61 Days left and it's Mother's Day! At least it is in the US where I live. I think this is an obvious blog topic, right? I have to blog about "mother Torchwood", Gwen.
For those who may not know, when we catch up with Gwen at the start of TW: MD we find her living a quiet life with husband Rhys and baby daughter Anwen, somewhere in the South of Wales if I'm not mistaken. I keep imagining that it will play a lot like the false reality Amy and Rory slip into in the Doctor Who episode "Amy's Choice". It will be very small-town and will come off incredibly dull for Gwen who longs for her old adventure filled life, even though she loves Rhys and Anwen, she's not satisfied with just that.
That's where we start but we know that's not how the story progresses. Jack returns to Earth, the Miracle Day Dilemma (MDD) takes form and the remnants of team Torchwood get dragged into their old habits. I'm sure Gwen will be thrilled with the idea, Rhys will be practical and it'll end as every other disagreement in their relationship, Gwen wins. I love Rhys, I really do, but I wish he would put his foot down more often. The times he's really had his say were brilliant. My sincerest hope for Gwen and Rhys going into TW: MD is that Gwen appreciates Rhys more and Rhys doesn't always let her have her way. I am invested in them as a couple and I want them to get to happily ever after or as close as Torchwood can offer.
Back to the topic, baby Anwen and mother Gwen. Once the MDD hits Gwen will be back to the long hours and danger that surround Torchwood, so how will she fit in being a mom? The obvious answer seems to be she won't. She may want to be there for her baby but how do you argue with stepping away for a while to save the world? To protect your baby's future? I think what will come of Gwen back in Torchwood will be a struggle similar to series 1 and 2 of Torchwood. Gwen would try to do her job but make time for Rhys and more often than not, fail miserably. So if she gets caught up and she loses time with her daughter that sucks, but she has advantages now she didn't then. She has Rhys to help, Rhys knows all about Torchwood and Rhys and Anwen have each other.
I think the harsh reality of the situation will be that Rhys will have to be the mother and the father to baby Anwen, at least while the world is ending. I imagine he'll be yelling at Gwen to consider her family and let someone else save the world. Honestly Gwen's potential inability to be there for her daughter during this crisis suits me just fine because it brings in more need for Rhys and as we've established, I adore him. I would also really like to see Gwen go through the conflict, wanting to be with her baby but also wanting to protect the world she has to live in. We'll probably see a few similar confrontations between Gwen and Rhys as we did in COE concerning baby Anwen. I am hoping that the pull of her family will help make Gwen a more interesting character. That's not to say I hate her, but I find myself having a hard time relating to her and I think a struggle between love of family and a sense of duty could be the thing to make me really care for her down the line.
And I know what you're all thinking, Rhys knows about Torchwood, Gwen is a very capable woman and there is every possibility that she can manage to protect the planet and occasionally make it in time for dinner and a bed-time story. And maybe you're right. I wouldn't be surprised if Gwen, with the help of Rhys, found a way to make it work. Torchwood creators seem to pick and chose when to make Gwen capable and when to make her human and flawed and that's not a criticism, just and observation and a acknowledgement that this situation could go either way.
So what do you think, how will mother Gwen cope? Is Rhys going to have to step up and live the life of a work-widower? Can they work together to have some semblance of a normal life while still protecting the planet from the fall-out of the MDD? xx
<3Dana
Countdown
All "Countdown" Blogs
For those who may not know, when we catch up with Gwen at the start of TW: MD we find her living a quiet life with husband Rhys and baby daughter Anwen, somewhere in the South of Wales if I'm not mistaken. I keep imagining that it will play a lot like the false reality Amy and Rory slip into in the Doctor Who episode "Amy's Choice". It will be very small-town and will come off incredibly dull for Gwen who longs for her old adventure filled life, even though she loves Rhys and Anwen, she's not satisfied with just that.
That's where we start but we know that's not how the story progresses. Jack returns to Earth, the Miracle Day Dilemma (MDD) takes form and the remnants of team Torchwood get dragged into their old habits. I'm sure Gwen will be thrilled with the idea, Rhys will be practical and it'll end as every other disagreement in their relationship, Gwen wins. I love Rhys, I really do, but I wish he would put his foot down more often. The times he's really had his say were brilliant. My sincerest hope for Gwen and Rhys going into TW: MD is that Gwen appreciates Rhys more and Rhys doesn't always let her have her way. I am invested in them as a couple and I want them to get to happily ever after or as close as Torchwood can offer.
Back to the topic, baby Anwen and mother Gwen. Once the MDD hits Gwen will be back to the long hours and danger that surround Torchwood, so how will she fit in being a mom? The obvious answer seems to be she won't. She may want to be there for her baby but how do you argue with stepping away for a while to save the world? To protect your baby's future? I think what will come of Gwen back in Torchwood will be a struggle similar to series 1 and 2 of Torchwood. Gwen would try to do her job but make time for Rhys and more often than not, fail miserably. So if she gets caught up and she loses time with her daughter that sucks, but she has advantages now she didn't then. She has Rhys to help, Rhys knows all about Torchwood and Rhys and Anwen have each other.
I think the harsh reality of the situation will be that Rhys will have to be the mother and the father to baby Anwen, at least while the world is ending. I imagine he'll be yelling at Gwen to consider her family and let someone else save the world. Honestly Gwen's potential inability to be there for her daughter during this crisis suits me just fine because it brings in more need for Rhys and as we've established, I adore him. I would also really like to see Gwen go through the conflict, wanting to be with her baby but also wanting to protect the world she has to live in. We'll probably see a few similar confrontations between Gwen and Rhys as we did in COE concerning baby Anwen. I am hoping that the pull of her family will help make Gwen a more interesting character. That's not to say I hate her, but I find myself having a hard time relating to her and I think a struggle between love of family and a sense of duty could be the thing to make me really care for her down the line.
And I know what you're all thinking, Rhys knows about Torchwood, Gwen is a very capable woman and there is every possibility that she can manage to protect the planet and occasionally make it in time for dinner and a bed-time story. And maybe you're right. I wouldn't be surprised if Gwen, with the help of Rhys, found a way to make it work. Torchwood creators seem to pick and chose when to make Gwen capable and when to make her human and flawed and that's not a criticism, just and observation and a acknowledgement that this situation could go either way.
So what do you think, how will mother Gwen cope? Is Rhys going to have to step up and live the life of a work-widower? Can they work together to have some semblance of a normal life while still protecting the planet from the fall-out of the MDD? xx
<3Dana
Countdown
All "Countdown" Blogs
RSS Feed