Character Musings

[awanderingbard]

Not too long back a couple of people did a meme where they chose a character they disliked and invited people to offer opinions as to why the character wasn't that bad. The people that I saw chose Gwen Cooper from Torchwood, but there was some mention in the comments about Owen Harper from Torchwood as well.



I just finished the TW book I got from a friend for Christmas, Another Life by Peter Anghelides. The book, like all the books from the DW 'verse, could use a good editing (spelling mistakes and missing letters? Really?) and the quality of the writing is so-so, but the plotline was interesting, even if it had one gap that I couldn't figure out (flesheating starfish? The point?). It was a good bathtub read, anyway, and I enjoyed it.

There's one quotation I want to offer here, about Owen, who is the biggest prat in this book - worse than the weevil cage fighting or opening the rift. Just stupid, asshattery behaviour that should have had him retconned into oblivion. But, an alien is talking about Owen and I thought it was rather apt:

"You need to be needed, Owen [...] You're a rescuer, you're always looking for a victim to help. You think you have all the answers, and it makes you powerful, superior, the centre of attention. You want to be loved because you can protect people, you can salvage them, and they'll depend on you. Until they don't need you anymore, and then you drop them."
-Chapter Twenty-Four, page 201

It sort of works with the reason why he was so smitten with Diane (she was out of her time and lost) and Gwen (who never know what the hell is going on). I thought I'd share.

Comments

[tigerkat24.livejournal.com]

That's kind of interesting, and it sort of explains his total prattish behavior after Diane left. It also explains his behavior in Ghost Machine, which could have gotten everyone killed but didn't, and ended up leading to a rough kind of justice.
I still hate him, mind you, but that does rather help him shine a bit.
And so does the asswipe in Voyage of the Damned. Gawd.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

hmmm, very interesting. Still dont like him, but you've given me something to think about

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm really late with my random comment since this is a post from 2007. But I've been on a Torchwood kick lately.

That description about Owen is pretty apt. And it also strangely reminded me a lot of Wilson from House. Maybe not the feeling superior, center of attention part. But the idea that they both need to be needed and drop those who don't need them anymore. Oddly, they're also both doctors.

After reading a description of how the writers saw Owen and how he ended up being on screen, I sort of wondered if perhaps he was a tad bit miscast. I've seen Burn Gorman in other stuff and the man can act. But I feel like his sensibilities didn't really work with what the writers claimed they were going for with Owen. But perhaps season two will see the discrepancy smoothed out.