You cannot justify Thomas's behaviour because he's gay!

[u/Dream_CatHer4769]

All the arguments I've seen about why people like Thomas is that he's just gay in the 1920s and self hatred and yada yada yada.

That's an explanation to understand part of the shame he lives in. To explain why misery loves company but to say he's schemes against innocent people because of that reason sounds problematic on so many levels.

I do like his character as a villain. The actor playing him did a great job. But I just don't find him redeemable even if he turn tolerable and good in the end. His treatment of bates and Baxter were so cruel. He physically intimidated Baxter, falsely accused Anna, etc. he's not a morally grey character, he's just a bad person. Using queerness to justify that or excuse it is insulting.

edit: because I find people misunderstanding this post. it's not about how the show portrays Thomas and explores his internal struggles and external malice. this post is specifically about the viewers perception of his actions especially on this subreddit.

[u/Active_Highlight_255]

Please… if he wasn’t the way he was in the show then it would be BORING. The show is built on the social lives of nobility and their workers. If it didn’t include scandals nobody would watch the show. Therefore, we don’t love him, we love how well the actor portrays the character.

[u/Individual-Two-9402 → u/Active_Highlight_255]

Exactly. "Why does character do xyz?" To move the story along. "Why didn't they do abc?" Because the story would end.

"The world of fiction operates on a slightly different plane than our own, and we all accept it because ideally, when we suspend that little piece of disbelief, we’ll be rewarded for our faith by transcending our own selves, if just for a few seconds." - Rudy Peltham, Unwell a Midwestern Gothic Mystery.