As a Richard Armitage fan who first discovered him in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, his performance in North & South is beside the point. I heard his voice in AUJ. That is all!
However, I have since seen North & South, and I have to say – Mr. Thornton rules. Sorry, Thorin!! For me, Mr. Thornton is so complicated, so tender, so human.
Woops. Yes, Thorin, you are not human. You are a, I forget how tall, hairy Dwarf. <Sigh> As I am a tall female human, a small hairy Dwarf, no matter how masculine, can’t compete with a tall, handsome human, even if he is wearing a ridiculous top hat. OK, now I’ve admitted it. I know Thorin is hot, especially in his Battle of the Five Armies armor. I have dated men shorter than me, no problem. Not sure about Thorin for me though. I admit I have a problem with his height. You petite, hobbit-like fans (you know who you are!) may find Thorin just your size, but for me, not so much.
OK, maybe I’m changing my mind??……
Wait, wasn’t this post about North & South??
Obsessive Behavior 
Well, at least he doesn’t have pointy ears or a red conical hat… wait, that’s Vulcans and gnomes. I agree that the dwarf thing can harsh me sometimes. If he’s in the same frame as a big person, like in some of the Laketown scenes, it looks strange because I know he’s over six feet tall. Then they show him by himself and he looks so heroic. I guess I’d just like to encounter “Thorin” in that fantasy world where either I’m a dwarfette or he’s a big person, about the same size as Richard Armitage 🙂
Welcome to the club, sister.