The Haunting of Bly Manor is a perfect example of the gothic romance, full of unanswered questions and focusing as it does on a young American woman who finds herself drawn into the tortured past of an old mansion in the English countryside.
Gripping from the very first episode, as the series progresses she, and the viewer, learn a lot more about the various people who once called the gloomy old mansion their home. One of the highlights of this series are the characters, all of whom emerge as complex and richly-developed individuals. Not all of them, however, are at all likable, and some are downright awful.
10 Viola
Though it isn’t revealed until pretty late in the series, Viola was one of a pair of sisters that inherited the mansion from their father. Unfortunately, Viola proved to be a bit of a nasty piece of work, and her sister eventually snapped and murdered her while she was sick with "the lung." That wasn’t the end, however, for Viola’s vengeful ghost began to haunt the house, killing anyone that dared to get in her way.
She’s definitely one of the worst sorts of characters that one could encounter in a story like this.
9 Peter Quint
As awful as Viola is, she’s almost matched by Peter Quint, who turns out to be nothing less than a jerk. Originally employed by Henry, he turns out to be someone who only cares about himself and his own needs. Not only does he lure the unfortunate Rebecca to her death; he also tries to possess the boy Miles’ body so that he can finally escape the grounds of Bly Manor. It’s really hard to be likable when one does something so reprehensible.
8 Henry
Henry is the children’s uncle, and from the very beginning it’s clear that he’s not a very pleasant person. As it turns out, though, he has good reason for being a bit bitter, considering the fact that he was having an affair with his brother’s wife, and it in fact turns out that he’s Nora’s biological father. Even now, he’s haunted by the fact that he was in some way responsible for the death of his brother and his sister-in-law. Nevertheless, it’s pretty terrible that he does so little to see the children.
7 Miles
Miles is a tricky character to categorize, for while he’s a bit of a brat sometimes (and sometimes downright terrible), it seems that a lot of this may stem from the fact that he’s being possessed by Peter Quint. Nevertheless, he is also not a terribly likable character, and one can’t help but wonder why someone, even a child, would think it was in any way a good idea to allow himself to be possessed by the spirit of a dead person (and one who wasn’t very nice in life).
6 Rebecca
There’s nothing necessarily unpleasant about the character of Rebecca, though it has to be said that her choices in life are very questionable, most notably her dalliance with Peter Quint and her foolishness in believing that he was in any way someone that would take care of her or care about her feelings. Though she clearly doesn’t deserve her eventual dreadful fate as one of the ghosts haunting the mansion, it has to be said that she could have done more to prevent it, mostly by ignoring Peter altogether.
5 Hannah
Poor Hannah. As the housekeeper, she has the unenviable task of trying to keep the huge Bly Manor clean. What’s more, for a time she also seems to have taken charge of the children (hardly a task that anyone would relish). Nevertheless, she comes across as a very likable sort of character, and it’s particularly cute when she starts falling in love with Owen. This all makes her eventual death at Peter/Miles’ hands even more devastating and unfortunate, cutting short a life that should have gone on.
4 Flora
Flora is, it has to be said, one of the most adorable child characters to have appeared in television in quite a while. Unlike her brother, she doesn’t seem to have a mean bone in her body, and the viewer can’t help but like her (even if there is something faintly mysterious about her from the beginning, especially those dolls).
She also seems to genuinely want to make sure that Dani doesn’t get harmed in any way, and that sets her apart from her brother and some of the other characters.
3 Dani
Dani is, of course, the governess (or au pair, as she’s called in the series) who is hired to take care of the children. She’s clearly established as a genuine and very nice person, who finds herself a bit out of her depth in trying to contend with the children and with the other mysteries that surround the Manor and the grounds. However, it’s impossible not to like her, particularly once she starts her beautiful and sweet little romance with the gardener Jamie.
2 Owen
There’s no getting around the fact that Owen is just plain likable. He is something of a saint, particularly compared with many of the other characters. Not only does he take care of his mother with dementia; he also seems to have a genuine affection (maybe even the beginnings of love) for Hannah. He also reaches out to welcome Dani into the house, and it really is something of a miracle (and a relief) that he manages to survive until the end of the series.
1 Jamie
The show isn’t all doom and gloom, though obviously the horror elements are one of its primary selling points. The other major aspect of it is the unlikely romance that springs up between her and Dani that makes this show more than just another horror show about a haunted mansion. There’s a sweetness about this couple that’s really a key selling point for the show, and though it ultimately ends up a little bit of tragedy, they do get to build a beautiful life together.
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