The Haunting of Bly Manor: 5 Things We Loved (and 5 We Didn’t)
By Louis Skye
Owen Sharma
It’s impossible not to walk away from The Haunting of Bly Manor without absolutely loving Owen Sharma. Owen is sarcastic, funny, fiercely loyal to those he loves, and an all-around good person.
The men (and boys) of The Haunting of Bly Manor leave much to be desired but Owen is the only one worth fighting for.
His devotion to his mum, whom he cares for till the bitter end without complaint, but with heartache, is beautiful to see. That he decides to stay at Bly Manor the night she finally passes is tragic beyond words.
Owen’s unstated but obvious love for Hannah is touching and relatable. Not only do we get a rare South Asian character on screen who isn’t a caricature, but he has a love story with a fantastic Black woman, a pairing we don’t often get to see. Shoutout to Netflix’s Lovebirds for doing something similar with Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae. Long may it continue.
It’s sad that Owen never got to be with anyone else after Hannah, but he did dedicate his restaurant to her memory.
Dani and Jamie
There is no denying how much fans loved the unexpected pairing of Dani and Jamie (Amelia Eve) in The Haunting of Bly Manor. There was no inkling that there would be queer representation in the second season. And considering the setting of 1987, viewers assumed that queer rep would be off the table.
But the show subverted expectations by not only building a queer romance between Dani and Jamie, but also by allowing that romance to blossom organically.
And despite the fact that Dani doesn’t survive till the end, the love story lasted well after her death, so her presence was always felt.
There was another reason why the Dani/ Jamie romance was so well-received. Queer romances in entertainment are far too often accompanied by violence, disdain, or at the very least, negative commentary from other characters.
The Haunting of Bly Manor has none of that. Dani and Jamie were together and nobody had anything to say about it. What a relief to see a queer couple just allowed to be themselves together—more of this please.