Stephen Gray. "The Whoniverse Guide to Canon". Whoniverse.org. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
  30. ^ Steven Savile (author), Naoko Mori (narrator) (2008-02-04). Hidden (Audio book). BBC Audio.
  31. ^ Dan Abnett (author), Burn Gorman (narrator) (2008-02-04). Everyone Says Hello (Audio book). BBC Audio.
  32. ^ Joseph Lidster (author) (September 2008). In the Shadows (Audio book). BBC Audio.
  33. ^ Jarrod Cooper (April 26, 2008). "Torchwood comes to Radio 4". The Doctor Who News Page. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  34. ^ "Torchwood: Lost Souls". Retrieved 2008-09-10.
  35. ^ Joseph Lidster, Kate McAll (producer/director) (10-09-2008). "Lost Souls". Torchwood. 43:47 minutes in. BBC Radio 4. {{cite episode}}: Check date values in: |airdate= (help)
  36. ^ Rowland, Paul (2006-02-24). "Welsh star in Doctor Who spin-off". The Western Mail. Retrieved 2006-03-22.
  37. ^ Walker, Stephen James (2008). Something in the Darkness. United Kingdom: Telos Publishing Ltd. p. 151. ISBN 9781845830243.
  38. ^ Richard Stokes interview, “That’s all Stokes” TW Magazine, issue 4, May 2008, page 29
  39. ^ http://www.monstersandcritics.com/smallscreen/features/article_1420508.php 'Torchwood': A Chat with Julie Gardner and Naoko Mori By Tracey Brown Jul 30, 2008, 21:08 GMT
  40. ^ Richard Stokes interview, “That’s all Stokes” TW Magazine, issue 4, May 2008, page 31
  41. ^ "Eve Myles: Torchwood". SuicideGirls.com. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-15.
  42. ^ "Team Torchwood". BBC Doctor Who website. Retrieved 2006-03-22. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  43. ^ Cook, Benjamin (2007-01-31). "Whoops, Apocalypse". Doctor Who Magazine (378): 34. {{cite journal}}: Text "cover date" ignored (help)
  44. ^ "Local Hero". Doctor Who Magazine (398): 28. 2008-08-20. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  45. ^ "Dr Who sweeps Bafta Cymru board". BBC News Online. 2007-04-29. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
  46. ^ "Doctor Who's Bafta Cymru triumph". BBC News Online. 2008-04-27. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
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