Downton Abbey

[chonies]

As a non-gay-non-male, I was thinking about the Thomas is evil thing. I'd suggest it's better to have him as scheming rather than tragic or magical (the celibate sassy gay best friend).

And he's had his moments of humanity, yes? When he was kind-of blackmailing the fellow at the beginning of season one, he was more pathetic and desperate. And when he hid Isis, I thought it was a tiny stroke of humanity in his horrible tarry heart that he was glad Isis was alive, although maybe it's just because I was also glad she was alive, and I think he realized A Valuable Lesson about not hiding dogs in cabins.

O'Brien on other hand, what's her excuse? Repressed lesbian? Frustrated spinster? Straight up superbitch? I have no problem with thinking she and Thomas are just terrible (delightfully so) people who found each other, frolic in their evil ways, and their sexualities are beside the point.

[kostgard]

Oh, I agree that Thomas shouldn't turn into St. Gay of Downton, but I think we need to see more of his human side. The stuff with Isis seemed more like he was worried that his ass would be dead for locking up then losing Grantham's dog rather than concern for Isis herself.

I do want to know what O'Brien's glitch is too. She's very sympathetic to ol' Johnny Shellshocked, so maybe she's lost someone to war/PTSD/mental illness. We need more about her background, I think.

I don't mind villains, but I think they should be a little more complex than a couple cartoon characters twirling their moustaches.

[MrsCatHead]

Yes, when you can humanize a villain, it makes them more interesting.

Didn't O'Brien have a shell-shocked brother?

[dwanollah]

Yeah, I'm all O'Brien = Rebecca-obsessed possible-lesbian Mrs. Danvers right now.

[huntergrayson]

Downton Rap. "In the house like Lord Grantham/that's the damn anthem."

[ladytrentham]

Ha!

Also, if you like cats, follow the link to Downton Tabby...

[MrsCatHead]

Omg that is so close to what we are doing for our cat blog! My daughter is making comic panels using our cats as DA characters.

[baileydash]

Can't wait until Shirley Maclaine's character shows up to duel with dowager Maggie. Should be an incomparable bitchfest.

And I soooo hope Maclaine's character has her own lady's maid in tow. And as controversial as it would surely be in this era of The Help, I fervently hope she'd be African American.

Most Englishmen of the time period would normally go their entire lives without ever laying eyes on a POC. That, coupled with the somewhat depressing fact that the downstairs crew is actually more snobby than the upstairs folks, would ensure all sorts of hilarious but very British conflict.

Also, it'd give a deserving AA actress a chance to do a Merchant Ivoryish period project. How often does that happen? Like, never.

[angelaudie]

Shirley MacClaine's character has a lady's maid but the actress playing her is white. The actress is from Kentucky so it will be interesting to see if character is Southern as well. I have my suspicions that Cora's family are new money that made their money post Civil War.

A POC visiting DA would certainly be interesting because, as baileydash mentioned, it's doubtful anybody in the house has ever seen a nonwhite person. But I'm not sure if Julian Fellowes could handle the complexities that such a storyline demands. He didn't really handle WWI well.

Photos of S3 being filmed in Bampton which is where DA village scenes are filmed. It looks like a certain couple's wedding was filmed over the weekend.

[ladytrentham]

So, wait, Pamuk was white?

::runs off to adjust TV picture::