Torchwood: Meta-Ish Stuff
Nov. 10th, 2006 02:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fangrrl_squeesSo, Owen Harper: adrenaline-addicted hedonist, or what? 'Ware, spoilers for eps 1 - 4 lurk below!
I think it was my pal![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
bovil who tagged Owen as a hedonist, which I think is a brilliant little bit of insight. "Addicted to his own pleasure" I think was how he phrased it.
Owen shows every sign of being a lad who doesn't quite think things through all the way - the potential downside of the alien pheremone spray1, going after the ex-Ted who's name I forget (In Ghost Machine), planting one on Gwen in the morgue. He seems to be batting about .250 so far, which might be better than he deserves. He's certainly act now, think later - maybe in the sex-and-romance dept.
Whether he knows it or not, I think the lad's addicted to risk. Such an attitude could be perceived as an asset when joining an outfit like Torchwood, or it could be an extreme liability. In his case, I think it's both.
This is just my supposition and I hope time will prove me right but I believe that Owen wasn't only aroused by Gwen's proximity during that scene in the morgue - it was also the danger of the situation that had him simmering away. Indeed, the dangerous situation in which he and the team were embroiled during Cyberwoman may well have (for want of a less cheezy term) rather fueled the notion of an ill-advised snog2.
And, by the way, could someone take a look at that scene (I'm at work *ahem*) and tell me if Owen scolds Gwen for not exactly struggling or not exactly complaining? I think there's a key difference in between those two words. Struggling suggests a more captive/no-choice situation than complaining, don't you think?
Owen's definitely grown on me. As I've always said, no-one can be set up as that big of an idiot and stay that way - just like we all knew Ianto wasn't just a bland little PA who could make a mean cup of coffee.
Incidentally, I totally want a "Will reveal hidden depths of darkness and anguish for coffee" shirt or whatever it was that has been kicked around over on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
torch_wood or torchwoodcoffee or wherever it was.
Hedonists are, go figure, self centered folks, concerned with what they want and how they're going to get it. Danger junkies live on the very outside edge of their skin and god knows what impact that sort of overstimulus - mental and/or physical - has on a hedonistic type of person. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Owen engaging in much riskier behavior, for apparently the stupidest of reasons (Ie, "Because it'll feel good/I want to do it and that's the only justification I need.") and that'll put the entire team in danger - and probably Gwen/Rhys in particular *ahem*.
Anyways. I'm curious to see if my theory is proven - or blown to flinders - over the next few eps. What do y'all think?
1 - I really don't want to get into a drawn out discussion about how Owen is a horrible would-be rapist for using the pheremone spray. Yes, what he was trying to do was rape. A sophisticated, somewhat nicer version of rape than what we see in real life, but removing a person's ability to say no is nasty and wrong. However, I think that Owen's such a self-involved short-sighted fellah that he didn't see it as rape, even when he could get as outraged as the next person re: such things - viz his reactions in Ghost Machine, psychometric enhancement or no.
2 - a word I haven't regularly used since my childhood, and now it's getting increasingly in vogue with my Yank pals. It's rather odd to hear it coming from them.
I think it was my pal
bovil who tagged Owen as a hedonist, which I think is a brilliant little bit of insight. "Addicted to his own pleasure" I think was how he phrased it.Owen shows every sign of being a lad who doesn't quite think things through all the way - the potential downside of the alien pheremone spray1, going after the ex-Ted who's name I forget (In Ghost Machine), planting one on Gwen in the morgue. He seems to be batting about .250 so far, which might be better than he deserves. He's certainly act now, think later - maybe in the sex-and-romance dept.
Whether he knows it or not, I think the lad's addicted to risk. Such an attitude could be perceived as an asset when joining an outfit like Torchwood, or it could be an extreme liability. In his case, I think it's both.
This is just my supposition and I hope time will prove me right but I believe that Owen wasn't only aroused by Gwen's proximity during that scene in the morgue - it was also the danger of the situation that had him simmering away. Indeed, the dangerous situation in which he and the team were embroiled during Cyberwoman may well have (for want of a less cheezy term) rather fueled the notion of an ill-advised snog2.
And, by the way, could someone take a look at that scene (I'm at work *ahem*) and tell me if Owen scolds Gwen for not exactly struggling or not exactly complaining? I think there's a key difference in between those two words. Struggling suggests a more captive/no-choice situation than complaining, don't you think?
Owen's definitely grown on me. As I've always said, no-one can be set up as that big of an idiot and stay that way - just like we all knew Ianto wasn't just a bland little PA who could make a mean cup of coffee.
Incidentally, I totally want a "Will reveal hidden depths of darkness and anguish for coffee" shirt or whatever it was that has been kicked around over on
torch_wood or torchwoodcoffee or wherever it was.Hedonists are, go figure, self centered folks, concerned with what they want and how they're going to get it. Danger junkies live on the very outside edge of their skin and god knows what impact that sort of overstimulus - mental and/or physical - has on a hedonistic type of person. I wouldn't be surprised if we see Owen engaging in much riskier behavior, for apparently the stupidest of reasons (Ie, "Because it'll feel good/I want to do it and that's the only justification I need.") and that'll put the entire team in danger - and probably Gwen/Rhys in particular *ahem*.
Anyways. I'm curious to see if my theory is proven - or blown to flinders - over the next few eps. What do y'all think?
1 - I really don't want to get into a drawn out discussion about how Owen is a horrible would-be rapist for using the pheremone spray. Yes, what he was trying to do was rape. A sophisticated, somewhat nicer version of rape than what we see in real life, but removing a person's ability to say no is nasty and wrong. However, I think that Owen's such a self-involved short-sighted fellah that he didn't see it as rape, even when he could get as outraged as the next person re: such things - viz his reactions in Ghost Machine, psychometric enhancement or no.
2 - a word I haven't regularly used since my childhood, and now it's getting increasingly in vogue with my Yank pals. It's rather odd to hear it coming from them.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-12 04:46 am (UTC)The whole Owen-rape issue didn't even occur to me while watching it. I thought it was actually rather amusing. When I came online afterward and saw someone say it I was literally astonished. Does it make him a horny perv, yes, a rapist? Not in my eyes.
The dynamic between him and Gwen seems to be the whole schoolboy crush thing. I like you, so I'll make fun of you. Maybe he's secretly hoping if he points out her flaws, and teases she'll go away and things will get less complicated. Who knows.
There went that whole, I don't feel like typing thing...lol.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-12 11:32 pm (UTC)I'm looking forward to seeing how Owen's character evolves over the season as I agree with the notion that, at this moment, he's the most complex one of the lot.
We'll see what my opinion is after I get my hands on today's episode! ;)