Meta: Dispelling the Myths - Part Two (Gwen/Jack)
Dispelling the Myths
Okay then, as most of you well know I am a Torchwood fan. Any of you who really know me will know that I'm a multishipper no matter the fandom (except Star Wars - Jaina/Kyp all the way in that).You'll also know that I love to analyse things, and have an interest in fandom. Anyway, I've decided to get together a list of things said about the two major Torchwood ships, Jack/Ianto (Janto) and Gwen/Jack (Gwack) and... well... frankly show my opinion of those things. Very frankly at that.
Anyway, here I go. Thank you to everyone on MSN, Twitter, and the Torchwood Forum UK (TWF) who contributed to the list. And just for the record, I am both a Jack/Ianto and Jack/Gwen shipper. I am also a rather large Ianto/Gwen shipper, but let's not get into that....
Part One (Jack/Ianto) / Part Two (Gwen/Jack) / Part Three (Both)
GWEN/JACK - aka GWACK
1) Jack is the Doctor and Gwen is Rose, so they must get together
Okay, this is the oldest one so I'm starting here. It has been said for a long time that Jack is the Doctor, and that Gwen is his Rose. Even Russell T Davies himself has compared Gwen to Rose. Unfortunately, all four of them are very different characters.
Jack does mirror the Doctor in many ways, but to Jack the Doctor has always been a role model. The Doctor, for him, is almost a father figure (who he wants to shag *cough*) who showed him the error of his ways, and exactly how he could change himself and help people. But at the same time, Jack makes decisions that set him apart from the Doctor, and "Utopia" and "Sound of Drums" illustrated to us that the Doctor does not approve of his decisions.
Now, how is Gwen like Rose. I've actually tried to figure this out, and I put it down to the "returning humanity" thing. After the Time War the Doctor become isolated and angry, bitter and self loathing, not really caring. Rose showed him that there are other choices, other options, and that humans do matter. Mind you, I think Ten is more screwed up than Nine was and I do kinda blame Rose for that (not her leaving, by the way, just her in general).
When Gwen came into Torchwood, all of them had experienced loss and isolation, losing their touch on reality to a point. Gwen showed them that there are other choices that could be made, that people matter. She has slowly lost this as she has hardened herself, but that was her purpose in Season One.
But does this mean that Doctor/Rose = Jack/Gwen? No, it doesn't. Firstly, if it did then Gwen would be stuck in a parallel world forever with a Jack clone and Jack would be walking around on his own moaning all the time about "losing his companions". Secondly, Gwen has become her own character, and where Rose left Mickey, Gwen stuck by Rhys. There is no comparison anymore.
2) It's too cliché
Actually, it's not. The most common cliché for most films, books or television show is this: "guy and girl meet, fall in love, get rid of partners, get together". Torchwood is different in that they meet, develop a thing for each other, stick with their partners, and don't get together.
The cliché comes from some of the fan works that I have seen, where you will see the creators using soapies or movies and trying to mould them to fit Jack and Gwen, and failing miserably. Jack and Gwen, at this point in time, are subtext. It is also possible to create a fan work, an original fan work, without falling into the trap of clichés. I've seen a couple of good Gwen/Jack pieces that do it.
So is it cliché? Not on the show and expanded canon it isn't.
3) "What kept me fighting was the thought of coming back to you."
Such an innocent line, yet people are willing to rip each other to shreds over it. Okay, let's break it down. Yes Jack did tell Gwen this during "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", but that isn't an "omg! twu wuv 4eva!!!1!!" moment like I've seen some fans of the pairing make it out to be.
The fall down for this one is, right before it, Jack told Ianto "I came back for you", and the first chance he has alone with Ianto he asks him out on a date. Now, I have seen Jack/Gwen fans brush these off with "Ianto was grimacing when Jack said it!" (no he wasn't, he just didn't believe him because Jack abandoned him) and that Jack was actually looking at Gwen (no, he wasn't, check the eyeline - he was looking to the right where Ianto is, not to Gwen who is in front of him), and that Ianto is Jack's second choice (more on that later), but it doesn't really work.
This scene when Jack tells Gwen the above is a key one for the pairing, however. It could be read as Jack meaning "you" as in all the team, but the fact is he reaches for Gwen's hand when he says it. Gwen blows it though. Firstly, she's engaged. Secondly, the way she tells Jack she's engaged is a blatant attack at Jack ("no one else would have me" - poor Rhys) and she treats him slightly like he's stupid. Jack does get his revenge with the kiss, but he does not forget it.
4) It's forced and one-sided
Well... this might be a little hard. The one-sided thing is easily disputed, but... yeah. Where to start. Okay, the easy bit. A one-sided relationship means that only one person out of the couple has feelings, but in the case of Jack and Gwen both the characters do feel something for each other. Gwen actively pursues a relationship more than Jack, however, but the feelings do exist on both sides so this relationship is not "one-sided".
Now, "forced'. Scenes like the gun training scene are good moments where it is clear that there is some form of natural flow between the characters, but there have been other moments that really have not come together well on screen. This could be the fault of the director, writer or actors, but this is what leads to the "forced" argument. The scene in "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is a good example of this (I hate that scene). It is clunky and serves no purpose but to tell us Gwen is engaged. and it did not flow well at all.
Really, the Jack/Gwen relationship could have been handled a heck of a lot better on various levels, but there are some brilliant scenes as the one mentioned above - the gun training scene in "Ghost Machine" which is where I think the real attraction between them really began.
5) Gwen loves Jack more than Rhys
This is another case of misheard dialogue. This one stems from "Adam", the episode where no one was in their right mind. The quote is this: "I love [Rhys], but not in the way I love you". Now, this does not mean Gwen loves Jack more than Rhys, but rather she loves him differently to Rhys.
This may well stem back to the fact that to Gwen, Rhys is her normality and stability, whereas Jack is her action hero and adventure. The love for a man and the love for a hero are two completely different things, and Gwen has only really had brief glimpses at the man beneath Jack's facade where Rhys is completely open to her.
Interestingly, "SkyPoint" has a scene where Gwen thinks about Rhys as her real true hero, and mentions how he is the only man for her. This is after "Something Borrowed" where Gwen finally sees that Rhys possesses the hero quality she admires in Jack, the quality that will emerge from Rhys when Gwen is in danger. And just as an aside, both "Something Borrowed" and "Skypoint" were written by Phil Ford, so you could see "Skypoint" as expanding on the Gwen/Rhys relationship he was exploring in "Something Borrowed".
In a way, Gwen loves Rhys more, especially after "Something Borrowed", but she still does love Jack.
6) Rhys is an abusive drunk who hurts Gwen, and Jack is the only one who can save her
Okay, now this one really pisses me off. What the hell are people on, seriously. It is sick for a start, and if they actually think this then they must really hate both Rhys and Gwen.
Why Gwen do you say? If they really think that Gwen would 1) be a damsel in distress, and 2) allow herself to stay a damsel in distress, then obviously you think of her character as pathetic and weak, and in need of a big strong man to come and rescue her.
Gwen is not a weak character. Oh no, she is far from it. Gwen is strong, stubborn, and to be honest there's actually more chance of Gwen being the one to physically abuse Rhys than the other way around. If Rhys were an abusive drunk who consistently hit her, she would have shot him or at the very least hit him back and walked out.
The other major thing wrong with this is how OOC Rhys is. Rhys is a kind, considerate, and extremely patient man who puts up with a lot of shit from Gwen, but still remains loyal and faithful to her. Yes he does drink, but he's a Welsh man who seems to become a giggly drunk, not an abusive one.
Rhys is not an abusive drunk, and Gwen is not nor will ever be a damsel in distress.
7) Jack is only in love with Gwen and no one else
The ironic thing about this one is that it comes from the same Gwen/Jack fans who say that Jack can't possibly just love Ianto because he's had some many other lovers who they point out. Double standards there.
Okay, this one is fairly simple - Jack a 51st Century guy (as aforementioned Gwack fans are always pointing out) and he does not believe in "quaint little categories". Jack has had many lovers in his time, and it is no different now. He loves Ianto, he loves Gwen. It's as simple as that.
8) Gwack is canon, so there
Okay, if this is the best you can come up with, then you really shouldn't be entering into a debate (mind you, that applies to Jack/Ianto too). For a start, Gwen/Jack is not a canon relationship per se, but the UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) between them is.
Canon means that is something that is clearly demonstrated on the show or extended canon, but unfortunately for the poor Gwen/Jack fans it has not come to pass. There has been flirting and UST, but the canon relationships have been Jack/Ianto and Gwen/Rhys, with a little Gwen/Owen. So no, it is not canon as a relationship, but the UST is.
9) If Rhys dies Jack will instantly sweep Gwen off her feet and just forget Ianto
First we had people not liking Gwen, now they don't like Jack? Yes, not like him, because evidently you think him to be a shallow bastard who takes advantage of people if you believe that this could be true. Take a look at "End of Days" for a start, and you can see that when Rhys died there Jack was grieving in a way himself, and while he did take care of Gwen by wiping the blood of her hands, he then made a point of distancing himself from her.
It has been said many times by Eve Myles and Julie Gardner that if Rhys did die, Gwen would most likely blame Jack and leave Torchwood. Secondly, Jack would step away from Gwen to allow her to grieve anyway, because he does care for her and is not one to take advantage of someone he considers a friend, at least not anymore. And, of course, there is the Ianto factor. Jack loves him, and wouldn't up and leave him just because Gwen is single. After all, if Jack could do that to Ianto, there's a 100% chance he'd do it to Gwen.
So no, if Rhys did die, Jack wouldn't instantly try to sweep Gwen off her feet, because he is not that type of bastard.
10) The Torchwood writers/producers want it more than Janto!
This one is rather simple - if the writers/producers want it more than Jack/Ianto, we would have it. Given that we don't, then I'd say that they actually want Jack/Ianto. Also, Gwen/Rhys is the primary pairing of Torchwood and what most of the stories are based around.
11) Jack loves Gwen but is afraid of corrupting her
This one is entirely possible, because we have canon evidence on Jack telling Gwen to "not let it slip" and pushing her back toward Rhys. Jack knows what Torchwood can do to a person, and he doesn't want Gwen to become the cold, heartless person she accused them all of being when she first joined the team.
Jack knows that Rhys is Gwen's stability, her connection to reality and humanity, and that in order for Gwen to maintain her own reality and humanity she must not lose that connection. Torchwood is like acid in that it can corrode away at a person, detaching them from the rest of the world with all the loss, darkness and death that a operative must face. Gwen has escaped much of this so far although she is slowly being corrupted and losing herself as we found out in "Adrift" when both Rhys and Andy pointed this out to her.
So yes, Jack does care about Gwen and is afraid of Torchwood corrupting her, which is why he keeps pushing her back to Rhys.
12) Jack's been waiting 100 years for Gwen
This one bugs me. Now, I've watched the series so many times that there is something wrong with me, and read the books almost as many times, and know the "Torchwood Archives" and "Captain's Blog" almost back to front, but I can't find anything to support this.
Jack did wait for someone for 100 years: the Doctor. He wanted answers, and the girl with the tarot cards in "Fragments" told him "he's coming, the one you're looking for. But the century will turn twice before you find each other." Please note the word 'him' in there, and we already know that Jack is waiting for the Doctor.
So no, Jack was not waiting 100 years for Gwen, he was waiting for the Doctor.
13) Gwen's the only one Jack ever confides in because he loves her
This is another one that doesn't quite work. The main reason for this is that we have seen, on screen, Jack confide in Tosh and Ianto, not just Gwen. We see Jack tell Gwen little bits and pieces because, especially in Season One, Gwen represented we the audience. She was our ears and asks the questions we wanted to ask, and Jack (and the others) would answer.
However, on occasion other characters would step into this role, and Tosh was the one who was our witness to Jack's biggest revelation about himself in "Captain Jack Harkness", a revelation he made willingly and without any real prodding.
By Season Two we began to see more balance, with Jack confiding in several characters. In "Adam" it was Adam, in "From Out of the Rain" it was Ianto, and we also saw him confiding in Martha in "Reset". Jack is primarily a private man, and picks and chooses who he will tell things too by how much he trusts them.
So no, Gwen is not the only one Jack confides in, and feelings really have little to do with it.
14) Jack hired Gwen because he was in love with her
Oh this one bugs me. Yet another example of people lessening Gwen and Jack's characters. Seriously, do you really think Jack that shallow and Gwen that useless, because that's how it reads.
Jack hired Gwen because she had the ability to overcome retcon (something few can do), was able to piece together Torchwood and locate them, didn't run screaming from a Weevil, and, the main one, there was a position available on the team. Basically, Gwen had skills, and Jack needed to fill a spot on the team and Gwen had skills that he could use. Shallow!Jack and Useless!Gwen need not apply.
15) Jack would notice a difference if Gwen left Torchwood
This one has a basis in canon. It stems from "Meat" during yet another of the heated fights between Jack and Gwen, when we have the following exchange:
Jack: "You really think you can go back to your old life before Torchwood?"
Gwen: "I wouldn't know anything different."
Jack: "I would."
It's true, he would. Jack cares deeply for all of his team and yes, he is attracted to Gwen, but he doesn't want to lose any of them. They are his family, and he doesn't want to have them disappear from his life, none of them. You can see Jack weighing up the pros and cons of the situation, and in the end realises that it would be best for everyone that Rhys not be retconned because Gwen, being Gwen, probably would retcon herself if they had to retcon Rhys. And Jack is not happy with the situation, not at all.
Just as an aside, this is another episode that really does not bode well for Gwen's character:
Gwen: "But none of you have partners outside of this."
Jack: "But we understand how you feel."
Gwen: "No you don't. No you don't, Jack. You all think it is cold and lonely out there but it isn't for me because I have him, and I've lied to him for long enough."
Okay, ouch. Big ouch. It's not so much the words more than the way Gwen says them, a blatant attack at the rest of the team. Yes, none of them have partners outside of this (Ianto and Jack are both inside of Torchwood, after all), but if you watch this scene closely the person who reacts the most is, in fact, Ianto, although we don't get to see Owen and Tosh's reactions until later (they're not happy either).
Ianto looks down and you can see the pain on his face, and at the same time you can see Jack slamming up the barriers. He has been with Torchwood a long time, and has had to leave people because of his immortality (eg. Estelle) and no doubt retcon others. He does know how it feels, but right now Gwen is set on defending Rhys having just realised just what he means to her.
Gwen was a tad harsh in this scene, but this is Gwen and she does have a stubborn streak, especially when it comes to Rhys.
16) They are way too similar to be a good match
Depends on how you're matching them. As two people working together for Torchwood, Jack and Gwen match up extremely well. They compliment each other with their talents and skills, cover each other in their weaknesses, and in the end make up a pretty good team.
As a couple... that might be interesting. What makes Jack and Gwen perfect partners for Torchwood, would also be their undoing as a couple. We often see them at odds with each other, and both of them are stubborn and would never quit. There is plenty of sexual tension between the two of them, but there is really nothing between them that would form a strong foundation for a lasting relationship.
We really had a glimpse of what Jack and Gwen's relationship would be like when we were given the Gwen/Owen relationship. Owen, in many ways, is very similar to Jack personality wise. He is just as stubborn, can have a similar way of thinking, and views Jack as his father and subconsciously is always trying to please him.
For a while Owen and Gwen's relationship was perfect, with little games and in-jokes, and extremely hot sex. But after a while they grew tired of each other, and the traits that caused the sexual tension brought on a new negative type of tension, and the relationship blew up in their faces. Luckily they were still able to work together, but could Jack and Gwen?
One of the most important things to Jack is his relationship with Gwen, his friendship, and as much as he wants to protect Gwen from Torchwood, he also wants to protect her from him because I think he knows what would happen. So yes, in a way they're not a good match as lovers, but they are as friends and Torchwood partners.
17) Jack thinks no one can compare to Gwen
This one actually stems from "Skypoint" and a line in that, so if you want more detail you can go to my Masterlist and check out my analysis of the novel. Anyway, the line it comes from is this one: "In all his years and travels, there hadn't been many women that compared to Gwen Cooper." (207).
Now, the interesting thing here is the use of "hadn’t been many women", so he is not saying she is the only one, just that there have been few like her. Rose is most likely one of these women, especially given the fact Gwen is based off her.
Also note that Jack limited this quote to women only, and didn't include men and aliens. So while he is saying that Gwen is unique for most women (but not completely unique), she may not be unique amongst the others.
So yes, this is a compliment toward Gwen and it does show that Jack thinks highly of her, but it should not be read as Gwen being completely different/unique to anyone else he has met.
18) Gwen is Jack's One True Love forever and ever and he'll love no one else
Yeah... this is definitely one used by the hardcore Gwen/Jack fans, and I've seen it applied to many fandoms over the years (different characters of course), and most of the time I just sigh heavily, but I can't help but wonder if the fans who say this really pay any attention to Jack at all.
The poor man is now over 2000-years-old, and has loved many people in his time and will love many more as he goes through life. Gwen will come and go, just a brief point in his overall time line. Jack will love others, there is no doubt about that, and he has no "One True Love". And you must remember, forever is a very, very long time....
19) Rhys and Ianto must die
Say hello to the #1 thing that bothers me about the hardcore Gwen/Jack fans out there. Now, a good fan would set up the story so that Rhys and/or Ianto would be out of the picture but alive (and not running off with a Mary/Gary Sue character created for the sole purpose of getting rid of them).
But to say they must die? Now, here are a few reasons why having this happen would fail badly. Firstly, as mentioned before, if Rhys dies then Gwen will leave Torchwood. Secondly, if Ianto dies Jack would probably turn himself inward and mope around for quite a while, not wanting to get involved again because everyone he loves dies and it would be too raw.
So, basically, if Rhys and Ianto die, then there is no way that Gwen and Jack would get together, at least not for a very long time (and I'm not talking days here, I'm talking years). There are better ways to get them together, and for Rhys and/or Ianto to die would only serve to drive them further apart.
Oh, and just quickly, Gwen and Jack wouldn't kill Rhys and Ianto, nor ignore the fact they died.
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Part One (Jack/Ianto) / Part Two (Gwen/Jack) / Part Three (Both)