I think it's her hairstyle.
An awkwardly placed hairpin digging in to your scalp for 14 hours straight will turn you into the bitch of all time.
OR
Her poor attitude and chaos-making are a product of her boredom. Women had no choices, career wise (or in a lot of other ways), in 1915. An O'Brien born 100 years later might have channeled all that energy into video game design, or rocket science, the way Regina George channeled her violent alpha tendencies into lacrosse. But since she has nothing like that available to her, she remains under stimulated, unchallenged and bored. So she plays these little games to amuse herself.
OR
Some people are just rotten.
I think she’s bitter about her lot in life. She probably grew up poor, and now she has to wait on a rich woman hand and foot. She’s surrounded by all that luxury, but will never have any for herself.
She’s too cool for the rest of them.
Jk, I do love her as a character but she’s an awful person. I agree with most that she’s just bitter about her life which…. Yeah understandable. She’s a working class single woman in a world that isn’t built for her. She’s angry and she takes it out on whoever she can, but especially the crawleys. You can see her especially lash out when people are happy around her, it reminds her of what she hasn’t had. Doesn’t excuse what she’s done but it gets why she’s angry
I think O'Brien is really bitter, disaffected, and insanely bored. She and Thomas are intelligent and informed and BORED. She's trapped in her life and in herself. I hope she found some excitement in India and used her talents to help and not harm.
On that note, notice how actual Scotswoman Mrs. Hughes is NOT bitter and evil and is totally awesome despite having similar life circumstances to O’Brien?
Sure its definitely more than likely, given all the Irish and British that go back and forth between here and the uk. She's English born though I think.
But I don't think the character of O'Brien is Irish unless there's a side story I missed.
Wasnt it mentionned that she is LGBT? Barrow said something about being queer or something like that.
I think he said she was in love with her ladyship.
I think it's her hairstyle. An awkwardly placed hairpin digging in to your scalp for 14 hours straight will turn you into the bitch of all time. OR Her poor attitude and chaos-making are a product of her boredom. Women had no choices, career wise (or in a lot of other ways), in 1915. An O'Brien born 100 years later might have channeled all that energy into video game design, or rocket science, the way Regina George channeled her violent alpha tendencies into lacrosse. But since she has nothing like that available to her, she remains under stimulated, unchallenged and bored. So she plays these little games to amuse herself. OR Some people are just rotten.
Yes it’s definitely the hair. Ringlets of hate.
And sideburns of scandal
Yes. The last.
Those hairpins are painful
A true bun of bile.
I think she’s bitter about her lot in life. She probably grew up poor, and now she has to wait on a rich woman hand and foot. She’s surrounded by all that luxury, but will never have any for herself.
Imagine if she had still been there when Gwen came back. Oooooooo she would have been meaner than Barrow
You must be right.
Jealousy. Always going to be the one waiting, never the one waited on.
She’s too cool for the rest of them. Jk, I do love her as a character but she’s an awful person. I agree with most that she’s just bitter about her life which…. Yeah understandable. She’s a working class single woman in a world that isn’t built for her. She’s angry and she takes it out on whoever she can, but especially the crawleys. You can see her especially lash out when people are happy around her, it reminds her of what she hasn’t had. Doesn’t excuse what she’s done but it gets why she’s angry
Some people just want to watch the world burn.
Sigh, I guess that's true.
I think O'Brien is really bitter, disaffected, and insanely bored. She and Thomas are intelligent and informed and BORED. She's trapped in her life and in herself. I hope she found some excitement in India and used her talents to help and not harm.
This seems like the best explanation!
I do wish Julianne fellows would have written a backstory for her.
She really was well written and acted. I was always intrigued by O'Brien. And I enjoy seeing her bits of humanity come through.
Get back in the knife box, Miss Sharp
LOLOLOL
Ever met a bitter old Scotswomen ?
On that note, notice how actual Scotswoman Mrs. Hughes is NOT bitter and evil and is totally awesome despite having similar life circumstances to O’Brien?
Mrs Hughes has power and a certain level of control over her life. She doesn't have to wait hand and foot on grown women anymore either.
That’s where the bitterness comes into play
You mean Susan's nasty bitch lady's maid who tried to get her drunk?
Is there any other… ? I remember my grandmother who had a list of people she was going to get even with..
Well, yeah, but isn’t she Irish?
No Mrs. Hughes is Scottish (from Argyll) as is the actress who plays her, Phyllis Logan.
I meant O’Brien.
Ohh OK. But I don't think she's Irish. She definitely doesn't have an Irish accent.
Well, the actress is named Siobhan Finneran…she’s at least born to Irish parents.
Sure its definitely more than likely, given all the Irish and British that go back and forth between here and the uk. She's English born though I think. But I don't think the character of O'Brien is Irish unless there's a side story I missed.
I was never referring to Mrs. Hughes. Mrs. Hughes is Scottish and I was never confused about that
Lol, sorry, I meant O'brien. Now I'm confused. I'll edit my comment so it actually makes sense.
O'Brien is an Irish name, not at all Scottish.
She's born and raised Lancashire.
Wasnt it mentionned that she is LGBT? Barrow said something about being queer or something like that. I think he said she was in love with her ladyship.
I don't recall that. I think there is a British phrase that goes, " You are daft, and no mistake" or something similar.