Sure, for the gay part. But the asshole and thief part has nothing to do with “the times”.
Charlie Grigg, Carson’s former partner, did that in Season/Series 1 and didn’t get far before Lord Grantham sent him off with a few £ and a flea in his ear. He was lucky, though: when he popped up again a couple of seasons/series later, he was the object of sympathy from Mrs. Hughes and Cousin Isobel despite his earlier rather pitiful extortion.
:smack:
Yeah. And I think Fellowes can have sympathy for the character while also being interested in showing that the character cannot be happy–not just because he’s an asshole and thief, but, yes, because he’s gay. I would be astonished if the series finishes with Barrow finding a happy match and contentment in life. At best, I’m guessing, he’ll make some sort of uneasy peace with himself…but he won’t be happy.
It wouldn’t be the first character presented as “this guy is an insufferable jerk, but have sympathy for him because he has issues to deal with so he acts out”. Thomas’s manipulative-ness comes from a lifetime of living in a world that hates him.
It has everything to do with the times. Thomas is a profoundly unhappy person because he is unable to express his sexuality in any way that will be accepted by society. He channels his frustration into being an asshole and a thief. He knows that no matter what he does, his true self is always going to be rejected by society, so why bother to obey societal conventions?
Now that Mary knows that there is some secret that Edith is keeping that involves Marigold, how is it possible to not figure it out? I mean, what other secret could it possibly be than that Marigold is Edith’s real daughter?
If it wasn’t a trope I’d say Thomas’ suicide is going to occur next episode.
Other option is Carson’s unexpected death moves him up.
When have you known Fellowes to avoid tropes?
And one of the Bates’s (Bateses?) will get accused of murdering Carson!
I doubt Thomas would be winning any congeniality awards even if he were straight, but the knowledge that he has no chance at any kind of socially acceptable romance and little chance of even having a real friend can’t have helped. And even if Thomas were a more pleasant fellow by nature, guarding his secret requires some degree of dishonesty and manipulation. He’s often been a lot more dishonest and manipulative than was necessary to protect himself, but recently he’s also been trying to turn over a new leaf and had very little success.
That said, during the closing scene of him crying I did think “I’d feel a lot sorrier for you if you hadn’t been so horrible to everyone for years and years.”
Well, she could be the illegitimate daughter of some friend of Edith’s…if Edith had any friends. But given that Edith took a long vacation around the time Marigold would have been born, it doesn’t seem like it would be difficult to put two and two together.
I think Mary could figure it out, if she spent any time thinking about her sister. But she doesn’t.
Right. And I don’t think Mary would be able to wrap her brain around the idea that Edith could be a MOTHER. Mary sees herself the mother of the next generation of Crawleys and the idea that Edith could be part of that exclusive club is more than she can grasp (even if Marigold has no claim to any title or land). After all, the other sister who had a baby had the good grace to die and leave Mary alone on the maternal pedestal.
I had a girlfriend in our little college/post-college group of friends who was the first to have a baby and then a second baby. It kind of made her the Queen Bee (at least in her own eyes). For a few years, she was the only mom. When another of the women in our group had her first baby, Number One almost took it as a personal affront. How dare someone else barge into that special club! She subtly voiced her doubts about the second mom’s qualifications to *be *a mother. And then when the second mom had her second baby, the Queen Bee let that friendship extinguish over a couple of years. Sounds like Mary, doesn’t it? Except that she’s stuck with Edith.
Will Mrs. Carson do him in with some arsenic-laced soured cream for his salmon?
Perhaps Anna or Baxter could advise her on proper prison etiquette…
I think Molesley will be offered a position at the school, removing the need to cut back on staff, and Thomas will stay where he is. I’d like Daisy to leave, but Mrs. Patmore needs someone to help. With the upper servants aging and thinking of retirement, they’ll need the Daisys of this world to keep them fed. Remember, Sybil couldn’t even boil a kettle of water for tea.
Maybe at the end, Carson and Mrs. Hughes will retire, leaving Thomas to take the butler position (good with the kids, just like Carson was good with Lady Mary). I don’t think Anna has the knowledge to become the new housekeeper, but maybe, with the baby around the corner. Anna can’t be hauling her kid around upstairs to dress Mary - Mary scarcely bothers with her own child, she wouldn’t want little Tulip (to continue the flower theme) getting underfoot.
StG
:: golf claps ::
Agreed.
Hadn’t thought of that - you could be right.
This is my guess for what they are setting up. After all of the talk of his departure, Thomas will be the “last man standing” butler/footman-wise. Carson retires to spend his full time berating his wife, Moesley becomes a teacher, and Andy runs off with the pigs.
I think that Thomas will end up being the butler for the guy who paints men.
Can anyone tell me what was said in the scene where Violet and Isobel Crawley were having tea? I rewatched it several times but between the whispering and the accents I couldn’t make out a word. It must have been important or biting, what with all the raised eyebrows.
Captioning. I always have it on.
The upshot: Violet was asking Isobel if she still had the hots for Lord Merton. (I said I had it on. I didn’t say I paid attention.)
And Isobel was very evasive while the Dowager practically said, “Wink wink nudge nudge, say no more, say no more!”