As I watch Thomas Blancheford’s character in Renegade Nell, I wonder to myself, What is the source of his evil? Is it because he lost his mother at a young age? Is it because he was raised by a single parent who also happens to be an aristocrat in the White Country? Regardless, Thomas has a massive pool of darkness inside him, which becomes an important theme in the villain’s narrative as well. I often think about what really makes people act in ways that are detrimental to themselves and society. Until and unless we’re talking about psychopaths, there shouldn’t really be any reason for a person to turn to the dark side. But again, we do not live in an ideal world, and the Thomas Blanchefords of this world often end up getting away with heinous crimes like murder. People often say that spoilt brats like Thomas may never learn their lessons, but perhaps he does after his actions. Through Thomas’ story, the series tries to draw a lesson on the consequences of greed and impulsiveness.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Is Thomas Blancheford?
Thomas is the son of Lord Blancheford, the landlord of Tottenham and a magistrate. Unlike his father, who takes responsibility for the well-being of his tenants, Thomas is quite the opposite. Thomas is brash, arrogant, and greedy. He likes to abuse his power and show off his status to the underprivileged people in his land. He is also a drunkard and throws violent fits after becoming intoxicated. His father often chided him for his behavior. As much as the people respect the Lord, they despise Thomas and are also quite scared of him, fearing that he would cause them even more trouble.
Why Does Thomas Kill Sam Trotter?
Thomas’ abusive behavior towards the people of their land made the Lord threaten to have him disinherited. Instead of reforming his ways, Thomas seeks guidance from his mentor, Robert Hennessey, the Earl of Poynton. Thomas is aware about Hennessey being wise in the ways of dark magic and asks for Hennessey’s help so that he can have his estate. Hennessey, however, has other intentions and asks Thomas to prove that he has the guts to seek help through dark magic, suggesting that he should prove his worth by killing a man.
After Nelly’s return from the dead, Sam and her children throw a celebration for Nelly. However, Thomas crashes the celebration and orders Sam to summon Roxy, wishing to have her serve him a drink. Nelly, however, finds it extremely derogatory and confronts Thomas and advises him to stay away from Roxy. An infuriated Thomas drags Nelly outside the bar and attempts to whip her, until she awakens her power and overpowers him instead.
Humiliated after being publicly beaten up by Nelly, Thomas retaliates by killing Sam Trotter and framing him for poaching with the help of his father. Lord Blancheford isn’t keen on supporting his son but is compelled to do so to protect him. If people find out that he took a bias against his son and framed an innocent man, his name would be slandered as well.
Why Does Thomas Kill His Father?
After killing Sam, Thomas meets up with Hennessey again and talks about his killing of Sam. He finds pride in killing an innocent man, expressing that he killed Sam just because he could, dehumanizing him. However, Hennessey manipulates him further. He expresses that killing a worthless man like Sam would never get him prominence. He explains that Sam wasn’t the one standing between Thomas and his inheritance. Thomas realizes that Hennessey, even though discreetly, is suggesting he kill his own father. Hennessey’s words get Thomas thinking. Rather than showing accountability, his disagreements with his father are only fueled by his mentor. Learning about the accusations against her father by Lord Blancheford and Thomas, when Nelly confronts the Lord, things turn sour. In the heat of the moment, Thomas turns to his father, shoots him in front of Sofia, and then blames Nelly for the crime.
How Does Thomas React To Killing His Father?
After killing his own father, he inherits the estate and the title; however, he doesn’t feel good about it. It is quite obvious that he realizes that he didn’t earn this position. Thomas literally murdered his own father in cold blood, driven by greed, and now that he has what he wanted, he realizes the burden. Seeing that Thomas is grieving, Sofia takes charge of running the estate and catching Nelly. However, Thomas is not just grieving; he is haunted by his actions. He starts seeing Lord Blancheford’s apparition everywhere he goes. It’s as if he finally has a conscience, and for him to grow one, he had to commit the heinous crime of patricide. Thomas starts getting consumed by these hallucinations of his father and starts to lose his sanity. Even after Sofia urges him to believe in his innocence for his own sake, Thomas is unable to.
After Sofia starts associating with Hennessey, Thomas expresses concern. Perhaps, by this point, he has realized that he was manipulated into killing his father by his mentor. He realizes that Hennessey is dangerous and can poison her like he poisoned him. He tries to convince Sofia that Hennessey is responsible for putting things in his head, but Sofia is in the sorcerer’s grasp by now and is adamant.
What Happens To Thomas In The End?
To provide relief to Thomas, Sofia asks Hennessey to talk to him and bring him some comfort. Hennessey, on the other hand, gifts Thomas a pendant similar to his own ring. It turns out that this pendant gradually starts to possess Thomas and makes him compliant with Hennessey’s plans. It is only later revealed that the pendant is supposed to use the darkness inside Thomas, serving as a pool of power for the sorcerer. At the time of the final battle, after Hennessey takes the Queen hostage, Sofia notices Thomas behaving deliriously and spots the pendant. She tries to take it off her brother, but any attempt to do so proves quite painful for Thomas.
After Hennessey initiates his plans, he becomes nearly invincible because of the pendant drawing strength from Thomas. Meanwhile, Thomas is writhing with pain, and the pendant has dissolved inside his chest. The pendant has unleashed a curse on Thomas, and it seemed sure to kill him. Seeing Thomas suffer like this, Nelly asks Billy Blind to enter Thomas’ body and fight the curse. Billy isn’t keen on doing so but is convinced by Nelly. He enters Thomas’ body and fights off the curse. After killing Hennessey, Sofia tries to convince Nelly to vouch for her and her brother, but after even losing Billy to save Thomas, she banishes them and makes them live a life on the run away from their privilege.
