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I agree that a Carson death has a lot more possibilities for the show.
If Violet is dying, she'll say she doesn't want to be the center of attention, but we'll all know that isn't true. Carson wouldn't want to be the center of attention, so a dramatic death could be fun to watch. Maybe there will be some accident during which Thomas valiantly saves a member of the family while trying to save Carson too, but oops, it doesn't work out for Carson. Typical Thomas though, he comes out a hero.
That would be a GREAT scene - Thomas in a valiant effort to save Carson from something and despite all his heroic efforts it is not enough to save Carson. Carson in his last minutes of life thanks Thomas and apologizes for the past, and for misjudging him Then, Carson seems to nod off, but finds the energy to tell Thomas that if he wants the job of head butler, he's got it and with a shaky hand writes a short letter of recommendation to Lord Grantham, but it's unnecessary because Lord Grantham arrives in the nick of time to hear everything.
The resolution for Thomas would be for him to remain at Downton among his "family." That would probably have to mean that Carson dies or retires so that Barrow could assume the position of head butler.
The way the show has been going, it seems like the only choices left for Barrow are suicide or some sort of redemption in the form of being accepted permanently at Downton. It isn't as though having him meet his true love and live happily ever after is an option. At least I don't think the show would try and do that, it wouldn't be too credible for 1925.
I think that with Moseley leaving, that changes the situation for Thomas completely. Lord Grantham only wants to trim some staff. Thomas was the obvious choice, but if Downton Abbey loses Moseley, then Thomas simply has to assume Moseley's duties. He's underbutler/senior footman. And that's a good plan, because Andy doesn't have much experience, and they need a someone with experience to help Andy do a good job. Moreover, Moseley will be staying in the neighborhood, so on the occasions that the Granthams are having larger affairs, Moseley can earn extra money helping to staff these affairs. Thomas becomes even more valuable, in light of Andy's interest in becoming a farmer. And as Carson ages, Thomas becomes the obvious choice to assume Carson's position.
Blackmailing Baxter, blatantly trying to take down Gwen Harding?!? Well yeah he's better since O'Brien left, he no longer has a partner in crime and everyone is wise to his ways.
And his snark about Gwen was just a few episodes ago, too. He never learns, does he? I can't imagine how horrid life would be for the other servants if Thomas were to become the butler. He shoved the "I am the underbutler" crap down everyone's throats for so long; he would be insufferable as the head cheese. I can't imagine Mrs. Hughes standing for any of his nonsense.
That would be a GREAT scene - Thomas in a valiant effort to save Carson from something and despite all his heroic efforts it is not enough to save Carson. Carson in his last minutes of life thanks Thomas and apologizes for the past, and for misjudging him Then, Carson seems to nod off, but finds the energy to tell Thomas that if he wants the job of head butler, he's got it and with a shaky hand writes a short letter of recommendation to Lord Grantham, but it's unnecessary because Lord Grantham arrives in the nick of time to hear everything.
And Mrs. Hughes would be looking on horrified that Carson is apologizing to Thomas instead of her...
I see Carson on his deathbed telling Thomas what still needs to be done before the dinner bell rings so Lord Grantham's dinner won't be affected.
I see Thomas, giving Carson a little push....over a cliff or into oncoming traffic. I've never seen the good in him and wouldn't put it past his character to murder someone. All the sniveling and crying is just him feeling sorry for himself because he no longer has his evil playground since everyone is wise to his ways.
Unfortunately they won't make a murderer of him. He'll get to stay on because they've overdone his leaving. Still can't believe they would send someone like that out into the world with a good reference.
I don't see a happy ending for Thomas. They would never let him run the house. He's gone as far as he ever will and they are trying to get rid of him. His distaste for cities was his undoing. He could have escaped some time ago but now he's up the creek.
He'll be a casualty of loss of the class system. His skills are no longer useful and he's too proud to do what Mosely's doing - find a new skill and a new job with it.
Mosely may end up the best of most of them. A teacher is respectable and not physically demanding. Daisy may end up on a farm - a hard life. Anna & Bates could run Mrs. Patmore's B&B, or one of their own.
Thomas has nothing. He's not smart, he won't work hard, he's not well liked, and his homosexuality is a huge detriment.
I'm very glad that Mosely has taken a turn for the better. I always found it odd how he went from being the main servant of the heir apparent to digging ditches when Mathew died. He was always respectable and did a good job. The family would have found something for him in real life.
I don't see a happy ending for Thomas. They would never let him run the house. He's gone as far as he ever will and they are trying to get rid of him. His distaste for cities was his undoing. He could have escaped some time ago but now he's up the creek.
Well he is in the midst of his "Come to Jesus" moment right not so there is either redemption or damnation in his future, so stay tuned.
I think that with Moseley leaving, that changes the situation for Thomas completely. Lord Grantham only wants to trim some staff. Thomas was the obvious choice, but if Downton Abbey loses Moseley, then Thomas simply has to assume Moseley's duties. And as Carson ages, Thomas becomes the obvious choice to assume Carson's position.
That would represent a demotion for Barrow, going from under butler to glorified footman. As such it would not represent much in the way of a resolution of his story.
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And as Carson ages, Thomas becomes the obvious choice to assume Carson's position
Perhaps, but we only have two shows left and I doubt that Carson can age that much in two episodes. A happy ending for Thomas pretty much requires that Carson be shot out of the saddle in some form or another before the series wraps. Thomas may render all such speculation moot by offing himself as many of us suspect he will.
Well he is in the midst of his "Come to Jesus" moment right not so there is either redemption or damnation in his future, so stay tuned.
This smacks of a spoiler, unless I'm reading too much into it. If I remember correctly, you've already seen all of Season 6.
If Thomas is in the middle of a "Come to Jesus" moment, that would mean he's got some serious angst to go through that we're going to see. It would also mean the anguish we've seen him experience isn't over, and implies he has a future decision to make. In other words, the situation won't effectively be decided for him by a situation like Carson dropping dead of a heart attack and Robert offering him the job. That's not the kind of decision requiring thought on the part of Thomas.
I have no problem with those who've seen the last two episodes participating in the discussion as long as they're careful. I've also learned not to look at the thread after an episode airs in time zones east of me and when I can watch it. Although people were careful not to post explicit spoilers, there were some comments which were enough to know the general direction of a plot element.
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Then, Carson seems to nod off, but finds the energy to tell Thomas that if he wants the job of head butler, he's got it and with a shaky hand writes a short letter of recommendation to Lord Grantham, but it's unnecessary because Lord Grantham arrives in the nick of time to hear everything.
