Read a post that inspired me to discuss my thoughts on Downton Abbey, Thomas Barrow in particular.
I interpret Thomas as demonstrating and portraying certain double standards and critiques of society. Interestingly, these pertain to ideas that are still present in some form today. I'm not sure whether the writers intended it, but that's how I interpret it.
Example 1: Lord Grantham loses the family's money on some stupid railway investment and its framed as this huge tragedy. They may have to gasp move into a smaller and less impressive house and get by with less servants. The indignity of it all. But magically, at the last minute, Matthew inherits some money from his dead almost father in law, complete with a letter that says "I know you cheated on, then dumped my daughter, but I'm still giving you this money, so you don't have to feel guilty using this money to fuel your privilege. It's my honour to serve the future Earl of Grantham."
In contrast, Thomas loses his carefully saved up life savings trying to get out of service after Mrs Patmore brings up that she'd support the black market because of how the government food rationing is creating scarcity. He's cheated by his supplier and left homeless, with no money and having to beg Mr Carson for his old job back. He only gets it back because Mr Carson gets Spanish flu and he fills in for him. Where people were somber about Lord Grantham's desperation, they're smug when the same thing happens to Thomas. Mrs Patmore says "It's wonderful what fear will do to the human spirit." That'll teach him to not accept his place in life. How dare he, a servant, try to bypass government mandated food shortages and make a profit while he's at it. That's for the higher classes.
Example 2: Three years or so into serving in the army in World War I, Thomas, shaking and shellshocked, has had enough of fear and seeing people die in front of him. He purposefully puts his hand in line of enemy fire and gets himself shot so that he can get invalidated home. He says a prayer of thanks for his deliverance. To me, this was the bravest, most radical thing he could have done. His story stands in contrast with every other recruitable man's story in the show. Three years of this and then he says NO to continuing to be a government pawn, and TAKES BACK HIS LIFE.
We're immediately confronted by what could have happened if he did not do this. Thomas starts working at the hospital in Downton, rehabilitating injured soldiers and he meets Edward Courtnay, a lieutenant who became blind from mustard gas. Right before Edward is supposed to be transferred to a convelescent home, an unknown place, away from Thomas, Sybil and their support, he commits suicide by slitting his wrists. This is exactly how Thomas tries to commit suicide himself a few seasons later. The motives are even similar. Isolation and abandonment.
Some other notable character arcs to compare this to is Mr Molesley, who manages to get out of military service because of a "lung problem" that may or may not exist, William, who begs to be recruited for years only to die almost immediately after, Matthew, who becomes paralysed, but then, becomes unparalysed only to die in a car accident after he's already produced an heir, Lord Grantham, who's reduced to a figurehead and extremely bitter about not serving, Archie, who tried to run away and was shot for cowardice, Lang, who can't even look at a man in a uniform after the war and whose PTSD is so bad he can no longer make a living and Tom, who is quite happy not serving, almost gets enlisted, and gets out of it because of a heart problem. He wanted to use the opportunity to get himself imprisoned for Ireland and freedom, because it's better than fighting, especially for a government that doesn't give a damn about you, the very point Thomas was making. He started off feeling in control because he signed up early, but saw how little human life meant to the powers that be. Theres not feeling in control in those circumstances. I feel like all of these stories make the meaning of Thomas' that much clearer.
Every scene where a man doesn't have to serve because of a health problem is laced with relief, because at least they don't have to serve. Every scene with a war injury though, that's laced with despair. Thomas' injury straddles the line between those, because it's a war injury AND an excuse not to serve.
Thomas as a sort of parallel to Edith. What I mean by that is if you consider Thomas' feelings for Jimmy alongside the possibility that he had strong feelings for Edward Courtnay, these relationships sort of loosely parallel Edith's relationships with Anthony Strallan and Michael Gregson.
Thomas is so soft and compassionate with Edward. You never see him confide in or comfort anyone like he does with him. He doesn't come out to him, but what he does is the closest thing to it. For him at least.
Edward is injured and an authority figure (Dr Clarkson) drives him away from Thomas which results in Edward sacrificing himself (suicide), leaving Thomas in tears.
You know who else that happens to? Edith.
Anthony is injured and an authority figure (Lord Grantham) drives him away from Edith which results in Anthony sacrificing himself (jilting Edith), leaving Edith in tears.
It sounds less serious than Thomas' situation, right. But when I was rewatching it, I was thinking to myself that the Crawleys were lucky Edith didn't commit suicide after all their dismissive and unsupportive behaviour. Her heart was publically broken and the downstairs ladies discussed how they wouldn't be able to live down the shame.
Anyways, she does live it down. Thomas meets Jimmy. And Edith meets Michael. I'm busy with a rewatch and interestingly, Jimmy is introduced around the same time Edith writes to Michael's newspaper. Their relationship begins with a letter. Thomas and Jimmy's relationship ends with a letter (Lady Antstruther). Jimmy tells Thomas he'll never write again before he leaves. And Michael never writes to Edith again because he gets unexpectedly murdered by Nazis.
Right off the bat, both relationships have something taboo about them. Jimmy is a man and Michael is married. Surrounding both relationships is a fear of scandal. Thomas because people are plotting for his arrest and Jimmy is either just not that into him or deeply closeted. I think it's the latter because even Mrs Hughes could pick up that he was flirting with Thomas, and that thing where he dials up his flirting with Ivy to comical degrees the morning after the kiss⦠classic damage control a la internalized homophobia. Like, if you feel nothing, why are you trying to hurt him?
Edith fears scandal because Michael, a married man, fathers her child. He tries going to Germany to get his marriage dissolved, but then, like Thomas, people are plotting for his arrest. And then death. Nazis specifically. Loving the comparison between Alfred the homophobic snitch and frikken Herr Hitler, the homophobic people burner with his army of snitches. A bit extreme, but I see it. "Normal" people who wanted a gold star from authority figures were the ones that did the most harm. Great job.
Another interesting bit is where Thomas saves Edith from the fire the same night he's supposed to be covering for Jimmy while he's trying to validate his heterosexuality or whatever. Jimmy gets caught, fired and kicked out and Thomas never hears from him again.
The cause of all this drama? Thomas and Edith's alike. Purity culture and sexual shaming.
Anyways, Thomas is just such a brilliant character.
And then they completely lost the plot with those basic ass movies. I still watch them. They're just so basic though. The series was like this Louvre painting and then it just started getting closer and closer to some kid's macaroni art. At least they gave him boyfriends though. Silver lining.
