Jack, Gwen, and Morality
After my long initial-reaction ramble, I was going to do a play-by-play, but that’s kind of boring. So, I am instead going to do a very nice, in-depth analysis of Gwen and Jack and morality during 2x02: Sleeper.
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SMALL WORLDS, GREEKS BEARING GIFTS, AND SLEEPER.
I’m going to start off with Gwen, because it seems as good a place as any, and even though I really don’t like her, the little bit of my brain that analyzes everything keeps saying she’s interesting, and who am I to deny a voice in my head?
Gwen Cooper. The ‘carer’, the ‘human element’. She’s been established in much the same way the Doctor’s companions are-she’s a link to the viewer, existing both in the world of Torchwood and the world of everyone else. She’s supposed to be the person the public can identify with.
And she annoys the hell out of me. Yes, fine, she’s the moral one of the group, but what does ‘moral’ actually mean?
This was shown enough in series one, but I don’t have any concrete examples because my DVD set isn’t due to arrive until 29 January, and most of the episodes on my DVR have been deleted. So I’m mainly going on what I vaguely remember and especially with ‘Sleeper’.
The problem here is that Gwen is unwilling to do what is necessary. She defends herself and her actions by claiming they are the moral thing to do, the right thing, and she makes Jack out to be a monster.
Jack, in contrast, has done things that people could consider immoral. In ‘Small Worlds’, he let Jasmine go with the fairies, and in ‘Greeks Bearing Gifts’, he sent Mary to the centre of the sun to die.
The first decision was really his only choice. It was either let Jasmine go with the fairies, like she wanted, or the fairies were threatening the entire world. Jack’s choice, while not easy, was right. Gwen, meanwhile, was horrified by Jack’s actions. She could not believe that Jack actually did that. What would Gwen have done? Would she have condemned the world for the sake of the child? Would it have been worth it? We could debate morals until the sun dies, but the fact is that no, it would not.
Jack’s other decision was more cold-blooded, but Mary had been killing for centuries, threatened Torchwood security, and threatened Tosh’s life. This was more in shades of grey, and by this example Jack could be seen as an immoral jerk, doing more than was necessary, but what else could they have done with her? Frozen her? Locked her in a cell? She was already an exile and a prisoner. Sending her back home or to another planet really would not have done anyone any favours.
So, back to ‘Sleeper’. Jack knew Beth was a threat. She had a shred of humanity left, but any moment that would be lost and she could destroy. Gwen thought they should freeze her and wait until they came up with a cure. Jack knew there wasn’t any way to do that, and she would continue to be a security risk. Beth knew this too, and sacrificed herself. Even as she threatened Gwen, Gwen tried to warn the team that Beth was bluffing. She tried to save a woman who knew what she was doing. Beth was making it easier for Torchwood to kill her by providing a reason for them to shoot. Gwen still wanted to stick her in a cryogenics chamber.
But… Would that have been any better? Sure, they could unfreeze her IF they managed to find a cure, but if they didn’t, all they’d have would be a ticking time bomb. And Beth would have to live with the knowledge that she wasn’t human and she’d killed her husband and the memories of what happened when she lost control. And what if the cure didn’t last? What if she lost again? She’d be a threat to everyone.
Jack doesn't like to kill, but he knows when it's necessary and he does what needs to be done. Gwen, meanwhile, has a holier-than-thou moral attitude, like she knows what's right and won't kill even when it's absolutely necessary. That isn't to say Jack doesn't have morals, because he DOES, and they mostly exist I think because of the Doctor, but he is able to weigh the pros and cons and come to a conclusion and follow through.
MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SMALL WORLDS, GREEKS BEARING GIFTS, AND SLEEPER.
I’m going to start off with Gwen, because it seems as good a place as any, and even though I really don’t like her, the little bit of my brain that analyzes everything keeps saying she’s interesting, and who am I to deny a voice in my head?
Gwen Cooper. The ‘carer’, the ‘human element’. She’s been established in much the same way the Doctor’s companions are-she’s a link to the viewer, existing both in the world of Torchwood and the world of everyone else. She’s supposed to be the person the public can identify with.
And she annoys the hell out of me. Yes, fine, she’s the moral one of the group, but what does ‘moral’ actually mean?
This was shown enough in series one, but I don’t have any concrete examples because my DVD set isn’t due to arrive until 29 January, and most of the episodes on my DVR have been deleted. So I’m mainly going on what I vaguely remember and especially with ‘Sleeper’.
The problem here is that Gwen is unwilling to do what is necessary. She defends herself and her actions by claiming they are the moral thing to do, the right thing, and she makes Jack out to be a monster.
Jack, in contrast, has done things that people could consider immoral. In ‘Small Worlds’, he let Jasmine go with the fairies, and in ‘Greeks Bearing Gifts’, he sent Mary to the centre of the sun to die.
The first decision was really his only choice. It was either let Jasmine go with the fairies, like she wanted, or the fairies were threatening the entire world. Jack’s choice, while not easy, was right. Gwen, meanwhile, was horrified by Jack’s actions. She could not believe that Jack actually did that. What would Gwen have done? Would she have condemned the world for the sake of the child? Would it have been worth it? We could debate morals until the sun dies, but the fact is that no, it would not.
Jack’s other decision was more cold-blooded, but Mary had been killing for centuries, threatened Torchwood security, and threatened Tosh’s life. This was more in shades of grey, and by this example Jack could be seen as an immoral jerk, doing more than was necessary, but what else could they have done with her? Frozen her? Locked her in a cell? She was already an exile and a prisoner. Sending her back home or to another planet really would not have done anyone any favours.
So, back to ‘Sleeper’. Jack knew Beth was a threat. She had a shred of humanity left, but any moment that would be lost and she could destroy. Gwen thought they should freeze her and wait until they came up with a cure. Jack knew there wasn’t any way to do that, and she would continue to be a security risk. Beth knew this too, and sacrificed herself. Even as she threatened Gwen, Gwen tried to warn the team that Beth was bluffing. She tried to save a woman who knew what she was doing. Beth was making it easier for Torchwood to kill her by providing a reason for them to shoot. Gwen still wanted to stick her in a cryogenics chamber.
But… Would that have been any better? Sure, they could unfreeze her IF they managed to find a cure, but if they didn’t, all they’d have would be a ticking time bomb. And Beth would have to live with the knowledge that she wasn’t human and she’d killed her husband and the memories of what happened when she lost control. And what if the cure didn’t last? What if she lost again? She’d be a threat to everyone.
Jack doesn't like to kill, but he knows when it's necessary and he does what needs to be done. Gwen, meanwhile, has a holier-than-thou moral attitude, like she knows what's right and won't kill even when it's absolutely necessary. That isn't to say Jack doesn't have morals, because he DOES, and they mostly exist I think because of the Doctor, but he is able to weigh the pros and cons and come to a conclusion and follow through.