Sideblog for Thomas and Jimjams

Em. 30s. If you see another 'nightblog' following you/liking your posts, it's me lol. my gifs.

[thenightblogjameth]

It was supposed to be a joke, but, well, now it's got out of hand.

[papa-evershed]

Rob James-Collier | Love Life

[thenightblogjameth]

[barrowdearest]

what do you mean this is a behind the scenes picture. no no, daisy got a new camera and started taking pictures and snapped this candid of jimmy and thomas looking happy as hell

[papa-evershed]

Thomas Barrow, Downton Abbey S06EP05

[blackbirdinthebox]

[fuckyeah-thommy]

Who’s this?

[userarmand]

You were brave, Mr. Barrow… Very Brave.

[misunderstoodnotevil]

[thenightblogjameth]

You're a real pal.

[sasheenka]

[downtonreactiongifs]

[blackbirdinthebox]

I know someone who kisses the way / a flower opens -Mary Oliver, from I know someone

(x, x, x)

[jimmyfuckingkent]

this still kills me. every. damn. time.

[irrationalgame]

Missing scene from 3.06

[thenightblogjameth]

Jimmy 'silly flirt' Kent

[sinattea]

Back at it with my bs!! I haven't watched past s3 (and never will), but I need to interpret the acting choices made here, because the body language Rob and Ed gave their characters is giving me THOUGHTS and FEELS.

A) Thomas' expression as he starts speaking in the first gif: he's talking about himself. When he says pathetic he means himself. When he says pining over a footman he means himself. I know the face of self-hatred when I see it (and given what I know happens later to him (and why I chose not to watch further) at this point he is already spiraling down a bit).

B) JAMES PICKS UP ON IT. In the first gif you can see it when he looks at Thomas. Then he immediately goes into Flirt Mode TM (the preferred mode for basically all his private interactions with Thomas) and even though he's propping himself up in here he's stealing quick looks at Thomas with a smile in gifs 2 and 3. It's the way he's constantly looking away from and at Thomas that gives it away as a flirt more than a conversation. (Why can't you hold Thomas' gaze, Jimmy??? Why??? Sus af).

C) They way it all falls down in the last gif?? Thomas' evident "I love you. I'm pathetic and I love you" look before he turns away. And Jimmy suddenly looking hella grim because this conversation is actually about Anstruther and not Thomas??

Listen. Listen. I know what the text of the series says. But the actors knew things we don't and that knowledge informed the way they built and portrayed their characters.

It's not normal to have such a disconnect between what is told and what is shown in a visual medium by accident. This is all created. It's art. Things mean things.

Jimmy always said he wasn't interested in Thomas but he didn't act like it. And the chemistry between him and Thomas was played up a LOT. And that was a purposeful choice made by both Rob and Ed to stretch the boundaries of the script through their body language, microexpressions and tone. And you can bet they had a reason for it!!

It's either that or they're both terrible actors who can't follow a script (spoiler alert: it's not that. They're both great at their craft) and the directors and editors were somehow ok with that.

I don't presume to know what went on behind the scenes at Downton Abbey; but as someone whose career gave her a solid knowledge of how media production works, I can see clear as day that something in this show did not go the way it was originally meant to (the way that informed Ed and Rob's character building process) and that is why the stories these characters tell and what the story tells about then is so conflicting and unsatisfying.

[aranielya]

“Sorry Mr. Barrow.”