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{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|image           = [[file:owenharper.jpg|250px]]
|image             = Owen Harper Main.jpg
|individual name = Doctor Owen Harper MD
|alias            = King of the [[Weevils]], the Dead Man
|alias          = Dead Man <br> Torchwood Officer 565 <br> King of the Weevils
|species          = Human
|species           = [[Human]]
|job              = Doctor
|home planet    = [[Earth]]
|affiliation      = Torchwood Three
|home era        = [[21st century]]
|origin           = [[Plaistow]]
|appearances    = [[Owen Harper - List of Appearances|List of Appearances]]
|birth date        = [[14 February]] [[1980]] or [[1981]], [[Plaistow]], [[London]]  
|mentions       = [[DW]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''<br>[[TW]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day Five]]''
|death date       = [[2000s]], (aged [[27 (number)|27]]), [[the Pharm]]{{note|Owen would be revived with the [[resurrection gauntlet]] which brought him back permanently, but his body would remain in a dead state and lacked the bodily functions of a living person. His body would later be destroyed at [[Turnmill Nuclear Power Station]], killing him.}}
|actor           = [[Burn Gorman]]
|mother            = Owen Harper's mother{{!}}Mother
|father            = Owen Harper's father{{!}}Father
|partner          = Megan Tegg
|partner2          = Katie Russell
|partner3          = Diane Holmes
|first            = Everything Changes (TV story)
|appearances      = {{appears}}
|main actor       = Burn Gorman
|clip              = Owen versus Death battle - Torchwood - BBC Sci-Fi
|clip2            = Owen's noble sacrifice - Torchwood - BBC Sci-Fi
|clip3            = Tosh & Owen the long sad goodbye - Torchwood - BBC America
|leitmotif        = https://soundcloud.com/benfostermusic/owens-theme
|leitmotif name    = "Owen's Theme"
}}
}}
:''For other individuals of the same name, see [[Harper]].''
'''Owen Harper''' [[Doctor of Medicine|MD]] was a member of [[Torchwood Three]] in the [[2000s]].
'''Owen Harper''' performed medical and dissection duties for the [[Torchwood Three]] team. Moody and forthright, Harper wasn't slow to show his dissatisfaction with [[Jack Harkness]]' decisions.


==Biography==
Following his fiancée [[Katie Russell|Katie]]'s [[death]] due to an alien parasite, Owen accepted [[Jack Harkness]]'s offer to join Torchwood as its medical officer. He had sexual relationships with his colleagues, [[Suzie Costello]] and [[Gwen Cooper]], but was unaware of [[Toshiko Sato]]'s feelings for him for some years. After being killed by [[Aaron Copley]], Owen was restored in a state of living death in which he could not die but also could not heal.
===Early life===
Born [[14th February]] [[1980]] ([[TW]]:''[[Exit Wounds]]''), Owen Harper had a difficult relationship with his mother, so much so that, on his tenth birthday, his mother declared that she did not have to like him, only love him. ([[TW]]: ''[[Adam (TV story)|Adam]]'') He did not appear to have been close to his father though both parents were still alive at the time of Owen's death. ([[WEB]]: ''[[Torchwood website|torchwood.org.uk]]'')


===Recruitment===
Owen died for good after saving [[Cardiff]] from nuclear meltdown, his body being irreparably destroyed.
In his early twenties and already a doctor, Owen was engaged to [[Katie Russell]], who unknown to both them had an alien parasite in her brain. Though Owen did not understand this, both knew that she had a degenerative neurological condition. Before [[Jack Harkness]] arrived on the scene, the alien inside had killed the surgical team which had removed the top of her skull in surgery. [[Jack Harkness]] appeared, explained and left the scene with Katie's body, then, after which time Owen had told a disbelieved story about aliens, re-appeared and offered him a job with Torchwood Three. Owen reluctantly accepted. ([[TW]]: [[Fragments]])


[[file:A grave day.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Owen after [[Katie Russell|Katie]]'s death ([[TW]]: ''[[Fragments]]'')]]
== Biography ==
===Life at Torchwood===
=== Early life ===
At around age 26, Owen's personal life appeared to mostly revolve around the pursuit of casual sex, which he was happy to use alien technology to facilitate. ([[TW]]: ''[[Everything Changes]]'') He also had an affair with [[Gwen Cooper]]. The closest he ever appeared to come to a serious relationship was with [[Diane Holmes]], a pilot from [[1953]] whose aircraft the ''[[Sky Gypsy]]'', fell through the [[Cardiff Rift]]. ([[TW]]: ''[[Out of Time]]'')
Owen was born on [[14 February]] [[1980]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]''; [[PROSE]]: ''[[Pack Animals (novel)|Pack Animals]]'') or at some point in [[1981]] in [[Plaistow]], part of London's East End. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Slow Decay (novel)|Slow Decay]]''; [[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'') He could hear the [[West Ham United|Hammers]] playing at home from the back bedroom of his house, where he would listen and make up his own commentary. As a child he enjoyed watching ''[[Scooby-Doo]]''. He would later call himself a "true" fan of the series. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Slow Decay (novel)|Slow Decay]]'')


[[file:TORCHWOODx110x1099.jpg|thumb|left|Owen and Diane Holmes. ([[TW]]: ''[[Out of Time]]'')]]
He had a difficult relationship with [[Owen Harper's mother|his mother]], so much so that, on his tenth birthday, his mother told him that she did not have to like him, only love him. ([[TV]]: ''[[Adam (TV story)|Adam]]'') He lost his virginity in a school stationery cupboard when he was fifteen. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Slow Decay (novel)|Slow Decay]]'') When he was sixteen, his mother packed a bag of his belongings. Despite being unclear if he was leaving voluntarily, Owen claimed that it was "the nicest thing [she'd] done for [him] in years". ([[TV]]: ''[[Adam (TV story)|Adam]]'')
Evidently, though, his team mate [[Toshiko Sato]] nursed a crush on him. When the alien [[Adam Smith|Adam]] altered his personality and memories, turning him into a shy, sheltered nerd, he stumblingly declared his love for her. ([[TW]]: ''[[Adam (TV story)|Adam]]'') Though neither of them remembered the incident, Tosh eventually haltingly asked him out for a date (despite his flirting with temporary Torchwood Three agent [[Martha Jones]]) and he accepted, although circumstances would intervene and prevent this from happening. ([[TW]]: ''[[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]'')


====First death====
Watching his friends growing up and becoming car [[mechanic]]s and estate agents, Owen decided he wanted to do something which meant something. When [[Owen Harper's father|his father]] died of an [[aortic aneurysm]], he decided he wanted to be a [[surgeon]] - not because he wanted to save others, but so that he could stop the same thing happening to himself. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Slow Decay (novel)|Slow Decay]]'') He came to believe that saving just one life would make his own worthwhile, but he found that one was never enough - there was always another demanding to be saved; he could never succeed. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'')
[[file:Owen.jpg|250px|thumb|Owen drowning himself. ([[TW]]: ''[[A Day in the Death]]'')]]
Owen was shot and killed by [[Aaron Copley]], the director of [[the Pharm]], who was in turn killed by Jack. ([[TW]]: [[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]) Prior to his autopsy by Martha, Jack used the second [[resurrection gauntlet]] to temporarily restore Owen to life so that he could say goodbye to his friends (and, ostensibly, so Jack could obtain the passcode to the morgue). Although it was assumed that he would only regain consciousness for two minutes before dying forever (per how the first gauntlet worked), for reasons unknown Owen remained conscious, having been returned to a state of partial life. A consequence of Owen's resurrection was the manifestation of an old entity known as "[[Durac]]", which Owen vanquished. ([[TW]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking]]'')


Although once again conscious and sentient, Owen Harper, post-death, found he had limited bodily functions. His wounds would not heal, he could not breathe (or blow air) and he couldn't sleep. He could ingest liquids and food, but he had no sense of taste and this material did not digest and needed to be removed or somehow expelled from his body; at one point, after an unsuccessful attempt at getting drunk, Owen had to stand on his head to allow gravity to drain fluids from his system. His lack of blood flow also rendered it impossible for Owen to achieve an erection. He was encouraged to maintain regular physical exercise to prevent rigor mortis from setting in (otherwise there's no indication such actions had any effect on weight or muscle condition). Apparently painful stimuli did not hurt. He injured his left hand twice by cutting it and then by deliberately breaking a finger; as these injuries did not heal, he was forced to wear a bandage/splint on the hand thereafter, which permanently limited his ability to use certain objects to the extent that he had to recruit [[Rhys Williams]] to use the [[singularity scalpel]] at one point. ([[TW]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking]]'', ''[[A Day in the Death]]'', ''[[Something Borrowed]]'') Due to his inability to heal, Jack was initially hesitant to allow Owen to take part in regular operations again, and in fact was forced to demote him to "tea boy" at one point, but soon Owen was back out in the field. His lack of breathing and other bodily functions proved useful to the team, such as when he was able to circumvent a heat-based alarm system ([[TW]]: ''[[A Day in the Death]]'') and it also on at least two occasions allowed him to avoid further damage at the hands of Rift-based creatures who found him unpalatable and confusing ([[TW]]: ''[[Something Borrowed]]'', ''[[From Out of the Rain]]''). Owen, being a Doctor, was distressed at being unable to perform artificial respiration on a dying man due to his inability to expel breath, though by telling his tale to a suicidal woman, he was able to prevent her from throwing herself off a building. ([[TW]]: ''[[A Day in the Death]]'')
Owen attended [[college]] in [[London]], where he had a short relationship with [[Megan Tegg]]. Megan wanted to get married, but Owen was not interested in a long-term relationship and so walked out on her. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Another Life (novel)|Another Life]]'') He trained for seven years to become a doctor, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Slow Decay (novel)|Slow Decay]]'') writing his thesis on [[immunology]] with the help of [[Aaron Copley]]'s published works. ([[TV]]: ''[[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]'') He was close friends with [[Amira Hussein]], whom he credited with getting him through [[cardiology]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Iceberg (audio story)|Iceberg]]'')


Owen coped with his self-pity and managed to pull himself together enough to go back to work and to carry on, which included a deepening, if somewhat strained, friendship with Toshiko. ([[TW]]: ''[[A Day in the Death]]'')
He then spent a year as a junior houseman at [[Cardiff Royal Infirmary]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Slow Decay (novel)|Slow Decay]]'') where he became engaged to junior doctor [[Katie Russell]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'') He once woke up on a couch in another woman's home before going to work with a hangover and tending to [[Michael Bellini]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Trace Memory (novel)|Trace Memory]]'')


However, Martha Jones indicated to Owen that the energy used to keep him "alive" began to dissipate after the defeat of Durac, but stated that it was impossible to predict when it would run out and "final death" would occur: she told Owen it could take anywhere from 30 seconds to 30 years. ([[TW]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking]]'').
Owen and Katie got engaged. Unbeknownst to the two of them, she had [[tumour alien|an alien parasite]] in her [[brain]] which had the effect of causing what they believed to be a degenerative neurological condition. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'')


Owen's original response to his change of status (both in life and in Torchwood) led to him briefly alienating his colleagues, and on at least one occasion he tried to commit suicide by jumping into Cardiff Bay, though this was ineffectual ([[TW]]: ''[[A Day in the Death]]''). To a degree, Harkness - himself accustomed to being unable to die - attempted to help Owen, but was initially rebuffed given the fact that Jack's immortality didn't prevent him from enjoying pleasures such as food and sex.
=== Recruitment ===
[[File:A grave day.jpg|thumb|left|Owen after [[Katie Russell|Katie]]'s death ([[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'')]]
Despite his superior insisting that what she had possessed no cause, Owen insisted on Katie being given more tests, resulting in the parasite, believed to be a [[tumour]], being found. Relieved, Owen took her for surgery not long after she forgot his name. During the surgery, [[Jack Harkness]] arrived and informed him of the parasite, which had killed her and the surgical team. Jack claimed he needed to take her body and sterilise her, something Owen refused to allow, resulting in the doctor being sedated.


====Final death====
Owen awoke in a ward where he told others the unbelievable story about aliens. No one believed him and he was advised to take some leave. Owen tried to use security footage but Jack had altered it, leading to him feeling hopeless and disillusioned. After Katie's funeral, Owen was at her grave when he saw Jack in the distance. Enraged, he ran at and assaulted Jack, eventually crying in his arms. Jack offered Owen a job with Torchwood Three so that he could save people and find purpose without Katie. Owen reluctantly accepted. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'')
Several weeks after his death, Owen was tasked with trying to stop a nuclear reactor near Cardiff from going into meltdown during events precipitated by the arrival of Jack's brother, [[Gray]]. Being unfamiliar with nuclear reactors, Owen kept in communication with Tosh back in the Hub, who talked him through the shutdown procedure (unknown to Owen, however, Tosh had just suffered a mortal injury and Tosh tried to keep this from him). During the shutdown process, the control room was locked down, and Tosh and Owen realized the radioactive waste would be vented through the room, destroying Owen's body. Owen became defiant and angry and said he wasn't going to die quietly, which upset Toshiko, who was herself dying. After Tosh cried that he was breaking her heart, he relented and asked what was going to happen. As he was "dead" and could not feel the pain, Owen expected to watch as his body fell apart. He talked over the com with Toshiko discussing the date they had never gone on. They also discussed the fact that several years earlier Tosh had covered for him when he was hungover and unable to assist [[UNIT]] in investigating an unusual incident involving a "space pig" ([[DW]]: ''[[Aliens of London]]''). As the reactor went critical, he appeared philosophical and reassured Tosh with the words "It's alright." A few moments later, the waste entered the room and the comm signal from Owen was snuffed out. ([[TW]]: ''[[Exit Wounds]]'')


It is not known whether Owen's body was destroyed or if any remains were recovered. If the latter, then per Torchwood policy they would have been interred within the Torchwood Hub (per [[TW]]: ''[[Day One]]'', ''[[They Keep Killing Suzie]]''), and therefore possibly destroyed when the Hub was blown up ([[TW]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day One]]''). Owen left a resounding impression on the Torchwood staff as his photograph was still pinned up on Gwen's desktop ([[TW]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day One]]'') and Gwen also expressed her desire to "go out fighting, like Owen, like Tosh" when faced with a [[Dalek]] invasion of the Hub ([[DW]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''); the loss of Owen and Tosh continued to emotionally affect the survivors of Torchwood 3 for months. ([[BBCR]]: ''[[Lost Souls]]'')
==== Early career ====
On his second week on the job, Owen was hungover and unable to investigate a "[[space pig]]" [[London UFO crash|incident]]. [[Toshiko Sato]] covered for him that day, an example of the many times that Tosh stepped in to save him. ([[TV]]: ''[[Aliens of London (TV story)|Aliens of London]]''; ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'') He had a sexual relationship with [[Suzie Costello]] ([[TV]]: ''[[They Keep Killing Suzie (TV story)|They Keep Killing Suzie]]'') and had a [[key]] to her house which he used spontaneously, including once when she was with [[Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Sync (audio story)|Sync]]'')


After [[the 456]] incident, Jack revealed that he felt responsible for Owen's death, along with that of all the other Torchwood operatives who died under his command. ([[TW]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day Five]]'')
On the [[day]] of the [[Cardiff Earthquake]], Owen, along with Suzie and Tosh, was instructed to remain in the Hub by Jack, who assured them that it would be "OK". Unbeknownst to them, Jack was present for these events in Cardiff [[150 (number)|150]] [[year]]s in his personal [[past]], and the present Jack was keeping them from interfering with the events which he had already lived through. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Twilight Streets (novel)|The Twilight Streets]]'')


==Other information==
Owen, Jack, Tosh and Suzie were later joined by [[Ianto Jones]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'') and [[Sebastian Vaughan]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Vigil (audio story)|The Vigil]]'') One adventure, known as [[Operation Goldenrod]], involved Owen trying to separate people who had been melded together. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Slow Decay (novel)|Slow Decay]]'')
* Owen Harper kept a [[UNIT]] ID card in his wallet. ([[TW]]: [[Ghost Machine]])
* He was Torchwood officer 565. ([[TW]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking]]'')
* Three of his favourite things were eating, sleeping and 'shagging'. ([[TW]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking]]')''
* Owen was 27 at the time of his death. ([[TW]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking]]'')
* Of the Torchwood 3 team in place following the death of [[Suzie Costello]], Owen was the only one never to, in some way, meet [[the Doctor]].


==Personality==
He was called by one of his former colleagues [[Amira Hussein (Spore)|Amira Hussein]] to help with a patient. He thought something was odd when Amira was acting strangely. He became intrigued one of the patients [[Lucy Sheppard]] kept coming in and out of consciousness and continuing their conversations like nothing happened. He realised that Amira wasn't the [[Amira Hussein|one]] he worked with as the bike she described was the one she had when Owen worked with her, not a new one. Amira told him about her species and how they needed [[Delta wave]]s to fully manifest. He used a [[Owen Harper's mind-reading device|mind-reading device]] to stop the connection between the spore and their host. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Iceberg (audio story)|Iceberg]]'')
A habitual womaniser, Owen rarely turned down the opportunity to seduce a woman. He was possibly the only member of the Torchwood team to be completely heterosexual. Owen was a narcissistic genius who was perfectly aware of his own considerable intellect. He possessed a quick, sardonic wit and often lightened dark situations with his flippant humour. However Owen's cavallier exterior hid a soul in constant torment. Owen was filled with a constant rage which he largely kept under control but which would occasionally explode. While he pretended to be largely self-interested, Owen had a great capacity for empathy as shown by his obsession with avenging Lizzy Lewis's death. He was also deeply loyal to the Torchwood team and had a very protective relationship with Gwen Cooper. Owen liked to project an aura of callous indifference, to the point that he himself was often unaware of his own feelings, most likely including his love for Toshiko Sato. Owen's cocky attitude, his dry one-liners and his darker side have made him one of the more popular characters on Torchwood.{{Facts}}


==== Joined by Gwen ====
Owen was indirectly responsible for [[Gwen Cooper]] gaining access to [[the Hub]] by his ordering from [[Jubilee Pizza]] under the name of "Torchwood". ([[TV]]: ''[[Everything Changes (TV story)|Everything Changes]]'') He captured [[Carys Fletcher]] inside a [[portable prison cell]] after she was taken over by the [[Sex Gas]] and later cornered her at the [[Conway Clinic]] where it was destroyed. ([[TV]]: ''[[Day One (TV story)|Day One]]'')
Using a [[quantum transducer]] obtained from [[Bernie Harris]], Owen saw [[Ed Morgan]] [[rape]] and [[murder]] [[Lizzie Lewis]] in [[1963]].  Not only could Owen see the rape and murder, he also felt all of the [[emotion]]s that the victim felt. He tracked down and threatened Ed in the present and held him at knifepoint. Although Gwen stopped him, Ed threw himself onto the knife and died. ([[TV]]: ''[[Ghost Machine (TV story)|Ghost Machine]]'') Owen developed an [[addiction]] to the game ''[[Second Reality]]'', which he played using the [[avatar]] [[Glendower Broadsword]]. Through the game, he met up with his former lover, [[Megan Tegg]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Another Life (novel)|Another Life]]'')
Whilst hiding from the partially [[Cyber-conversion|cyber-converted]] [[Lisa Hallett]], he and Gwen kissed, beginning their [[affair]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Cyberwoman (TV story)|Cyberwoman]]'') He offered his information on [[Roundstone Wood]] when Torchwood became aware of the [[Fairy|Fairies]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Small Worlds (TV story)|Small Worlds]]'') and helped defeat [[Thomas Vaughan (Hidden)|Thomas Vaughan]] and the [[Arcanis Servitorus]], who almost killed him, Gwen and Ianto. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Hidden (audio story)|Hidden]]'') He went with Ianto to [[Hengoed]] to find the origins of a [[beacon]], where he decided to forget Torchwood's rules and allow [[Pat (The Last Beacon)|Pat]] to remain in the village. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Last Beacon (audio story)|The Last Beacon]]'')
[[File:Owen gwen affair.jpg|thumb|Owen and Gwen give in to their sexual tension. ([[TV]]: ''[[Countrycide (TV story)|Countrycide]]'')]]
Owen joined the team on a mission to the [[Brecon Beacons]] to solve a series of murders. He and Gwen kissed again and, after stopping the [[Brynblaidd]] [[Brynblaidd cannibal|cannibals]], slept together. ([[TV]]: ''[[Countrycide (TV story)|Countrycide]]'') Although they attempted to keep it secret, Tosh learnt of the relationship due to the [[telepathy pendant]], for which Owen was angry. ([[TV]]: ''[[Greeks Bearing Gifts (TV story)|Greeks Bearing Gifts]]'') He comforted Gwen after she survived Suzie's leeching of her [[life force]] ([[TV]]: ''[[They Keep Killing Suzie (TV story)|They Keep Killing Suzie]]'') and helped remove [[Eugene Jones]]'s possessions after he died. ([[TV]]: ''[[Random Shoes (TV story)|Random Shoes]]'')
[[File:TORCHWOODx110x1099.jpg|thumb|left|Owen and [[Diane Holmes]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Out of Time (TV story)|Out of Time]]'')]]
After the ''[[Sky Gypsy]]'' landed from [[1953]], Owen began a casual sexual relationship with [[Diane Holmes]] and fell in [[love]] with her, being devastated after she decided to fly into [[the Rift]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Out of Time (TV story)|Out of Time]]'') He was left disillusioned with his relationship with Gwen and they called it off. He joined [[Mark Lynch]]'s [[Weevil Fight Club]] and was prepared to allow a [[Weevil]] to kill him but Jack came to his rescue, for which Owen chastised him as he felt "totally at peace". ([[TV]]: ''[[Combat (TV story)|Combat]]'')
His feelings for Diane led him to open the Rift after Jack and Tosh were transported to [[1941]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Captain Jack Harkness (TV story)|Captain Jack Harkness]]'') for which Jack fired him. He returned and with the support of the rest of the team relieved Jack of his command, shooting him and opening the Rift further, unwittingly unleashing [[Abaddon]]. After Abaddon was defeated by Jack, Owen broke down and hugged him. Jack forgave him and he was allowed to continue working at Torchwood. ([[TV]]: ''[[End of Days (TV story)|End of Days]]'')
==== Jack's absence ====
Owen and the rest of Torchwood found that Jack had disappeared. ([[TV]]: ''[[End of Days (TV story)|End of Days]]'') In his absence, Tosh briefly became leader before passing command over to Gwen. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Kaleidoscope (short story)|Kaleidoscope]]'') They were sent by {{Simm|n=Harold Saxon}} on a "wild goose chase" to the [[Himalayas]] to keep them from ruining his plans. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Sound of Drums (TV story)|The Sound of Drums]]'') Owen failed to show up to the [[opera]] for Tosh's "Not-Valentine's" [[Valentine's Day]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Dinner and a Show (audio story)|Dinner and a Show]]'')
==== After Jack's return ====
Whilst dealing with a hostage situation, Jack returned and shot the [[Blowfish]] that threatened them. Owen managed to treat Gwen's [[poison]]ing by [[Captain]] [[John Hart]], who wounded him and who Owen saved using the team's [[DNA]] to confuse a [[bomb]] that would kill John and Gwen. After John threatened to harm and kill Tosh, Owen declared that he would kill John if he touched her again. ([[TV]]: ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)|Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]'') He correctly believed that [[Beth Halloran]] had been the one to kill [[Burglar 2 (Sleeper)|one burglar]] and injure [[Burglar 1 (Sleeper)|another]]. He, Jack, Tosh, and Ianto shot her down when she threatened Gwen. ([[TV]]: ''[[Sleeper (TV story)|Sleeper]]'')
Owen woke [[Tommy Brockless]] up for his annual awakening and warned Tosh not to get too close to him as he did not want her [[heart]] to get broken when he returned to [[1918]]. He helped the others send Tommy back and injected Tosh with a sleeping agent that allowed her to connect to him across time. He consoled her over her loss. ([[TV]]: ''[[To the Last Man (TV story)|To the Last Man]]'') He tried to make a [[sedative]] for the [[Cash Cow]] but found that it was impossibly, instead [[euthanasia|euthanising]] it to put it out of its misery. He also helped Rhys recover from a gunshot wound in the shoulder ([[TV]]: ''[[Meat (TV story)|Meat]]'') and later became meek and pining for Tosh due to [[Adam Smith]]'s manipulation, being restored after taking [[retcon]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Adam (TV story)|Adam]]'')
[[File:Owens_first_death.jpg|thumb|Owen dies protecting Martha. ([[TV]]: ''[[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]'')]]
Joined by [[Martha Jones]], Owen helped look into and infiltrate [[the Pharm]], having a flirtatious relationship with her. The two identified and examined [[Reset]], which was being made and administered by Owen's old hero [[Aaron Copley]]. After beginning the shutdown of the Pharm, Owen was shot by Copley when attempting to diffuse a stand-off and died gasping in pain with Martha unable to save him. ([[TV]]: ''[[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]'') He died aged 27 years old. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'')
==== Undeath ====
Before Martha could perform Owen's [[autopsy]], Jack located the second [[resurrection gauntlet]] and used it to resurrect Owen temporarily, giving Jack enough time to get the passcode to the [[morgue]] and Tosh time to confess her love. However, it ended up bringing him back permanently and with [[Death (mythology)|Death]] manifesting through him. Although they managed to stop Owen from being taken over, Death stalked a [[hospital]] in the hopes of claiming thirteen lives before Owen stopped it. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'')
[[File:Owen Revives.jpg|thumb|left|Jack revives Owen. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'')]]
Although once again conscious and sentient, Owen Harper, post-death, found he had limited bodily functions. His wounds would not heal, he could not breathe or blow air and he could not sleep. He could swallow liquids and food, but he had no sense of taste and he did not digest food; it had to be removed or somehow expelled from his body. After an unsuccessful attempt to get drunk, Owen stood on his head to allow gravity to drain fluids from his system. His lack of blood flow made erections impossible and he was encouraged to maintain regular physical exercise to prevent rigor mortis from setting in. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'', ''[[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]]'')
Due to Owen's inability to heal, Jack was initially hesitant to allow Owen to take part in regular operations again and demoted him to "tea boy", but soon Owen was back out in the field. His lack of breathing and other bodily functions proved useful to the team when he was able to circumvent a heat-based alarm system to recover [[the Pulse]] from [[Henry Parker]]. He later stopped [[Maggie Hopley]] from killing herself. ([[TV]]: ''[[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]]'')
Owen examined Gwen when she had been impregnated by a Nostovite, however she refused to let him treat her until after her wedding, and examined the dead body of the Nostrovite. He went to Gwen and [[Rhys Williams|Rhys]]'s [[wedding]] to helped stop the Nostrovite’s mate which was attempting to claim the child. He guided Rhys through using the [[singularity scalpel]] to destroy the child before it ripped its way out of Gwen, as he couldn’t use it due to his broken finger. ([[TV]]: ''[[Something Borrowed (TV story)|Something Borrowed]]'')
Owen brought the [[Church of the Outsiders]] to Torchwood's attention after they stole data from a [[UNIT]] storage facility and a member immolated himself. As Jack had no interest in the mission and sympathised with the Church, Owen was in charge of the operation. He had Ianto infiltrate the Church and Gwen go after [[Andromeda Ross]] whilst Tosh was tasked with seducing [[Frank Layton]], with him advising her through an [[earpiece]]. Tosh forced Owen to listen to her have sex with him as revenge for putting her in that position. After Tosh was caught by Frank, Owen rushed in and shot him dead, to Tosh’s fury. She abandoned him at the crime scene but eventually came back for him. On the drive to Cardiff, Owen was frustrated when she found nothing suspicious on Frank’s laptop, and they were both shocked when Jack appeared to takeover the Church in a broadcast. Returning to the Hub, Owen and Tosh helped save Gwen from [[Grey (Believe)|Greys]] and Owen discovered they’d let loose a Weevil in a failed attempt to befriend it. Afterwards he apologised to Tosh for what had happened and she told him that he was a bad leader. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Believe (audio story)|Believe]]'')
Owen and Gwen accompanied Ianto to the opening of the Electro where they noticed Jack among the old footage. During the [[Night Travellers]]’ subsequent rampage, the [[Ghostmaker]] left him alone due to his lack of [[breath]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[From Out of the Rain (TV story)|From Out of the Rain]]'') He did not help Gwen with her mission to bring peace to the parents of those taken by the Rift, agreeing with Jack that there was nothing Torchwood could do. ([[TV]]: ''[[Adrift (TV story)|Adrift]]'')
==== Friendship with Andy Davidson ====
On [[Corpse Day]], Owen was sent by Torchwood to help [[Andy Davidson]] investigate the disappearance of a number of girls. They found that they had been kidnapped by [[Glynn Lewis]] as mates for his [[Weevil]] son, [[Sonny (Corpse Day)|Sonny]]. Owen was forced by Glynn to help [[Jan (Corpse Day)|Jan]] deliver Sonny's child, after which the girls convinced Sonny to kill Glynn. Owen and Andy left the girls with Sonny, unsure of what could be done to help them. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Corpse Day (audio story)|Corpse Day]]'')
Attempting to find the truth about [[Megwyn Jones]]'s killings, Owen and Andy infiltrated her prison as employees and went with her to [[the Hope]] when she agreed to show where the bodies were, as she was dying. Owen became separated from the group in the mist, whilst his device picked up Rift energies, and found Megwyn with [[Sally (The Hope)|Sally]]. Sally dug up the body of her brother Terry and Owen was shocked when Terry revived, realising energies from the Rift created a flux between life and death in the Hope. He laid in a grave and the Hope briefly gave Owen a fix of life. He used his time in the dirt to convince it to kill Megwyn when she attempted to use it for herself. Afterwards he was left alive, though knew it would be temporary, and enjoyed some crisps that Andy gave him. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Hope (audio story)|The Hope]]'')
He visited Andy when he was a stake out to give him food. Andy then took him to his uncle's old shop and talk him about the fraud he was accused because of the till the post office gave him. Andy realised that Owen was there as Torchwood was interested in the owner of the business as well as Andy. He was left in Andy's police car when [[Dennis (The Three Monkeys)|Dennis]] saw him and questioned him. He analysed the toy monkey they found. He realised that the monkey was an alien who controlled luck. He realised that the monkey was keeping the businessman's empire afloat. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Three Monkeys (audio story)|The Three Monkeys]]'')
When Andy got a girlfriend named [[Caite (Gooseberry)|Caite]], Owen discovered her to be an alien capable of transferring life from others. After she demonstrated her powers by using them on him, Owen became addicted to having life again and accidentally killed an old woman at a bus stop after pushing Caite's powers too far. After various attempts to cover his tracks to keep Andy from discovering the truth, Owen brought Caite to the Hub when she convinced him she could travel back in time and fix everything, only to discover that she was actually bringing her own people, the [[Threshold (species)|Threshold]] to invade through the Rift. Andy arrived, having followed them, and was reluctantly convinced by Owen that Caite had tricked them both, sending her away with her travel device. Owen tried to excuse himself that everything that happened was down to Caite using them both but Andy, livid both at being deceived for so long and for having to banish Caite like he did, accused him of being a "selfish coward" and left, effectively ending their relationship. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Gooseberry (audio story)|Gooseberry]]'')
=== Final death ===
[[File:Owen at peace.jpg|thumb|Owen, at peace as he dies. ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'')]]
The team was lured to an abandoned warehouse by Captain John who detonated explosives. Owen narrowly avoided being sliced in half by a piece of broken glass with the help of Gwen. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'') As the team split up to deal with the crises created by John, Owen investigated a Rift spike at [[St Helen's Hospital|St Helen’s Hospital]], dealing with a [[Hoix (Exit Wounds)|Hoix]] in its the basement. When John detonated a series of bombs across the city, Owen helped the hospital staff with manual respirators as the hospital’s power supply had been interrupted.
As the only one who could safely navigate through the Weevils now swarming the streets, Owen went to [[Turnmill Nuclear Power Station]] to prevent it going into [[meltdown]] and destroying Cardiff. He kept in contact with Tosh at the Hub and managed to redirect the radioactive waste, but was trapped inside. Unaware that Tosh had been shot, he initially did not plan to go quietly, he had a heartfelt conversation with Tosh and resigned himself to death. The waste entered the room and the comm signal from Owen was snuffed out shortly after muttering his final words, "Oh, God". Tosh died shortly afterwards. ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'')
=== Legacy ===
Owen left a resounding impression on the Torchwood staff. His photograph was still pinned up on Gwen's desktop ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day One (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day One]]'') and Gwen also expressed her desire to "go out fighting, like Owen, like Tosh" when faced with a [[Dalek]] invasion of the Hub; ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'') the loss of Owen and Tosh continued to emotionally affect the survivors of Torchwood Three for months. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Lost Souls (audio story)|Lost Souls]]'') Whilst pregnant, Jack reflected on how much he missed Owen. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Expectant (audio story)|Expectant]]'')
After witnessing the deaths of a couple in a café who she had been unable to save, Gwen remembered the deaths of Tosh and Owen and how utterly powerless she had felt. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Bay of the Dead (novel)|Bay of the Dead]]'')
After [[the 456]] incident, Jack revealed that he felt responsible for Owen's death, along with those of all the other Torchwood operatives who had died under his command. ([[TV]]: ''[[Children of Earth: Day Five (TV story)|Children of Earth: Day Five]]'')
The ghost of [[Ianto Jones' father]] mentioned Owen among the loved ones his son could have seen again if he let [[Syriath]] free from the Cardiff Rift. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The House of the Dead (audio story)|The House of the Dead]]'')
When he was inspecting an operation during Miracle Day, Jack Harkness used the name Owen Harper. ([[TV]]: ''[[The New World (TV story)|The New World]]'')
When leaving Torchwood, Gwen mentioned how she loved Owen, as well as Tosh and [[Esther Drummond]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Herald of the Dawn (audio story)|Herald of the Dawn]]'')
=== Other realities ===
==== Alternate timelines ====
In an [[Alternate timeline (The Death of Captain Jack)|alternate timeline]] in which [[John Hart]] took control of the [[British Empire]] and the [[Torchwood Institute]], Owen operated an incinerator at Torchwood. Having [[murder]]ed [[Rhys Williams]], the [[King]] ordered [[Ianto Jones]] to have Owen dispose of Rhys' body. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Death of Captain Jack (audio story)|The Death of Captain Jack]]'')
==== Unclear ====
Despite Martha having died in the Royal Hope hospital, Owen had still died by the time of the [[2009 Sontaran invasion of Earth|Atmos Incident]] in [[parallel world (Turn Left)|a parallel world]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Turn Left (TV story)|Turn Left]]'')
== Personality ==
A habitual womaniser, Owen rarely turned down an opportunity for seduction. He had a dark side, willing to manipulate people. Owen was a narcissistic genius who was perfectly aware of his own considerable intellect. He possessed a quick, sardonic wit and often lightened dark situations with his humour. However Owen's cavalier exterior hid a soul in constant torment.
His constant rage, while usually under control, would occasionally explode, once going so far as to shoot [[Jack Harkness]] dead (unaware of the fact that he was immortal at the time) because he felt that Jack didn't care about what he and the others had lost. ([[TV]]: ''[[Combat (TV story)|Combat]]'', ''[[End of Days (TV story)|End of Days]]'') While he pretended to be largely self-interested, Owen had empathy as shown by his obsession with avenging [[Lizzie Lewis]]' death. ([[TV]]: ''[[Ghost Machine (TV story)|Ghost Machine]]'')
Three of Owen's favourite things were eating, sleeping and having sex and he was greatly disappointed by the fact that he couldn't do any of them when he was brought back to life after being shot dead. ([[TV]]: ''[[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]'', ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'')
He was deeply loyal to the Torchwood team and had a protective relationship with [[Gwen Cooper]]. Owen liked to project an aura of callous indifference; he himself was often unaware of his own feelings, most likely including his love for [[Toshiko Sato]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Adam (TV story)|Adam]]'')
== Skills and abilities ==
A skilled doctor, he could heal several injuries; even his own; such as bullet wounds, ([[TV]]: ''[[Countrycide (TV story)|Countrycide]]'', ''[[Captain Jack Harkness (TV story)|Captain Jack Harkness]]'') cuts, ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'') and poisons. ([[TV]]: ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)|Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]'') He could also reanimate a frozen body, ([[TV]]: ''[[Sleeper (TV story)|Sleeper]]'') diagnose the Black Death in patients at a hospital, ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'') quickly check for a pulse, ([[TV]]: ''[[They Keep Killing Suzie (TV story)|They Keep Killing Suzie]]'') understand various chemicals which could stop a rift creature from consistently growing in size and how to give lethal injections. ([[TV]]: ''[[Meat (TV story)|Meat]]'') However, he wasn't perfect proven when he misdiagnosed a dead cadaver for having died naturally and not shot by a woman, ([[TV]]: ''[[Greeks Bearing Gifts (TV story)|Greeks Bearing Gifts]]'') and couldn't give accurate instructions to Toshiko on how to heal his bullet wound, forcing him to do it himself. ([[TV]]: ''[[Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (TV story)|Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang]]'') Further more, he was initially inferior in skill to [[Martha Jones]], not checking a dead man's medical records or their bloodstream for any anomalies, but he later managed to test a victims blood effectively ([[TV]]: ''[[Reset (TV story)|Reset]]'')
After being resurrected, he no longer needed to breathe, enabling him to stay conscious underwater for at least 36 minutes; ([[TV]]: ''[[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]]'') he essentially had no breath to steal. ([[TV]]: ''[[From Out of the Rain (TV story)|From Out of the Rain]]'') Being dead also meant he wasn't "fresh" so he wasn't eaten by a carnivorous alien. ([[TV]]: ''[[Something Borrowed (TV story)|Something Borrowed]]'') Due to his tissues cells being dead, he was impervious to pain demonstrated when he didn't realise he cut his hand with a scalpel ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'') and could break his fingers willingly. ([[TV]]: ''[[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]]'')
However, this did mean he was unable to heal naturally, forcing him to constantly redress any wounds he sustained, as well as no longer being able to enjoy natural pleasure such as taste and sex. He was also vulnerable to rigor mortis, forcing him to exercise regularly to stave it off. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'') He had no body heat, which meant he couldn't be picked up by heat signals, along with being unable to die by electrocution. [[Hair]] growth evidently ceased as well; Owen realised that he would never "have a [[beard]]." ([[TV]]: ''[[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]]'')
Strangely, Weevils began to stalk, cower before or worship him, ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'', [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Corpse Day (audio story)|Corpse Day]])'' enabling him to cross Cardiff without being attacked during the uprising ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'') despite previously having almost been killed by one in his first life. ([[TV]]: ''[[Combat (TV story)|Combat]]'') He later called himself "King of the Weevils". ([[TV]]: ''[[Exit Wounds (TV story)|Exit Wounds]]'')
He was also able to beat [[Duroc]] as he had already died, something no one else but a girl called [[Faith (Dead Man Walking)|Faith]] had achieved. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'')
Despite being a doctor first, he was skilled with guns, ([[TV]]: ''[[Day One (TV story)|Day One]]'' et al.) could disarm an opponent by taking and using their own weapon ([[TV]]: ''[[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]]'') and was occasionally quite violent. ([[TV]]: ''[[Fragments (TV story)|Fragments]]'') He was a skilled hand to hand combatant, being capable of pinning a man single handedly and later held his own against three more men. ([[TV]]: ''[[Combat (TV story)|Combat]]'') He also overpowered Ianto Jones in a fight despite the man tackling him to the ground. ([[TV]]: ''[[Captain Jack Harkness (TV story)|Captain Jack Harkness]]'') After being resurrected, he tended to avoid direct combat due to becoming rather brittle, becoming more stealthy and taking opponents by surprise. ([[TV]]: ''[[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]]'') However, Owen was once overpowered by a Welsh [[police officer]], who pinned him against a wall with little trouble despite Owen resisting. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'')
== Other information ==
* Owen Harper kept a [[UNIT]] ID card in his wallet. ([[TV]]: ''[[Ghost Machine (TV story)|Ghost Machine]]'')
* He was [[Torchwood Officer]] 565. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'', ''[[A Day in the Death (TV story)|A Day in the Death]]'')
* Three of his favourite things were eating, sleeping and "shagging". ([[TV]]: ''[[Dead Man Walking (TV story)|Dead Man Walking]]'')
* Of the Torchwood Three team in place following the death of [[Suzie Costello]], Owen was the only one never to, in some way, meet [[the Doctor]].
{{Torchwood 3 Staff}}
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[[Category:human pathologists|Harper, Owen]]
 
[[Category:human scientists|Harper, Owen]]
== Footnotes ==
[[Category:21st century individuals|Harper, Owen]]
{{Notelist}}
[[Category:Torchwood Three personnel|Harper, Owen]]
 
[[Category:human physicians|Harper, Owen]]
[[Category:Human pathologists]]
[[Category:Human scientists]]
[[Category:21st century individuals]]
[[Category:Torchwood Three human personnel]]
[[Category:20th century individuals]]
[[Category:Human murderers]]
[[Category:Human hosts]]
[[Category:Humans revived by the resurrection gauntlet]]
[[Category:Individuals whose minds have been wiped by retcon]]
[[Category:Second Reality players]]
[[Category:Parallel world (Turn Left) individuals]]
 
[[ru:Оуэн Харпер]]
[[Category:Cardiff residents]]
[[Category:Plaistow residents]]
[[Category:London residents]]

Latest revision as of 12:08, 6 September 2024

Owen Harper
Gallery
Appearances

Owen Harper MD was a member of Torchwood Three in the 2000s.

Following his fiancée Katie's death due to an alien parasite, Owen accepted Jack Harkness's offer to join Torchwood as its medical officer. He had sexual relationships with his colleagues, Suzie Costello and Gwen Cooper, but was unaware of Toshiko Sato's feelings for him for some years. After being killed by Aaron Copley, Owen was restored in a state of living death in which he could not die but also could not heal.

Owen died for good after saving Cardiff from nuclear meltdown, his body being irreparably destroyed.

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

Early life[[edit] | [edit source]]

Owen was born on 14 February 1980, (TV: Exit Wounds; PROSE: Pack Animals) or at some point in 1981 in Plaistow, part of London's East End. (PROSE: Slow Decay; TV: Dead Man Walking) He could hear the Hammers playing at home from the back bedroom of his house, where he would listen and make up his own commentary. As a child he enjoyed watching Scooby-Doo. He would later call himself a "true" fan of the series. (PROSE: Slow Decay)

He had a difficult relationship with his mother, so much so that, on his tenth birthday, his mother told him that she did not have to like him, only love him. (TV: Adam) He lost his virginity in a school stationery cupboard when he was fifteen. (PROSE: Slow Decay) When he was sixteen, his mother packed a bag of his belongings. Despite being unclear if he was leaving voluntarily, Owen claimed that it was "the nicest thing [she'd] done for [him] in years". (TV: Adam)

Watching his friends growing up and becoming car mechanics and estate agents, Owen decided he wanted to do something which meant something. When his father died of an aortic aneurysm, he decided he wanted to be a surgeon - not because he wanted to save others, but so that he could stop the same thing happening to himself. (PROSE: Slow Decay) He came to believe that saving just one life would make his own worthwhile, but he found that one was never enough - there was always another demanding to be saved; he could never succeed. (TV: Fragments)

Owen attended college in London, where he had a short relationship with Megan Tegg. Megan wanted to get married, but Owen was not interested in a long-term relationship and so walked out on her. (PROSE: Another Life) He trained for seven years to become a doctor, (PROSE: Slow Decay) writing his thesis on immunology with the help of Aaron Copley's published works. (TV: Reset) He was close friends with Amira Hussein, whom he credited with getting him through cardiology. (AUDIO: Iceberg)

He then spent a year as a junior houseman at Cardiff Royal Infirmary, (PROSE: Slow Decay) where he became engaged to junior doctor Katie Russell. (TV: Fragments) He once woke up on a couch in another woman's home before going to work with a hangover and tending to Michael Bellini. (PROSE: Trace Memory)

Owen and Katie got engaged. Unbeknownst to the two of them, she had an alien parasite in her brain which had the effect of causing what they believed to be a degenerative neurological condition. (TV: Fragments)

Recruitment[[edit] | [edit source]]

Owen after Katie's death (TV: Fragments)

Despite his superior insisting that what she had possessed no cause, Owen insisted on Katie being given more tests, resulting in the parasite, believed to be a tumour, being found. Relieved, Owen took her for surgery not long after she forgot his name. During the surgery, Jack Harkness arrived and informed him of the parasite, which had killed her and the surgical team. Jack claimed he needed to take her body and sterilise her, something Owen refused to allow, resulting in the doctor being sedated.

Owen awoke in a ward where he told others the unbelievable story about aliens. No one believed him and he was advised to take some leave. Owen tried to use security footage but Jack had altered it, leading to him feeling hopeless and disillusioned. After Katie's funeral, Owen was at her grave when he saw Jack in the distance. Enraged, he ran at and assaulted Jack, eventually crying in his arms. Jack offered Owen a job with Torchwood Three so that he could save people and find purpose without Katie. Owen reluctantly accepted. (TV: Fragments)

Early career[[edit] | [edit source]]

On his second week on the job, Owen was hungover and unable to investigate a "space pig" incident. Toshiko Sato covered for him that day, an example of the many times that Tosh stepped in to save him. (TV: Aliens of London; Exit Wounds) He had a sexual relationship with Suzie Costello (TV: They Keep Killing Suzie) and had a key to her house which he used spontaneously, including once when she was with Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen. (AUDIO: Sync)

On the day of the Cardiff Earthquake, Owen, along with Suzie and Tosh, was instructed to remain in the Hub by Jack, who assured them that it would be "OK". Unbeknownst to them, Jack was present for these events in Cardiff 150 years in his personal past, and the present Jack was keeping them from interfering with the events which he had already lived through. (PROSE: The Twilight Streets)

Owen, Jack, Tosh and Suzie were later joined by Ianto Jones (TV: Fragments) and Sebastian Vaughan. (AUDIO: The Vigil) One adventure, known as Operation Goldenrod, involved Owen trying to separate people who had been melded together. (PROSE: Slow Decay)

He was called by one of his former colleagues Amira Hussein to help with a patient. He thought something was odd when Amira was acting strangely. He became intrigued one of the patients Lucy Sheppard kept coming in and out of consciousness and continuing their conversations like nothing happened. He realised that Amira wasn't the one he worked with as the bike she described was the one she had when Owen worked with her, not a new one. Amira told him about her species and how they needed Delta waves to fully manifest. He used a mind-reading device to stop the connection between the spore and their host. (AUDIO: Iceberg)

Joined by Gwen[[edit] | [edit source]]

Owen was indirectly responsible for Gwen Cooper gaining access to the Hub by his ordering from Jubilee Pizza under the name of "Torchwood". (TV: Everything Changes) He captured Carys Fletcher inside a portable prison cell after she was taken over by the Sex Gas and later cornered her at the Conway Clinic where it was destroyed. (TV: Day One)

Using a quantum transducer obtained from Bernie Harris, Owen saw Ed Morgan rape and murder Lizzie Lewis in 1963. Not only could Owen see the rape and murder, he also felt all of the emotions that the victim felt. He tracked down and threatened Ed in the present and held him at knifepoint. Although Gwen stopped him, Ed threw himself onto the knife and died. (TV: Ghost Machine) Owen developed an addiction to the game Second Reality, which he played using the avatar Glendower Broadsword. Through the game, he met up with his former lover, Megan Tegg. (PROSE: Another Life)

Whilst hiding from the partially cyber-converted Lisa Hallett, he and Gwen kissed, beginning their affair. (TV: Cyberwoman) He offered his information on Roundstone Wood when Torchwood became aware of the Fairies (TV: Small Worlds) and helped defeat Thomas Vaughan and the Arcanis Servitorus, who almost killed him, Gwen and Ianto. (AUDIO: Hidden) He went with Ianto to Hengoed to find the origins of a beacon, where he decided to forget Torchwood's rules and allow Pat to remain in the village. (AUDIO: The Last Beacon)

Owen and Gwen give in to their sexual tension. (TV: Countrycide)

Owen joined the team on a mission to the Brecon Beacons to solve a series of murders. He and Gwen kissed again and, after stopping the Brynblaidd cannibals, slept together. (TV: Countrycide) Although they attempted to keep it secret, Tosh learnt of the relationship due to the telepathy pendant, for which Owen was angry. (TV: Greeks Bearing Gifts) He comforted Gwen after she survived Suzie's leeching of her life force (TV: They Keep Killing Suzie) and helped remove Eugene Jones's possessions after he died. (TV: Random Shoes)

Owen and Diane Holmes. (TV: Out of Time)

After the Sky Gypsy landed from 1953, Owen began a casual sexual relationship with Diane Holmes and fell in love with her, being devastated after she decided to fly into the Rift. (TV: Out of Time) He was left disillusioned with his relationship with Gwen and they called it off. He joined Mark Lynch's Weevil Fight Club and was prepared to allow a Weevil to kill him but Jack came to his rescue, for which Owen chastised him as he felt "totally at peace". (TV: Combat)

His feelings for Diane led him to open the Rift after Jack and Tosh were transported to 1941, (TV: Captain Jack Harkness) for which Jack fired him. He returned and with the support of the rest of the team relieved Jack of his command, shooting him and opening the Rift further, unwittingly unleashing Abaddon. After Abaddon was defeated by Jack, Owen broke down and hugged him. Jack forgave him and he was allowed to continue working at Torchwood. (TV: End of Days)

Jack's absence[[edit] | [edit source]]

Owen and the rest of Torchwood found that Jack had disappeared. (TV: End of Days) In his absence, Tosh briefly became leader before passing command over to Gwen. (PROSE: Kaleidoscope) They were sent by Harold Saxon on a "wild goose chase" to the Himalayas to keep them from ruining his plans. (TV: The Sound of Drums) Owen failed to show up to the opera for Tosh's "Not-Valentine's" Valentine's Day. (AUDIO: Dinner and a Show)

After Jack's return[[edit] | [edit source]]

Whilst dealing with a hostage situation, Jack returned and shot the Blowfish that threatened them. Owen managed to treat Gwen's poisoning by Captain John Hart, who wounded him and who Owen saved using the team's DNA to confuse a bomb that would kill John and Gwen. After John threatened to harm and kill Tosh, Owen declared that he would kill John if he touched her again. (TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) He correctly believed that Beth Halloran had been the one to kill one burglar and injure another. He, Jack, Tosh, and Ianto shot her down when she threatened Gwen. (TV: Sleeper)

Owen woke Tommy Brockless up for his annual awakening and warned Tosh not to get too close to him as he did not want her heart to get broken when he returned to 1918. He helped the others send Tommy back and injected Tosh with a sleeping agent that allowed her to connect to him across time. He consoled her over her loss. (TV: To the Last Man) He tried to make a sedative for the Cash Cow but found that it was impossibly, instead euthanising it to put it out of its misery. He also helped Rhys recover from a gunshot wound in the shoulder (TV: Meat) and later became meek and pining for Tosh due to Adam Smith's manipulation, being restored after taking retcon. (TV: Adam)

Owen dies protecting Martha. (TV: Reset)

Joined by Martha Jones, Owen helped look into and infiltrate the Pharm, having a flirtatious relationship with her. The two identified and examined Reset, which was being made and administered by Owen's old hero Aaron Copley. After beginning the shutdown of the Pharm, Owen was shot by Copley when attempting to diffuse a stand-off and died gasping in pain with Martha unable to save him. (TV: Reset) He died aged 27 years old. (TV: Dead Man Walking)

Undeath[[edit] | [edit source]]

Before Martha could perform Owen's autopsy, Jack located the second resurrection gauntlet and used it to resurrect Owen temporarily, giving Jack enough time to get the passcode to the morgue and Tosh time to confess her love. However, it ended up bringing him back permanently and with Death manifesting through him. Although they managed to stop Owen from being taken over, Death stalked a hospital in the hopes of claiming thirteen lives before Owen stopped it. (TV: Dead Man Walking)

Jack revives Owen. (TV: Dead Man Walking)

Although once again conscious and sentient, Owen Harper, post-death, found he had limited bodily functions. His wounds would not heal, he could not breathe or blow air and he could not sleep. He could swallow liquids and food, but he had no sense of taste and he did not digest food; it had to be removed or somehow expelled from his body. After an unsuccessful attempt to get drunk, Owen stood on his head to allow gravity to drain fluids from his system. His lack of blood flow made erections impossible and he was encouraged to maintain regular physical exercise to prevent rigor mortis from setting in. (TV: Dead Man Walking, A Day in the Death)

Due to Owen's inability to heal, Jack was initially hesitant to allow Owen to take part in regular operations again and demoted him to "tea boy", but soon Owen was back out in the field. His lack of breathing and other bodily functions proved useful to the team when he was able to circumvent a heat-based alarm system to recover the Pulse from Henry Parker. He later stopped Maggie Hopley from killing herself. (TV: A Day in the Death)

Owen examined Gwen when she had been impregnated by a Nostovite, however she refused to let him treat her until after her wedding, and examined the dead body of the Nostrovite. He went to Gwen and Rhys's wedding to helped stop the Nostrovite’s mate which was attempting to claim the child. He guided Rhys through using the singularity scalpel to destroy the child before it ripped its way out of Gwen, as he couldn’t use it due to his broken finger. (TV: Something Borrowed)

Owen brought the Church of the Outsiders to Torchwood's attention after they stole data from a UNIT storage facility and a member immolated himself. As Jack had no interest in the mission and sympathised with the Church, Owen was in charge of the operation. He had Ianto infiltrate the Church and Gwen go after Andromeda Ross whilst Tosh was tasked with seducing Frank Layton, with him advising her through an earpiece. Tosh forced Owen to listen to her have sex with him as revenge for putting her in that position. After Tosh was caught by Frank, Owen rushed in and shot him dead, to Tosh’s fury. She abandoned him at the crime scene but eventually came back for him. On the drive to Cardiff, Owen was frustrated when she found nothing suspicious on Frank’s laptop, and they were both shocked when Jack appeared to takeover the Church in a broadcast. Returning to the Hub, Owen and Tosh helped save Gwen from Greys and Owen discovered they’d let loose a Weevil in a failed attempt to befriend it. Afterwards he apologised to Tosh for what had happened and she told him that he was a bad leader. (AUDIO: Believe)

Owen and Gwen accompanied Ianto to the opening of the Electro where they noticed Jack among the old footage. During the Night Travellers’ subsequent rampage, the Ghostmaker left him alone due to his lack of breath. (TV: From Out of the Rain) He did not help Gwen with her mission to bring peace to the parents of those taken by the Rift, agreeing with Jack that there was nothing Torchwood could do. (TV: Adrift)

Friendship with Andy Davidson[[edit] | [edit source]]

On Corpse Day, Owen was sent by Torchwood to help Andy Davidson investigate the disappearance of a number of girls. They found that they had been kidnapped by Glynn Lewis as mates for his Weevil son, Sonny. Owen was forced by Glynn to help Jan deliver Sonny's child, after which the girls convinced Sonny to kill Glynn. Owen and Andy left the girls with Sonny, unsure of what could be done to help them. (AUDIO: Corpse Day)

Attempting to find the truth about Megwyn Jones's killings, Owen and Andy infiltrated her prison as employees and went with her to the Hope when she agreed to show where the bodies were, as she was dying. Owen became separated from the group in the mist, whilst his device picked up Rift energies, and found Megwyn with Sally. Sally dug up the body of her brother Terry and Owen was shocked when Terry revived, realising energies from the Rift created a flux between life and death in the Hope. He laid in a grave and the Hope briefly gave Owen a fix of life. He used his time in the dirt to convince it to kill Megwyn when she attempted to use it for herself. Afterwards he was left alive, though knew it would be temporary, and enjoyed some crisps that Andy gave him. (AUDIO: The Hope)

He visited Andy when he was a stake out to give him food. Andy then took him to his uncle's old shop and talk him about the fraud he was accused because of the till the post office gave him. Andy realised that Owen was there as Torchwood was interested in the owner of the business as well as Andy. He was left in Andy's police car when Dennis saw him and questioned him. He analysed the toy monkey they found. He realised that the monkey was an alien who controlled luck. He realised that the monkey was keeping the businessman's empire afloat. (AUDIO: The Three Monkeys)

When Andy got a girlfriend named Caite, Owen discovered her to be an alien capable of transferring life from others. After she demonstrated her powers by using them on him, Owen became addicted to having life again and accidentally killed an old woman at a bus stop after pushing Caite's powers too far. After various attempts to cover his tracks to keep Andy from discovering the truth, Owen brought Caite to the Hub when she convinced him she could travel back in time and fix everything, only to discover that she was actually bringing her own people, the Threshold to invade through the Rift. Andy arrived, having followed them, and was reluctantly convinced by Owen that Caite had tricked them both, sending her away with her travel device. Owen tried to excuse himself that everything that happened was down to Caite using them both but Andy, livid both at being deceived for so long and for having to banish Caite like he did, accused him of being a "selfish coward" and left, effectively ending their relationship. (AUDIO: Gooseberry)

Final death[[edit] | [edit source]]

Owen, at peace as he dies. (TV: Exit Wounds)

The team was lured to an abandoned warehouse by Captain John who detonated explosives. Owen narrowly avoided being sliced in half by a piece of broken glass with the help of Gwen. (TV: Fragments) As the team split up to deal with the crises created by John, Owen investigated a Rift spike at St Helen’s Hospital, dealing with a Hoix in its the basement. When John detonated a series of bombs across the city, Owen helped the hospital staff with manual respirators as the hospital’s power supply had been interrupted.

As the only one who could safely navigate through the Weevils now swarming the streets, Owen went to Turnmill Nuclear Power Station to prevent it going into meltdown and destroying Cardiff. He kept in contact with Tosh at the Hub and managed to redirect the radioactive waste, but was trapped inside. Unaware that Tosh had been shot, he initially did not plan to go quietly, he had a heartfelt conversation with Tosh and resigned himself to death. The waste entered the room and the comm signal from Owen was snuffed out shortly after muttering his final words, "Oh, God". Tosh died shortly afterwards. (TV: Exit Wounds)

Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]

Owen left a resounding impression on the Torchwood staff. His photograph was still pinned up on Gwen's desktop (TV: Children of Earth: Day One) and Gwen also expressed her desire to "go out fighting, like Owen, like Tosh" when faced with a Dalek invasion of the Hub; (TV: The Stolen Earth) the loss of Owen and Tosh continued to emotionally affect the survivors of Torchwood Three for months. (AUDIO: Lost Souls) Whilst pregnant, Jack reflected on how much he missed Owen. (AUDIO: Expectant)

After witnessing the deaths of a couple in a café who she had been unable to save, Gwen remembered the deaths of Tosh and Owen and how utterly powerless she had felt. (PROSE: Bay of the Dead)

After the 456 incident, Jack revealed that he felt responsible for Owen's death, along with those of all the other Torchwood operatives who had died under his command. (TV: Children of Earth: Day Five)

The ghost of Ianto Jones' father mentioned Owen among the loved ones his son could have seen again if he let Syriath free from the Cardiff Rift. (AUDIO: The House of the Dead)

When he was inspecting an operation during Miracle Day, Jack Harkness used the name Owen Harper. (TV: The New World)

When leaving Torchwood, Gwen mentioned how she loved Owen, as well as Tosh and Esther Drummond. (AUDIO: Herald of the Dawn)

Other realities[[edit] | [edit source]]

Alternate timelines[[edit] | [edit source]]

In an alternate timeline in which John Hart took control of the British Empire and the Torchwood Institute, Owen operated an incinerator at Torchwood. Having murdered Rhys Williams, the King ordered Ianto Jones to have Owen dispose of Rhys' body. (AUDIO: The Death of Captain Jack)

Unclear[[edit] | [edit source]]

Despite Martha having died in the Royal Hope hospital, Owen had still died by the time of the Atmos Incident in a parallel world. (TV: Turn Left)

Personality[[edit] | [edit source]]

A habitual womaniser, Owen rarely turned down an opportunity for seduction. He had a dark side, willing to manipulate people. Owen was a narcissistic genius who was perfectly aware of his own considerable intellect. He possessed a quick, sardonic wit and often lightened dark situations with his humour. However Owen's cavalier exterior hid a soul in constant torment.

His constant rage, while usually under control, would occasionally explode, once going so far as to shoot Jack Harkness dead (unaware of the fact that he was immortal at the time) because he felt that Jack didn't care about what he and the others had lost. (TV: Combat, End of Days) While he pretended to be largely self-interested, Owen had empathy as shown by his obsession with avenging Lizzie Lewis' death. (TV: Ghost Machine)

Three of Owen's favourite things were eating, sleeping and having sex and he was greatly disappointed by the fact that he couldn't do any of them when he was brought back to life after being shot dead. (TV: Reset, Dead Man Walking)

He was deeply loyal to the Torchwood team and had a protective relationship with Gwen Cooper. Owen liked to project an aura of callous indifference; he himself was often unaware of his own feelings, most likely including his love for Toshiko Sato. (TV: Adam)

Skills and abilities[[edit] | [edit source]]

A skilled doctor, he could heal several injuries; even his own; such as bullet wounds, (TV: Countrycide, Captain Jack Harkness) cuts, (TV: Dead Man Walking) and poisons. (TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) He could also reanimate a frozen body, (TV: Sleeper) diagnose the Black Death in patients at a hospital, (TV: Exit Wounds) quickly check for a pulse, (TV: They Keep Killing Suzie) understand various chemicals which could stop a rift creature from consistently growing in size and how to give lethal injections. (TV: Meat) However, he wasn't perfect proven when he misdiagnosed a dead cadaver for having died naturally and not shot by a woman, (TV: Greeks Bearing Gifts) and couldn't give accurate instructions to Toshiko on how to heal his bullet wound, forcing him to do it himself. (TV: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) Further more, he was initially inferior in skill to Martha Jones, not checking a dead man's medical records or their bloodstream for any anomalies, but he later managed to test a victims blood effectively (TV: Reset)

After being resurrected, he no longer needed to breathe, enabling him to stay conscious underwater for at least 36 minutes; (TV: A Day in the Death) he essentially had no breath to steal. (TV: From Out of the Rain) Being dead also meant he wasn't "fresh" so he wasn't eaten by a carnivorous alien. (TV: Something Borrowed) Due to his tissues cells being dead, he was impervious to pain demonstrated when he didn't realise he cut his hand with a scalpel (TV: Dead Man Walking) and could break his fingers willingly. (TV: A Day in the Death)

However, this did mean he was unable to heal naturally, forcing him to constantly redress any wounds he sustained, as well as no longer being able to enjoy natural pleasure such as taste and sex. He was also vulnerable to rigor mortis, forcing him to exercise regularly to stave it off. (TV: Dead Man Walking) He had no body heat, which meant he couldn't be picked up by heat signals, along with being unable to die by electrocution. Hair growth evidently ceased as well; Owen realised that he would never "have a beard." (TV: A Day in the Death)

Strangely, Weevils began to stalk, cower before or worship him, (TV: Dead Man Walking, AUDIO: Corpse Day) enabling him to cross Cardiff without being attacked during the uprising (TV: Exit Wounds) despite previously having almost been killed by one in his first life. (TV: Combat) He later called himself "King of the Weevils". (TV: Exit Wounds)

He was also able to beat Duroc as he had already died, something no one else but a girl called Faith had achieved. (TV: Dead Man Walking)

Despite being a doctor first, he was skilled with guns, (TV: Day One et al.) could disarm an opponent by taking and using their own weapon (TV: A Day in the Death) and was occasionally quite violent. (TV: Fragments) He was a skilled hand to hand combatant, being capable of pinning a man single handedly and later held his own against three more men. (TV: Combat) He also overpowered Ianto Jones in a fight despite the man tackling him to the ground. (TV: Captain Jack Harkness) After being resurrected, he tended to avoid direct combat due to becoming rather brittle, becoming more stealthy and taking opponents by surprise. (TV: A Day in the Death) However, Owen was once overpowered by a Welsh police officer, who pinned him against a wall with little trouble despite Owen resisting. (TV: Dead Man Walking)

Other information[[edit] | [edit source]]

v • e
Torchwood Three personnel
Turn of the 20th century
Mid-late 20th century
21st century
Notable associates
Pets


Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ Owen would be revived with the resurrection gauntlet which brought him back permanently, but his body would remain in a dead state and lacked the bodily functions of a living person. His body would later be destroyed at Turnmill Nuclear Power Station, killing him.
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