The bad boys, Thomas and Bates, are back. Especially Thomas tries his best to assert his status as sergeant. Some say he’s getting grander than Lady Mary… Is that possible?
One of the things that makes me trust Guy Dexter is that first scene with Thomas in the library, when he says “Anything I need? That’s a tall order.” Like… that’s a flirtation. Along the same lines of “Is that what you’ve found? A friend?” or “Perhaps he’s found better things to do…Why don’t you come with me?” To compare it to another upstairs guest, If Pamuk had said that to Thomas in season one, Thomas would have pounced on it.
But he doesn’t. He looks down and fumbles for a response… and without waiting for one, Guy quickly says “I’m sorry—I was teasing you. What I should have said is, I have everything I need. Thank you so much.” Sorry about that, it’s not meant to make you uncomfortable, I’ll let you get back to your job.
The next time we see an interaction between them, which from the script at least is implied to be their next one-on-one conversation, it’s in a public space where they’re surrounded by people. Thomas has drifted into the crowd listening to Guy when he has no real reason to be there; Guy initiates the direct conversation, but there’s no pressure and no flirtation. He asks Thomas a question about his life and seems genuinely interested and encouraging, and makes a little self-deprecating joke. In response, Thomas is pretty different than the first scene; his answer is cheerful and chatty.
The next conversation we see is more intimate again. Guy is mildly flirty with the “Just Barrow” bit, maybe, but mostly melancholy, and Thomas is kind and pays him a compliment and arguably flirts in return. I would say Thomas is definitely flirting in the next conversation—their first conversation in a private room. RJC’s delivery of “suppose someone comes in?” and “What’s your real name?” is coy and deliberate.
Guy does bring back the innuendo and extend a potentially romantic/sexual offer, but he doesn’t actually do it until Thomas has indicated he’ll be responsive to it in that scene. And in doing so, he emphasizes Thomas’s own comfort and agency three separate times—once with the “make us bothcomfortable” line, and then in the later scene with the “you’ve had enough of standing” comment (implying he wants to downplay the servant/employer element of their relationship) and again in deliberately saying the offer is whatever Thomaswants.
And at that point, the film crew has been there for over a month—potentially like 6-8 weeks, maybe, so even if we’re not meant to think they’ve had a bunch of substantial conversations in between, they have definitely been in the same spaces and observed their interactions with other people. Thomas has seen Guy interacting with everyone from Myrna Dagleish down to the maids, and Guy is unfailingly kind in almost every scene we see onscreen; even in the background of the scene where Myrna’s voice recording is a disaster, we see him comforting her, before anyone else really expresses sympathy for her. There are some really frustrating and dispiriting moments for Guy in the film, but he still has an even temper.
I understand there are probably some people who are never going to be comfortable with the idea of an employer/employee relationship and never going to be comfortable with them having known each other for a relatively short period of time, but tbh I think at a certain point the “what if” doomsday scenarios get a little silly precisely because I think the movie is sodeliberate in showing us that Guy is Not That Kind of Person. He’s humble, patient, responds to nonverbal cues, and de-emphasizes the social gap between them at every point. Compare Guy’s portrayal to not only the Duke of Crowborough’s but also Richard Carlisle’s and Lady Anstruther’s—we’ve seen upper-class characters who take advantage of servants and we’ve seen self-made men who are defensive over their newfound status, and Guy is definitely not meant to be one of those people.
It helps Guy comes from humble roots. He says he worked in a clothing store before he was discovered, so he probably has a lot of empathy for working class folks. If anything, someone like Thomas is far more ideal for him than a glamorous Hollywood type.
Also, the thing that sealed the deal was that when Thomas gives Lady Mary his notice, Guy is waiting for him outside. It shows that he wasn’t just leading Thomas into quitting his job before ditching him. He’s sticking to his word.
Thomas Barrow and Guy Dexter appreciation post from the new companion book for A New Era. The way this played out was a delight and it was nice to see someone seriously pursue Thomas for once. I feel about Guy the way I feel about Bertie: not my fave but a damn good runner up. I wish I had time to write about all their Hollywood adventures !
So I mentioned that I won the official Downton Abbey Ultimate Fan Contest. I will post what I can from my meet n greet with the cast, but I just had to scream in delight over the new film. An early private screening was the other half of my prize and I ADORED it. Blew the last one (and season 6) right out of the water. So pleased with it, especially the way Mr Barrow ended up. I’ve been wanting something like this for him for like seven years and now…. SQUEE.
So fitting that a Thomas fan would win the Ultimate Fan Contest THREE CHEERS- so happy for you! <333
Haha it was amazing. I can’t believe I managed to ask coherent questions to the actors. When o was talking to Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle and Hugh Dancy, Kevin was like, ‘What’s that behind you?’ And I was like, ‘It’s my Downton shrine.’ He said, ‘WHAT. SHOW US.’
And I’m here like… I didn’t even show him all my stuff haha.
I can’t quite post the full run of these yet, but here are some screenshots from my amazing meet ‘n’ greet with the Downton cast, which was part of my “Ultimate Fan” prize. Amazingly, I didn’t turn it into the Barrow show and managed to adult. Sort of.
