‘Downton Abbey’ season 5 character debate: Brendan Coyle and John Bates
We are still smack in the middle right now of our “Downton Abbey” character debate series, where every day we feature one of the characters that is a part of the hit ITV series. So who is the focus on this time around? We’re looking at a man in John Bates who clearly has had some highs on the series, but also his fair share of lows … and plenty of them.
So where does a man like this go forward? It’s hard to imagine him hitting a lower low, so instead, we would like to see the character deal with something else unexpected … but in a completely different way. (Obviously, there are spoilers ahead for Americans.)
When we last saw him – Bates seemed to do the most violent thing that he has done over the course of the entire series, as all of the evidence points to him murdering Mr. Green in London after the valet for Lord Gillingham previously raped his wife during an opera performance at the Abbey. It appeared at first that some new evidence was going to cause Mary to turn him in for his crimes, but the good news for him was that his own actions to help protect the family in a different way in the Christmas Special bailed him out.
What we could see – The obvious route for the show to go would be to somehow introduce another shred of evidence that could tie Bates to his past misgivings, and have him go back to prison. Or, he could commit some sort of new crime. There is also the discussion of children that will likely continue to persevere, when you consider that these two characters have been together now for a little while.
What we would like to see – What would happen if someone in Bates’ family came to visit, or he ran into some of his old prison contacts outside of the Big House? We want to see the rape story buried (since it never felt tonally right for this show anyway), and for the focus to be placed instead on a different sort of conflict that is a little bit more relatable, and could challenge his relationship with Anna that does not make him look like he is on the cusp of another arrest.
What do you want to see from Bates moving forward on “Downton Abbey”? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below.
Mr_Rogers
January 7, 2014 @ 2:17 am
The off-screen death of Mr. Green was a missed opportunity IMO. Julian Fellowes devoted a LOT of screen time to Anna’s rape, but then rather anti-climactically offed the evil Mr. Green in the most mundane way possible. Since it happened in Piccadilly Circus of all places, there would’ve been plenty of witnesses had Mr. Green been pushed into the road. There were some inexplicable hints at possible devious behavior on the part of Mr. Bates, but even that matter was wrapped up quickly and without much ado. I personally wanted to see how the formidable Mr. Bates, veteran, ex-convict, generally bad-ass dude, dealt with the slimy Mr. Green, but it was not to be. I actually think it possible that Julian Fellowes wrote himself into a corner with the whole thread, and so ended it with barely a whimper. It’s a shame, too, because instead of wasting most of the Christmas Special on some ridiculous cloak-and-dagger nonsense surrounding a pilfered letter (a problem that was solved by Mr. Bates with 10-seconds worth of pick-pocketing), Fellowes could’ve shown how Bates (or Anna? – she was in London at that time, too) had extracted justice from the evil Mr. Green. It could’ve been an elevating event for the show. I am sure that Vince Gilligan would not have backed down from such a challenge (and opportunity)…
That said, there is still one more bad apple for Bates to spar with, and that is of course Thomas Barrows. But then, the show has already started to position Mr. Molesley as a new combatant for Barrows, so I suppose that’s out (and I think it would be more pleasing anyway to see Molesley find his courage in a major duel of wits and strength with Barrows, with Miss Baxter waiting as the prize).
I think the best option for the Bateses is for Anna to get pregnant, with the implication that Anna must give up her job. Faced with the need for replacing Anna’s lost income, Bates could leave the Abbey, but stay in the village by buying a pub with the money he got after his first wife died (but gained access to only after he was exonerated). At first, the pub could do poorly, but then be saved from ruin when Branson marries Miss Bunting and decides to have the reception in the Bates Pub. The implicit approval from hosting a Crowley outing would make the Bates Pub the “in” place with the locals.