For in box love ask, have any unpopular opinions about Downton Abbey?

I'm sure I have a few unpopular opinions. Not quite sure tho what is considered as unpopular.

I like Mr Bates a lot. In fact, when I watched the show for the first time I was very much focused on Anna and Mr Bates. But Julian Fellowes did them so ugly with their harsh storylines, that I don't enjoy watching them as much anymore and feel more distanced to these characters now. But I still like them and their pure relationship very much.

I'm an Edith apologist. I know she did some nasty things in the beginning but her character development is just my favourite. She turned out to be my favourite Crawley sister, even though I adored Sybil from the beginning.

On the other side, I always feel conflicted about Mary. She is a great character for the show, absolutely. But I can't really relate to her and feel very distanced to her. But the duality of her character is definitely great characterisation.

Oh, and I think this is pretty unpopular but I actually shipped Isobel and Dr Clarkson. Only in my last rewatches I got around to really like the relationship of Isobel and Dickie. Now I think they're pretty good together but I would've preferred to see more of Isobel and Dr Clarkson.

I don't want a prequel of Downton Abbey, especially not for Cobert because the characters are strictly connected with their actors for me. I couldn't see anyone else as Cora but Liz McGovern and no one else as Robert but Hugh Bonneville. And in addition, I'm not sure if I want one official precanon story for Cobert. I want to believe that all the great fanfics that exist could be true.

I'm sure there are more but I can't think of anything else at the moment :)

Alright, this might be an unpopular opinion / a weird idea but I honestly don‘t understand how so many people in this fandom dislike Daisy Parker and think of her as being stupid / dumb.

Yes, Daisy was clearly naive in the beginning of the series but can you really blame her for it?

Daisy entered service when she was still basically a child. She knew nothing about the outside world and clearly nobody was interested in telling her about it. Everyone looked down on her, shooed her around and didn't really think of her as a person who is hungry for knowledge and appreciation.

When she wanted to know something more 'mature‘ she was told she‘s too young and wouldn‘t understand.

She was just the kitchen maid, the last person in the hirarchy of the downstairs, constantly ridiculed and put down.

Daisy wasn‘t stupid, she was just robbed an education and people who truly believed in her and let her take part in conversations.

Basically all she knew for a long time was this house and her job in service and nobody was interested in changing this.

But despite all of that, I believe that Daisy would be one of the only people to be truly happy for Thomas and Richard when she hears about them.

I know that Thomas has gained some allies in his years in Downton Abbey but I do think that most people still had certain prejudices and opinions on Thomas and the men of 'his kind'.

But I honestly believe that Daisy would not just pretend to be happy for Thomas just for the sake of being nice. I think she would genuinely be glad for him, not necessarily only because Thomas has finally found someone to be with after so many years of loneliness but also because Richard has changed the old and grumpy Thomas Barrow into a little bit of a new person.

I don't think that she would care about Thomas being gay or being in a relationship with Richard, because mature and grown up Daisy Parker couldn't care less about who Thomas loves.

She would just be happy for both of them because Thomas might be, after all, a good friend.

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character 🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

🍬 Matthew did NOT have the saddest or most shocking death in Downton Abbey. Like, it sucked, yeah, but it was fairly easy to move on from. Sybil's was DEVASTATING and totally preventable, and I hate the way it's waved aside by fans of the show as not-as-bad as Matthew's. Matthew's death had me like "aaawwwww he's dead :(" but Sybil's had me sobbing.

🔪 ''can an iguana die of asphyxiation?" (the answer is yes, by the way, but it would take them a while because they can hold their breath a crazy long time, which I wouldn't have known if I hadn't researched it! I only thought to look it up because I'd recently learned that jellyfish are practically immortal.) It was for a throwaway line in a series I've been writing since I was 12. It ended up getting cut because the couple who found the dead iguana in their trunk on their honeymoon ended up not getting married in the first place, since I changed the groom from being the male lead's often-absent-but-good-guy uncle to being his deadbeat dad, and frankly, the bride deserved better than to end up with him. Why was the iguana in their trunk? Some prankster put it there during the wedding silly-stringing of their car. They never did find out who was responsible. The first and only mention of this happening was when the two leads were planning their own wedding and discussing whether or not they should hide their cars, and one of them reminded the other of the iguana incident. (They hid their cars.)

ooh hit me with your most controversial downton abbey opinions. that was my show! i was obsessed!

My most controversial opinions? I hope nobody gets mad.

Well, in my opinion, the characters downstairs are infinitely more interesting and entertaining than the characters upstairs. I love the Crawleys, but I wish the show focussed mainly on the servants, in all honesty.

I think that you have to treat the characters as products of their time. I’ve seen people calling Robert and Mr Carson misogynistic, which strikes me as somewhat ignorant of the point? That scene where they’re talking about how frail women are in the context of Mr Pamuk is hilarious because their wives and maids were the ones who carried his corpse across the house.

On a related note, Mr Carson has done at least a thousand things to annoy the hell out of me, but I still adore him. Is that controversial? I don’t know and I don’t care. He’s very funny and he has a good heart. Also, Mrs Hughes loves him and her judgement is impeccable.

I love Mr Bates. I love that, from the first season, he’s trying to improve himself and his life, ravaged by war and unhappiness. He’s so broody and kind and all he cares about is Anna, which is so relatable. I think that might be controversial from what little I’ve seen in the fandom. I have no idea why people wouldn’t like him, except that he inadvertently puts Anna through so much. It’s difficult to be mad at him for that when he’s so powerless to it, though.

I’m very much aligned with Mrs Hughes when it comes to Mary. I appreciate her complexity, and I think she’s necessary to the show exactly as she is but her personality is not to my taste. I really don’t like her arrogance and self absorption. Sentiments about her missing the person she was with her husband rather than her husband himself, you know…

Some of the things that Thomas did are really genuinely evil and I don’t know how his fans are so dismissive of them… ? Across the series he shows so little kindness, so little good will, and he spends all of his time lying and cheating and scheming ways of personal success. Of course, he’s a very tragic character, and I like that this manifested in such a dark way, it was a fascinating story to watch unfold, but as with Mary, I just don’t really like him.

I’m an Edith apologist… I just think she’s cool, she runs her own newspaper and she’s a good mother and she’s pretty and she has good character development… she’s had her moments of really annoying me, too, though.

I think that’s all the unpopular opinions I have… thank you for asking me! 💗

I like Downton Abbey, I’ve seen all the episodes with the exception of the first movie and, this might be an unpopular opinion…

BUT

I hate Lady Mary. Like I really, strongly, earnestly hate her. Every time I think I can learn to like her, or start to sympathize with her, she does something so horribly cruel and uncalled for towards Edith. Every. Single. Time. And it’s all when Edith is feeling good about herself or seems to have some chance at finding a husband.

The scene when Mary got told off and called a jealous bitch by Edith had me cheering. Mary deserved to hear every single word. Her apology attempt was utter bullshit anyway. It was all an attempt on her part to save face.

At the point where Edith and Bertie are discussing getting married, he is the new Marquess of Hexham. Which means, Edith would become Marchioness of Hexham. This would put her above Mary in status, which I think infuriated Mary. I don’t think she could stand the idea of having to curtsy to Edith. Instead of being happy for her younger sister, she intentionally sabotages her.

Now I do understand there are times were Edith isn’t nice to Mary. Moments were Edith strikes out first with the insults. But frankly, I see this as her giving Mary a taste of her own medicine. It has likely been few and far between where Edith gets the courage to say something snarky first. Mary has destroyed two possible marriages for Edith (and nearly a 3rd), she insulted Edith’s fashion choices, she gets an edgy new haircut to show off and draw attention to herself when Edith is mourning, and she constantly has nothing but insults to say about her sister towards others.

Honestly, whoever is a huge fan of Mary has ignored the constant, toxic attacks she has thrown at Edith for no reason other than she is the younger sister and easiest to pick on. While I can understand this behavior coming from a child who might not know better, it’s fucking childish and pathetic behavior coming from an adult and someone who wants to run the estate.

Thank you for the tag @isolarrwilde ❤

What book are you currently reading?

The Picture of Dorian Gray (It's taken me so long to read because all my time has been taken up by Uni, but it is one of my faves. Big up my babe Oscar Wilde).

What do you usually wear?

I usually wear flary skirts, flared trousers, band t-shirts, Doc Martens / Converse. Most of my clothes are bright coloured, and you can usually spot me straight away (I have been described as standing out like a sore thumb in a room full of people lol).

What's your favourite movie you've seen in theatres this year?

I haven't been to the cinema in ages, but the last thing I watched was Downton Abbey: A New Era, and that was pretty good!

What's your star sign? Do you share your birthday with a celebrity or historical event?

Gemini. (Unpopular opinion, but I think Geminis get too much hate, like leave us alone). I share my birthday with Kanye West (of all people lol), and Robert Kennedy's funeral.

Do you by your full name or a nick-name?

Most people call me by a nick-name of some sort. Not many people call me by my full name tbh.

How tall are you?

5'4 the last time I checked!

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one?

This question better say sike rn. And I have celebrity crushes ;) Who doesn't hehehe

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

No. I wanted to be a firefighter when I was a child, which I am definitely not! I also wanted to be a nurse, but I don't like blood so that career option was left behind lol.

If you draw / write / create in nay way, what's your favourite picture / line /etc, from something you created this year?

I made this set for my mum’s friend’s baby born this year! :)

Dogs or cats?

Cats forever! I was scared of dogs for such a long time as a child.

What's something you're good at vs. something you're bad at?

I suppose I'm good at crocheting? I am terrible at maths!

What's something you'd like to create content for?

I don't know.

What's something your currently obsessed with?

The Quadrophenia album by The Who. It was one of my faves as a teenager, and I recently listened to it after years and fell back in love with it. What an album :) What's something that you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

The world cup! :( Don't mention the England v France match to me or my son ever again. I won’t be eating croissants for at least a year lol.

What's a hidden talent of yours?

I don't know lol.

Are you religious?

No.

What's something you wish to have at this moment?

Loads and loads of chocolate. I can't get enough :)

Tagging anyone who wants to do this :) Was pretty fun tbh!

https://www.insp.com/blog/matt-dillon-miss-kitty-a-dodge-city-love-affair/

I’m cool with them being subtle about it. As a fanfic writer, I love that. Gives me room to play.

They’re my OTP for fucking sure. I love writing them, and James Arness’ & Amanda Blake’s chemistry was off the charts. Matt & Kitty had some great moments. My favorite is “The Bullet”, the season 17 finale. All 3 parts are just so well-written, and Kitty delivers such a beautiful monologue about her and Matt. In my opinion, that should’ve been the series finale. In my head canon, it is: Matt decides that he’s ready to retire after almost losing the ability to walk. He and Kitty retire together, get married, and leave Dodge City. 🥰

What gets me about this article is that Amanda Blake was fired. At least the producer who sacked her admitted he made a mistake. Yeah, you fucking did, pal. I thought she left of her own volition. Clearly not! She just wanted a wardrobe update. Why the fuck not? She hadn’t had one in years. The budget had to be huge for that show! Why would that have been such an inconvenience?

Even if I didn’t ship Matt with Kitty, I would still make these criticisms:

Everything with Mike Yardner and Matt plays out like bad fanfiction, especially the movie where he learns he knocked her up, so they have a daughter…ALL THOSE YEARS AFTER THE FACT. Why wouldn’t she tell him about the baby sooner? Oh, that’s right: because Mike was never meant to be a significant character. It was so obvious that that movie was written years after the Mike episode. SO cringe. UGH. The Gunsmoke films are what Cursed Child is to Harry Potter. Just, dude, I’ve read plenty of fanfics that are FAR better written than that garbage. Everything with Matt & Mike Yardner is right out of a bad fanfiction or a soap opera. All of the Gunsmoke films were completely unnecessary. Sometimes it’s best just to let sleeping dogs lie. And this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I thought the last 3 seasons were superfluous. It’s sad when something genuinely good wears out its welcome because milking the cash cow becomes more important than producing high quality content. (Pirates of the Caribbean, Downton Abbey, & The Office all suffered the same fate, unfortunately.) I also thought “Kitty’s Love Affair” was god awful. I’m so sure Kitty would throw away the love she and Matt had spent years building for some guy she’d known for only a few days. Right. 🙄🙄🙄 And who proposes to someone they’ve known for at most a week? Bro, no one does that! That was such a poorly-written episode. I can not suspend my disbelief that much. Sorry not sorry. For not wanting to mess with romance, some of the writers sure messed with it—and not in a good way. They even said it wasn’t the point of the show, so why have any romance-centered drama? Why not just give little tidbits here and there that Matt and Kitty are together and just leave it at that? Also, I found Mike creepy. She knew Matt couldn’t remember anything, even who he was. It sounds like she took advantage of him. The idea of sleeping with someone with amnesia just doesn’t sit right with me, even if I knew them. Can they truly consent? Also, a character getting amnesia is a common soap opera trope. Why did such a great show like Gunsmoke have to go there? 🙄

Matt & Kitty had some great moments, but too much of the romance drama throughout the show and in the films was just so bad. The secondhand embarrassment was real! They wrote such a beautiful scene in “The Bullet: part 3” and then went and shot it all to hell with some subsequent seriously poor writing. But I agree: Matt & Kitty forever. “The Bullet: part 3” basically showed they were soulmates. Then the cash cow got in the way. As I’ve said with many other fandoms I’m in: thank God for fanfiction!

Unpopular opinion about Downton Abbey; I think Mary should not marry Henry Talbot. He doesn't do anything wrong, I quite like his character (and Matthew Goode is a great actor) But I do not agree with the premise that every character must marry or have a spouse in the end.

And I'm glad that Julian has fixed it in A New Era. In my opinion, Mary has been through many things. She is strong enough. The marriage with Henry Talbot is very out of character, because it's 'too much effort'. There are not chemistry. Hugh Dancy's character has more compatible chemistry with Mary than Henry Talbot. Also, Charles Blake - the guy that Mary makes him omelette.

me: HOT

also me:

kiwimeringue replied to your post “��”

I'm not into beer so I can really comment on this but sour beer just sounds gross x

It sounds worse than it actually is. Like, I don’t really mind the occasional sour but it’s just so. dominant. right now. Everyone is making sours, just like everyone was making IPAs for a while. (Also didn’t like IPAs)

This answer was also inspired by the fact that I have this one friend who’s means of inviting me to hang out are always attached to weirdly specific things and I just keep having to say no, and I feel bad that I keep turning down invitations, but come on, you need to invite me to something more neutral.

The last three things I’ve rejected:

1) a sour beer festival. at 11:30 AM. on a Saturday

2) The Downton Abbey movie (I stopped watching after season 3, zero interest in starting again)

3) roller derby (just not really into it)

What happened to getting drinks? Going to a park? Consulting on what movie to see and picking a neutral one?

The two Toms, Tom and Thomas for the character meme? 😊

Thanks for the suggestions and my apologies for the late reply!!

Let's break down the two Toms hehe

How I feel about this character:

Thomas - I love him. He was my favourite character from the first moment he appeared on screen, ever since episode one. My love for him only increased throughout the seasons. I think he is one of the most complex characters on the show and he has such a big arc, he changes alot from when we first meet him in season one. I truly started feeling for him in season three - when the whole sleep-kiss fiasco happened. He wants to be loved and accepted so bad. All I want to do is smother him and tell him he will be okay and that he's loved.

Tom - I also love him. Although, my love for him grew upon my second rewatch and after reading the fic And I For Him by dementian. It deserves a mention. I think his character arc is interesting, albeit a bit dissapointing in the end. I enjoyed his revolutionary spark and the way he used to speak up against the aristocraty. Unfortunately, that spark seemed to have dimmed by the end of season 6. Alas I think he has great moments and brings something refreshing to the show and the Crawleys.

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

Thomas - Tom <3 I am not even sorry. The wasted potential, not to mention the amazing chemistry Allen and Rob had off-screen. Still waiting for their gay bar in America spin-off smh.

Tom - Thomas obviously. But I did love the Sybil/Tom romance as well. The first time I watched the series I was rooting for them. Her death destroyed me and so did Tom's grief.

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

Thomas - For Thomas I have many, I love him with Baxter. The older sister and younger brother dynamic is just chef's kiss. ALSO Thomas and the kids please, especially Sybbie & George <333. Can't leave out Mrs Hughes, who has a soft spot for Thomas 100%.

Tom - Obviously Sybbie <33. I also love the sibling-like dynamic Tom and Mary share. Especially, seeing how much their relationship grew over the course of the series. Can't forget Henry who is Tom's canon man-crush and you cannot convince me otherwise. Special mention to Mrs Hughes here as well, because she helped him through some stuff.

My unpopular opinion about this character:

Thomas - I liked his ending as the butler of Downton. I know there are many who would have preferred he left service, which I kind of wanted as well, but I like the idea of Thomas finally belonging. Like he actually feels wanted and loved by the downstairs family. I am convinced most secretly like him better over Carson as the butler.

Tom - I can't get into his marriage with Lucy, at least not after the first movie. The fact he gets to inherit an estate is just ughh. Let's not forget that ending for him goes against everyhting he used to stand for :))) If anything I would have liked it better if he got together with a woman of the working class like Laura Edmunds if not Thomas.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

I feel like the answer is obvious, but I wished Thomas and Tom had ended up together. The fact they never bonded over their shared love for Sybil - not to mention Sybbie - is a shame. Even a friendship between the two would have been a joy to watch. Wasted potential I tell you. HOWEVER I heard rumors for a Downton Abbey movie 14 where Tom and Thomas will finally move to America together after realizing they love each other. They take Sybbie with them and become one happy family <33 Totally real. Allen told me himself.

5 Unpopular Opinions about Downton Abbey

I was tagged by @classicwom so lay the blame there.

1. Carson was an asshole from episode one to the end and I don’t understand why people find him endearing. I mean, ok, he’s not a solely evil presence or a child molester, but he’s every insufferable asshole boss I’ve ever known. When Carson has a little bit of power, Carson absolutely delights in taking advantage of the opportunity to be a prick, and force people to humiliate themselves begging him for favors or jobs or whatever. Most of Mary Crawley’ s worst traits can be laid at the doorstep of the man who raised her, Carson, because he spoiled her and taught her how to be a snob and how to be petty as hell.

2.I continually get irritated - although I am rarely public about it - with fans who profess to have never seen season 4-6 and yet hate those seasons passionately. God knows I am not saying seasons 4-6 were even equal to the first three seasons, but I did watch them so I can least have a valid opinion about Henry, for example, because I actually watched those episodes. Those seasons did have some good stuff, not much but some, and it’s sometimes frustrating to have a discussion over say, Edith’s romance with Bertie, or Henry’s odd pursuit of Mary only to find out the person who’s raging about it never watched the episodes.

3. I liked Elizabeth McGovern a LOT. People seem to think she’s a terrible actress and like, ok, she’s not perfect but she’s so much fun as Countess Cora! She gets all eye rolly and sometimes delivers lines so beautifully - the “You’ll think it will be like Little Women, but instead they’re at each other’s throats”, and when she helps with the body, and when she tells Mary to shut her mouth, and when she consoles Edith over Anthony dumping her at the altar. She’s not a *great* actress but she’s not the pile of awfulness people think she is.

4. I like Rose a little bit more than Sybil.  I don’t dislike Sybil btw, I just think Sybil represents a very typical cliché in period pieces - the young highborn girl who thinks too much and who marries someone from the gutter. Was there ever any doubt that Sybil would end up married to someone beneath her? Was there ever any doubt that she’d be the one to buck the system and work? Rose in contrast was just straight up more fun and much less stress to watch. She was also more interesting in that her choices didn’t seem layered in social commentary.

5. With rare exception, every single storyline revolving around a servant character after season two was pointless and meaningless and added nothing to the show. Seriously, if you weren’t Anna and Bates (and in season 5 and 6 really just Anna) you basically were nothing but one of the Crawley family’s loyal dumb stooge servants dedicated to receiving scraps from the nobles you adored. Granted, Thomas had some plots, but pretty much all of his storylines revolved around grinding him down. I mean, his big story in season five was trying to turn himself straight and season six? His suicide attempt. Meanwhile Daisy/Ivy/James/BigTallGuy/William/whoever the fuck else rotated and Mrs. Patmore bitched. 

Unasked for 6th opinion? There will never be a Downton Movie. Julian Fellowes will insist he’s working on the script until Maggie Smith dies and then declare it impossible to continue...

Heyyy, comrade)

For give me a character thingy:

Dembe or Aram from TBL

Tom Branson or Henry Talbot from Downtown Abbey.

Happy summer <3

Oooh, you’ve watched Downton Abbey? Well, we will need to discuss that sometime, won’t we? 😏

Anyways. Let’s do this.

ARAM MOJTABAI:

I feel pretty great about this character—a sense of kinship, if you will. The similarities Aram and I share are so specific that I could, for once, relate to a fictional character in a creative medium. It felt nice, seeing my personality being played out on the screen.

The only person I ship with him is Samar Navabi. They were a match made in heaven and I am so sad that Samar had to go. Their romance was so wholesome and tumultuous, and they went through so much…it’s almost like how Matthew and Mary danced around each other in Downton Abbey. Or how steadfast Anna and Bates were in that same show. Saram (the ship name for Aram x Samar) is like a mix of M&M and Anna/Bates.

My non-romantic OTP with Aram has to be him and Reddington. Even though Red is a criminal, Aram still holds him in high regard and respects him deeply. I also love how Red respects Aram in return and never takes advantage of his innocence. They as a non-romantic OTP are perfect! My favorite scene was when Red told Aram that he owed him a life debt because of how Aram saved Liz from danger. That scene was so powerful, it made my heart swell.

I don’t know whether it’s an unpopular opinion or not, but it is of my opinion that Aram should’ve kept Agnes away from Liz. Agnes didn’t need to be moved around from place to place and be traumatized for life. She needed to be under the care of someone who Liz knew and trusted, and that person was Aram. Aram would have taken way better care of Agnes than this mysterious Mrs. French. Aram would’ve been able to tell Agnes lovely stories about Liz and Tom, and he would’ve been able to give Agnes what Mrs. French couldn’t: safety and stability. It’s ironic, seeing as Aram is an FBI agent, but Mrs. French had a notorious connection to Liz as opposed to Aram, who was on the side of the good.

I wish that Aram had taken Agnes and stood up for himself for once. He needed to make Liz understand that she wouldn’t have fit as a good mother for her daughter at the time. He needed to not bend to the will of others. It’s very sad that the narrative gave Aram a chance, but he blew it.

TOM BRANSON:

I like him. He’s quite energetic, and though we disagree politically, he’s a good man. His character growth in the show is something that makes me smile, because of how much he actually grew.

I ship him with Sybil Crawley and only Sybil Crawley. Any other ship with him just makes me cringe. I suppose I’m also open to a friends-to-lovers type of romance with Tom and Mary, but only in fanfics (and even then, I’m iffy). Maybe I wouldn’t have minded if that happened when I first watched the show at age 11, but now, my beliefs are more hardened and solid. I wouldn’t be able to even stomach Tom x Mary. On the other hand, Tom x Sybil are a match made in heaven (like Saram is in TBL). That’s the good thing about this show. They leave you no room to wonder about any other ships because the canon ones are written so bloody well! When it came to romance, this show always hit it right on the money. It had the initial attraction, the development, and then the final product. It also helps that all the actors had such wonderful chemistry with one another. I guess that’s the Downton Abbey charm, isn’t it?

The non-romantic OTP question has an easy answer: Tom and Matthew. They were friends, comrades, and brothers in everything but blood. The on-screen chemistry they had was beyond excellent. One of my favorite scenes was when Matthew jumped up to Tom’s defense after the latter was drugged by Larry Grey, and I loved how Matthew announced that Tom would be his best man. I thoroughly enjoyed how Tom was the one who convinced Matthew to not call off the wedding with Mary. I will always remember when he said, “You won’t be happy with anyone else while Lady Mary walks the Earth.” It makes me bubble up inside to know that it was Tom who convinced Matthew in the end. I also love when Matthew said an episode or two later, “We’re brothers-in-law with high-minded wives. We’d better stick together.” This makes me really want to know how Tom reacted to Matthew’s death. Did he cry? Did he brood? Because I know he’s the emotional type for sure.

I don’t have any unpopular opinion regarding Tom, I don’t think. I also don’t have anything that I wish happened in canon.

Thank you so much for the asks, @skiesfallithurts! It was so terribly fun to answer them!

Kemal Pamuk and his awful behaviour with both Mary And Thomas? 🔥

I don’t think I have an unpopular opinion about this, but what I DO have is a frankly embarrassing amount of words devoted to this in one of the Downton Abbey video essay scripts

I mean there is just a wealth of meta on the entire Mary<>Thomas thing floating around in my brain... literally from the VERY BEGINNING we are shown that they are both into the same man and it’s like, 

I mean, okay, the very first episode we have this sequence:

Mary is interested in the Duke

The Duke feigns interest in her

The Duke takes advantage of Mary’s interest in him to get access to Thomas’s bedroom

The Duke violates Thomas’s privacy

Thomas threatens to reveal their relationship (in the context of blackmail)

The Duke responds to this by enforcing that he has the upper hand in this situation, because his word as an nobleman will be valued more than Thomas’s word as a servant

This serves as a reminder that it is Thomas’s reputation at stake, less than the Duke’s

Thomas loses the argument and they part ways

And in the third episode we have this sequence:

Thomas is interested in Pamuk

Pamuk feigns interest in him

Pamuk takes advantage of Thomas’s interest in him to get access to Mary’s bedroom

Pamuk violates Mary’s privacy

Mary threatens to reveal their interaction (in the context of her own protection)

Pamuk responds to this by enforcing that he has the upper hand in this situation, because his word as a gentleman will be valued more than her word as a woman

This serves as a reminder that it is Mary’s reputation at stake, less than Pamuk’s

Mary loses the argument, and Pamuk violates Mary’s consent

Like..... okay.......................................! Okay!

Isobel Crawley! I think she’s very interesting but not often talked about

You are 100% right anon and I'm happy to talk about Isobel because I too find her so interesting!! Thank you!

How I feel about this character: Isobel is probably one of my favourite characters in Downton Abbey to be honest! Her heart is in the right place, she has good values and I love the way she challenges everyone else in the family. I also love her negative qualities like the way she sometimes comes off a bit condescending when trying to do good. I find that to be something that's probably very relatable for a lot of people; we all want to do good and be good people but sometimes it may come off as us just polishing our own halos. She is an entertaining character, her dialogue is golden and how great of an actress is Penelope Wilton? I love her.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Isobel and Violet are in love.... I also like her relationship with Clarkson, whether we view it as romantic or platonic.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Not to say Violet and Isobel again but!! How great are these two. Their dialogue is amazing and they really present a proper match for each other. I love their chemistry and how they start of as sort of rivals and end up companions. I actually think DA uses these two kind of well when exploring certain themes, for example the whole thing with Ethel. If Violet's idea about finding Ethel work elsewhere would bring her more happiness, does it matter that she has probaly selfish intentions and Isobel has altruistic intentions? So interesting.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Hmm, I think a lot of people find her annoying or dislike the annoying parts about her but I just really like them. She's sweet and lovely and I love her for it, but whenever she's being holier-than-thou or out of touch? Delicious. Give it to me. Her faults make her so human and I love her.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: This may be an unpopular opinion, but I would have hoped for no romantic plot for her at all. I didn't find Dickie as a character very compelling and I felt like Isobel's plot was very heavily affected by romance towards the end and that wasn't really my cup of tea. (I kind of like that scene though where Dickie's daughter in law says "Mrs. Crawley wants to take you away from your son and your family and kidnap you into marriage. What do you say?" and he responds with "How perfectly marvelous". That's a great scene.)

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Send me a character and I will break their ass down

I think my most unpopular opinion about Downton Abbey is the fact there cannot be an honest relationship aka friendship based on equality between upstairs and downstairs people.