A Few Notes on Omnisexuality in Doctor Who and Torchwood

One of Captain Jack Harkness’s most well-known traits is his 51^st-century “flexibility.”  More so than his temporal displacement, past as a time agent, or fixed-moment status, the top adjective affixed to Jack is “omnisexual.”  Which is fine – it sets Jack apart from most leading men on genre shows, and it serves as good commentary on the passage of time.  What once was unspeakably scandalous is, in Jack’s time, commonplace.  (One Torchwood relationship spoiler.)

I love Who’s handling of Jack’s sexuality, an ever-present trait that informs his character without overwhelming it.  His easy joie de vivre is a big part of his appeal, and while Rose is at first surprised by his interest in both men and woman and taken aback by the 51^st century’s “so many species, so little time” philosophy, his affable sexual openness soon becomes just part of who he is.  He loves/flirts inclusively and with relish – he cheerily celebrates beauty anywhere his near-inexhaustible radar finds it.  For me, the most encapsulating example of Jack’s orientation is in “Bad Wolf,” where he cops a feel off a lady robot.  Not a flesh-model-Cylon type played by an attractive thespian, not a blatantly non-human robot.  Jack is into that, and it’s fine; it’s Jack.

Also, it’s not stated outright, but I like the idea that Jack is non-monogamous and loving.  He’s in love with both Rose and the Doctor, and I’m pretty sure that in his ideal world, all three would be in a relationship with each other.  His affection for both of them doesn’t stop him flirting with anyone else, though, and I don’t think that lessens his feelings for either of them.  Simply put, he’s from 3,000 years in the future, and people don’t think like that anymore.  (That said, when in relationships with 21^st-century humans like Ianto, I don’t imagine he wanders.  My fanwank is that it would be like if a woman from 2015 stranded in the 1800s married a man there; she doesn’t view her ankles as an indecent part of her body, but out of respect for her husband’s perspective, she’s not going to go around showing them off.)

On Torchwood, Jack’s sexuality feels much simpler.  Partly, it’s that Jack is in a monogamous relationship for most of the show, which reduces his equal-opportunity flirting instincts.  There are a few signs of past relationships – info on a few women and an extended flashback with a man.  Other than that, we mainly get brief, cheeky mentions of old boyfriends, a bit of innuendo in random encounters, and a naughty joke about aliens.  Jack’s diverse cornucopia of attractions winnows down to basically bi, mostly emphasizing male partners.  At the start of the series, Jack’s colleagues don’t even know what his orientation is, gossiping about whether he’s gay or straight (only Tosh suggests a non-binary alternative) – since Rose knew Jack for, at most, a few hours before realizing, it’s weird that his team has worked with him for years and don’t know.

There’s not one scene of Jack flirting intel out of an alien informant or distracting an alien guard with his roguish charm, which, prior to watching Torchwood, is a big part of why I assumed it existed.  But really, there are only two times when Jack feels properly omnisexual here.  I love the scene in “Meat” where he flirts outrageously with Rhys’s secretary, who’s about 40 and a little heavy – no criticism of her, but in TV terms, it’s a fairly clear indication that Jack has wider sexual tastes than most.  And “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” with fellow 51^st-century boy Captain John Hart, is a strong dose of “finally!”  Much of it comes from John rather than Jack himself, but when the two former time agents are together, you see how novel their sensibilities are.  It’s tons of fun, and one of the few times it feels like Torchwood actually captures Jack’s orientation.