‘Downton Abbey’ season 3, episode 6 review (PBS): Do you feel sorry for Tom?

Since we like to frame every review of “Downton Abbey” around a question (at least for the American airings), we are going to do the same exact thing here for what were technically the seventh and eighth episodes of the hit ITV drama in the United Kingdom. (If you want to read our original review from the fall, you can do so over here.)

The question we are going to ask here is rather simple: has your opinion changed of Thomas over the course of the season? At the time of the premiere, we felt that this was a man who was extremely nasty for the sake of being nasty, and that he was really incapable of loving anyone. Then, Jimmy came along.

This story does have some relevancy when it comes to how sexuality is represented and explored in the present-day world, but aggrandized to reflect the sensitive nature of the times. Jimmy, afraid of the legal implications that would come with being a homosexual, was simply not ready to profess any feelings that he had for another man. Therefore, he started down an elaborate series of events at Alfred’s beckoning that almost led to him having his lover-of-sorts fired from his post. Even when he was convinced to give up the plan, Alfred still tried to have Thomas arrested.

In the end, everything did turn out reasonably all right for Rob James-Collier’s character: Robert not only allowed him to keep his post, but Jimmy received a promotion in return for his generous silence over an indiscretion that he supposedly had no part it. Plus, there was a delightful little game of cricket to boot! There was no enormous death on par with Sybil’s, though there were plenty of other moments that stirred up emotions.

After watching this super-sized installment of “Downton Abbey,” what is your take on Thomas? We want to hear some more of your thoughts below, and you can watch the latest “Downton Abbey” spoof video over at the link here.

Photo: PBS / ITV