As the 1883 caravan continues through the west, Thomas begins to show more of himself to his fellow travelers as well as the audience. And according to actor LaMonica Garrett, one of the most important aspects of his character’s personality is his “awkwardness.”
As one of the brave Pinkerton guides heading the westward journey, Thomas has had to present himself with a tough exterior so that the travelers respect and fear him. But one emigrant is helping to bring out his softer side, whether Thomas wants her to or not.
Of course, we’re talking about Noemi (Gratiela Brancusi), the single Romani mother to two young children. Throughout the journey, Thomas and Noemi have grown especially close, and there seems to be a romance blossoming between them. This became especially evident when the 1883 hero purchased the woman a mirror out of his own goodwill.
“Thomas and Shea both have money and live well below their means. He saw the mirror in the trading post. It hit him right at that moment that Noemi would like it. It’s funny. As great as Thomas is with his riding horses and knowing the terrain and having wisdom, he’s not the silver tongue, the sweet talker with women,” Garrett explained to Entertainment Weekly.
According to Garrett, his character didn’t expect his gift of a mirror to turn into a conversation about marriage with Noemi.
“He just thought she would be like, ‘Oh, thank you for this.’ It was a little bit more than Thomas is used to,” the 1883 star said. “He was like, ‘Why can’t you just take the gift and say ‘thank you’ and we can be quiet?’ There’s an awkwardness to him that I think is really special.”
‘1883’ Character Shows Protective Nature Around Noemi
As Thomas and Noemi’s bond grows stronger, the 1883 guide has also demonstrated his protectiveness over her. Earlier in the season, we saw Thomas and his partner, Shea Brennan (Sam Elliott), take matters into their own hands when Noemi revealed that a couple of the travelers stole their rations. Thomas and Shea approached the men, gave them a brutal beating and then banished them from the caravan.
To Shea, this action helped keep order within the group and assured them that no crimes would be tolerated. But clearly, for Thomas, there was a much more significant meaning to his swift justice.
Take a look at the iconic scene from 1883.
While the relationship between Thomas and Noemi is certainly heartwarming, the 1883 actor also warned that we must remember the dangers that the two face ahead of them. As we know, love doesn’t protect from bullet wounds or snake bites.
“The further we go, there are gonna be more of those moments,” Garrett said. “But as we have seen, things don’t go too well for people on the Oregon trail when they get too happy. Happiness doesn’t last too long.”
