I think the writers probably felt that this handwavium was implied, but personally I would have liked it to have been explicit.

except that she told him to go away at the bar, she wasn't into him at all. In fact, I seem to recall that when she blew him off, he got impatient and just sprayed her.

The problem, of course, is that it's a slippery slope -- At what point does "amplifying susceptibility" become "removing all free will"?

Right, of course, those lines are very blurry. I definitely think the drug had the effect of removing their free will; it seems clear that neither the woman nor her boyfriend had any attraction to him before they got a whiff of the spray, so I didn't see it as taking advantage of a slight pre-existing attraction but as manufacturing one whole-cloth.

I also had a huge problem with him spraying the guy. He's not necessarily bi (and franky, it's not likely)

Well, and I generally agree with you and take your point, but in the Torchwood universe, isn't everyone bi??

Oh, I agree with you, Vortex. When I first saw the episode, I was horrified. And I am still pretty horrified, because I do think that the writers (it was Rusty, right?) intended Owen to be skanky, but not a rapist. I'm pretty sure that scene was supposed to played for laughs.

It's the kind of thing that makes me want to hit someone with the hammer of feminist rage and then ask sweetly, "Clearly you don't live in a universe where rape is a constant threat and not funny ha ha. Don't make me hit you again."

OMG, people. Owen is a creepy rapist fuckwit and a selfish repulsive troll who should have been eaten by mountain bears, like, yesterday. (They have mountain bears in Wales, right?) The woman in the bar in the pilot expressed no interest in Owen at all. As a matter of fact, she was actively skeeved off by him. There was no "magnification of attraction" whatsoever. Regardless of the method of delivery, he took away her ability to consent with that drug, and that's rape in my book. I've never quite gotten over the show's cavalier dismassal of the magnitude of his offense.

And in the second episode, Owen voluntarily goes into the jail cell holding a woman who can kill people with sexin', hoping for some jollies. And the show treats this stupidity as A JOKE.

No, I don't feel that strongly about the character. Why do you ask? (Seriously, I don't talk about TW much here because I know a lot of people here love it and I don't believe in harshing people's squee, but Owen? RAPIST.)

t /end rant

Owen voluntarily goes into the jail cell holding a woman who can kill people with sexin', hoping for some jollies.

Mmm. I didn't get that impression. I thought she had some kind of pheremone thing going, given that Gwen also spontaneously starts making out with her. Though it's not one of my favorite episodes, so I can't say for sure.

No, you might be right there. I only watched the episode once (and don't care to watch it again) but I do remember now that Gwen made out with her as well. That makes Owen not quite as moronic I thought, although I still think he's a creep.

Well, and I generally agree with you and take your point, but in the Torchwood universe, isn't everyone bi??

that is an excellent point.

I do remember now that Gwen made out with her as well.

That episode was not the most sensible of the series.

although I still think he's a creep.

Oh, he's a total asshole. He's a selfish, cruel, petty little man.

Pushing Daisies - from the National Ledger:

KNITTING UP "DAISIES": Viewers of this season's instant hit "Pushing Daisies" are going to get an eyeful of mighty interesting knit work made by Chi McBride's character, private investigator Emerson Cod. The behind-the-scenes talent responsible is celebrity knitting guru, author, designer and owner of the popular Studio City, Calif., knitting yarn emporium, La Knitterie Parisienne, Edith Eig. Eig has been a formidable force in the knitting world for years, pushing the craze to knitting fanatics from Virginia Madsen to Catherine Zeta Jones.

For "Pushing Daisies," research was first and foremost on the agenda, and Eig was up for the task, teaching Chi the art of knitting. Her expertise was further employed when she was asked to custom design and hand knit a selection of one-of-a-kind props for the show. In a matter of days, she wielded her knitting needles to stitch up items including two gun holsters in red suede yarn, 10 "money bags" (aka socks), a tissue box, coasters, a pencil holder, a coffee-mug cozy, a desk file organizer, and a warm cable-knit scarf in a gold, cream and green tweed.

oh, I did love the gun cozies ... makes me wish I knew how to knit (if I needed another craft!).

I keep waiting for them to use a line about "(someone) speaks only to Cod".