He calls himself a ' Tomlette.' He once swallowed his own load and was proud of it. That whole using human beings as footstools and placating Nazis is genuinely awful. Tom is alternately pitiable - fully taken advantage of by his wife and her horrible family - and loathsome.

almost everyone) and abusive to those underneath him (Cousin Greg). He's abused by those higher in status than him (ie. Tom is a man desperate for status, who has glommed onto the Roy family by way of Shiv. If you were to transpose the world of Succession to Austenian England, Tom would be less Darcy and more George Wickham. Tom, of course, is not only one of the best television characters in recent years, he's also one of the most uncomfortable presences on screen I've ever encountered. In a bizarre way, Tom Wambsgans has both destroyed Pride & Prejudice and improved it for me. His sheer befuddlement when he confesses his love for Lizzie in the rain is something to behold. His Darcy comes off as haughty, yes, but also clueless. Macfadyen is a master at social ineptitude.

In a way, perhaps because Tom has been dogging my psyche, I've come to appreciate his performance more over time. I always thought he seemed a bit overly grim and brooding - more Brontë than Austen, really. I, admittedly, was never too keen on the Macfadyen Darcy. Ken Tucker at New York was downright cruel, calling Macfadyen 'sour.' Macfadyen's portrayal of the character as a shy, awkward suitor whose seeming arrogance camouflages insecurity and deep sensitivity is more realistic' than Firth's take on the character. Stephen Holden at the New York Times praised his Darcy, writing, 'Mr.

Macfadyen, too, was the subject of mixed responses. While Wright's cinematic version was critically celebrated, it was the subject of some derision by Austen scholars who thought it too sexy, specifically taking issue with a dreamy kiss that was tacked on to the end of the US release. Colin Firth's Darcy in the 1995 BBC miniseries had been the ultimate in Regency hunks, regarded by Austen aficionados as the perfect portrayal of the officious object of desire. When Macfadyen was cast as Darcy, he was an unknown with big shoes to fill.

Mr darcy from pride and prejudice