Owen Harper Thoughts
Feb. 21st, 2008 04:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andrasteI have not had much to say about Torchwood this year, beyond that it is approximately a MILLIONTY TIMES BETTER than Torchwood last year. Possibly the writers watched The Sarah Jane Adventures and were embarrassed into improving.
After today's episode, though, I have actual thinky thoughts. Hey, it makes a change from squeeing about giant robots, right?
My reaction to the end of last week's episode was "Owen! Noes!!!" This is not what I would have expected my reaction to be if Owen had been shot to death last year. I always found him an interesting character, but at some point this season I have grown emotionally attached. I keep wanting to give him hugs and going 'awwwwwwwwwwww' when Jack ruffles his hair.
I've seen a lot of people say that they just can't get past his use of the date rape alien drug back in Everything Changes in order to like this kinder, gentler Owen. This is an entirely reasonable and understandable position, so I've been trying to work out why Owen's past behaviour is not bothering me.
I think this is partly because many of my favourite characters in other canons have done much worse things. Which is not to minimise what Owen did, but I'll see you his date rape and raise you G'Kar mentally assaulting Londo in Dust to Dust, not to mention the sainted Charles Xavier ripped Magneto's mind apart and leaving him a vegetable in Fatal Attractions, not to mention Magneto attempting genocide against the whole human race, and the things Londo had done to deserve ... well, you get the idea. And that's limiting myself to four characters, none of whom are evil giant robots. Most of them have 'better' reasons for doing these things than sexual gratification and ego, but that hardly makes it OK.
It has also occurred to me that this is not unlike my love for Andrew Wells from BtVS. Among other things, Andrew colluded in the attemped rape of Warren's ex-girlfriend Katrina and murdered his best friend. But when given the opportunity, he changed and grew and became a better person.
Owen has done the same. For me, that process started way back in Ghost Machines when he was placed into the mind of a rape victim and has followed on logically ever since. (Which is not to say that he did not behave like a total arsehole in much of Season One.) I really like that Torchwood is demonstrating that positive change is possible on both a story level and a meta level. If the show he's in can become consistently entertaining, I see no reason Owen Harper shouldn't become a decent human being. Like Jack, I'm not ready to give up on him.
After today's episode, though, I have actual thinky thoughts. Hey, it makes a change from squeeing about giant robots, right?
My reaction to the end of last week's episode was "Owen! Noes!!!" This is not what I would have expected my reaction to be if Owen had been shot to death last year. I always found him an interesting character, but at some point this season I have grown emotionally attached. I keep wanting to give him hugs and going 'awwwwwwwwwwww' when Jack ruffles his hair.
I've seen a lot of people say that they just can't get past his use of the date rape alien drug back in Everything Changes in order to like this kinder, gentler Owen. This is an entirely reasonable and understandable position, so I've been trying to work out why Owen's past behaviour is not bothering me.
I think this is partly because many of my favourite characters in other canons have done much worse things. Which is not to minimise what Owen did, but I'll see you his date rape and raise you G'Kar mentally assaulting Londo in Dust to Dust, not to mention the sainted Charles Xavier ripped Magneto's mind apart and leaving him a vegetable in Fatal Attractions, not to mention Magneto attempting genocide against the whole human race, and the things Londo had done to deserve ... well, you get the idea. And that's limiting myself to four characters, none of whom are evil giant robots. Most of them have 'better' reasons for doing these things than sexual gratification and ego, but that hardly makes it OK.
It has also occurred to me that this is not unlike my love for Andrew Wells from BtVS. Among other things, Andrew colluded in the attemped rape of Warren's ex-girlfriend Katrina and murdered his best friend. But when given the opportunity, he changed and grew and became a better person.
Owen has done the same. For me, that process started way back in Ghost Machines when he was placed into the mind of a rape victim and has followed on logically ever since. (Which is not to say that he did not behave like a total arsehole in much of Season One.) I really like that Torchwood is demonstrating that positive change is possible on both a story level and a meta level. If the show he's in can become consistently entertaining, I see no reason Owen Harper shouldn't become a decent human being. Like Jack, I'm not ready to give up on him.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-25 05:27 am (UTC)It is indeed. I'm about a third of the way through Season Three of BSG at the moment, and his arc grows more intriguing by the episode.
In the case of Owen, well, it doesn't seem to be remotely clear what his defining characteristics are meant to be, or what kind of response he're expected to provoke, but we are clearly meant to regard him a serious dramatic character.
Good point - I'm not sure that the writers on Season One of Torchwood were on the same page about what reactions we were meant to have to the characters. I mean, are we supposed to feel sympathetic toward Gwen while she's having her affair, or think she's a two-timing bitch? Obviously individual viewers can make up their own minds about these things, but it's always good to know what the Powers That Be expect you to be thinking.