![]() ![]() The character softened when he was slowly accepted by the household, upstairs and downstairs, revealing his tender heart and desire to find love.īut fans were disappointed by Thomas’ storyline in the first movie, “Downton Abbey” (2019), which dangled the possibility of romance for Thomas only to end in a violent brush with the law. Over the seasons, the series revealed that Thomas’ schemes were motivated by his struggle as a closeted gay man living in early 20th century England. Played by the effortlessly poised Robert James-Collier, Thomas launched the early days of “Downton Abbey,” when it was still just a runaway hit TV series, as a slick foil to the good-natured characters filling out most of the wholesome storylines. It was a masterful example of maintaining that fine balance between showing the natural evolution of people, without forgetting to hold onto those aspects that makes a character enjoyable – and polarizing.Thomas Barrow, dashing butler of “Downton Abbey,” has taken quite a journey from nefarious footman to stalwart captain of the Grantham household. The show's co-creator and writer, Julian Fellowes, kept the character's integrity, while slowly allowing him to evolve over the series. It was just something else about Thomas Barrow. His major story arcs within the grand manor and with others rarely overlapped with his sexuality – which made it so he was always about more than his sexual orientation. That preservation of depth of character never betrayed the audience's understanding of who Thomas Barrow was as a fictional person. The fact that Barrow was gay wasn't the only thing about him the show focused on. Downton Abbey's exploration gave audiences a chance to have deeper context for the character's true nature. The opportunity to explore life as a closeted gay man in an English period drama is almost unheard of in TV and movies. This made it easy for audiences to understand and empathize with him, despite the fact that he often served as the antagonist. Whether it be injecting himself with snake oil in a desperate bid to change his orientation, being physically assaulted for his sexuality, and even thrown in jail, Barrow faced very real, painful, and dangerous moments just for being himself. RELATED: Downton Abbey 2 Could Finally Unite a Fan-Favorite Couple As a gay man, his feelings of isolation were only compounded in early 20 th century England’s culture of bigotry, not to mention being gay was illegal at that point in time. Part of the character's depth was the way viewers could identify with Barrow’s feelings, particularly his emotional emptiness and his desire to be and feel loved. These were relatable themes audiences could hold onto. But Barrow's also had an understandable desire to achieve status and acceptance somewhere. They were his de-facto family and his real sense of longing made sense to viewers. Even when he briefly left Downton Abbey to work at another British estate, his heart was still back with the Crawley family and its staff, despite feeling rejected. ![]()
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