Gwen Cooper
Encyclopedia
Gwen Cooper is a fictional character
in the BBC
television program
me Torchwood
, a spin-off to the long-running show Doctor Who
, portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles
. The series' lead female character, Gwen has featured in every episode of the sci-fi programme to date as well as two crossover episodes of Torchwoods parent show, Doctor Who
. Additionally, Gwen appears in Expanded Universe
material such as the Torchwood novels and audiobooks, comic books and radio plays. Portraying Gwen has increased Myles' profile as an actress, and her portrayal has also been cited as effective in promoting Welsh visibility on television.
Gwen is introduced as an audience surrogate
, much like the typical "companion
" character in Doctor Who. Within the series narrative, Gwen is a South Wales Police
officer who discovers the mysterious Torchwood Institute
, into which she is recruited by Captain Jack Harkness
. Gwen operates as a field agent
on Torchwood missions. Through her police procedural training, Gwen brings a more humane and rounded approach to her team's investigations of extraterrestrial
cases; she is herself empathetic, grounded, and relatable. Despite this, Gwen's moral complexity means that she subverts typical expectations of the audience surrogate as she finds herself ethically compromised by her line of work. For example, because Gwen leads a double life in the first series she finds herself growing detached from her long-term boyfriend and is unfaithful to him.
Though Gwen starts off in the mould of the "girl next door
" archetype, she becomes more militant as the series progresses, and stands in as Torchwood's de facto
leader on occasions when Captain Jack is absent. Though this militancy, contrasted with Gwen's conventionally feminine characteristics, forms a contradiction, it is one from which she draws strength. As Gwen develops into a harder character, it is her relationship with cohabiting boyfriend-cum-husband Rhys Williams
which keeps her "grounded". When in the second series Gwen commits herself to Rhys, and tells him about her double life, he swiftly becomes a confidante to her, and lightens her burden. The birth of daughter Anwen prior to the fourth series serves to intensify the gulf between her two roles as Torchwood agent and mother.
of Torchwood, where she—a Cardiff
police officer
partnered with Andy Davidson
(Tom Price
)—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. Jack and Gwen's relationship becomes tinged with romantic implications, despite her long-standing relationship with boyfriend Rhys
(Kai Owen
) and Jack's developing relationship with teammate Ianto Jones
(Gareth David-Lloyd
). Gwen falls into a short-lived destructive affair with teammate Owen
(Burn Gorman
), after a particularly traumatic experience with cannibals
she cannot share with Rhys. Confused and wracked with guilt, Gwen confesses the affair after it ends in "Combat
" but drugs Rhys with an amnesia pill so he will not remember her confession. In the series one finale
, her desire to resurrect a murdered Rhys at any cost motivates her to mutiny against Jack, and open the rift in time and space
which Torchwood monitors. After Jack sacrifices himself to the released supernatural demon, Gwen maintains that he will come back to life and stays watch over his body. Eventually, she concedes that Jack is dead, and gives him a parting kiss. As she leaves, Jack arises from death and whispers "thank you." Not long after Jack's revival he abandons Torchwood to reunite with the mysterious "Doctor
" from his past.
Series two, airing in 2008 begins with the newly engaged Gwen having quickly risen to replace Jack as the team's leader. Early in 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 after he takes a bullet for her, she defies Jack by refusing to wipe his memory. When Adam Smith (Bryan Dick
) causes Gwen to lose her memory; Rhys reminds her of their early courtship. In "Something Borrowed
", despite having been impregnated by a Nostrovite, 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. 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. 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. 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.
The third series of Torchwood 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. 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. Gwen is forced to defend herself from government assassins after the Hub is destroyed, taking Rhys on the run with her, 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. When Ianto is killed fighting the 456, Gwen and Rhys return to Cardiff to protect his sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix
), and her son and daughter 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 her behind and abandons Earth.
Fourth series Miracle Day (2011), an American co-production, establishes that Gwen, Rhys and their daughter Anwen went into hiding after the events of Children of Earth, and Torchwood is no more. Gwen is called out of hiding, however, when CIA
agent Rex Matheson
(Mekhi Phifer
) renditions
her to the United States, believing that a worldwide phenomenon wherein nobody can die is connected to Torchwood. Once in America, Gwen forms part of a new Torchwood team with Jack, Rex and former CIA analyst Esther Drummond
(Alexa Havins
). Gwen's father Geraint (William Thomas
) initially survives because of the miracle, but later Gwen must rescue him from a facility where the severely injured are burned alive. When her family are kidnapped in "Immortal Sins
" as leverage for her to hand in Jack Harkness, Gwen tells him that she will see him die if it means saving her daughter. After her dying father is re-captured by a government official, Gwen travels to Shanghai with Jack in an attempt to find "The Blessing" and put an end to the miracle. In the concluding episode, Gwen is willing to sacrifice her father and the entire Torchwood team to restore order to the world; to spare him committing suicide, Gwen shoots Jack, whose mortal blood prompts the Blessing to end the miracle. Jack's immortality is restored and Gwen is later shocked to discover, at Esther's funeral, that Rex has become immortal as well.
to date. The first wave, Another Life
, Border Princes
, and Slow Decay
, set between episodes of Torchwood series one, were published in January 2007. These novels expand on the difficult period in Gwen and Rhys' relationship; in Border Princess she engages in extra marital sex with James Mayer ; whilst Rhys endangers himself for her in Slow Decay by taking an alien diet pill to try to make her take more notice of him. Published in March 2008, and tying in with the concurrently airing second series of Torchwood, Gwen appears in the novels Trace Memory
, The Twilight Streets
, and Something in the Water
. Gwen's first day with Andy Davidson
(played in the TV series by Tom Price
) as her partner is portrayed in a flashback in the novel Trace Memory, whilst in The Twilight Streets an alternate-future Torchwood is depicted; headed by Gwen and Rhys, after the demise of Tosh, Owen, Ianto and Jack. Three more Torchwood books were released in October 2008: Pack Animals
, SkyPoint
, and Almost Perfect
, the last of which is set after the series two finale "Exit Wounds". The May 2009 wave of books consisted of Into the Silence
, Bay of the Dead
, and The House that Jack Built
, whilst following on in October 2009 were the novels Risk Assessment
, The Undertaker's Gift
, and Consequences
, all set between "Exit Wounds" and Children of Earth. Whilst Gwen's continued use of her maiden name is not specifically addressed in the TV show, the novel SkyPoint sees her consciously reject the name "Mrs Williams" after the unfamiliarity and awkwardness of hearing Jack address her as such.
First published in January 2008, the monthly Torchwood Magazine
began occasionally including Torchwood comic strips, in which Gwen also appears. A scene in Gareth David-Lloyd's comic, "Shrouded", includes a scene set after Children in Earth which shows Gwen cradling her young child; as Gwen is busy, Rhys is required to team up with Captain John Hart to save the timeline. During series two, the Torchwood website,
. Eve Myles, as Gwen makes a brief appearance towards the end of the game, alongside Gareth David Lloyd, when Gwen and Ianto shut down a broadcast from the fictitious Dark Talk studio. Throughout both series one and two, the interactive websites co-written by James Goss featured electronic literature
content (such as fictitious internet messaging conversations and letters) which depict aspects of Gwen and the other Torchwood characters' work and personal lives. The Torchwood Archives by Gary Russell
- an insider's look into Torchwood collects much of this ancillary online literature in hardback form, along with new original material, some of which expands on Gwen's background and life before Torchwood. For example we learn about Gwen's university attendance, a previous boyfriend named Bruce, her early relationship with Rhys and that she spent a total of four years working alongside Andy in the police. The book is composed of fictitious archive notes, personnel forms, photographs, newspaper clippings and staff memos, and offers more detail about the character's home and work life. For example, we see Gwen's employee form where she lists herself as Torchwood's "Investigator. Troubleshooter. Frequent Peacemaker". We also see photos of her and Rhys together used as set dressing in the TV series, plus documents such as Gwen's wedding Invitation list and her Torchwood Case write ups. In a similar vein to The Torchwood Archives but from a real-world perspective, Gary Russell's The Torchwood Encyclopedia (2009) expands on "every fact and figure" for Gwen and the Torchwood world.
written by Steven Savile
and narrated by Naoko Mori, Everyone Says Hello
written by Dan Abnett
and narrated by Burn Gorman, released February 2008, In the Shadows
by Joseph Lidster
and narrated by Eve Myles, released September 2008, and The Sin Eaters written by Brian Minchin and narrated by Gareth David-Lloyd, released September 2008. 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. 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. Between 1 July and 3 July 2009, Radio 4 aired three further audio dramas in The Afternoon Play slot, titled "Asylum
", "Golden Age
" and "The Dead Line
", bridging the gap between Series 2 and 3. To tie in with the shows fourth series, Torchwood: Miracle Day, the BBC produced three additional radio plays, airing between the 11 and 13 July 2011. Titled "The Devil and Miss Carew", "Submission" and "House of the Dead", these plays are take place in the gaps between "Exit Wounds" and Miracle Day and feature the voices of Myles, Barrowman and David-Lloyd. Whilst Myles provides the voice of Gwen in all three plays the narrative of House of the Dead, set after Children of Earth, reveals that the presence of Gwen was actually a manipulation by a malevolent spirit to fool Ianto into thinking he was alive as usual.
, Russell wrote the character of Gwen specifically for Eve Myles. Speaking on her casting, Myles stated that having the part written for her was like her "own personal Oscar". Part of the attraction of playing Gwen for Myles was that she has the opportunity to play an action hero with her own accent. Speaking on the casting of Welsh actors on Torchwood, Davies comments that it was a deliberate intention to make the Welsh accent mainstream, "to make it as acceptable as Scottish or Irish". Discussing the international co-production behind series four, Gardner comments that Gwen's involvement helps ensure that the "flavour of Wales" remains evident, later commenting that Torchwood are "taking the Welsh global". Although Myles describes Gwen as the most enjoyable character she has portrayed she feels that it's the most challenging role for her as an actress, because of the character's complexity and the new challenges that the role presents.
In the first series of Torchwood, Gwen functions as an audience surrogate. To creator and executive producer Russell T Davies, she is of the same character type as 2005-6 Doctor Who leading woman Rose Tyler
(Billie Piper
): "She is the ordinary person who stumbles into something extraordinary and finds herself their equal.” 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 The BBC website character description focuses on Gwen's human qualities describing her as "grounded, straightforward and very determined" and the team's conscience. Her distinct role within the team stems from the fact that "she's there for the people", who she feels "instinctive and passionate" about. Richard Stokes feels that Gwen possesses more "human empathy" than the more mercenary members of the team, who are seen to be "technology-and-alien-obsessed". In this vein, lead actor John Barrowman says that Gwen brings a "little bit of soul" back to Jack. Describing the ways in which Gwen's methodology
differs from the rest of the team, Myles explains how her police procedural training relates to the job: "she deals with the families, she deals with profiling, she deals with searching people's backgrounds. It's a new way of working she brings in". Myles believes that Gwen would have been a "fantastic policewoman" prior to her Torchwood career. Myles cites transferable skills such as the way she is able to extract information from vulnerable characters such as Clem McDonald (Paul Copley
) in Children of Earth. "She’s able to make people open up by making them feel comfortable". Fundamentally, Myles perceives Gwen to be "the heart and emotion of Torchwood", and also "Torchwood's social worker" who can "run and fight and stand in her own corner and win". Finding an insight into Torchwood through curiosity, Gwen becomes part of Torchwood because they need her, just as she needs them.
Eve Myles previously appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead
" as Gwyneth, a 19th century clairvoyant
, with a connection to the Cardiff Rift, which later became a central plot device
in Torchwood. In response to questions about the similarity of the characters' names, showrunner Russell T Davies denied that they were connected, stating that they are "just two names beginning with "G"." Subsequently however, Davies' 2008 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". Eve Myles said of the characters' relation, "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." Davies explains that the relationship between the characters is not literal, stating that "It's not familial as we understand it", instead characterising spatial genetic multiplicity as "an echo and repetition of physical traits across a Time Rift."
". 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 Williams. 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 the amnesia drug Retcon so he won't remember. Gwen admits herself that because of her sexual misdemeanors she isn't in a place to pass judgement on Toshiko, or indeed any other member of the Torchwood team. Valerie Estelle Frankel argues that Gwen finds "the missing side of herself" with her immersion into the world of Torchwood, represented by "affairs and homosexuality
and the threat of death" rather than her ordinary domestic life with Rhys. According to Frankel Gwen's confrontation with Suzie mirrors her confrontation with her "inner self"; her literal journey into death giving her "the wisdom and duality of both worlds, life and death, mundane and magical" and eventually allowing her to become a stronger woman. Danielle Rawcliffe notes that Indira Varma's character Suzie, featured in the premiere episode and in "They Keep Killing Suzie
", is used as a "doppelgänger
" (a trope of Gothic fiction
; compare with terms "Gothic double
" and literary foil
) for Gwen. Suzie's actions and parallels with Gwen help to illuminate some of Gwen's own ethically ambiguous decisions in the first series. Gwen must constantly fight against Suzie, and Suzie's example, "if she is to be proved worthy of working alongside Captain Jack".
Whilst Lynette Porter feels that Gwen becomes a "fallen women" through her affair with Owen she observes that this makes Gwen's role in relation to Jack in "End of Days" to be analogous to that of Mary Magdalene
to Jesus
, which reinforces the prevalent Biblical imagery present in the episode. Like Magdalene, Gwen is rewarded for her loyalty through being the first to lay eyes upon the risen saviour. David Cornelius states that Gwen's Torchwood adventures take her to the brink, but also show "she's strong enough to pull herself back". Frankel surmises that "Gwen's journey is one we all face... she discovers the dominant intuition within, and then embraces it within the darkest caves of her inner self". Walker, too feels that Gwen is still a redeemable character because 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. On this tract, Torchwood actor Kai Owen justifies Gwen's treatment of Rhys in her darkest moments by arguing that Gwen's intentions always remained pure; no matter how badly she treated Rhys. Myles feels Gwen's dubious morality also keeps the character fresh; Myles feels constantly challenged, "physically", "mentally" and "morally" by portraying the character. The disparity between the character's intentions and her actions is addressed in a series four press release which describes Gwen as both selfless and selfish. io9's Charlie Jane Anders comments that the TV episode "The Categories of Life
" exposes Gwen's human vanity by observing that the character is essentially responsible for her father's second heart attack through her rash actions.
look" and keeps away from leather clothing. However, as she becomes more confident in her new vocation, her clothes becomes "a lot more designer and heroic looking". In the second series she wears more leather from brands such as Diesel and G-star
which Holman describes as "sexy" but "practical". The overall effect is that Gwen's leathers "toughen her up a bit, but keep her stylish at the same time". CultBox TV's Rob Smedley takes note of the effect of clothing ensemble, describing her as the 9th best-dressed character on TV, possessing "the ideal rugged ensemble that gives the impression she means business and is all too ready to prove it".
The process of maturing for Gwen is furthered in Children of Earth where she becomes a more militant heroine, shaped by the increased responsibilities and pressures of her job. Director Euros Lyn
remarks that in terms of experience and decision making Gwen has grown so that "she now is on a par with Jack, in terms of having the knowledge and the experience to make decisions and to be a heroine". Daniel Martin remarks favourably on this more developed Gwen in The Guardian
, opining that her assertive reaction to her attempted assassination "shows just how far she's come". Although Gwen comes across as harsher, she has had to become this way because it is pragmatic. "If she wasn't, people would die", Myles explains. She sees Gwen's loss of innocence as an inevitable development for her, commenting "everybody's got to lose something to gain something". David Corenlius also observes that Gwen is no longer the kind-hearted outsider she was when she first joined Torchwood. By Children of Earth, she has become "colder and much more aggressive". In Children of Earth, Gwen's horrific experiences turn her into "a biting cynic"; when both government and army betray the British people, Gwen contemplates abortion. She claims to finally be able to understand why the Doctor does not save humanity from world crises. She believes he "must look at this planet and turn away in shame". According to a press release, Miracle Day will see Gwen "make the most terrible decisions, on behalf of all mankind". This is evidenced in "The Blood Line
" where the character is shown to be willing to sacrifice her entire Torchwood team, in addition to her dying father, for the good of the world.
Critical attention has drawn out comparisons with famous screen action heroines, such as Ellen Ripley
, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver
in the original Alien trilogy
. Ripley is seen as a ground-breaking depiction of a heroine whose heroism is neither derived from male support or hampered by femininity. Rawcliffe writes that Gwen's strength of character makes her a "half Ripley", insofar as she possesses all of Ripley's strength, and yet "is hampered by her reliance on the male characters of Jack, Rhys and Owen". Gwen has also been compared, at least superficially, is Buffy Summers
, as portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar
. Reflecting on a shot from Miracle Day, one critic comments that Gwen is "channeling Season Two Buffy the Vampire Slayer" when she shoots at a helicopter from her bazooka (recalling the shot depicted in Buffy episode "Innocence"). Gwen has also drawn implicit comparisons with Lara Croft
from the Tomb Raider
video game and film franchise. Commenting after viewing the first episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day Den of Geek's Simon Brew states that "Whoever Hollywood producers cast in the planned reboot of the Tomb Raider movie franchise, I’m fully confident that Myles could kick their ass. Twice. Before breakfast". Whilst critical of the typical characterisation of British female science fiction characters, The Guardians Krystina Nellis singles out Gwen and Doctor Whos River Song
(Alex Kingston
) as positive depictions of strong female characters, stating: "It'd be difficult to find two superwomen in less need of a man to save them."
Press releases describe Gwen in light of contradictions between her heroic and conventionally feminine roles in the series; despite becoming a "tough, ruthless warrior, who loves the thrill of the fight" Gwen remains a "funny, salty, earthy woman who loves home and family". As part of her continuing characterisation we are introduced (in series 2) to her parents Geraint and Mary Cooper, as well as her in-laws. Children of Earth sees Gwen become pregnant by husband Rhys; a development the character attributes to the failure of the contraceptive pill when used alongside Torchwood-related contaminants. She gives birth to a baby girl, Anwen, in between the third and fourth series. Both Eve Myles and creator Russel T Davies have described this plot development as emblematic of a contradiction at the heart of Gwen's character. Myles believes that Gwen becoming a mother alongside her duties with Torchwood is demonstrative of her dual commitments both to saving the earth also to her romantic partner, Rhys. Becoming a mother gives Gwen a greater sense of responsibility, but it makes her "even more human, and yet even more of a wonder woman". Davies jokingly suggests that the image of "Gwen Cooper with baby in one arm and gun in the other" will be used as promotion for the new series, highlighting her dual roles. The production team have continued to emphasise this contradictory aspect to Gwen's character, which has proved popular with critics and viewers. For example, a promotional clip for Miracle Day features Gwen firing from her gun in one hand while protectively holding her baby in the other. Zap2it
's Mikey O'Connell praised this as one of the trailer's best aspects, praising Gwen as "the coolest mum ever." The Telegraph
's Catherine Gee also praises the dichotomy between the character's two roles, stating that "Eve Myles’s homely yet badass agent is incredibly charming".
The newly engaged Gwen becomes completely monogamous in the second series and "fights everyday to be with [Rhys]" even though Jack remains "a huge temptation". Producer Russell T Davies felt that it was essential that Rhys could not remain ignorant over Gwen's vocation and the episode Meat
focusses on Rhys discovering and coming to terms with Gwen's job. Richard Edwards of SFX comments that this development allows their relationship to become the most convincing on the show and makes it clear why Gwen would want to marry Rhys. Richard Stokes feels that the marriage in "Something Borrowed" shows of Gwen's character that "even though she’s put him through some really difficult times, she really does love him and want to be with him." When asked about her character's complex relationship with both Jack and Rhys, Eve Myles explains that Gwen wouldn't be as much of a "strong character" without her ordinary life with Rhys. After the two enter a marriage based on honesty he becomes a “confidant, someone to share the burden with." Delivering on this, the end sequences of "Adrift
" and "Exit Wounds" both show Gwen seeking comfort in Rhys' arms after a traumatic work experience. Ben Rawson Jones of Digital Spy
comments that overall, the relationship serves to create "a nice contrast with the fantastical elements of the show"; whilst Jason Hughes opines that their marriage is "handled in a painfully honest way" and serves as "a true definition of "love" written with subtlety and perfection". Talking about the show's exploration of human sexuality, Russell T Davies highlights the importance of Gwen and Rhys stating that "open sexuality has to include everything" including "a husband/wife great big crime-fighting team [...] happily in love".
Stephen James Walker feels that Gwen's decision not to wipe Rhys' memory a second time in the episode "Meat
" symbolises the end of any potential relationship between Gwen and Jack, although Gwen later confesses that "I love [Rhys]... but not in the way I love you [Jack]." Myles doesn't begrudge the fact that Gwen has feelings for Jack in addition to Rhys, stating that "the most monogamous woman in the world would probably go for him – it'd be hard not to". Myles later clarifies that following Gwen's marriage to Rhys she doesn't see a pressing need for Jack and Gwen to consummate their feelings stating that "it's kind of like feeding the baby when it's not hungry". Reinforcing this view, Julie Gardner feels the love between Gwen and Jack is self-evident and that it doesn't need saying. Gareth David Lloyd, who portrayed Jack's other romantic interest, Ianto Jones, believes that although Jack feels two different types of love for Ianto and Gwen, both have been instrumental in helping him open up and become less socially and emotionally isolated. By Children of Earth Gwen is comfortable referring to Jack as her "best friend" although Lynette Porter interprets Gwen's view of Jack as apotheosis
arguing her expectations of him to be the hero cause him to flee Earth as the hero is a role he cannot play because of the responsibility he feels for the deaths of those he loved. Although Gwen retreats to a rural idyll with the family she loves, she still retains feelings for Jack, and misses the exciting life she once led alongside him. Similarly, it is stated in the press release that it is Jack's "unstated love" for Gwen which brings him back to earth. Speaking ahead of the fourth series Myles explains that Gwen and Jack's relationship is a composite of several different types of relationships. She describes it as a "love-hate-love relationship", stating that it is that of a sibling relationship, a husband and wife relationship and also "the best friendship known to mankind". Myles feels that Gwen is not complete without Jack and that they are like "two missing parts of a jigsaw" and because the relationship works on these different levels it cannot be labelled. Episode seven of Miracle Day features a scenario where Gwen states that she would have Jack killed to save her daughter. Writer Jane Espenson explains that the two characters differing needs means that they inevitably "clash like steel blades". Simon Brew of Den of Geek describes Jack and Gwen as "a terrific double act" and opines that "Torchwood is at, or near, its best when the two of them are working in tandem".
had claimed all the members of Torchwood were bisexual and despite her character appearing "ostensibly straight", "Day One
" features a scene in which Gwen reciprocates the advances of a sex-driven alien in a woman's body whilst under the influences of alien-enhanced pheromone
s. In order to convey the correct sense of passion in the scene where Gwen and Carys kiss, actresses Eve Myles and Sara Gregory discussed how they would execute it beforehand and agreed that they would have to imagine Gregory as Johnny Depp
, and Myles as Brad Pitt
. This particular scene drew criticism from AfterEllen.com reviewer Karman Kregloe who comments that it falls prey to "nearly every negative lesbian stereotype
imaginable". Kregloe considers Gwen's inability to satiate the sex crazed alien as a "play on a traditional, sexist social construct", whilst the decision to never have Gwen never mention the experience again also draws criticism. The first series also sees Gwen embark on a short lived destructive affair with colleague Owen Harper. Executive producer Russell T Davies explains that the episode "Countrycide
" was deliberately structured in order to make the affair seem inevitable as she struggles to cope with her Torchwood life. For Davies, the affair is recounted in adult manner, being characterised by "lust and anger and hurt and the joy you get out of the initial stages of having an affair". The situation is a very "human one", with Stephen James Walker arguing that it is Gwen's acknowledgement in her human failings which makes her betrayal of Rhys redeemable. Academic Linnie Blake analyses Gwen's fluid sexuality in the first series as a response to her eye opening surroundings and Jack's "glorious affirmation of all possible sexual permutations", citing Gwen's fling with the "dangerous" Owen and "enthusiastic" encounter with Carys as evidence of her heterosexist normality
becoming enveloped by the uncanny. The Gothic situations in Torchwood continue to find parallels in the "invasion" of Gwen's sexuality, reaching a climax at her wedding when she is forcibly impregnated. In addition to her affair with Owen, the novel Border Princes
features Gwen being manipulated into an afffair with alien infiltrator James Mayer. However, the canonicity of these events is unclear.
Gwen's friendship with former colleague Andy also juxtaposes her extraordinary life with mundane one, as well as highlighting her transformation into a harder woman. Andy is present immediately before Gwen first encounters Torchwood, and according to Myles his appearances "takes you right back to the beginning, it reminds you where she came from, how Jack found Gwen". Later, the episode "Adrift" reveals that Andy has harboured feelings
for Gwen over the course of several years. Tom Price, who portrays Andy, speculates that Gwen had been the subject of a clumsy pass when the two of them worked together. Andy's feelings cause him to remain absent on Gwen's wedding day, and to constantly bicker with her husband Rhys, but despite this Gwen's influence remains a decisive factor in Andy's begrudging trust in Torchwood.
Eve Myles has generally enjoyed an increased profile since being cast as Gwen Cooper in Torchwood and is now considered one of Wales biggest Drama exports. On casting her, Russell T Davies described Myles as "Wales best kept secret," and the actress has also been described as a "Welsh icon" since appearing in Torchwood, with the Western Mail listing Myles' turn as "Torchwoods feisty female lead" as a contributing factor in making her one of Wales' sexiest women, as well as a national institution. In an analysis of Welsh representation in television, Geraint Telfan Davies cited Myles' role in Torchwood, coupled with the popularity of sitcom Gavin and Stacey, as combating prejudice against the Welsh accent. Backing up this claim, Samantha Bennet of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
describes Myles' "silvery, flowing" accent as "exotic" and Myles herself as a bona fide star. Shortly after Torchwoods premiere, Conservative
MP
Michael Gove
described Gwen Cooper as a "Celtic Rosselini" and an example of Welsh sensuality, whilst in 2006, Wales on Sunday named Myles as its "Bachelorette of the Year". In July 2011, The Scotsman
s Aidan Smith described Gwen Cooper as "the sexiest woman in Wales".
The Guardian
's "Organ Grinder" reviewer was full of praise for Myles' portrayal of Cooper in "Everything Changes", expressing the opinion that her portrayal of Gwen Cooper managed to outshine Captain Jack. Myles, as Cooper, is described by The Stage
as "the solid, down to earth character needed to anchor Torchwood to the real world"; functioning well as a foil to Captain Jack Harkness, whilst David Cornelius comments that her character succeeds as a strong female character that does not pander to stereotypes. For Cornelius, the writers avoid defining Gwen by any aspect of her adventures, making her better developed than most male TV characters in the bargain. The more assertive Gwen in Torchwoods third series has generally attracted praise from reviewers: Robert Lloyd, writing for the Los Angeles Times
describes her as a "soulful leather-jacketed
action heroine", whilst Paul Collins of Total Sci-Fi online felt that Children of Earth finally shows Gwen's heroic characteristics in a way that had been missing in the first two series. Daniel Martin from the Guardian felt that "it's great to see Gwen being so completely badass", and also commented on character's interactions, singling out the stowaway
scene with Rhys as "just lovely". IGN
writer Asham Haque also credits Gwen's pregnancy storyline as "one of the few hope-giving threads" in Children of Earth, providing much of the serials "tender and humorous moments". Comic Book Resources
' Remy Minnick describes Gwen "the true heart of Torchwood", her speech referencing The Doctor being "so stirring and completely heartbreaking at the same time", whilst Wired magazine also view Myles' portrayal as forming the conscience of the Torchwood Team, and the show itself
. Jonathan Wilkins felt that the five part serial marked the emergence of Eve Myles as a talented star in her own right; believing that she shows complete conviction in playing every aspect of her character; and that she could potentially carry the show without co-star Barrowman; should he not return. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune
opined that the third series' climax indicates just how Eve Myles has "grown into the role", describing her performance as "outstanding". Ryan later gives an "Honourable Mention" to Gwen when discussing Sci-Fi TV's Most Memorable Female Characters, making her the only Doctor Who franchise
character to receive a mention.
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
. She was nominated again for the award in 2008, and again in 2010. In 2010 Eve also won the 'Best Actress" award in the SFX
Reader's Awards poll, and was crowned best actress in the 11th annual Airlock Alpha Portal Awards. Action figures have also been created in her likeness, which Myles' describes as "bizarre and wonderful" but at the same time "really kind of strange". In a reader's awards poll in the sixth issue of Torchwood Magazine, Gwen was voted second favourite Torchwood character behind Captain Jack, a ranking she also received in a 2011 poll published by the Liverpool Daily Post as part of a live Interview with writer John Fay
. Myles has represented the character of Gwen at various sci-fi conventions and has praised the fan response as "incredible" and "just extraordinary". Some fans have taken to blacking out their teeth at sci-fi conventions to mimic her gap toothed appearance, which Myles finds particularly flattering.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
, a spin-off to the long-running show Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles
Eve Myles
Eve Myles is an award winning Welsh actress of stage and screen. She is best known to Welsh audiences for her portrayal of Ceri Owen in the BBC Wales drama Belonging, and to audiences worldwide for her role as Gwen Cooper in the science fiction show Torchwood, a spin-off from Doctor Who.-Personal...
. The series' lead female character, Gwen has featured in every episode of the sci-fi programme to date as well as two crossover episodes of Torchwoods parent show, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
. Additionally, Gwen appears in Expanded Universe
Expanded Universe
The term Expanded Universe is generally used to denote the 'extension' of a media franchise with other media...
material such as the Torchwood novels and audiobooks, comic books and radio plays. Portraying Gwen has increased Myles' profile as an actress, and her portrayal has also been cited as effective in promoting Welsh visibility on television.
Gwen is introduced as an audience surrogate
Audience surrogate
In the study of literature, an audience surrogate is a fictional character with whom the audience can identify, or who expresses the questions and confusion of the audience...
, much like the typical "companion
Companion (Doctor Who)
In the long-running BBC television science fiction programme Doctor Who and related works, the term "companion" refers to a character who travels with, and shares the adventures of the Doctor. In most Doctor Who stories, the primary companion acts as both deuteragonist and audience surrogate...
" character in Doctor Who. Within the series narrative, Gwen is a South Wales Police
South Wales Police
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...
officer who discovers the mysterious Torchwood Institute
Torchwood Institute
The Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
, into which she is recruited by Captain Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
. Gwen operates as a field agent
Field agent
In espionage, a field agent is an agent who works in the field as opposed to one who works at the office or headquarters. A field agent can work alone or in a group but usually has a case officer who is in charge....
on Torchwood missions. Through her police procedural training, Gwen brings a more humane and rounded approach to her team's investigations of extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
cases; she is herself empathetic, grounded, and relatable. Despite this, Gwen's moral complexity means that she subverts typical expectations of the audience surrogate as she finds herself ethically compromised by her line of work. For example, because Gwen leads a double life in the first series she finds herself growing detached from her long-term boyfriend and is unfaithful to him.
Though Gwen starts off in the mould of the "girl next door
Girl next door
The cultural and sexual stereotype of the girl next door or the All-American girl is invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming femininity, as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the tomboy, the valley girl, the femme fatale, girly girl, or the slut. The...
" archetype, she becomes more militant as the series progresses, and stands in as Torchwood's de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
leader on occasions when Captain Jack is absent. Though this militancy, contrasted with Gwen's conventionally feminine characteristics, forms a contradiction, it is one from which she draws strength. As Gwen develops into a harder character, it is her relationship with cohabiting boyfriend-cum-husband Rhys Williams
Rhys Williams (Torchwood)
Rhys Alun Williams, portrayed by Kai Owen, is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character is introduced in the premiere episode as the co-habiting boyfriend of principal character Gwen Cooper...
which keeps her "grounded". When in the second series Gwen commits herself to Rhys, and tells him about her double life, he swiftly becomes a confidante to her, and lightens her burden. The birth of daughter Anwen prior to the fourth series serves to intensify the gulf between her two roles as Torchwood agent and mother.
Television
Gwen is introduced in the first episodeEverything Changes (Torchwood)
"Everything Changes" is the first episode of the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, which was first broadcast on 22 October 2006.-Synopsis:Police constable Gwen Cooper comes across the mysterious organisation known as Torchwood...
of Torchwood, where she—a Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
partnered with Andy Davidson
Andy Davidson (Torchwood)
Andy Davidson is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, portrayed by Tom Price. Andy, an officer with the South Wales Police, is a supporting character who first appears in Torchwoods premiere episode "Everything Changes" and recurs regularly from thereon...
(Tom Price
Tom Price (actor)
Tom Price is a British actor, voice over artist and stand up comedian. He is married to TV producer Beth Morrey, who is most noted for being the creator of hit Channel 4 quiz format Wogan's Perfect Recall.-TV and Film Career:...
)—is witness to Captain Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
(John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
) and his team's interrogation of a dead man. Acting as an audience surrogate
Audience surrogate
In the study of literature, an audience surrogate is a fictional character with whom the audience can identify, or who expresses the questions and confusion of the audience...
, 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
Torchwood Institute
The Torchwood Institute is a fictional secret organization from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. It was established in 1879 by Queen Victoria after the events of "Tooth and Claw". Its prime directive, is to defend the earth against...
, 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
Indira Varma
Indira Varma is an English actress. Her first major role was in Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love. She has gone on to appear in the television series Rome and Human Target.-Early life and background:...
) is the serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
. Present at Suzie's attempt to kill Jack, and her ensuing suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, Jack (who reveals that he cannot die
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
) rewards Gwen by offering her a job in Torchwood. Jack and Gwen's relationship becomes tinged with romantic implications, despite her long-standing relationship with boyfriend Rhys
Rhys Williams (Torchwood)
Rhys Alun Williams, portrayed by Kai Owen, is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character is introduced in the premiere episode as the co-habiting boyfriend of principal character Gwen Cooper...
(Kai Owen
Kai Owen
Kai Owen is a Welsh actor of stage and screen, known to Welsh audiences for his numerous roles on Welsh-language television and to worldwide audiences for his portrayal of Rhys Williams in Torchwood....
) and Jack's developing relationship with teammate Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones is a fictional character in the BBC television series Torchwood, played by Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd. A series regular, Ianto appears in every episode of the programme's first three series, as well as two crossover episodes of Torchwoods parent show, Doctor Who...
(Gareth David-Lloyd
Gareth David-Lloyd
Gareth David-Lloyd is a Welsh actor best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood.- Early life :...
). Gwen falls into a short-lived destructive affair with teammate Owen
Owen Harper
Owen Harper is a fictional character played by Burn Gorman, and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character last appeared onscreen in the Series 2 finale, "Exit Wounds"....
(Burn Gorman
Burn Gorman
Burn Hugh Gorman is an American-born English actor and musician. Burn is best known for his roles as Owen Harper in Torchwood and as William Guppy in Bleak House.-Personal life:...
), after a particularly traumatic experience with cannibals
Countrycide
"Countrycide" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the sixth episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 19 November 2006-Synopsis:...
she cannot share with Rhys. Confused and wracked with guilt, Gwen confesses the affair after it ends in "Combat
Combat (Torchwood)
"Combat" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast on 24 December 2006. It is the eleventh episode of the first series. Weevils are being abducted by humans. As Owen goes undercover to find out who is committing these crimes, he meets Mark Lynch...
" but drugs Rhys with an amnesia pill so he will not remember her confession. In the series one finale
End of Days (Torchwood)
"End of Days" is the thirteenth episode and the first series finale of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It originally aired on BBC Three on 1 January 2007, alongside the previous episode, "Captain Jack Harkness". The episode was written by Chris Chibnall and directed by...
, her desire to resurrect a murdered Rhys at any cost motivates her to mutiny against Jack, and open the rift in time and space
Cardiff Rift
The Cardiff Rift is a fictional wormhole in the science fiction television series Doctor Who and Torchwood, one end of which is located in Cardiff Bay, Wales. The other end is apparently floating freely through spacetime, and matter and radiation can pass through the Rift, allowing extraterrestrial...
which Torchwood monitors. After Jack sacrifices himself to the released supernatural demon, Gwen maintains that he will come back to life and stays watch over his body. Eventually, she concedes that Jack is dead, and gives him a parting kiss. As she leaves, Jack arises from death and whispers "thank you." Not long after Jack's revival he abandons Torchwood to reunite with the mysterious "Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
" from his past.
Series two, airing in 2008 begins with the newly engaged Gwen having quickly risen to replace Jack as the team's leader. Early in 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 after he takes a bullet for her, she defies Jack by refusing to wipe his memory. When Adam Smith (Bryan Dick
Bryan Dick
Bryan Dick is an English actor, who has starred in multiple motion pictures, television series, and stage productions in both the United Kingdom and United States.-Background:...
) causes Gwen to lose her memory; Rhys reminds her of their early courtship. In "Something Borrowed
Something Borrowed (Torchwood)
"Something Borrowed" is the ninth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood. It was broadcast by BBC Three on 5 March 2008 and repeated on BBC Two one week later.-Synopsis:...
", despite having been impregnated by a Nostrovite, 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. In the series finale
Exit Wounds (Torchwood)
"Exit Wounds" is the thirteenth and final episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was broadcast on BBC Two on 4 April 2008.-Synopsis:...
, it is Gwen's leadership skills which allow her to co-ordinate Cardiff in the chaos caused by Captain John Hart (James Marsters
James Marsters
James Wesley Marsters is an American actor and musician. Marsters first came to the attention of the general public playing the popular character Spike, a platinum-blond yobbish English vampire in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series, Angel from 1997 to 2004...
) and Jack's younger brother Gray (Lachlan Nieboer). When Gray kills teammates Toshiko
Toshiko Sato
is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London" , Toshiko is re-introduced as a series regular in the Torchwood 2006 premiere episode "Everything Changes"...
(Naoko Mori
Naoko Mori
is a British-Japanese actress known for roles as Sarah, Saffron's "odd" friend in Absolutely Fabulous, Mie Nishikawa in Casualty, and Toshiko Sato in Doctor Who and Torchwood.-Early life:...
) and Owen, Gwen is desolate. Following from this, Gwen makes her first crossover appearance in Doctor Who alongside Jack and Ianto in its 2008 series
Doctor Who (series 4)
The fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who began on 25 December 2007 with the Christmas special "Voyage of the Damned". Following the special, a regular series of thirteen episodes aired, starting with "Partners in Crime" on 5 April 2008 and ending with "Journey's End"...
' two-part finale, where Torchwood is called on to help contact series protagonist the Doctor
Tenth Doctor
The Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
(David Tennant
David Tennant
David Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
) during a Dalek
Dalek
The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Within the series, Daleks are cyborgs from the planet Skaro, created by the scientist Davros during the final years of a thousand-year war against the Thals...
invasion. A familial connection between Gwen and the character of Gwyneth, played by Eve Myles in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead
The Unquiet Dead
"The Unquiet Dead" is an episode in the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 9 April 2005 and is the first episode of the revival to be set in the past. In Victorian Cardiff, the dead are walking, and creatures made of gas are on the loose...
" is alluded to by the Doctor, after he and Rose Tyler
Rose Tyler
Rose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...
(Billie Piper
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...
) recognize the physical similarity between the two.
The third series of Torchwood 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. 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
Paul Copley
Paul Mackriell Copley is an award-winning English actor and voice-over artist.-Early life:Copley was born in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, and grew up beside a dairy farm there. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family...
). Gwen investigates by visiting Clem, who announces to her she is pregnant, which she later confirms using the technology at the Hub. Gwen is forced to defend herself from government assassins after the Hub is destroyed, taking Rhys on the run with her, and re-establishing Torchwood Three in a London warehouse. By making contact with government PA
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
Lois Habiba (Cush Jumbo
Cush Jumbo
Cush Jumbo is an English actress, known for playing Lois Habiba in the third series of British science fiction drama Torchwood, Children of Earth....
), Gwen discovers her fugitive status and is able to survey government dealings. When Ianto is killed fighting the 456, Gwen and Rhys return to Cardiff to protect his sister Rhiannon (Katy Wix
Katy Wix
Katy Wix is a Welsh actress who has appeared in Not Going Out, Comic Relief Special, Rush Hour, Miranda and Torchwood.She also has numerous recurring roles in Horrible Histories...
), and her son and daughter 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 her behind and abandons Earth.
Fourth series Miracle Day (2011), an American co-production, establishes that Gwen, Rhys and their daughter Anwen went into hiding after the events of Children of Earth, and Torchwood is no more. Gwen is called out of hiding, however, when CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
agent Rex Matheson
Rex Matheson
Rex Matheson is a fictional character in the science fiction series Torchwood, portrayed by American actor Mekhi Phifer. Phifer is one of three American actors to join Torchwood in its fourth series, Torchwood: Miracle Day , as part of a new co-production between Torchwoods British network, BBC...
(Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Thira Phifer is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama ER and his co-starring role opposite Eminem in the feature film 8 Mile...
) renditions
Rendition (law)
In law, rendition is a "surrender" or "handing over" of persons or property, particularly from one jurisdiction to another. For criminal suspects, extradition is the most common type of rendition. Rendition can also be seen as the act of handing over, after the request for extradition has taken...
her to the United States, believing that a worldwide phenomenon wherein nobody can die is connected to Torchwood. Once in America, Gwen forms part of a new Torchwood team with Jack, Rex and former CIA analyst Esther Drummond
Esther Drummond
Esther Drummond is a fictional character in the science fiction series Torchwood, portrayed by American actress Alexa Havins. Havins is one of several American actors to join Torchwood in its fourth series, Torchwood: Miracle Day , as part of a new co-production between Torchwoods original British...
(Alexa Havins
Alexa Havins
Alexa Carole Havins is an American actress. She first came to prominence in 2003, when she became the originating actor in the role of Babe Carey Chandler on the daytime drama All My Children...
). Gwen's father Geraint (William Thomas
William Thomas (actor)
William Thomas is a Welsh actor, who has appeared in many TV episodes and films. He made his first appearance on TV in 1974, and his work, as an actor, is still ongoing...
) initially survives because of the miracle, but later Gwen must rescue him from a facility where the severely injured are burned alive. When her family are kidnapped in "Immortal Sins
Immortal Sins
"Immortal Sins" is the seventh episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was broadcast in the United States on Starz on 19 August 2011.-Plot summary:...
" as leverage for her to hand in Jack Harkness, Gwen tells him that she will see him die if it means saving her daughter. After her dying father is re-captured by a government official, Gwen travels to Shanghai with Jack in an attempt to find "The Blessing" and put an end to the miracle. In the concluding episode, Gwen is willing to sacrifice her father and the entire Torchwood team to restore order to the world; to spare him committing suicide, Gwen shoots Jack, whose mortal blood prompts the Blessing to end the miracle. Jack's immortality is restored and Gwen is later shocked to discover, at Esther's funeral, that Rex has become immortal as well.
Literature
Gwen appears in all Torchwood novels, published by BBC BooksBBC Books
BBC Books is an imprint majority owned and managed by Random House. The minority shareholder is BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation...
to date. The first wave, Another Life
Another Life (Torchwood)
Another Life is a BBC Books original novel written by Peter Anghelides and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show.-Plot summary:...
, Border Princes
Border Princes
Border Princes is a BBC Books original novel written by Dan Abnett and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show.-Plot summary:October, 8:00 pm...
, and Slow Decay
Slow Decay
Slow Decay is a BBC Books original novel written by Andy Lane and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood...
, set between episodes of Torchwood series one, were published in January 2007. These novels expand on the difficult period in Gwen and Rhys' relationship; in Border Princess she engages in extra marital sex with James Mayer ; whilst Rhys endangers himself for her in Slow Decay by taking an alien diet pill to try to make her take more notice of him. Published in March 2008, and tying in with the concurrently airing second series of Torchwood, Gwen appears in the novels Trace Memory
Trace Memory (Torchwood)
Trace Memory is a BBC Books original novel written by David Llewellyn and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show...
, The Twilight Streets
The Twilight Streets
The Twilight Streets is a BBC Books original novel written by Gary Russell and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show. It was published on 6 March 2008....
, and Something in the Water
Something in the Water
Something in the Water is a BBC Books original novel written by Trevor Baxendale and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show. It was published on 6 March 2008...
. Gwen's first day with Andy Davidson
Andy Davidson (Torchwood)
Andy Davidson is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, portrayed by Tom Price. Andy, an officer with the South Wales Police, is a supporting character who first appears in Torchwoods premiere episode "Everything Changes" and recurs regularly from thereon...
(played in the TV series by Tom Price
Tom Price (actor)
Tom Price is a British actor, voice over artist and stand up comedian. He is married to TV producer Beth Morrey, who is most noted for being the creator of hit Channel 4 quiz format Wogan's Perfect Recall.-TV and Film Career:...
) as her partner is portrayed in a flashback in the novel Trace Memory, whilst in The Twilight Streets an alternate-future Torchwood is depicted; headed by Gwen and Rhys, after the demise of Tosh, Owen, Ianto and Jack. Three more Torchwood books were released in October 2008: Pack Animals
Pack Animals
Pack Animals is a BBC Books original novel written by Peter Anghelides and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood...
, SkyPoint
SkyPoint (Torchwood)
SkyPoint is a BBC Books original novel written by Phil Ford and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show and is set during the second series.-Plot summary:...
, and Almost Perfect
Almost Perfect (Torchwood)
Almost Perfect is a BBC Books original novel written by James Goss and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series. It only features the characters of Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones.-Plot...
, the last of which is set after the series two finale "Exit Wounds". The May 2009 wave of books consisted of Into the Silence
Into the Silence (Torchwood)
Into the Silence is a BBC Books original novel written by Sarah Pinborough and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series...
, Bay of the Dead
Bay of the Dead
Bay of the Dead is a BBC Books original novel written by Mark Morris and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series...
, and The House that Jack Built
The House that Jack Built (Torchwood)
The House that Jack Built is a BBC Books original novel written by Guy Adams and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It is set after the conclusion of the second series...
, whilst following on in October 2009 were the novels Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment (Torchwood)
Risk Assessment is a BBC Books original novel written by James Goss and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and set after the conclusion of the second series. It only features the characters of Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones.-Plot:Coffins...
, The Undertaker's Gift
The Undertaker's Gift
The Undertaker's Gift is a BBC Books original novel written by Trevor Baxendale and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and is set after the conclusion of the second series...
, and Consequences
Consequences (Torchwood)
Consequences is an anthology set after the conclusion of the second series. It features the characters of Captain Jack, Gwen Cooper and Ianto Jones on the cover, but the stories within include several former Torchwood members.-Stories:...
, all set between "Exit Wounds" and Children of Earth. Whilst Gwen's continued use of her maiden name is not specifically addressed in the TV show, the novel SkyPoint sees her consciously reject the name "Mrs Williams" after the unfamiliarity and awkwardness of hearing Jack address her as such.
First published in January 2008, the monthly Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood Magazine
Torchwood - The Official Magazine is a British magazine devoted to the BBC science fiction television series Torchwood. The first issue was released on 24 January 2008. The United States version was due to be launched in February 2008...
began occasionally including Torchwood comic strips, in which Gwen also appears. A scene in Gareth David-Lloyd's comic, "Shrouded", includes a scene set after Children in Earth which shows Gwen cradling her young child; as Gwen is busy, Rhys is required to team up with Captain John Hart to save the timeline. During series two, the Torchwood website,
www.torchwood.org.uk also hosted an interactive online game written by series writer Phil FordPhil Ford (writer)
Phil Ford is a British television writer. He was the head writer for the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures, broadcast in 2008, and wrote "The Waters of Mars", one of the 2009 special episodes of Doctor Who, with Russell T Davies.-Television:...
. Eve Myles, as Gwen makes a brief appearance towards the end of the game, alongside Gareth David Lloyd, when Gwen and Ianto shut down a broadcast from the fictitious Dark Talk studio. Throughout both series one and two, the interactive websites co-written by James Goss featured electronic literature
Electronic literature
Electronic literature is a literary genre consisting of works of literature that originate within digital environments.-Definitions:N. Katherine Hayles discusses the topic in the online article...
content (such as fictitious internet messaging conversations and letters) which depict aspects of Gwen and the other Torchwood characters' work and personal lives. The Torchwood Archives by Gary Russell
Gary Russell
Gary James Russell is a freelance writer and former child actor. As a writer, he is best known for his work in connection with the television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs in other media...
- an insider's look into Torchwood collects much of this ancillary online literature in hardback form, along with new original material, some of which expands on Gwen's background and life before Torchwood. For example we learn about Gwen's university attendance, a previous boyfriend named Bruce, her early relationship with Rhys and that she spent a total of four years working alongside Andy in the police. The book is composed of fictitious archive notes, personnel forms, photographs, newspaper clippings and staff memos, and offers more detail about the character's home and work life. For example, we see Gwen's employee form where she lists herself as Torchwood's "Investigator. Troubleshooter. Frequent Peacemaker". We also see photos of her and Rhys together used as set dressing in the TV series, plus documents such as Gwen's wedding Invitation list and her Torchwood Case write ups. In a similar vein to The Torchwood Archives but from a real-world perspective, Gary Russell's The Torchwood Encyclopedia (2009) expands on "every fact and figure" for Gwen and the Torchwood world.
Audio drama
In addition to Torchwood literature, Gwen also appears in Torchwood audio books, the first four being HiddenHidden (Torchwood)
Hidden is a BBC Audio original audiobook written by Steven Savile and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It was released on 4 February 2008. The story is set during the first series of the show...
written by Steven Savile
Steven Savile
Steven Savile is a British fantasy, horror and thriller writer, and editor living in Stockholm, Sweden...
and narrated by Naoko Mori, Everyone Says Hello
Everyone Says Hello
Everyone Says Hello is a BBC Audiobooks original audiobook written by Dan Abnett and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood...
written by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
and narrated by Burn Gorman, released February 2008, In the Shadows
In The Shadows (Torchwood)
In The Shadows is a BBC Audiobooks original audiobook written by Joseph Lidster and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood...
by Joseph Lidster
Joseph Lidster
Joseph Lidster is an English television writer best known for his work on the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.-Biography:His debut work was the audio play The Rapture for Big Finish Productions in 2002...
and narrated by Eve Myles, released September 2008, and The Sin Eaters written by Brian Minchin and narrated by Gareth David-Lloyd, released September 2008. Joseph Lidster also wrote a Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
Torchwood drama, "Lost Souls
Lost Souls (Torchwood)
"Lost Souls" is an original BBC Radio 4 audio play written by Joseph Lidster and is a spin-off from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, itself a spin-off from Doctor Who. It aired on 10 September 2008 in the Afternoon Play slot as part of Radio 4's Big Bang Day which celebrated...
" which aired in Summer 2008 as an Afternoon Play featuring the voices of John Barrowman, Eve Myles, Gareth David-Lloyd and Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman
Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is best known for playing Martha Jones, former companion of the Tenth Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and itsspin-off series Torchwood...
(Martha
Martha Jones
Martha Jones is a fictional character played by Freema Agyeman in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. She is a companion of the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, replacing Rose Tyler...
). Set after the events of the 2008 series, Gwen and the team make their first international adventure to CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, as part of Radio 4's special celebration of the Large Hadron Collider
Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
being switched on. 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. Between 1 July and 3 July 2009, Radio 4 aired three further audio dramas in The Afternoon Play slot, titled "Asylum
Asylum (Torchwood)
"Asylum" is an original BBC Radio 4 audio play written by Anita Sullivan and is a spin-off from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, itself a spin-off from Doctor Who. This episode aired on the 1 July 2009 on BBC Radio 4...
", "Golden Age
Golden Age (Torchwood)
"Golden Age" is an original BBC Radio 4 audio play written by James Goss and is a spin-off from the British science fiction television series Torchwood, itself a spin-off from Doctor Who. This episode aired on the 2 July 2009 on BBC Radio 4...
" and "The Dead Line
The Dead Line
"The Dead Line" is the last of four radio dramas released prior to the third series of Torchwood, a British science fiction television series which airs on the BBC...
", bridging the gap between Series 2 and 3. To tie in with the shows fourth series, Torchwood: Miracle Day, the BBC produced three additional radio plays, airing between the 11 and 13 July 2011. Titled "The Devil and Miss Carew", "Submission" and "House of the Dead", these plays are take place in the gaps between "Exit Wounds" and Miracle Day and feature the voices of Myles, Barrowman and David-Lloyd. Whilst Myles provides the voice of Gwen in all three plays the narrative of House of the Dead, set after Children of Earth, reveals that the presence of Gwen was actually a manipulation by a malevolent spirit to fool Ianto into thinking he was alive as usual.
Concept and creation
Russell T Davies first had the idea of an unnamed policewoman stumbling across a team of alien investigators in an alley as a premise, before Torchwood or the 2005 revival Doctor Who had been commissioned. Having been enamoured by her television performances, most notably in the 2005 episode of Doctor Who in which she guest starredThe Unquiet Dead
"The Unquiet Dead" is an episode in the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 9 April 2005 and is the first episode of the revival to be set in the past. In Victorian Cardiff, the dead are walking, and creatures made of gas are on the loose...
, Russell wrote the character of Gwen specifically for Eve Myles. Speaking on her casting, Myles stated that having the part written for her was like her "own personal Oscar". Part of the attraction of playing Gwen for Myles was that she has the opportunity to play an action hero with her own accent. Speaking on the casting of Welsh actors on Torchwood, Davies comments that it was a deliberate intention to make the Welsh accent mainstream, "to make it as acceptable as Scottish or Irish". Discussing the international co-production behind series four, Gardner comments that Gwen's involvement helps ensure that the "flavour of Wales" remains evident, later commenting that Torchwood are "taking the Welsh global". Although Myles describes Gwen as the most enjoyable character she has portrayed she feels that it's the most challenging role for her as an actress, because of the character's complexity and the new challenges that the role presents.
In the first series of Torchwood, Gwen functions as an audience surrogate. To creator and executive producer Russell T Davies, she is of the same character type as 2005-6 Doctor Who leading woman Rose Tyler
Rose Tyler
Rose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...
(Billie Piper
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...
): "She is the ordinary person who stumbles into something extraordinary and finds herself their equal.” Eve Myles characterises Gwen as an ambitious and feisty young woman who at the same time embodies many aspects of the girl next door
Girl next door
The cultural and sexual stereotype of the girl next door or the All-American girl is invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming femininity, as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the tomboy, the valley girl, the femme fatale, girly girl, or the slut. The...
archetype The BBC website character description focuses on Gwen's human qualities describing her as "grounded, straightforward and very determined" and the team's conscience. Her distinct role within the team stems from the fact that "she's there for the people", who she feels "instinctive and passionate" about. Richard Stokes feels that Gwen possesses more "human empathy" than the more mercenary members of the team, who are seen to be "technology-and-alien-obsessed". In this vein, lead actor John Barrowman says that Gwen brings a "little bit of soul" back to Jack. Describing the ways in which Gwen's methodology
Methodology
Methodology is generally a guideline for solving a problem, with specificcomponents such as phases, tasks, methods, techniques and tools . It can be defined also as follows:...
differs from the rest of the team, Myles explains how her police procedural training relates to the job: "she deals with the families, she deals with profiling, she deals with searching people's backgrounds. It's a new way of working she brings in". Myles believes that Gwen would have been a "fantastic policewoman" prior to her Torchwood career. Myles cites transferable skills such as the way she is able to extract information from vulnerable characters such as Clem McDonald (Paul Copley
Paul Copley
Paul Mackriell Copley is an award-winning English actor and voice-over artist.-Early life:Copley was born in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, and grew up beside a dairy farm there. His father, Harold, was involved with local amateur dramatic productions, as were the rest of his family...
) in Children of Earth. "She’s able to make people open up by making them feel comfortable". Fundamentally, Myles perceives Gwen to be "the heart and emotion of Torchwood", and also "Torchwood's social worker" who can "run and fight and stand in her own corner and win". Finding an insight into Torchwood through curiosity, Gwen becomes part of Torchwood because they need her, just as she needs them.
Eve Myles previously appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Unquiet Dead
The Unquiet Dead
"The Unquiet Dead" is an episode in the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who that was first broadcast on 9 April 2005 and is the first episode of the revival to be set in the past. In Victorian Cardiff, the dead are walking, and creatures made of gas are on the loose...
" as Gwyneth, a 19th century clairvoyant
Clairvoyance
The term clairvoyance is used to refer to the ability to gain information about an object, person, location or physical event through means other than the known human senses, a form of extra-sensory perception...
, with a connection to the Cardiff Rift, which later became a central plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
in Torchwood. In response to questions about the similarity of the characters' names, showrunner Russell T Davies denied that they were connected, stating that they are "just two names beginning with "G"." Subsequently however, Davies' 2008 Doctor Who episode "Journey's End
Journey's End (Doctor Who)
"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...
" later alluded to a familial relationship between the characters, explaining their physical resemblance as the result of "spatial genetic multiplicity". Eve Myles said of the characters' relation, "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." Davies explains that the relationship between the characters is not literal, stating that "It's not familial as we understand it", instead characterising spatial genetic multiplicity as "an echo and repetition of physical traits across a Time Rift."
Morality
Despite being created to be the heart and moral conscience of Torchwood, the flaws in Gwen's own morality are explored throughout the series. Myles comments that Gwen's compromised morality suits the high concept nature of science fiction, and also serves to demonstrate that none of the Torchwood team "are safe" from temptation. According to writer Stephen James Walker it is Gwen's moral ambiguity which makes her a compelling character. 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 virtueMary Sue
A Mary Sue , in literary criticism and particularly in fanfiction, is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader...
". 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 Williams. Walker cites her affair with Owen as an example, as well as the scene in "Combat
Combat (Torchwood)
"Combat" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast on 24 December 2006. It is the eleventh episode of the first series. Weevils are being abducted by humans. As Owen goes undercover to find out who is committing these crimes, he meets Mark Lynch...
" where she confesses this betrayal to Rhys after dosing him with the amnesia drug Retcon so he won't remember. Gwen admits herself that because of her sexual misdemeanors she isn't in a place to pass judgement on Toshiko, or indeed any other member of the Torchwood team. Valerie Estelle Frankel argues that Gwen finds "the missing side of herself" with her immersion into the world of Torchwood, represented by "affairs and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and the threat of death" rather than her ordinary domestic life with Rhys. According to Frankel Gwen's confrontation with Suzie mirrors her confrontation with her "inner self"; her literal journey into death giving her "the wisdom and duality of both worlds, life and death, mundane and magical" and eventually allowing her to become a stronger woman. Danielle Rawcliffe notes that Indira Varma's character Suzie, featured in the premiere episode and in "They Keep Killing Suzie
They Keep Killing Suzie
"They Keep Killing Suzie" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the eighth episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 3 December 2006.-Synopsis:...
", is used as a "doppelgänger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
" (a trope of Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
; compare with terms "Gothic double
Gothic double
In literature, the term Gothic double refers to an essential duality within a single character on the further presumption that this duality centers on the polarity of good and evil. An example of this could be Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.-External links:**...
" and literary foil
Foil (literature)
In fiction, a foil is a character who contrasts with another character in order to highlight particular qualities of another character....
) for Gwen. Suzie's actions and parallels with Gwen help to illuminate some of Gwen's own ethically ambiguous decisions in the first series. Gwen must constantly fight against Suzie, and Suzie's example, "if she is to be proved worthy of working alongside Captain Jack".
Whilst Lynette Porter feels that Gwen becomes a "fallen women" through her affair with Owen she observes that this makes Gwen's role in relation to Jack in "End of Days" to be analogous to that of Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
to Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
, which reinforces the prevalent Biblical imagery present in the episode. Like Magdalene, Gwen is rewarded for her loyalty through being the first to lay eyes upon the risen saviour. David Cornelius states that Gwen's Torchwood adventures take her to the brink, but also show "she's strong enough to pull herself back". Frankel surmises that "Gwen's journey is one we all face... she discovers the dominant intuition within, and then embraces it within the darkest caves of her inner self". Walker, too feels that Gwen is still a redeemable character because 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. On this tract, Torchwood actor Kai Owen justifies Gwen's treatment of Rhys in her darkest moments by arguing that Gwen's intentions always remained pure; no matter how badly she treated Rhys. Myles feels Gwen's dubious morality also keeps the character fresh; Myles feels constantly challenged, "physically", "mentally" and "morally" by portraying the character. The disparity between the character's intentions and her actions is addressed in a series four press release which describes Gwen as both selfless and selfish. io9's Charlie Jane Anders comments that the TV episode "The Categories of Life
The Categories of Life
"The Categories of Life" is the fifth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was first broadcast in the United States on Starz on 5 August 2011 and in the UK on 11 August.-Plot summary:...
" exposes Gwen's human vanity by observing that the character is essentially responsible for her father's second heart attack through her rash actions.
Action hero and family woman
Original lead writer Chris Chibnall feels Gwen develops into a stronger character between series one and series two, becoming less "wide-eyed" in regards to events happening around her. Frankel writes that "she is a whole woman now, integrated with all the parts of herself". In the second series, Eve Myles states, Gwen now "knows where her feet are". It is Gwen's ability to co-ordinate team activity which leads to her becoming recognised as Torchwood's deputy leader. Costume Designer Ray Holman explains how these developments are reflected in how production team dresses the character. In the first series Gwen is dressed in a "faded high streetHigh Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
look" and keeps away from leather clothing. However, as she becomes more confident in her new vocation, her clothes becomes "a lot more designer and heroic looking". In the second series she wears more leather from brands such as Diesel and G-star
G-star
-Profile:Founded in 1989 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, G-Star RAW is a subsidiary of G-Star International BV. The company manufactures men's and women's clothing, specifically denim jeans, accessories and footwear. It operates retail outlets in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.-External...
which Holman describes as "sexy" but "practical". The overall effect is that Gwen's leathers "toughen her up a bit, but keep her stylish at the same time". CultBox TV's Rob Smedley takes note of the effect of clothing ensemble, describing her as the 9th best-dressed character on TV, possessing "the ideal rugged ensemble that gives the impression she means business and is all too ready to prove it".
The process of maturing for Gwen is furthered in Children of Earth where she becomes a more militant heroine, shaped by the increased responsibilities and pressures of her job. Director Euros Lyn
Euros Lyn
Euros Lyn is a television director. He was born in 1971 and educated at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera and the University of Manchester.To date, he has directed nine episodes of Doctor Who. He won the BAFTA Cymru award for Best Director for "Silence in the Library" and the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic...
remarks that in terms of experience and decision making Gwen has grown so that "she now is on a par with Jack, in terms of having the knowledge and the experience to make decisions and to be a heroine". Daniel Martin remarks favourably on this more developed Gwen in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, opining that her assertive reaction to her attempted assassination "shows just how far she's come". Although Gwen comes across as harsher, she has had to become this way because it is pragmatic. "If she wasn't, people would die", Myles explains. She sees Gwen's loss of innocence as an inevitable development for her, commenting "everybody's got to lose something to gain something". David Corenlius also observes that Gwen is no longer the kind-hearted outsider she was when she first joined Torchwood. By Children of Earth, she has become "colder and much more aggressive". In Children of Earth, Gwen's horrific experiences turn her into "a biting cynic"; when both government and army betray the British people, Gwen contemplates abortion. She claims to finally be able to understand why the Doctor does not save humanity from world crises. She believes he "must look at this planet and turn away in shame". According to a press release, Miracle Day will see Gwen "make the most terrible decisions, on behalf of all mankind". This is evidenced in "The Blood Line
The Blood Line
"The Blood Line" is the tenth and final episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, and was first broadcast in the United States on Starz on 9 September 2011.-Plot summary:...
" where the character is shown to be willing to sacrifice her entire Torchwood team, in addition to her dying father, for the good of the world.
Critical attention has drawn out comparisons with famous screen action heroines, such as Ellen Ripley
Ellen Ripley
Ellen Ripley is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Alien film series played by American actress Sigourney Weaver. The character was heralded as a seminal role for challenging gender roles, particularly in the science fiction genre, and remains Weaver's most famous role to...
, portrayed by Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
in the original Alien trilogy
Alien (franchise)
The Alien film series is a science fiction horror film franchise, focusing on Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and her battle with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as "the Alien"...
. Ripley is seen as a ground-breaking depiction of a heroine whose heroism is neither derived from male support or hampered by femininity. Rawcliffe writes that Gwen's strength of character makes her a "half Ripley", insofar as she possesses all of Ripley's strength, and yet "is hampered by her reliance on the male characters of Jack, Rhys and Owen". Gwen has also been compared, at least superficially, is Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers is a fictional character from Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise. She first appeared in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer before going on to appear in the television series and subsequent comic book of the same name...
, as portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
. Reflecting on a shot from Miracle Day, one critic comments that Gwen is "channeling Season Two Buffy the Vampire Slayer" when she shoots at a helicopter from her bazooka (recalling the shot depicted in Buffy episode "Innocence"). Gwen has also drawn implicit comparisons with Lara Croft
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Square Enix video game series Tomb Raider. She is presented as a beautiful, intelligent, and athletic British archaeologist-adventurer who ventures into ancient, hazardous tombs and ruins around the world...
from the Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn, with MS-DOS and PlayStation versions following shortly thereafter...
video game and film franchise. Commenting after viewing the first episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day Den of Geek's Simon Brew states that "Whoever Hollywood producers cast in the planned reboot of the Tomb Raider movie franchise, I’m fully confident that Myles could kick their ass. Twice. Before breakfast". Whilst critical of the typical characterisation of British female science fiction characters, The Guardians Krystina Nellis singles out Gwen and Doctor Whos River Song
River Song (Doctor Who)
River Song is a fictional character played primarily by Alex Kingston in the British science-fiction series Doctor Who. River Song was introduced to the series as an experienced future companion of series protagonist the Doctor, an alien Time Lord who travels through time in his TARDIS...
(Alex Kingston
Alex Kingston
Alexandra Elizabeth "Alex" Kingston is an English actress. She is most widely known for her roles as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the NBC medical drama ER and as River Song in Doctor Who.-Early life and education:...
) as positive depictions of strong female characters, stating: "It'd be difficult to find two superwomen in less need of a man to save them."
Press releases describe Gwen in light of contradictions between her heroic and conventionally feminine roles in the series; despite becoming a "tough, ruthless warrior, who loves the thrill of the fight" Gwen remains a "funny, salty, earthy woman who loves home and family". As part of her continuing characterisation we are introduced (in series 2) to her parents Geraint and Mary Cooper, as well as her in-laws. Children of Earth sees Gwen become pregnant by husband Rhys; a development the character attributes to the failure of the contraceptive pill when used alongside Torchwood-related contaminants. She gives birth to a baby girl, Anwen, in between the third and fourth series. Both Eve Myles and creator Russel T Davies have described this plot development as emblematic of a contradiction at the heart of Gwen's character. Myles believes that Gwen becoming a mother alongside her duties with Torchwood is demonstrative of her dual commitments both to saving the earth also to her romantic partner, Rhys. Becoming a mother gives Gwen a greater sense of responsibility, but it makes her "even more human, and yet even more of a wonder woman". Davies jokingly suggests that the image of "Gwen Cooper with baby in one arm and gun in the other" will be used as promotion for the new series, highlighting her dual roles. The production team have continued to emphasise this contradictory aspect to Gwen's character, which has proved popular with critics and viewers. For example, a promotional clip for Miracle Day features Gwen firing from her gun in one hand while protectively holding her baby in the other. Zap2it
Zap2it
Zap2it is an American website and affiliate network that provides news, photos and video, local TV listings and movie showtimes. The site is produced by Tribune Media Services , part of the publishing division of the Chicago-based Tribune Company...
's Mikey O'Connell praised this as one of the trailer's best aspects, praising Gwen as "the coolest mum ever." The Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
's Catherine Gee also praises the dichotomy between the character's two roles, stating that "Eve Myles’s homely yet badass agent is incredibly charming".
Rhys Williams
Much of Gwen's characterisation centers on her developing relationship with long term partner Rhys Williams. Exposition in the series two episode "Adam" reveals that the two have been in a relationship together since meeting at college. Despite working with Torchwood bringing about a total transformation in her life, Rhys remains a constant presence with actress Eve Myles describing him as Gwen's "normality base". The relationship is tested by Gwen's affair with colleague Owen Harper (Gorman) which Myles believes to be "completely out of character" for Gwen; explaining that the guilt experienced over her actions tears her to pieces. Rhys had originally been slated to die in the first series but was given a reprise. Producer Richard Stokes states that Rhys' presence keeps Gwen from losing her "heart" and that without him "it simply becomes a sci-fi show about sci-fi people, running around and hunting aliens". Julie Gardner adds that in the discussion, the writers had felt they could not have written Gwen as ever recovering from Rhys' loss, and so chose not to kill off the character.The newly engaged Gwen becomes completely monogamous in the second series and "fights everyday to be with [Rhys]" even though Jack remains "a huge temptation". Producer Russell T Davies felt that it was essential that Rhys could not remain ignorant over Gwen's vocation and the episode Meat
Meat (Torchwood)
"Meat" is the fourth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Two on 6 February 2008.-Synopsis:...
focusses on Rhys discovering and coming to terms with Gwen's job. Richard Edwards of SFX comments that this development allows their relationship to become the most convincing on the show and makes it clear why Gwen would want to marry Rhys. Richard Stokes feels that the marriage in "Something Borrowed" shows of Gwen's character that "even though she’s put him through some really difficult times, she really does love him and want to be with him." When asked about her character's complex relationship with both Jack and Rhys, Eve Myles explains that Gwen wouldn't be as much of a "strong character" without her ordinary life with Rhys. After the two enter a marriage based on honesty he becomes a “confidant, someone to share the burden with." Delivering on this, the end sequences of "Adrift
Adrift (Torchwood)
"Adrift" is the eleventh episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Three on 19 March 2008, and by BBC Two on 21 March 2008.-Plot:...
" and "Exit Wounds" both show Gwen seeking comfort in Rhys' arms after a traumatic work experience. Ben Rawson Jones of Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
comments that overall, the relationship serves to create "a nice contrast with the fantastical elements of the show"; whilst Jason Hughes opines that their marriage is "handled in a painfully honest way" and serves as "a true definition of "love" written with subtlety and perfection". Talking about the show's exploration of human sexuality, Russell T Davies highlights the importance of Gwen and Rhys stating that "open sexuality has to include everything" including "a husband/wife great big crime-fighting team [...] happily in love".
Jack Harkness
In addition to Gwen's long standing relationship with Rhys, the series explores possibilities of a romantic connection between Gwen and Jack. In a 2007 interview, Eve Myles, who portrays Gwen, describes the relationship between Jack and Gwen as a "palpable love" and opines that "with Jack and Gwen, it’s the real thing and they’re going to make you wait for that." The first two series depict a romantic frission behind Gwen and Jack's working relationship, with Stephen James Walker drawing on the firing range sequence in Ghost Machine as a key example; as well as the scene where Jack discovers that Gwen has become engaged to Rhys. According to AfterElton's Locksley Hall Jack is attracted to Gwen because of "her warmth, her sense of justice, her very ordinariness and lack of glamour". Gwen's division between Jack and Rhys becomes a central theme in the second series. Frankel believes that Gwen's is stuck between "Rhys, the sweet, kind handsome prince, and Jack, the compelling trickster". She suggests that Jack is not mature enough to occupy the role of "steady prince" for Gwen, whilst Barrowman feels that if Jack were to settle down with her, "he'd have to commit completely"; this is why he does not act on his feelings, because though Gwen would let him flirt with other people, he could "never afford to do anything more".Meat (Torchwood)
"Meat" is the fourth episode of the second series of British science fiction television series Torchwood, which was broadcast by BBC Two on 6 February 2008.-Synopsis:...
" symbolises the end of any potential relationship between Gwen and Jack, although Gwen later confesses that "I love [Rhys]... but not in the way I love you [Jack]." Myles doesn't begrudge the fact that Gwen has feelings for Jack in addition to Rhys, stating that "the most monogamous woman in the world would probably go for him – it'd be hard not to". Myles later clarifies that following Gwen's marriage to Rhys she doesn't see a pressing need for Jack and Gwen to consummate their feelings stating that "it's kind of like feeding the baby when it's not hungry". Reinforcing this view, Julie Gardner feels the love between Gwen and Jack is self-evident and that it doesn't need saying. Gareth David Lloyd, who portrayed Jack's other romantic interest, Ianto Jones, believes that although Jack feels two different types of love for Ianto and Gwen, both have been instrumental in helping him open up and become less socially and emotionally isolated. By Children of Earth Gwen is comfortable referring to Jack as her "best friend" although Lynette Porter interprets Gwen's view of Jack as apotheosis
Apotheosis
Apotheosis is the glorification of a subject to divine level. The term has meanings in theology, where it refers to a belief, and in art, where it refers to a genre.In theology, the term apotheosis refers to the idea that an individual has been raised to godlike stature...
arguing her expectations of him to be the hero cause him to flee Earth as the hero is a role he cannot play because of the responsibility he feels for the deaths of those he loved. Although Gwen retreats to a rural idyll with the family she loves, she still retains feelings for Jack, and misses the exciting life she once led alongside him. Similarly, it is stated in the press release that it is Jack's "unstated love" for Gwen which brings him back to earth. Speaking ahead of the fourth series Myles explains that Gwen and Jack's relationship is a composite of several different types of relationships. She describes it as a "love-hate-love relationship", stating that it is that of a sibling relationship, a husband and wife relationship and also "the best friendship known to mankind". Myles feels that Gwen is not complete without Jack and that they are like "two missing parts of a jigsaw" and because the relationship works on these different levels it cannot be labelled. Episode seven of Miracle Day features a scenario where Gwen states that she would have Jack killed to save her daughter. Writer Jane Espenson explains that the two characters differing needs means that they inevitably "clash like steel blades". Simon Brew of Den of Geek describes Jack and Gwen as "a terrific double act" and opines that "Torchwood is at, or near, its best when the two of them are working in tandem".
Other
British tabloid newspaper The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
had claimed all the members of Torchwood were bisexual and despite her character appearing "ostensibly straight", "Day One
Day One (Torchwood)
"Day One" is the second episode of the first series of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. Written by Chris Chibnall and directed by Brian Kelly, the episode was first broadcast on the digital channel BBC Three on 22 October 2006 with the series pilot, "Everything Changes", and...
" features a scene in which Gwen reciprocates the advances of a sex-driven alien in a woman's body whilst under the influences of alien-enhanced pheromone
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
s. In order to convey the correct sense of passion in the scene where Gwen and Carys kiss, actresses Eve Myles and Sara Gregory discussed how they would execute it beforehand and agreed that they would have to imagine Gregory as Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol...
, and Myles as Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
. This particular scene drew criticism from AfterEllen.com reviewer Karman Kregloe who comments that it falls prey to "nearly every negative lesbian stereotype
LGBT stereotypes
Stereotypes about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are conventional, formulaic generalizations, opinions, or images about persons based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Stereotypes and homophobia are a learned outlook, i.e...
imaginable". Kregloe considers Gwen's inability to satiate the sex crazed alien as a "play on a traditional, sexist social construct", whilst the decision to never have Gwen never mention the experience again also draws criticism. The first series also sees Gwen embark on a short lived destructive affair with colleague Owen Harper. Executive producer Russell T Davies explains that the episode "Countrycide
Countrycide
"Countrycide" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Torchwood. It is the sixth episode of the first series, which was broadcast on 19 November 2006-Synopsis:...
" was deliberately structured in order to make the affair seem inevitable as she struggles to cope with her Torchwood life. For Davies, the affair is recounted in adult manner, being characterised by "lust and anger and hurt and the joy you get out of the initial stages of having an affair". The situation is a very "human one", with Stephen James Walker arguing that it is Gwen's acknowledgement in her human failings which makes her betrayal of Rhys redeemable. Academic Linnie Blake analyses Gwen's fluid sexuality in the first series as a response to her eye opening surroundings and Jack's "glorious affirmation of all possible sexual permutations", citing Gwen's fling with the "dangerous" Owen and "enthusiastic" encounter with Carys as evidence of her heterosexist normality
Heterosexism
Heterosexism is a system of attitudes, bias, and discrimination in favor of opposite-sex sexuality and relationships. It can include the presumption that everyone is heterosexual or that opposite-sex attractions and relationships are the only norm and therefore superior...
becoming enveloped by the uncanny. The Gothic situations in Torchwood continue to find parallels in the "invasion" of Gwen's sexuality, reaching a climax at her wedding when she is forcibly impregnated. In addition to her affair with Owen, the novel Border Princes
Border Princes
Border Princes is a BBC Books original novel written by Dan Abnett and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show.-Plot summary:October, 8:00 pm...
features Gwen being manipulated into an afffair with alien infiltrator James Mayer. However, the canonicity of these events is unclear.
Gwen's friendship with former colleague Andy also juxtaposes her extraordinary life with mundane one, as well as highlighting her transformation into a harder woman. Andy is present immediately before Gwen first encounters Torchwood, and according to Myles his appearances "takes you right back to the beginning, it reminds you where she came from, how Jack found Gwen". Later, the episode "Adrift" reveals that Andy has harboured feelings
Unrequited love
Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. The beloved may or may not be aware of the admirer's deep affections...
for Gwen over the course of several years. Tom Price, who portrays Andy, speculates that Gwen had been the subject of a clumsy pass when the two of them worked together. Andy's feelings cause him to remain absent on Gwen's wedding day, and to constantly bicker with her husband Rhys, but despite this Gwen's influence remains a decisive factor in Andy's begrudging trust in Torchwood.
Reception
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
describes Myles' "silvery, flowing" accent as "exotic" and Myles herself as a bona fide star. Shortly after Torchwoods premiere, Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Michael Gove
Michael Gove
Michael Andrew Gove, MP is a British politician, who currently serves as the Secretary of State for Education and as the Conservative Party Member of Parliament for the Surrey Heath constituency. He is also a published author and former journalist.Born in Edinburgh, Gove was raised in Aberdeen...
described Gwen Cooper as a "Celtic Rosselini" and an example of Welsh sensuality, whilst in 2006, Wales on Sunday named Myles as its "Bachelorette of the Year". In July 2011, The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
s Aidan Smith described Gwen Cooper as "the sexiest woman in Wales".
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
as "the solid, down to earth character needed to anchor Torchwood to the real world"; functioning well as a foil to Captain Jack Harkness, whilst David Cornelius comments that her character succeeds as a strong female character that does not pander to stereotypes. For Cornelius, the writers avoid defining Gwen by any aspect of her adventures, making her better developed than most male TV characters in the bargain. The more assertive Gwen in Torchwoods third series has generally attracted praise from reviewers: Robert Lloyd, writing for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
describes her as a "soulful leather-jacketed
Leather jacket
A leather jacket is a type of clothing—a jacket-length coat—usually worn on top of other apparel, and made from the tanned hide of various animals. The leather material is typically dyed black, or various shades of brown, but a wide range of colors is possible...
action heroine", whilst Paul Collins of Total Sci-Fi online felt that Children of Earth finally shows Gwen's heroic characteristics in a way that had been missing in the first two series. Daniel Martin from the Guardian felt that "it's great to see Gwen being so completely badass", and also commented on character's interactions, singling out the stowaway
Stowaway
A stowaway is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as an aircraft, bus, ship, cargo truck or train, to travel without paying and without being detected....
scene with Rhys as "just lovely". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
writer Asham Haque also credits Gwen's pregnancy storyline as "one of the few hope-giving threads" in Children of Earth, providing much of the serials "tender and humorous moments". Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources
Comic Book Resources, also known as CBR is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book-related news and discussion.-History:Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1996 as a development of the Kingdom Come Message Board, a message forum that Weiland had created to discuss DC...
' Remy Minnick describes Gwen "the true heart of Torchwood", her speech referencing The Doctor being "so stirring and completely heartbreaking at the same time", whilst Wired magazine also view Myles' portrayal as forming the conscience of the Torchwood Team, and the show itself
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
. Jonathan Wilkins felt that the five part serial marked the emergence of Eve Myles as a talented star in her own right; believing that she shows complete conviction in playing every aspect of her character; and that she could potentially carry the show without co-star Barrowman; should he not return. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
opined that the third series' climax indicates just how Eve Myles has "grown into the role", describing her performance as "outstanding". Ryan later gives an "Honourable Mention" to Gwen when discussing Sci-Fi TV's Most Memorable Female Characters, making her the only Doctor Who franchise
Whoniverse
Whoniverse, a portmanteau of the words "Who" and "universe", is a word used to describe the fictional setting of the television series Doctor Who, K-9 and Company, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures and K-9, as well as other related stories...
character to receive a mention.
Eve Myles won the 2007 Bafta Cymru
BAFTA Cymru
BAFTA Cymru is the Welsh branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.Formed in 1991, they hold an annual awards ceremony to recognise achievement by performers and production staff in Welsh-made films and television programmes...
Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Gwen Cooper, winning over the parent series' actress Billie Piper
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...
. She was nominated again for the award in 2008, and again in 2010. In 2010 Eve also won the 'Best Actress" award in the SFX
SFX magazine
SFX is a British magazine covering the topics of science fiction and fantasy.-Description:SFX magazine is published every four weeks by Future Publishing and was founded in 1995. The magazine covers topics in the genres of popular science fiction, fantasy and horror, within the media of films,...
Reader's Awards poll, and was crowned best actress in the 11th annual Airlock Alpha Portal Awards. Action figures have also been created in her likeness, which Myles' describes as "bizarre and wonderful" but at the same time "really kind of strange". In a reader's awards poll in the sixth issue of Torchwood Magazine, Gwen was voted second favourite Torchwood character behind Captain Jack, a ranking she also received in a 2011 poll published by the Liverpool Daily Post as part of a live Interview with writer John Fay
John Fay (writer)
John Fay is an award-winning British television writer, and playwright from Merseyside. He is known for his work on television soap operas Brookside and Coronation Street as well as his later work on original dramatic production.-Television career:...
. Myles has represented the character of Gwen at various sci-fi conventions and has praised the fan response as "incredible" and "just extraordinary". Some fans have taken to blacking out their teeth at sci-fi conventions to mimic her gap toothed appearance, which Myles finds particularly flattering.