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Post by LAX on Oct 29, 2012 14:00:49 GMT -4
Thomas misunderstood the signals that James the new footman was sending. He climbed into his bed and James woke up to Thomas kissing him. Alfred caught them in this position and at O'Brien's urging brought the matter to Carson. Carson is furious, and Thomas is on the ledge, especially because Bates is back and they're wondering what to do about the valet position that Thomas took in Bates' absence. I have to give it to Alfred, despite Thomas and James' assholery doesn't seem to want to do either any harm.
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Post by chonies on Oct 30, 2012 21:53:34 GMT -4
Thank you! I'm pleased that the narrative seems to have taken a turn towards something serious and not just poor Mistah Bates's melodrama. Now I'm actually looking forward to watching it.
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Post by sugarhigh on Oct 30, 2012 22:54:32 GMT -4
It was a good episode. I was so terrified for Thomas and actually yelled "No, Thomas, No!" at the tv. lol It took awhile but I'm glad they added some real depth to his character.
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Post by bklynred on Oct 31, 2012 13:44:30 GMT -4
The actor does a great job, because I HATE Thomas. Despite that, I don't want dude ostracized or shit, arrested. They might do it, just b/c we don't see that on tv very often, but damn. What a lonely life. I think I'd probably stay in the closet and marry, have kids... The alternative was so bad. This came up in Cloud Atlas too (one of the few watchable storylines), and the ease with which someone could blackmail you or make life difficult for you if you were gay...it was despicable. It reminds me of blacks passing as white and getting found out.
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Post by LAX on Oct 31, 2012 14:15:13 GMT -4
The same issue came up in American Horror story too. The threat of a ruined career and ruined life was a reality in our not so distant past.
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Post by bklynred on Nov 1, 2012 22:19:10 GMT -4
You're right, I forgot about that, LAX.
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Post by LAX on Nov 5, 2012 15:11:35 GMT -4
I know Thomas was a complete an utter prick to Bates, but I was going to be really angry if Bates didn't step in and help him out. I know it's wrong but having the result of Bates' help being an elevated Thomas felt like payback for the horribly dull Bates story line they subjected us to.
However, I'm also thinking that Thomas' story wrapped up a little too neatly. Creating a new position in the household just for him was way too convenient. I'm wondering how accurate the reactions of the household to revelations about Thomas were. I would have pegged Robert as being clueless until being told, then having a negative reaction to finding a person who interacts with him in a very intimate way him being homosexual. As for the rest of the staff, sure, there would have been a few people a-ok with having a homosexual among them, but I think there would also have been plenty of people who only tolerate or turn a blind eye to a gay co-worker/employee as long as that person kept to themselves and didn't create waves. Since Thomas definitely created some waves with his behavior I don't know how true to the era it would be that so many people stood up for him, spouted 'don't judge him, he was born that way' speak, and came to his aid. Perfectly reasonable reactions for people of today, but didn't seem real for people of that time. Maybe I'm wrong, and perhaps that comment about Oscar Wilde was a way of saying that homosexuality really was acceptable in some parts of society.
Speaking of things wrapping up too neatly, the final scene with the family patriarch and the two sons-in-law laughing and getting along famously because of a good speech by Branson and a smashing result at a cricket match was again way too good to be true. I'm disappointed.
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iClaudia
Sloane Ranger
"When love and duty are one, grace is within you."
Posts: 2,215
Mar 13, 2005 14:33:41 GMT -4
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Post by iClaudia on Nov 5, 2012 18:40:08 GMT -4
I didn't really mind how neatly things were wrapped up for Thomas (though the underbutler position is certainly a convenient plot contrivance since the actor is obviously sticking around) since it's pretty consistent with what we saw from the first series. Most everyone already knew and were able to be tolerant if not actually accepting. If it was an issue for anyone in the household, he would have been fired long before this, especially given some of the stunts he's pulled. While O'Brien orchestrated things for her own purposes, it was really newcomers to Downton that were raising objections. Robert wanting to maintain the status quo seems consistent with his entire arc this series. I figure the truth about Thomas's sexual orientation never went beyond the walls of Downton. Ethel's storyline seems more unrealistic given that everyone in the village knows that she was a "fallen woman". We saw in series one how quickly gossip spreads in their social circle. Though I've enjoyed the storyline, I can't realistically imagine Ethel working in service ever again.
I generally enjoyed this series but I think it was a bit ambitious. The most interesting storylines needed a much longer episode order to be told properly. It's interesting that more time and effort was put into having Ethel's story unfold slowly than into exploring Mary and Matthew's fertility issues. Until this episode, I just figured they were being impatient.
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Post by bklynred on Nov 5, 2012 22:06:02 GMT -4
I agree, the only reason his storyline made sense to me is because he'd been there for 10 years, living with an open secret, it appears.
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Post by LAX on Nov 7, 2012 17:50:26 GMT -4
Robert suggesting getting involved in a Ponzi investment scheme. Priceless.
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