The juxtaposition of Jamie and Peter in Bly Manor is such good and subtle writing. These characters are different sides of the same coin. Both characters come from backgrounds of extreme abuse, poverty, and abandonment. Jamie works hard and tries harder to be a better “boring” person and not carry the toxicity of her childhood with her or infect the world with it. Peter, on the flip side, let’s the toxicity consume him and infect the world around him.
They both are involved in a relationship with the au pair who works at Bly, Jamie with Dani and Peter with Rebecca, and these two relationships couldn’t be more unlike even if they tried. Jamie is patient, honest, kind, and gentle with Dani. Peter is obsessive, manipulative, possessive, and cruel to Rebecca (he gaslights the fuck out of her).
Jamie is a huge part/reason Dani didn’t succumb to her “beast” for a longer than expected period of time. Peter killed Rebecca because even in his own death he was still possessive over her life.
Jamie is a gardener with plants but also to the woman she loves.
Peter is a manipulator, murder, and kills the woman he claims to love.
I’d like to see a little more love for Owen and Hannah.
Their story is equally as tragic as Dani and Jaime’s.
Hannah doesn’t fully realize how much she loves Owen until she’s dead. She doesn’t see what a beautiful life they could have together until it’s too late.
Owen spends the rest of his life missing Hannah. He dedicates space to her in his restaurant. He talks about her laugh years later, saying no one had a laugh like hers.
Dani and Jaime’s story is so sad, but they got their time together. Hannah and Owen really didn’t.
They should’ve had Paris. Eating croissants and drinking good wine. They deserved that.
