Torchwood: 5 Best Couples (& 5 Worst)

It would be understandable to suppose that when one spends most of their time fighting aliens and solving strange cases involving the extraterrestrial, they no longer have the time or strength to form romantic relationships as well. But Torchwood, the spin-off of the successful sci-fi show Doctor Who, proves that this isn’t always the case.

It’s true that Torchwood primarily focuses on the titular team dealing with various threats that end up in Cardiff because of the rift present in the city. However, they’re also as efficient at building relationships with other people. Some of them are good, while others turn out to be a bad decision.

10 Best: Owen And Diane

This relationship hadn’t lasted long but it was still obvious that Owen Harper and Diane Holmes cared about each other and there was a genuine attraction between them. Diane, however, was a person out of her time. She was living in 1953 and got into the future by accident.

Unlike another victim of the same accident, Emma, Diane had a hard time dealing with the change – despite her relationship with Owen. She decided to try her luck in the end, and flew through the rift, as she was an accomplished pilot. The series never revealed what happened to Diane afterward, whether she lived, got back to her time, or not.

9 Worst: Owen And Gwen

This relationship – or a fling, more like – was born out of desperation and fear. After joining Torchwood, Gwen Cooper witnessed some horrible things she couldn’t talk to anyone about… certainly not her boyfriend Rhys.

So she talked to Owen instead and they were lovers for a while. But their relationship was mostly physical, and it didn’t last long. It’s also difficult to overlook that Gwen was cheating on her loving boyfriend with Owen.

8 Best: Gwen And Jack

Unlike the brief romance between Owen and Gwen, the relationship between Gwen and Captain Jack Harkness never really took off. Maybe because Gwen was with Rhys, maybe because Jack was careful not to let her too close.

Still, they were clearly drawn to each other and for a moment, it looked like there might have been more between them… if only circumstances were different. But even when they didn’t start dating, they at least shared a kiss (albeit a brief one) and remained good friends.

7 Worst: Owen And Toshiko

The problem with this couple is that it never truly came to be, and the relationship between them was filled with a lot of heartbreak, especially on Toshiko’s side. Toshiko Sato had loved Owen for a long time but he hadn’t seen her that way.

It changed slightly after he died but Owen felt like it was too late for him to build a relationship with someone even once he came back since he was a dead man walking. And then they both died in one of the saddest scenes of the show. If anybody deserved a happy ending (together), it was Tosh and Owen, but it didn’t happen.

6 Best: Gwen And Rhys

To say that Rhys has the patience of a saint would be an understatement. This couple has been through a lot and both Gwen and Rhys had to work hard to keep their relationship going. But luckily for them, their mutual love won in the end.

Gwen married Rhys and they started a family together. Gwen gave birth to their daughter Anwen and it looks like Gwen and Rhys stayed together even after Torchwood had ended.

5 Worst: Toshiko And Mary

The problem with this relationship is that it was based on false pretenses from the start. Tosh got together with Mary while she was disillusioned by Owen’s behavior, his ignorance toward her.

But the main issue was that Mary was an old alien murdering people who was most likely just using Tosh for getting access to Torchwood and making sure she got away with her crimes. That’s not exactly the basis for a healthy relationship.

4 Best: Jack And Ianto

Jack and Ianto Jones are the most iconic couple of Torchwood – perhaps right next to Gwen and Rhys. They were only co-workers at first since Ianto was still fixed on his ex-girlfriend Lisa who was turned into a Cyberwoman.

However, once they got over the lies, Jack and Ianto started dating and didn’t break up until Ianto’s premature death in the fourth season – which Jack took very badly.

3 Worst: Carys And Gwen

Again, it’s doubtful whether this relationship even deserves such a name – considering it only happened as a brief, albeit passionate making out session in the holding cells of Torchwood. So no romantic setting, that’s certain.

Carys was also under the influence of an alien who messed with her body and it emitted pheromones that drew Gwen to her, making her kiss the young woman even though Gwen was dating Rhys.

2 Best: Toshiko And Tommy

There’s no other way of saying this – Toshiko had really bad luck at relationships. Of all her romances, the one with Tommy was the most peaceful one – even though it also had a bad ending. Tommy was a soldier from World War One who was cryogenically frozen at Torchwood and only woke once a year to make sure that the time for his mission hasn’t come yet.

Tosh and Tommy built a tender relationship over the years but their reunion was cut short when Tommy had to go back to his time – and he forgot about Tosh.

1 Worst: Toshiko And Adam

Finally, if one needs another proof that Tosh simply couldn’t catch a break, it was her relationship with Adam. Adam was an alien who joined Torchwood by messing with their heads and making them believe he was always a member of the team.

He did what he wanted, changed their personalities, and played with them like they were toys. That included making Tosh believe she was in love with him – so, in other words, he abused her.

About The Author

Kath Leroy
(523 Articles Published)

Kath Leroy is a writer at Screen Rant. She also publishes in a number of Czech magazines. She works as an actress and appeared in feature films, short films, as well as TV series. Kath has loved movies, TV, and literature ever since she was a child and her father first played Star Trek for her. Since she has a background in writing genre fiction and screenplays, Kath enjoys fantasy, sci-fi, and superhero films and shows above all – however, she likes to watch films of all genres.

Visit Kath Leroy’s blog for her articles about culture, acting life as well as other topics, follow her on Twitter and on Instagram as @girlartistgeek or contact her directly at [email protected]

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