Analysing Torchwood - Part Eight
Well, this one didn't take as long as it focused on Tosh, but there were a few little moments related to Gwen, Jack, Ianto and Rhys. "They Keep Killing Suzie" is going to take me a while though.
Analysing Torchwood Part Eight
Previously: The team go camping in "Countrycide"
"Greeks Bearing Gifts"
“Greeks Bearing Gifts” presents us with our first major Tosh episode of the show, and while Tosh is not one of the main four I am looking at the nature of her role in this episode gives us an insight into their characters that we would otherwise not have had.
When we first see the team they are in their usual investigative mode, with a new alien threat to identify and deal with. Jack's little speech regarding the tent tells us that this is far from the first time that they have been called out to such digs, and Gwen brings him back onto topic by questioning his knowledge of the device found with the body.
We see a huge contrast here between Gwen in "Day One" as she kneels by Owen, handing him the tools he requires without Owen even needing to ask. The team, including Gwen, all seem to have their place and easily fall into their roles, Gwen even picking up on an earlier joke from Jack and easily working it into her own questions of the team. Gwen is still serving as investigator here, asking the questions while Jack listens in.
We also learn in this opening scene that Gwen and Owen's relationship is continuing but still in the early stages given how relaxed and playful they are. They are effectively still in the honeymoon stage, getting to know one another and Gwen doesn't seem to have any issues about not hiding it, although she does wait until Jack leaves before flirting with Owen much to Tosh's displeasure.
After all, Jack has spent a good deal of time telling Gwen "don't let it slip" in regards to her normal home life and relationship with Rhys, and Jack would not approve of her being with Owen as it is a clear indicator that Gwen is indeed letting it slip.
Back at the Hub Owen and Gwen are continuing to fool around, only stopping when Tosh enters the room. In the background of this scene you can see Ianto analysing the new piece of alien tech, fully focused on his job and ignoring what is going out outside the armoury. For her part Gwen is very distracted by Owen and having issues taking Tosh seriously because of his comments, but is fully aware of what she is doing and trying to control it. When Tosh reprimands them Gwen can't help but agree with her, knowing she has done the wrong thing here and apologising before retreating out of the situation.
After meeting Mary and acquiring the pendent, Tosh returns to the Hub where she first encounters Ianto on his way into the Tourism Office. At this stage there doesn't appear to be much wrong, although it is clear even here that his smile is slightly forced as he greets Tosh who is hiding the pendent. It isn't until he is gone that she puts it on.
Interestingly, she can hear Owen in the autopsy bay from outside the Hub door, yet cannot hear Ianto in the back room of the Tourism Office. This does lead to some questions - did Tosh not want to hear him (although she does later) and was more focused on hearing Owen, or is it simply that Ianto was a) not thinking anything at the time, or b) his psychic shielding (which he was trained to do at Torchwood One) was in place given he was so close to the entrance to the Hub.
When we hear Owen and Gwen initially they are thinking their own things regarding their work, but it shifts to sex with each other very quickly. It is clear that Gwen's mind is only on Owen at this point of time with no mention of Rhys or guilt at all. Instead, we hear her referring back to an ex-boyfriend, her mind completely focused on finding the time to have sex with Owen and even her work is less important than that at this point in time.
When we next see Ianto he is going about his chores, his mind open as we hear clear thoughts that indicate that he is suffering from depression. He is clearly floundering in life but hiding it from his colleagues. In his mind he feels he will never be anything more than the guy that "cleans up everyone’s shit", with no other point to his existence.
Given what he has suffered through in the last year it is perfectly understandable that he is this train of thought - he had watched Torchwood London burn, his former friends and colleagues dying around him, including his girlfriend. The survivors guilt is slowly fading away to depression and questioning of his existence, all thoughts and feelings part of the healing cycle as mentally he stumbles to recover and find purpose again (we learn later in "Adam" what he finds). For Tosh, who had been trying to help Ianto through by befriending him (see deleted scene for "Cyberwoman") it is a shock to hear his thoughts and learn that he is so depressed.
The next time Tosh returns to the Hub she finds Gwen teasing Owen, while Jack looks on laughing. Again we see an almost family dynamic with Jack, the father, laughing as two of his children, Gwen and Owen, play fight with each other, Owen even taking a shot at Jack who keeps laughing. There is no malleolus in their play - it is at the expense of Owen whose pride is wounded, but he is taking it in his stride.
Jack remains silent as Gwen fills Tosh in, Jack obviously extremely amused by this latest revelation. By his expression he is finding it slightly harsh what Gwen is saying, but he is clearly enjoying the event. Jack is slightly separated from the other two by the fact he is still outside of the room, the silent observer and not coming to Owen's aide. When Owen says "I got that it was a... skeleton", Jack is again amused but goes back to work even as Gwen has new ammunition to use against Owen in her teasing.
When Tosh talks to Jack, he is extremely distracted by his phone call, and it is clear that something is bothering him. We learn from his conversation on the phone that it is because the Prime Minister is mentioning Torchwood to other people, and while observing Owen and Gwen Jack had his phone already in his hand to make the call, only he'd gotten sidetracked. He comes across as rude and standoffish to Tosh, but at this point he is fulfilling his role as the head of Torchwood and setting himself to argue with the Prime Minister which he clearly starts doing even as Tosh turns to leave.
Later when Owen's going over the skeleton again and Gwen arrives, the first thing she does is ask Tosh if the coffee sitting on the steps is anyone’s and then proceeds to take it without waiting for an answer. Her complete attention is on Owen, and it is like Tosh isn't even in the room. Gwen acknowledges that the thing between her and Owen can't "go on", but at the same time wants to know why Owen isn't making eye contact. For her part, Tosh knows they're ignoring her and storms out, the other two barely noticing that she has left.
When we next see Jack there is a blatant comparison between how he reacted to Tosh in the previous scene they were in together. Where Jack was preoccupied the last time, this time he has sort Tosh out. He is very bouncy and almost excited at the news of Tosh rescuing the family earlier in the episode. Tosh is very cautious around him as she is still wearing the pendant, backing away every time Jack moves toward her, clearly scared of what she will hear given that she looks up to Jack.
As the conversation continues, you can see Jack is becoming more suspicious of her. He seems to know that something is going on and is providing her the opportunity to tell him about it. When Tosh tries to change the subject, Jack doesn't answer her despite it being work related. He is slightly surprised when he feels Tosh probing his mind (psychic training is also part of the Time Agency training), but hides the fact that he knows and in his own way dismisses her although now he knows for sure that something is wrong and he's concerned for her.
A little while later, as Tosh is talking to Mary and Owen is searching the medical files, we see Jack standing on the roof of a building overlooking Cardiff. This is no doubt where he comes to get away from everything, to clear his head and think. And right now, he has a lot to think about. After all, one of his employees just tried to read his mind and he knows something is wrong but she won't say.
When Tosh brings Mary into the Hub, the team are waiting. Between them Owen and Jack seem to have worked out what is going on and called Ianto and Gwen in as backup. During his opening speech to Mary Jack is clearly telling Tosh that he picked up on the fact she's been acting odd, and that he'd worked out that something was up.
It is only after Mary reveals to Tosh at Jack's insistence how she arrived on Earth that the Hub is sealed and the rest of the team emerge from their hiding places - Gwen in the autopsy bay, Owen from near the armoury, and Ianto from the lower part of Jack's office. Interestingly, the person most upset by the number of people Mary has killed is Owen, no doubt because he had worked on/analysed some of the patients while working at the hospital.
When Mary tries to entice the men over with her body, all she wins from Ianto is a quirked eyebrow - he is evidently not impressed by her tactics. Gwen, for her part, is just staring at Mary not quiet believing what she is hearing, while Jack is slightly disgusted.
When Tosh puts on the necklace, the first voice we hear is Gwen's and it is evident that she is deeply concerned for Tosh. When Mary takes Tosh hostage the team move forward to try and save her only to pause. It is now we learn from Owen that they are unarmed, which is interesting given that they seemed to be expecting someone or something to arrive and were waiting.
We then hear the faint desperation in Ianto's thoughts as he thinks "Not again, please God not again". No doubt he is thinking back to their recent trip to the countryside where he and Tosh were almost carved up by the cannibals, and here is Mary with a knife to Tosh's throat and Ianto is scared and helpless once more - he was able to try and save her last time, this time he is defenceless and knows that the team are as well.
Gwen is in her police mind, studying the situation and taking in all the threats. She is studying the knife, hence her thoughts "Knife has incisors on the blade. It'll tear Tosh's throat out". She isn't looking so much for a way to save her than identifying what the main threats are and what impact they'd have if they come into play.
Gwen is clearly surprised at the implication that Owen didn't want to exchange Tosh for her, something Mary had bargained on when she made her comment. Evidently Tosh is not the only one who had been reading the thoughts of the team, unless Tosh had told her in an unseen scene about Gwen and Owen's affair.
It is also now that Tosh finally hears Jack's inner thoughts as he directs them at her. It would seem that it is only when he wants his thoughts to be read, when he directs them, that you can hear them. Jack always has his psychic shielding up out of habit as he has travelled to places where the aliens could no doubt pick his brain (and that includes a Time Lord), whereas Ianto, the only other that we are aware of who has been trained in this area, has his shielding down when he's inside the Hub as he does not perceive there to be a threat. We only hear his thoughts one more time, when he thinks "It's a bluff, but thank God, it's going to work" (the subtitles incorrectly list Jack as thinking these lines when it's clear it's Ianto). Notice the two references to God in Ianto's internal monologue - more clues that he has a religious background.
Meanwhile, Gwen is panicking. She has once again frozen up in the moment and is fighting an internal battle within herself to try and remember her police training for this sort of situation and failing. Meanwhile, Jack is negotiating with Mary - the transporters for Tosh - and doing so calmly while never taking his eye off the knife at Tosh's throat.
When Mary frees Tosh she runs straight to Ianto despite Owen - whom Tosh has a thing for - being closer and reaching out for her. After what she has heard within their minds, Tosh is currently uncomfortable with both Gwen and Owen, whereas with Ianto she has only heard telltale signs of depression and, just now, his concern for her.
As Jack hands Mary the transporter the team hear yet another clue that Jack is different to them as Mary mentions how Jack's smell is unique. Given what we have learnt from "Fragments", what Mary is no doubt smelling is Jack's pheromones that currently only Ianto is aware of. Jack keeps Mary distracted until the transporter enables, and we see Ianto is standing with Tosh, silently supporting her with one hand on her back (it's rare for him to touch his colleagues) as the team watch Mary disappear.
As Tosh questions where Mary went, you can see the look of stunned surprise on Gwen's face mixed with a slightly sympathetic look toward Tosh as she realises what just happened. She is shocked by Jack's bitterness and coldness toward Tosh in regards to killing Mary, even as Jack walks away.
After the events of what happened it is with Ianto that Tosh sits and talks to. While it is part of his administrative duties in regards to writing incidents reports, etc, we have also seen earlier that, by running to him, Ianto is currently the only one that Tosh trusts. Combine this with the fact Tosh was the first to reach out to him after Lisa and their more recently being captured together by the cannibals, and you can see that their friendship has been developing over the last few episodes. Even as Tosh stands up to leave you can see in Ianto's eyes that he's checking that she is going to be okay, concerned about her wellbeing.
Outside of the boardroom Owen and Gwen are in their own little private meeting having discovered that Tosh has been reading their minds. Owen is ticked off and a little creeped out by it all, while Gwen just wants to leave Tosh alone after her loss only Owen convinces her to say something although Gwen does tell him "don't be selfish about this."
Gwen falls into the investigative mode again as she reluctantly questions Tosh about how long she'd been able to read minds, very carefully fishing to see how much Tosh knows about her and Owen's affair. Gwen isn't happy when Owen tells Tosh off and stalks away, instead remaining silent until he is gone. It is clear as they talk that Gwen is aware that Tosh has done the wrong thing, but doesn't want to reprimand her because she knows that what Tosh found out was that Gwen herself is doing the wrong thing and tells her so, that neither of them can make judgements about each other and current events.
It is in this scene that we discover that Gwen is fully aware that what she is doing with Owen is wrong, that she is fully aware of Rhys now that the relationship has been caught out. Her line "this should be my wake-up call. I should stop. But I won't. What does that say about me?" tells us that Gwen is questioning herself and her identity, that she is changing the longer she is with Torchwood.
In "Everything Changes" and "Day One" there had been some minor flirting from Gwen but her mind had been completely on Rhys up until "Ghost Machine" where Gwen acknowledged her attraction to Jack, only she is sleeping with Owen, who is like Jack in many ways. Gwen knows she is doing the wrong thing but is clearly enjoying it, despite her feelings for her boyfriend. No doubt it is a new kind of rush for her, a new kind of danger and she knows it is forbidden which just adds to the thrill.
Gwen's final lines to Tosh in this episode show that she is still concerned about Tosh and wants her to be happy. She seems to think that Tosh might not date again for a while but seemed to like what it did to her. This is an interesting statement for Gwen to make given that in the scenes that we saw her in she spent most of her time focused on Owen and ignoring Tosh, who was growing upset at Gwen's comments and avoidance.
When we next see Tosh she is sitting with Jack outside in Roald Dahl Plas, seeming to have forgiven him for what happened with Mary. Jack allows her to make the decision in regards to the pendant; Jack visibly relieved and pleased when she destroys it, approving of her decision.
Jack finds it amusing that Tosh was unable to read his mind, however when she says it was as if he were dead, you can see a weight settle in his eyes as the smile fades. He quickly changes the subject, reminding Tosh of the work she needs to have done that she has been sidetracked from because of the pendant.
While Jack is avoiding a personal issue, we see him open himself a little to Tosh, revealing how he is aware that he isn't an ordinary boss and asking her, as a joke, what a regular boss would do. He manages to get Tosh to laugh for a moment.
As Tosh tells him about the effect that the pendant has on her, Jack is able to read how insecure and broken she as at that point in time and reaches out to place a supporting hand on her knee, his own little gesture of saying "it's okay" and "I'm right here". As she explains further and starts to cry he stands, stroking her hair and gently caressing her face, wiping a way a tear in a loving gesture a father might give to an upset daughter. Jack doesn't give her any answers, only a small look of encouragement and support before he walks away, leaving her to have some time alone.
Even thought this episode was focused on Tosh, we do learn a little about the other characters. In this episode we discover that Ianto is currently suffering from depression, and that Gwen is completely caught up in her affair with Owen that she is starting to miss things around her. Jack, for his part, shows us another sign that he is almost a father to the team. While Rhys does not appear in face or name, we can still sense him when Gwen admits her guilt to having an affair with Owen, and you can't help but feel sorry for Rhys here. Gwen and Owen's relationship is currently happy at this point in time, but given their personalities you just know that isn't going to last.
Next Up: Suzie takes her revenge in "They Keep Killing Suzie".
Analysing Torchwood Part Eight
Previously: The team go camping in "Countrycide"
"Greeks Bearing Gifts"
“Greeks Bearing Gifts” presents us with our first major Tosh episode of the show, and while Tosh is not one of the main four I am looking at the nature of her role in this episode gives us an insight into their characters that we would otherwise not have had.
When we first see the team they are in their usual investigative mode, with a new alien threat to identify and deal with. Jack's little speech regarding the tent tells us that this is far from the first time that they have been called out to such digs, and Gwen brings him back onto topic by questioning his knowledge of the device found with the body.
We see a huge contrast here between Gwen in "Day One" as she kneels by Owen, handing him the tools he requires without Owen even needing to ask. The team, including Gwen, all seem to have their place and easily fall into their roles, Gwen even picking up on an earlier joke from Jack and easily working it into her own questions of the team. Gwen is still serving as investigator here, asking the questions while Jack listens in.
We also learn in this opening scene that Gwen and Owen's relationship is continuing but still in the early stages given how relaxed and playful they are. They are effectively still in the honeymoon stage, getting to know one another and Gwen doesn't seem to have any issues about not hiding it, although she does wait until Jack leaves before flirting with Owen much to Tosh's displeasure.
After all, Jack has spent a good deal of time telling Gwen "don't let it slip" in regards to her normal home life and relationship with Rhys, and Jack would not approve of her being with Owen as it is a clear indicator that Gwen is indeed letting it slip.
Back at the Hub Owen and Gwen are continuing to fool around, only stopping when Tosh enters the room. In the background of this scene you can see Ianto analysing the new piece of alien tech, fully focused on his job and ignoring what is going out outside the armoury. For her part Gwen is very distracted by Owen and having issues taking Tosh seriously because of his comments, but is fully aware of what she is doing and trying to control it. When Tosh reprimands them Gwen can't help but agree with her, knowing she has done the wrong thing here and apologising before retreating out of the situation.
After meeting Mary and acquiring the pendent, Tosh returns to the Hub where she first encounters Ianto on his way into the Tourism Office. At this stage there doesn't appear to be much wrong, although it is clear even here that his smile is slightly forced as he greets Tosh who is hiding the pendent. It isn't until he is gone that she puts it on.
Interestingly, she can hear Owen in the autopsy bay from outside the Hub door, yet cannot hear Ianto in the back room of the Tourism Office. This does lead to some questions - did Tosh not want to hear him (although she does later) and was more focused on hearing Owen, or is it simply that Ianto was a) not thinking anything at the time, or b) his psychic shielding (which he was trained to do at Torchwood One) was in place given he was so close to the entrance to the Hub.
When we hear Owen and Gwen initially they are thinking their own things regarding their work, but it shifts to sex with each other very quickly. It is clear that Gwen's mind is only on Owen at this point of time with no mention of Rhys or guilt at all. Instead, we hear her referring back to an ex-boyfriend, her mind completely focused on finding the time to have sex with Owen and even her work is less important than that at this point in time.
When we next see Ianto he is going about his chores, his mind open as we hear clear thoughts that indicate that he is suffering from depression. He is clearly floundering in life but hiding it from his colleagues. In his mind he feels he will never be anything more than the guy that "cleans up everyone’s shit", with no other point to his existence.
Given what he has suffered through in the last year it is perfectly understandable that he is this train of thought - he had watched Torchwood London burn, his former friends and colleagues dying around him, including his girlfriend. The survivors guilt is slowly fading away to depression and questioning of his existence, all thoughts and feelings part of the healing cycle as mentally he stumbles to recover and find purpose again (we learn later in "Adam" what he finds). For Tosh, who had been trying to help Ianto through by befriending him (see deleted scene for "Cyberwoman") it is a shock to hear his thoughts and learn that he is so depressed.
The next time Tosh returns to the Hub she finds Gwen teasing Owen, while Jack looks on laughing. Again we see an almost family dynamic with Jack, the father, laughing as two of his children, Gwen and Owen, play fight with each other, Owen even taking a shot at Jack who keeps laughing. There is no malleolus in their play - it is at the expense of Owen whose pride is wounded, but he is taking it in his stride.
Jack remains silent as Gwen fills Tosh in, Jack obviously extremely amused by this latest revelation. By his expression he is finding it slightly harsh what Gwen is saying, but he is clearly enjoying the event. Jack is slightly separated from the other two by the fact he is still outside of the room, the silent observer and not coming to Owen's aide. When Owen says "I got that it was a... skeleton", Jack is again amused but goes back to work even as Gwen has new ammunition to use against Owen in her teasing.
When Tosh talks to Jack, he is extremely distracted by his phone call, and it is clear that something is bothering him. We learn from his conversation on the phone that it is because the Prime Minister is mentioning Torchwood to other people, and while observing Owen and Gwen Jack had his phone already in his hand to make the call, only he'd gotten sidetracked. He comes across as rude and standoffish to Tosh, but at this point he is fulfilling his role as the head of Torchwood and setting himself to argue with the Prime Minister which he clearly starts doing even as Tosh turns to leave.
Later when Owen's going over the skeleton again and Gwen arrives, the first thing she does is ask Tosh if the coffee sitting on the steps is anyone’s and then proceeds to take it without waiting for an answer. Her complete attention is on Owen, and it is like Tosh isn't even in the room. Gwen acknowledges that the thing between her and Owen can't "go on", but at the same time wants to know why Owen isn't making eye contact. For her part, Tosh knows they're ignoring her and storms out, the other two barely noticing that she has left.
When we next see Jack there is a blatant comparison between how he reacted to Tosh in the previous scene they were in together. Where Jack was preoccupied the last time, this time he has sort Tosh out. He is very bouncy and almost excited at the news of Tosh rescuing the family earlier in the episode. Tosh is very cautious around him as she is still wearing the pendant, backing away every time Jack moves toward her, clearly scared of what she will hear given that she looks up to Jack.
As the conversation continues, you can see Jack is becoming more suspicious of her. He seems to know that something is going on and is providing her the opportunity to tell him about it. When Tosh tries to change the subject, Jack doesn't answer her despite it being work related. He is slightly surprised when he feels Tosh probing his mind (psychic training is also part of the Time Agency training), but hides the fact that he knows and in his own way dismisses her although now he knows for sure that something is wrong and he's concerned for her.
A little while later, as Tosh is talking to Mary and Owen is searching the medical files, we see Jack standing on the roof of a building overlooking Cardiff. This is no doubt where he comes to get away from everything, to clear his head and think. And right now, he has a lot to think about. After all, one of his employees just tried to read his mind and he knows something is wrong but she won't say.
When Tosh brings Mary into the Hub, the team are waiting. Between them Owen and Jack seem to have worked out what is going on and called Ianto and Gwen in as backup. During his opening speech to Mary Jack is clearly telling Tosh that he picked up on the fact she's been acting odd, and that he'd worked out that something was up.
It is only after Mary reveals to Tosh at Jack's insistence how she arrived on Earth that the Hub is sealed and the rest of the team emerge from their hiding places - Gwen in the autopsy bay, Owen from near the armoury, and Ianto from the lower part of Jack's office. Interestingly, the person most upset by the number of people Mary has killed is Owen, no doubt because he had worked on/analysed some of the patients while working at the hospital.
When Mary tries to entice the men over with her body, all she wins from Ianto is a quirked eyebrow - he is evidently not impressed by her tactics. Gwen, for her part, is just staring at Mary not quiet believing what she is hearing, while Jack is slightly disgusted.
When Tosh puts on the necklace, the first voice we hear is Gwen's and it is evident that she is deeply concerned for Tosh. When Mary takes Tosh hostage the team move forward to try and save her only to pause. It is now we learn from Owen that they are unarmed, which is interesting given that they seemed to be expecting someone or something to arrive and were waiting.
We then hear the faint desperation in Ianto's thoughts as he thinks "Not again, please God not again". No doubt he is thinking back to their recent trip to the countryside where he and Tosh were almost carved up by the cannibals, and here is Mary with a knife to Tosh's throat and Ianto is scared and helpless once more - he was able to try and save her last time, this time he is defenceless and knows that the team are as well.
Gwen is in her police mind, studying the situation and taking in all the threats. She is studying the knife, hence her thoughts "Knife has incisors on the blade. It'll tear Tosh's throat out". She isn't looking so much for a way to save her than identifying what the main threats are and what impact they'd have if they come into play.
Gwen is clearly surprised at the implication that Owen didn't want to exchange Tosh for her, something Mary had bargained on when she made her comment. Evidently Tosh is not the only one who had been reading the thoughts of the team, unless Tosh had told her in an unseen scene about Gwen and Owen's affair.
It is also now that Tosh finally hears Jack's inner thoughts as he directs them at her. It would seem that it is only when he wants his thoughts to be read, when he directs them, that you can hear them. Jack always has his psychic shielding up out of habit as he has travelled to places where the aliens could no doubt pick his brain (and that includes a Time Lord), whereas Ianto, the only other that we are aware of who has been trained in this area, has his shielding down when he's inside the Hub as he does not perceive there to be a threat. We only hear his thoughts one more time, when he thinks "It's a bluff, but thank God, it's going to work" (the subtitles incorrectly list Jack as thinking these lines when it's clear it's Ianto). Notice the two references to God in Ianto's internal monologue - more clues that he has a religious background.
Meanwhile, Gwen is panicking. She has once again frozen up in the moment and is fighting an internal battle within herself to try and remember her police training for this sort of situation and failing. Meanwhile, Jack is negotiating with Mary - the transporters for Tosh - and doing so calmly while never taking his eye off the knife at Tosh's throat.
When Mary frees Tosh she runs straight to Ianto despite Owen - whom Tosh has a thing for - being closer and reaching out for her. After what she has heard within their minds, Tosh is currently uncomfortable with both Gwen and Owen, whereas with Ianto she has only heard telltale signs of depression and, just now, his concern for her.
As Jack hands Mary the transporter the team hear yet another clue that Jack is different to them as Mary mentions how Jack's smell is unique. Given what we have learnt from "Fragments", what Mary is no doubt smelling is Jack's pheromones that currently only Ianto is aware of. Jack keeps Mary distracted until the transporter enables, and we see Ianto is standing with Tosh, silently supporting her with one hand on her back (it's rare for him to touch his colleagues) as the team watch Mary disappear.
As Tosh questions where Mary went, you can see the look of stunned surprise on Gwen's face mixed with a slightly sympathetic look toward Tosh as she realises what just happened. She is shocked by Jack's bitterness and coldness toward Tosh in regards to killing Mary, even as Jack walks away.
After the events of what happened it is with Ianto that Tosh sits and talks to. While it is part of his administrative duties in regards to writing incidents reports, etc, we have also seen earlier that, by running to him, Ianto is currently the only one that Tosh trusts. Combine this with the fact Tosh was the first to reach out to him after Lisa and their more recently being captured together by the cannibals, and you can see that their friendship has been developing over the last few episodes. Even as Tosh stands up to leave you can see in Ianto's eyes that he's checking that she is going to be okay, concerned about her wellbeing.
Outside of the boardroom Owen and Gwen are in their own little private meeting having discovered that Tosh has been reading their minds. Owen is ticked off and a little creeped out by it all, while Gwen just wants to leave Tosh alone after her loss only Owen convinces her to say something although Gwen does tell him "don't be selfish about this."
Gwen falls into the investigative mode again as she reluctantly questions Tosh about how long she'd been able to read minds, very carefully fishing to see how much Tosh knows about her and Owen's affair. Gwen isn't happy when Owen tells Tosh off and stalks away, instead remaining silent until he is gone. It is clear as they talk that Gwen is aware that Tosh has done the wrong thing, but doesn't want to reprimand her because she knows that what Tosh found out was that Gwen herself is doing the wrong thing and tells her so, that neither of them can make judgements about each other and current events.
It is in this scene that we discover that Gwen is fully aware that what she is doing with Owen is wrong, that she is fully aware of Rhys now that the relationship has been caught out. Her line "this should be my wake-up call. I should stop. But I won't. What does that say about me?" tells us that Gwen is questioning herself and her identity, that she is changing the longer she is with Torchwood.
In "Everything Changes" and "Day One" there had been some minor flirting from Gwen but her mind had been completely on Rhys up until "Ghost Machine" where Gwen acknowledged her attraction to Jack, only she is sleeping with Owen, who is like Jack in many ways. Gwen knows she is doing the wrong thing but is clearly enjoying it, despite her feelings for her boyfriend. No doubt it is a new kind of rush for her, a new kind of danger and she knows it is forbidden which just adds to the thrill.
Gwen's final lines to Tosh in this episode show that she is still concerned about Tosh and wants her to be happy. She seems to think that Tosh might not date again for a while but seemed to like what it did to her. This is an interesting statement for Gwen to make given that in the scenes that we saw her in she spent most of her time focused on Owen and ignoring Tosh, who was growing upset at Gwen's comments and avoidance.
When we next see Tosh she is sitting with Jack outside in Roald Dahl Plas, seeming to have forgiven him for what happened with Mary. Jack allows her to make the decision in regards to the pendant; Jack visibly relieved and pleased when she destroys it, approving of her decision.
Jack finds it amusing that Tosh was unable to read his mind, however when she says it was as if he were dead, you can see a weight settle in his eyes as the smile fades. He quickly changes the subject, reminding Tosh of the work she needs to have done that she has been sidetracked from because of the pendant.
While Jack is avoiding a personal issue, we see him open himself a little to Tosh, revealing how he is aware that he isn't an ordinary boss and asking her, as a joke, what a regular boss would do. He manages to get Tosh to laugh for a moment.
As Tosh tells him about the effect that the pendant has on her, Jack is able to read how insecure and broken she as at that point in time and reaches out to place a supporting hand on her knee, his own little gesture of saying "it's okay" and "I'm right here". As she explains further and starts to cry he stands, stroking her hair and gently caressing her face, wiping a way a tear in a loving gesture a father might give to an upset daughter. Jack doesn't give her any answers, only a small look of encouragement and support before he walks away, leaving her to have some time alone.
Even thought this episode was focused on Tosh, we do learn a little about the other characters. In this episode we discover that Ianto is currently suffering from depression, and that Gwen is completely caught up in her affair with Owen that she is starting to miss things around her. Jack, for his part, shows us another sign that he is almost a father to the team. While Rhys does not appear in face or name, we can still sense him when Gwen admits her guilt to having an affair with Owen, and you can't help but feel sorry for Rhys here. Gwen and Owen's relationship is currently happy at this point in time, but given their personalities you just know that isn't going to last.
Next Up: Suzie takes her revenge in "They Keep Killing Suzie".