My Three Favorite Characters – Part 2

Previously, I posted about Captain Malcolm Reynolds. Now, I’d like to stick with the captain theme and write about Captain Jack Harkness from Torchwood.

Once again, yeah, I think John Barrowman is hot, but this time, that characteristic is really important to the character of Captain Jack. They guy is a charmer. His sexuality is very important and not just tossed in for flavor. Every time he sees someone new, he sizes him or her up and since we don’t know if Jack really is human, we don’t know what he’s looking for when he sizes someone up sexually.

Captain Jack is dickheaded at times, yes, just like Mal, but once again warranted. He leads a secret group of alien hunters. He’s got to be a tough guy and all that. Many of his qualities are similar to Malcolm Reynolds, but Jack is slippery in a different sort of way…which adds a different kind of mystery to him.

Malcolm is purely human and when he dodges a personal question, it seems that he’s just not willing to talk about it. Jack, however, there’s a sort of feeling beyond his unwillingness to talk about it. Like, if he were to talk about it, he’s afraid you wouldn’t believe him or worse you’d make his life hell one way or another for having told you.

Plus, he’s somehow immortal and even he doesn’t know how or why. That in itself is intriguing. He doesn’t need to sleep. He, of course, dodges the question of loneliness. The way he’s written leaves the viewer wanting more, more, more. I feel like I only kind of know him. He hasn’t really done anything out of character for me because he’s written to stretch that boundary, to only give you a taste, enough to think you know who he is, but then when it comes down to it, you don’t really know who he is or why he’s there. But you do know that there is definitely a reason. You can only hope you find it out some time.

Even he doesn’t know all the reasons and that’s another reason I love Captain Jack. For all his strength, he’s also vulnerable and afraid of the unknown—not the alien unknown, the where’s, why’s, etc. of himself. He knows an awful lot about aliens! Duh. He seems a little afraid to learn all the reasons he’s immortal and has been sent through time, all that unknown stuff.

Add his being ‘full of life’ and what an intriguing character to me.

Pushing into bisexuality also brings further intrigue and desire to understand him, to know him more thoroughly. He’s got so many facets and either he doesn’t know them himself or he’s unwilling to share them outright, it all makes me want more of him and I enjoy that. It doesn’t make me project traits onto him, it makes me wait in hopes of him showing those traits.

But while he’s immortal, he’s still comparatively young to the last of my favorite characters. In fact, if I had to chose my favorite character of all time, I’d chose the final one. Who is he? Allow me to be like Captain Jack and keep you waiting…

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