Of all the characters (after watching the marathon) he seems to have come the farthest. From a scheming oily creep with all of the characteristics of a junk yard dog, to man stripped of everything and working to just find a job with people who might eventually give a damn about him.
shareThomas was a great character who was brilliantly portrayed. Thomas became sympathetic when he finally came to grips with the fact he was "different" and there would be no cure for him. Once he accepted this, he changed into a better person.
shareIt's funny but on a British chat show Rob James-Collier himself described Thomas as 'misunderstood' but I never bought it. Of course it was tough having feelings that were at the time 'criminal' so I would sympathise with him to a degree but being a closet homosexual doesn't explain trying to ruin Bates before he even started, stealing wine and blaming others, trying to take the cowards way out of his military service.
He relished in his torture of Daisy and William. He was a fantastic character from a dramatic point of view but he had a very mean streak!
We have to show the world that not all of us are like him: Henning von Tresckow.
I would sympathise with him to a degree but being a closet homosexual doesn't explain trying to ruin Bates before he even started, stealing wine and blaming others, trying to take the cowards way out of his military service.
I think Rob James Collier might of meant it as a joke. It's a standard Brit actor response when describing an unsympathetic character! "Oh [insert name here] - well of course he was just misunderstood"!
I think the OP is right - he's come a long way from Episode 1. If there is a movie - I wonder if he will sustain his new good guy persona.
BritGirl
"Don't change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love you."
Well I've been watching British television my entire life so I know what you mean but in the context of the series I think he was nasty through and through. I just feel it's because he had nowhere else to turn that he decided to give decency a go.
We have to show the world that not all of us are like him: Henning von Tresckow.
[deleted]
As I said on a previous thread that has since expired, I believe that Thomas Barrow decided to pull up stakes and move to Texas to join his American cousins Clyde and Buck, Buck's wife Blanche and Clyde's mistress Bonnie and various other associates in a multi-state bank robbing spree. Then after Buck was killed and Blanche was wounded and arrested, he stashed away all the money the gang had accumulated, then called in an anonymous tip to the Texas Rangers that set up Clyde and his mistress to be ambushed.
Then he exchanged the stash for British Pounds Sterling, returned to Yorkshire and bought out Downton Abbey from the Crawleys, who had gone bankrupt in the Great Depression.
but being a closet homosexual doesn't explain trying to ruin Bates before he even started, stealing wine and blaming others, trying to take the cowards way out of his military service.
Well said, DrBooBoo. That's how I saw Thomas too.
Two years in? Trying to ruin Bates' life, stealing wine and jumping the gun to medical service before the war even started is what I'm talking about.
What are you talking about?
We have to show the world that not all of us are like him: Henning von Tresckow.
Anyway, that was a stupid move on his part, because he thought that by joining the medical corps he would be away from danger, when in fact the first line doctors and medic auxiliaries had one of the most dangerous tasks, alongside with the soldiers who made tunnels to put mines under the germans or the sappers who went ahead to tried to destroy the barb wire.
Anyway, i agree with others, he did a lot of bad things and he always would be in a bad light if we compare him with the Bates. Another thing that i simply dont understand is how some of his fans were worried because he didnt find "love", ignoring that most of the servants simply didnt have love relationships (because that would affect their loyalty to the family, and that is first that anything else), the Bates relationship was exceptional and only for dramatic purposes. But a gay man finding love in the 20´s in England?, almost imposible, only rich and influential gay man had gay relations and in England in very discret and "secret" places.
But, i found the character interesting enough, and the thing that i more liked about him was his hopes of being better, of trying to get out of being a servants or moving on. Contrary to the Bateses, those were the true submissives to their masters, Mary could be killing baby seals and Anna would be clapping. But with Thomas, Mrs Hughes, Mrs Patmore i had the feeling that they knew that their patrons were flaw people, just like them and they saw their job as a mere job.
Two years in? Trying to ruin Bates' life, stealing wine and jumping the gun to medical service before the war even started is what I'm talking about.
What are you talking about?
I said he was nasty I didn't say he was the Devil. I agree with all the fine points you picked out. For me Thomas was the kind of person you knew could be nice but his despicable actions outweighed the good for most of the series. The kind actions for the most part came later in the series when I agree he matured.
We have to show the world that not all of us are like him: Henning von Tresckow.
And in season 4 he brought Baxter in as a spy/ally, and menaced her so much that she looked physically ill after one of his threats.
Ying and yang, but that was a pretty huge yang when you saw it.
My favorite was when someone in the family gushed about how he was "honorably wounded in war." Why shoes weren't thrown through TV screens throughout the UK is beyond me.
shareThe actor is very talented but Thomas wasn't always brilliantly written. He has his annoying and OOC moments. Like when he decides to go against his own good friend, O'brien and when he manipulate Edna to make rumors about Anna, even though Anna is one of the few people who was actually nice to him.
It's going to be Pee Pee Pants City here REAL soon -Negan
I'm at the beginning of season four and Barrow's getting somehow less of an ass but I dont think I'll ever feel sympathetic.
shareI'm at the beginning of season four and Barrow's getting somehow less of an ass but I dont think I'll ever feel sympathetic.
I agree with some of the other comments on this thread, one being that the Barrow character was brilliantly played from a dramatic point of view. But I don't think he was stripped of everything. Here's why. Besides Dr. Clarkson saying their was no cure for what Barrow had, he said something else that was profound.
Dr. Clarkson said, "you are unhappy and thus you have a desire to make others unhappy".
Once Barrow went to the new job, he no longer had anyone to pick at or conspire with because of the limited staff and family members. Maybe he finally understood what Dr. Clarkson meant about his desire to cause unhappiness.
He did not loose the luck he had of getting out of trouble the entire series. He was lucky to receive forgiveness by the Crawley's and many of their staff. He was lucky that Carson began to have palsey which allowed him to return and be needed.
The ending seemed cheery but we don't know if Barrow was going to use the larger and familiar place to begin plotting and back stabbing the new and remaining staff again.
_____
Books and movies are usually better than real life.
I think that Jimmy was the first friend he'd ever had. Not a crony or ally, or sexual mate, but friend; he mentored Jimmy selflessly after their first disastrous misconnection, and Jimmy trusted him in return. After Jimmy had to leave, all that was left were the people he'd burned in one way or another. Carson seemed cruel, but maybe he'd just had enough of him--the rest were all tired of the drama and not sad to see him go.
shareI really wanted to like Barrow...but he kept doing nasty things to the others and I hated it. I wanted to strangle him myself. But later, seeing him struggling so much with who he was, was heartbreaking to me...I couldn't help feeling sympathy for the man...despite the horrible way he treated people (and caused trouble for them). And when I saw him with Sybie (sp?) and George...my heart melted. By then though, it seemed like he'd changed enough so that I didn't want to throw rocks at him anymore...mostly. Lol.
shareNot at all true to the time, or to Carson's character.
The "Scarlet Woman" should be shunned, according to Carson, but Thomas -- a known thief, and someone who would equally bring scandal down on the house is a poor, misunderstood character. Yeah, right.
If you're going to do an historical drama, don't do a rewrite of history to please modern audiences. He'd only have been tolerated if he were a member of the family. As a member of the staff, he'd have been sent packing on the spot, and without a reference.