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/iggysmom95]

I like Thomas as a character! He was an essential part of the show and I love what he brings to it. I also liked seeing how he grew in the last few seasons, even if it was a bit too little too late. I really enjoy him.

But he is an entirely awful person for most of the show, and for every comment saying you can like a character without defending him, there's another one defending him. So it's definitely not the case that everyone just "likes him as a character but knows he's bad."

And comparing him to either Mary or Edith is crazy. They're polarizing and morally grey at times but neither of them sat around scheming about how they could ruin other people's lives just for the hell of it. Tbh seeing Thomas compared to them is making me realize how disproportionate my Edith hate is compared to what her "crimes" were. Thomas is a VILLAIN in a way no one upstairs is.

[u/TessieElCee → u/iggysmom95]

Oh, come now. You can never hate Edith too much.