First of all I confess that I don’t like to write this kind of post, I prefer to focus on what I like but I will answer you according to my criteria so...
I believe that this hatred, when exists, is mainly because of two reasons with a first and last name:
First Reason, Thomas Shelby
- Thomas is the protagonist of this story, and as often happens, with whom we live more situations and experience more emotions, therefore we empathize more with him than with the rest (which makes us forgive him easily as well).
And this brings me to the next point: quite a few of the supporting characters are vaguely developed, SK tries with Arthur and Polly but many times I see more inconsistencies in their narrative arcs than anything else. Many of them are puppets or tools at his service. In my opinion, this situation started in the second season and was accentuated in the third one. This leads to the public becoming more attached to him due to his strength as a character in comparison and because we better understand his motivations, hence we distance ourselves unconsciously from the others (including Grace), who seem shadows of what they were or could have been...Season 1 is the most generous in this regard, even Finn has personality there.
- Thomas has become an idol for men and women as a consequence of his Gary Stu qualities and a writing that blesses him with luck, which crowns him with the title of untouchable in the eyes of his fans or viewers, obviously not all of them, who decide to continue with this story, his story. Eg. 4x1, if it wasn’t for the miraculous letters he found that compromised the king, his family would have been executed because of him.
Second Reason, Grace Burgess
- Grace is a character who truly challenges and misleads/confuses him and that is linked to making him look bad (harming his “reputation”) or literally hurting him.
["Character X" touches "Untouchable Character" = Disgusting Character that is worthless and should be dead].
I'm not making it up; you can often find one of these adjectives aimed at her or other characters in a similar situation.
- And if we add to that Grace is a person who comes and goes, the viewer doesn’t know her or empathize with her so much, which makes her unpredictable, "unpredictably harmful". However, I have to say in favor of SK that in her case, unlike other secondary characters, he made up for her lack of screen time through details to delve into her psyche, but he didn't try too hard either, huh. Eg. She wrote him letters for two years telling him about her life (S2), the lavender color that we saw in 3x1 and 3x2 means the mourning that she feels for her deceased husband, among others.
- And finally, the viewers prefer Lizzie (faithful to Thomas from minute one), or May (more business = more wealth), over Grace.
Reading the statements of her detractors, I’ve come to the conclusion that the problem, or the key, is usually the same: She is a worthy character / partner depending on how useful is to him.
Yes, as if they were scissors to prune a hedge. And hey! They are not entirely wrong, taking into account their depth or that the conflicts they present with themselves and for the plot are more superficial than a puddle, especially May. They are simply there, waiting to be used by Thomas... and that availability, that control over them and the assurance that they won’t "create problems / harm" the Untouchable it’s what they really like the most. It doesn't matter if Thomas treats them like shit or they have nothing in common, or even if they use each other for purely superficial purposes. As long as Thomas comes out well from whatever and the woman in question has been good to him they make a wonderful couple. So yeah, I hope Lizzie is the Black Swan because she at least has potential.
-Oh! But I'm not saying a dysfunctional relationship isn't worth telling or developing, long live the diversity! That can offer a lot, BUT that’s not the case here, mainly because of the immense indifference shown by one of the parties and the inactivity of the other. (Guess which is which).
In short: They are angry because Grace putted one over on Tommy, the blue eyed boy, and on top of that, he liked it and then got married to her. Instead, Lizzie is easier to handle than a lollipop.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the story and most of the characters, but as much as I like something, contrary to Thomas, and quoting Grace: I'm not blind.
