Mary Cooper

Mary Cooper was the mother of Gwen Cooper, the wife of Geraint Cooper, the mother-in-law of Rhys Williams and the maternal grandmother of Anwen Williams.

Early life
Mary was born in the 1940s (TV: Ghost Machine) and married Geraint Cooper (TV: Something Borrowed) with whom she had a daughter, Gwen in 1978. (TV: Children of Earth: Day One, The New World) She shopped at Timothy Whites (TV: Children of Earth: Day One) and once took Gwen to G. R. Owen's as a treat. (AUDIO: Department X)

Whilst Gwen lived in Cardiff with Rhys Williams, (TV: Everything Changes) Mary and Geraint lived in Swansea. (TV: Something Borrowed) The young couple attended Mary's sixtieth birthday in the 2000s and dressed up smart per her wishes. (TV: Ghost Machine) Although Geraint and Barry Williams got on fine, Mary did not get on with Brenda. (TV: Something Borrowed)

Kept in the dark
Gwen joined Torchwood and told Mary and Geraint only that she had a new job which demanded a lot of her time. She had minimal contact with them after joining the organisation as a result and rarely made phonecalls, also having to cancel several plans to meet up with them. (TV: Something Borrowed)

Mary called Gwen and Rhys at Christmastime and told Rhys that she had no idea who Emma-Louise Cowell, whom Gwen claimed was her aunt's stepdaughter, was. (TV: Out of Time)

Mary was surprised to learn that Gwen was pregnant hours before her and Rhys's wedding, but told her that she could not wait to see the look on Brenda's face and promised that she and Geraint would be there for their grandchild, unaware that it was a Nostrovite. She and Brenda greeted one another at the hotel with backhanded compliments and she told Gwen not to listen to the Nostrovite mother when it threatened to kill her. After the ceremony, Jack Harkness had the guests retconned. (TV: Something Borrowed)

After Earth was moved to the Medusa Cascade, Gwen asked Rhys to telephone Mary and tell her to take her pills and go to sleep. (TV: The Stolen Earth)

Anwen's birth
Gwen eventually told Mary and Geraint of the true nature of her job at Torchwood, some time before Brenda learnt the truth. She and Rhys went on the run whilst she was pregnant (PROSE: First Born) and told the Coopers that it was because they were not safe in Cardiff where they could be seen. (TV: The New World)

Gwen and Rhys met up with Mary and Geraint in a service station car park (PROSE: First Born) the day that Anwen was born. (TV: The New World) Mary dressed up for the occasion, wearing a new hat, and cried, even moreso when Gwen handed her her granddaughter. They parted ways (PROSE: First Born) and Mary told Gwen to stay away no matter what for her own safety. (TV: The New World)

The Miracle
On Miracle Day, Geraint had a mild heart attack followed by a more serious one and Mary went with him to St Helen's Hospital for emergency treatment. She told Gwen that she was silly for returning to Cardiff with Rhys and Anwen despite the danger, but was happy to see her granddaughter again and surprised by how much she had grown. Before Gwen went back into hiding, Mary asked her about what she thought the Miracle was, but she had no answers. (TV: The New World)

Gwen was extradited to the United States (TV: Rendition) and Rhys and Anwen were moved with police supervision to stay with Mary. (TV: Dead of Night) Mary dressed Anwen up in pink and found that, unlike Gwen at her age, she slept through the night. (TV: The Categories of Life) When the overflow camps opened, Rhys got Geraint moved to Cowbridge Overflow Camp. (TV: Escape to LA)

Upon learning that the overflow camps were controlled by PhiCorp, Mary researched the camp outside Cowbridge and tasked Gwen, once she returned to Wales, with getting Geraint out. Rhys told Mary to let Gwen relax before discussing the mission, but Gwen saw the research shortly after arriving and Mary filled her in. (TV: The Categories of Life)

Gwen and Rhys managed to save Geraint and get him home, after which Gwen returned to the United States. Mary, Rhys and Anwen were held hostage (TV: The Middle Men) by order of Olivia Colasanto to blackmail Gwen into delivering Jack Harkness, but they were saved by Andy Davidson and armed police who had been alerted to what had happened by Rex Matheson and Esther Drummond. Mary commented on Andy's late timing. (TV: Immortal Sins)

Mary's experience having a gun held to her head made her encourage Gwen to go after the Three Families, but she gave the message through Rhys rather than tell her herself. She told Rhys to tell Gwen the truth when she asked about Geraint, who was rarely conscious but could not receive medical care due to him being Category 1. (TV: End of the Road)

Gwen was later deported from the USA, and, as her own home was partially destroyed, returned to her mother's home with the rest of her family. Two months later, Mary, still hiding her category 1 husband, had her house searched, Mary breaking down in tears after having been forced to physically restrain Geraint to prevent him making noise. When the house was searched a second time, Mary was refused entry. She later signed the forms releasing her legally dead husband, who was taken back to the Cowbridge overflow camp in preparation for incineration. (TV: The Gathering)

After Gwen helped to reverse the Miracle, Mary had a final chance to say goodbye to her husband by telephone as her son-in-law Rhys gained a police visa. (TV: The Blood Line)

Widowhood
Mary babysat Anwen when Gwen and Rhys travelled to North Wales to visit Bryn Offa Residential Home. She was surprised when Anwen began speaking fluent Welsh, but Gwen told her not to phone a doctor and that she had probably learnt it at school. (AUDIO: Forgotten Lives)

Death
Mary was shot and killed by Ng, an alien possessing the body of Gwen. (AUDIO: Aliens & Sex & Chips & Gravy)

Legacy
Mary's funeral was attended by Ng and Rhys. Ng allowed Gwen to say goodbye to her mother. (AUDIO: Orr)

Personality
Gwen had a more frosty relationship with her mother than she did with her father Geraint. At her daughter's wedding Mary was seen to be somewhat of a snob, nagging her husband Geraint and taking pleasure in scoring points against Rhys' mother Brenda Williams. (TV: Something Borrowed) After Mary met Gwen for the first time since her exile, she teased Gwen about her "frugal" lifestyle, asking if she'd been feeding Anwen lard. (TV: The New World) Upon returning to Wales, and her mother, Gwen made a joke about America's superiority in allowing people to divorce their mothers, which evoked a sense of discord between the two. Mary liked to dress Anwen in a way that displeased Gwen, who saw the exclusively pink outfit as frivolous. (TV: The Categories of Life) When Gwen spoke to Rhys at the Colasanto residence, Mary told him to tell her daughter that she wasn't available to speak personally because she was watching TV even though she wasn't. (TV: End of the Road)

Although the relationship between Gwen and Mary was at times strained, Mary actively encouraged her daughter's missions during Miracle Day. (TV: End of the Road, The Blood Line) She showed a softer side when she had to rely on her daughter for emotional support after restraining Geraint in the basement, sobbing onto her shoulder. (TV: The Gathering) When Gwen was in Shanghai attempting to put an end to Miracle Day, Mary told Gwen not let anything happen to herself. (TV: The Blood Line) Even when held hostage by an alien Nostrovite, Mary not only remained calm but actively encouraged her daughter not to give herself up, showing a willingness to sacrifice herself for Gwen. Gwen had no intention of submitting herself, however; as soon as the alien released Mary, Gwen shot it several times with a gun hidden in her wedding bouquet and Mary hugged her daughter in thanks. (TV: Something Borrowed)

She also enjoyed looking after Gwen's daughter Anwen. (TV: The New World, The Categories of Life, The Blood Line)

Behind the scenes

 * It was initially suggested by Russell T Davies that Andy Davidson be the one who was killed by "Not Gwen", but James Goss and Scott Handcock felt it would be too much, as the character is very much loved by the whole team and the fans, and so Mary was killed off in his place. (BFX: Aliens Among Us 3)