I've been enjoying watching the actress who plays the chirpy, upwardly mobile Gwen deal with cataclysms, jail, near-rape, bossy aristocrats, and more in "The Great Fire," currently being broadcast on PBS. (She plays the sister-in-law of the baker whose oven supposedly started it.)
2
I'm reasonably certain that Mary said "French predicates," not "French, prejudice." Even if the closed captioning said "prejudice" as someone said--I've seen errors in it before.
6
Agree heartily. She has never made a joke or insightful comment in her life on the show.
1
Best line of the episode: Isobel asking Violet if she still has her passport as they embark downstairs to the kitchen.
14
In today's NYTIMES article, re Gwen.
I've know what the word meant, but hadn't looked it for pronunciation, therefor never using in conversation!
I've know what the word meant, but hadn't looked it for pronunciation, therefor never using in conversation!
Goode is a welcome actor to the boring, but well spoken estate. I hope her loosens Lady Mary a bit as she is so tightly wound. I love the show.
1
Was a little disappointed with the "car man" since he showed more aplomb and independence toward Mary last season in that snippet. Now, he seems to be as semi-abashed by her as the rest of them. Was looking for a match and then some for her.
4
Forgive me, I am sure this has been mentioned here already, as I haven't yet read all 494 comments, but Lord G's tummy troubles cannot be anything other than an obvious foreshadowing of modern medical techniques made available by the state vs. whatever it is that Violet's holding out for. Now that Anna's will-she-or-won't-she stay pregnant arc has been neatly sewn up in a stitch...
And Molesley. Does anyone else love his character like I do? He's bumbling alright, and plays the fool well, but he's not really such a fool, is he? He can be sheepish for sure, but I think of it more in terms of him being the least self-important, self-absorbed character, maybe along with Anna, in the entire house. I hope that something does happen for him and Baxter.
And Molesley. Does anyone else love his character like I do? He's bumbling alright, and plays the fool well, but he's not really such a fool, is he? He can be sheepish for sure, but I think of it more in terms of him being the least self-important, self-absorbed character, maybe along with Anna, in the entire house. I hope that something does happen for him and Baxter.
17
I think of Moseley as being the kindest of all the characters on this show, even more so than Isobel, Anna and Cora.
7
I heard in an interview with Hugh Bonnieville that the Molesley part was to be quite minimal initially, just Mrs. Crawley's houseman, but the actor did so much with it that he caught on and they enlarged the role. He literally made a place for himself. I think that's cool.
As for Anna, remember when she was a self-respecting character in the first three episodes? She carried herself a lot like Mrs. Hughes. Her poor, pitiful pearl status started with the infamous season 4. I hate it. I've also been remembering Robert as an honorable, admirable character starting out. I realize they had to portray him as having trouble with changing times, but I still appreciate the tenor of the early days of this series before the suds got so thick.
As for Anna, remember when she was a self-respecting character in the first three episodes? She carried herself a lot like Mrs. Hughes. Her poor, pitiful pearl status started with the infamous season 4. I hate it. I've also been remembering Robert as an honorable, admirable character starting out. I realize they had to portray him as having trouble with changing times, but I still appreciate the tenor of the early days of this series before the suds got so thick.
6
Dear Louis Bayard, as a dyed-in-the-needlepoint-floss Abbot, I will miss Downton Abbey. And yet, I know that I will miss your updates so much more! Sure, clothes and classic cars are marvelous and I look forward to them every weekend. But oh my! I'd rather read something like "What.A.Slut." - it puts everything into perspective!
So although we have the Baron, and we have the Earl, you, dear Louis Bayard, are the Duke of Apres la Soiree Delight.
So although we have the Baron, and we have the Earl, you, dear Louis Bayard, are the Duke of Apres la Soiree Delight.
8
By all means consolidate hospitals and get all modern. But, give Mason the farm rather than save the estate with modern agri-business practices. Local hospitals and tenant farmers are both pets of sorts. But, the farmer is more affordable and quainter.
Mrs. Patmore leaves to start a B&B.
Lord G goes too the still backward local ER where, watched over by the ghost of Sybil, he dies at the hands of a mal-practicing gentleman. Fun Maggie and her whiny counterpart unite in their efforts to upgrade the hospital in Lord G's memory only to find insufficient funds. They must await the post war single payer system.
The Baxter's leave to start a B&B.
Daisy goes to college where she is quickly placed in charge of women's studies.
The Carson's leave to start a B&B.
Mary double clutches down the stretch and, due to her selfish indecision, is left standing alone in the pits.
Mole and what's her name get jobs writing columns about local B&B's for Edith's new revamped magazine Declining Gentry.
Suddenly, Cora and Tom realize that only Barrow and the new kid are left downstairs. At Barrow's suggestion, they turn the Abbey into a bath house to save the estate. Now if they can only remember where they left the children.
Mrs. Patmore leaves to start a B&B.
Lord G goes too the still backward local ER where, watched over by the ghost of Sybil, he dies at the hands of a mal-practicing gentleman. Fun Maggie and her whiny counterpart unite in their efforts to upgrade the hospital in Lord G's memory only to find insufficient funds. They must await the post war single payer system.
The Baxter's leave to start a B&B.
Daisy goes to college where she is quickly placed in charge of women's studies.
The Carson's leave to start a B&B.
Mary double clutches down the stretch and, due to her selfish indecision, is left standing alone in the pits.
Mole and what's her name get jobs writing columns about local B&B's for Edith's new revamped magazine Declining Gentry.
Suddenly, Cora and Tom realize that only Barrow and the new kid are left downstairs. At Barrow's suggestion, they turn the Abbey into a bath house to save the estate. Now if they can only remember where they left the children.
3
Womens' Studies programs wouldn't emerge until 1969. So Daisy would be in her early 70-s, which I suppose is possible.
I predict that Fellowes will kill off Lord G. The season will end with the estate--and the future--being passed to little George. Someone will wonder what life for him will be like when he is, say, 40. Someone else will say, gosh, it'll be the 1960s then. What will life be like then? The family will think this unthinkable thought for a few seconds, and then the final credits will roll.
1
Only if George survives WWII
6
Am I the only one who thought it was maybe in poor taste to keep shoving Henry's automotive passions down Mary's throat when her husband was killed in a car accident? Anyone else think MAYBE that might be a tender subject for her or that the prospect of a relationship with someone who races cars as a hobby might give her at least a little pause? I kept waiting for Tom to look at her and say, "Are you okay with this car thing?" And are they setting Tom up as a possible option for Mary? I kept noting the framing of shots with Mary, Henry, and Tom always in the same frame.....
7
Right?! It's just an absurd bit of plotting. Just awful. I"m only here for the accents and the outfits and the house.
6
I predict Barrow will find the love of his life. Someone new will come to the estate. Just perfect for him, only after he has a few false starts. He has been trying so hard. Perhaps a handsome middle age man who will find him fascinating.
4
Merriam-Webster took a look at Downton's use of 'over to the dark side' and 'cautiously optimistic' here: http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/are-there-bald-anachronisms...
Apparently, both were in use at the time (in writing, at any rate).
Apparently, both were in use at the time (in writing, at any rate).
4
Silly, foolish Daisy getting REALLY irked and trudging up those stairs only to find Cora asking what's she's DOING on the landing and then sending silly, foolish Daisy back to the kitchen to peel potatoes where she belongs....Barrow being reminded that Carson is a good butler because he's "kind" so that when the hammer falls.....Robert's "pangs", oh those pangs, no more port, I guess he's putting off seeing a doctor until there's REALLY no hope for survival....Branson's hoping he "didn't steal the thunder" at the wedding although that's precisely what he did....Gwen being "outed" ever so subtly (as if).....Barrow being summarily reprimanded for his "subtle" outing.....Violet suddenly finding a "moral" reason for her heretofore unreasonable behavior over the hospital.....the COMPLICATIONS over calling someone recently married by their married name.....yes, this is Downton Abbey, the program that gives us "drama with a sledgehammer".
2
@William
Booo-hooo. Sounds like you need a Gin-Punch double quick...
Booo-hooo. Sounds like you need a Gin-Punch double quick...
4
All that groaning about having to say "Mrs. Carson" Really, Crawleys?
Talk about first world problems...
Talk about first world problems...
2
I am wondering if Tom will do something of substance before the season ends...
1
Yes, everybody cries at the end because of Thomas
MARK MY WORDS: That footman who "just wants a country life" IS GOING TO FALL FOR THOMAS at the very end! MARK MY WORDS!!
1
Gosh no; he will marry Daisy and they'll live with Mr. Mason on the farm.
Did anyone else out there think Henry Talbot was eerily stiff and disconnected, perhaps even just plain dull in every scene? I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned in the recap or the comments! What a total drag he'd be as a match for Mary's wit and spark. I wondered if he was cut from the same cloth as Marigold.
4
I had the same response to Talbot! Perhaps Matthew Goode is purposefully playing him in this stiff, detached manner and Fellowes has something much more interesting up his sleeve about the character. Otherwise what a boring end to the Mary saga!
1
Still waters run deep....
The men who fall to the ground before Mary are usually left behind her. If he is letting her know that he is as big a catch as she, he might last longer.
I am enjoying these summaries waaaay more than watching the show. Thank you!
6
FWIW regarding the debate over Mary's "prejudice" line: While I have a very difficult time believing that she'd have quite so much self-awareness (or sociopolitical/sociocultural awareness) as to speak of her education in that manner, I have now watched that part of the scene multiple times, listening with the volume all the way up, reading Mary's lips, and reading the closed captioning... and every single one of those methods would suggest that the line is indeed "French, prejudice, and dance steps." There's no longer doubt about the line in my mind, at any rate - except that I have no idea what to make of it!
4
I believe in upper class society in England and the U.S. that there was a concept of having the proper or honest prejudices. Take a look at this quote from Barlett's: "[Sir Roger] made several reflections on the greatness of the British Nation; as, that one Englishmen could beat three Frenchmen; that we could never be in danger of Popery as long as we took care of our fleet; that the Thames was the noblest river in Europe... with many other honest prejudices that cleave to the heart of a true Englishman." Prejudices in this sense would be understood, I believe, as a set of assumptions that a proper Englishman or Lady, like Lady Mary, would have. I think Lady Mary was, therefore, making fun of this rather anachronistic and ludicrous concept.
1
@Celtic
It's a brilliant line! -- no need to make anything about it.
It's a brilliant line! -- no need to make anything about it.
1
Ken, that's more chauvinism than prejudice.
1
I think this was the best episode so far for this season... Really glad about the pace finally picking up!!
3
Anyone recognize the drawing room in last week's episode where Barrow's was interviewing for a new position? The room and manor was the Bingley country house in Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley.
3
Good call!
1
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2272177/Earl-Cardigan-moving-sta...
His lordship sounds like a serial himself.
His lordship sounds like a serial himself.
I heard Mary's line as "French prejudice" without the comma, meaning prejudice against the French. I assumed it was a reference to her lessons on British history. I can't imagine Mary commenting on her indoctrination in racial or class-based prejudice.
6
The closed captioning had the comma.
1
It did indeed! And while closed captioning is decidedly not without its flaws, they are considerably fewer in "fictional"/scripted/pre-filmed TV than in live or non-scripted TV such as news and reality shows, and in this case, the written punctuation gave every indication of matching the pacing of Mary's utterance. In summary...
1. Hurrah for closed captioning (and here's hoping for continued progress in that domain)
2. Who ever would have thought that we Abbots would be so focused on dissecting one little line?
3. Hurrah for the Oxford comma! (As a point of curiosity, does the New York Times not favor its use?)
1. Hurrah for closed captioning (and here's hoping for continued progress in that domain)
2. Who ever would have thought that we Abbots would be so focused on dissecting one little line?
3. Hurrah for the Oxford comma! (As a point of curiosity, does the New York Times not favor its use?)
Most shocking moment in all of Downton history.... Daisy is "upstairs"
"Daisy, what are you doing upstairs?!!"
"Daisy, what are you doing upstairs?!!"
2
"Off with her head!...."
1
No mention of the fact that the love of Mary's life died in a sports car wreck? Now we're supposed to believe she's intrigued by auto racing? Doubtful.
The claws came out for the discussion of the hospital -- anyone else notice Cora's overused sad/sympathetic eyes (head tilted for full impact) turn into stink eye?
The claws came out for the discussion of the hospital -- anyone else notice Cora's overused sad/sympathetic eyes (head tilted for full impact) turn into stink eye?
9
"No mention"
Many of the commenters here have mentioned up. Just pick up your fingers and ... scroll down.
Many of the commenters here have mentioned up. Just pick up your fingers and ... scroll down.
My comment was about the show, not the comments, hence "doubtful."
As for lifting fingers, I'll try one...
As for lifting fingers, I'll try one...
9
GWEN! Did anyone else want her to turn to Barrow and say "You know nothing, Jon Snow?" I just bet there are Downton people who would laugh.
4
Did anybody notice that Daisy was mashing with great gusto what sounded like a bowl full of nuts and bolts, or broken glass, when it was supposed to be potatoes? I thought that was very strange.
3
YES! I thought maybe it was eggs and she was so mad she was just beating them shells and all.
Absolutely, I did! Very odd to me even before Mrs. Pathogens referred to potatoes.
1
Daisy and the young butler will marry & help Mr. Mason with the farm.
Tom will work for the Car Man.
Lord G will get a colonoscopy.
Thomas doesn't look so good either; he's made up with dark circles around his eyes.
Tom will work for the Car Man.
Lord G will get a colonoscopy.
Thomas doesn't look so good either; he's made up with dark circles around his eyes.
Lord G may get one, but Mary needs one.
10
Colonoscopy in 1925? Hardly. But you're right -- he clearly needs medical attention. I don't understand why these people (except for Mary) wait so long to seek medical attention for themselves (or for poor Isis). My predictions? Robert will be just sick enough to turn the estate over to little George, with Mary as regent; Barrow will commit suicide; Edith will marry her new friend and live happily ever after (much to Mary's annoyance); little Marigold will finally show signs of life; and the Carsons (or Carson and Mrs. Hughes, if you prefer) will make medical history by having twins. Oh, one more thing: Daisy will spend her life raising prize pigs, who won't mind her whining as long as she remembers to slop them every day. All tongue-in-cheek, of course. But seriously, no one seems to care about Mrs. Patmore, who is one of my favorite characters. I predict she'll retire to the little cottage she bought with her inherited money, and run it as a bed-and-breakfast. Alas, she will probably never lose her virginity, but what the heck -- the "secret of life" is vastly overrated anyway.
Food for thought:
I think they are about to kill off Lord Grantham.
Which will leave Mary to marry Tom and they be "double agents" along with the heirs to the estate.
Moseley will marry Baxter so together they can bemoan their lost life opportunities.
Edith will marry her new suitor and move to London to escape Mary, and claim her love child publicly.
Granny is going down to the grave in the shame of dishonorable ashes.
The estate will be divided up between the loyal servants, who will have their own real estate for the first time ever...the Carsons, the Bates, etc.
Daisy will remarry and manage Yew Tree Farm.
Branson? Who knows, who cares?
I think they are about to kill off Lord Grantham.
Which will leave Mary to marry Tom and they be "double agents" along with the heirs to the estate.
Moseley will marry Baxter so together they can bemoan their lost life opportunities.
Edith will marry her new suitor and move to London to escape Mary, and claim her love child publicly.
Granny is going down to the grave in the shame of dishonorable ashes.
The estate will be divided up between the loyal servants, who will have their own real estate for the first time ever...the Carsons, the Bates, etc.
Daisy will remarry and manage Yew Tree Farm.
Branson? Who knows, who cares?
Just like last year, 90 percent of the predictions (guesses really) are wrong.
6
Only 1.5 of those guesses are correct.
Yes, thank you. Barrow has been such a cur for most of the series but he does seem to be getting it and then some in this final season. Baxter seems to be the only person to show kindness. I also find it ironic that Robert frets over the end of houses such as Downton and yet the Baron has bestowed upon us another indulgent season of lukewarm plots that are begging to be finished. I still maintain this is the worst final season since The Wire. Yawning here.
2
I can't help but mention a missed opportunity in the dialog of this episode.
When Gwen was confronted by her husband by saying, "You never told me you were a housemaid at Downton." Gwen should have responded, "You know nothing John Harding."
When Gwen was confronted by her husband by saying, "You never told me you were a housemaid at Downton." Gwen should have responded, "You know nothing John Harding."
6
But for some well timed one-liners, this season has so far been pretty dreadful. I am rooting for Mr. Barrow to start teaching Marigold how to light matches so she can set fire to the nursery and finally do something interesting in her wordless way. Then he can poison Mr. Carson and take over as butler for good. Daisy and Andrew will hopefully run off together just so that I never have to hear Daisy's annoying accent again. Maybe we can end the season with Cora, in mourning for dear dead Lord G, selling off everything, taking all the cash and going back to NYC where she loses it all in the stock market crash.
6
This episode gave Maggie Smith some of the best lines of the entire series. I loved it.
6
Wasn't Tom a journalist? Might Edith change her mind about having a female co-editor if she can find a man who will respect her leadership?
2
Why can't Edith ask Bertie Pelham to be her co-editor. Seemed he liked helping her get the magazine out in time. Or is that too far out to think a Lord might like to work? If so, maybe the real surprise is going to be that Edith asks Mary to be her co-editor. Now there's an efficient end or beginning for of them. On another matter, how could the Baron have been so forgetful and introduce Lady Mary to yet another open car driver who likes to race. Remember what happened to Matthew.
Pelham isn't a Lord, he is an estate agent.
2
Spoiler Alert: For what it's worth, the Downton Abbey wiki says "In 1925, she married Herbert Pelham, the 7th Marquess of Hexham." From what I could read (fast) he can be called My Lord Marquess. But what do I know. Except he was a hard worker, that's worth something too. Still I'm liking my idea of Edith asking Mary to be her co-editor. Even I could spin out a series based on that. ciao
1
Wow... Downton Abbey has become an absolute torture to watch. I'm not sure which is worse: the superficial, cardboard characters, the hackneyed actors who always act like the cliche of their character, or the interminable collection of banal sub plots that never seem to go anywhere. Mary's pigs? control of the hospital? The firebrand prodigal son in law who now acts like he's medicated? Please.....this is WAY beyond boring and what a disappointment for a show with such great possibilities. I thought Masterpiece was supposed to be about intelligence and entertainment, but this soap opera, costume drama really needs to end... fast.
6
and yet you keep watching and commenting...Wow!
5
@Marcus
Now, let's guess. It has become such an absolute torture to watch, that you seem to know every last detail... Wow indeed!
Now, let's guess. It has become such an absolute torture to watch, that you seem to know every last detail... Wow indeed!
7
I know....but it really has gotten to be truly awful.
LOUIS BAYARD, you are simply the Best!, :) You always have us Abbots in Splits, LOL. And I hope once this show ends, you have more satire to offer of other new ones, :) Thank you,
12
I have to say I look forward with greater anticipation to these recaps than to the episodes themselves! Thank you!
8
I keep waiting - and waiting - for Mary to say something to Henry Talbot about wanting nothing to do with cars. Her husband died driving a open car! Is this an elephant in the living room, or has it slipped Julian Fellowe's mind, and therefore Mary's?
8
Patience. Patience.
5
Re-watching Season One, episode two: there was a cat on windowsill of the Dowager Countess home. Did she have a cat or was that a gaffe? The cat appears in the scene while Cora and Violet are having tea. They are discussing how Mary doesn't like Cousin Matthew.
2
I think it is a gaffe. The UK set has a commentary and someone says that no one noticed the cat until they were editing but they kind of liked it. I can believe too that Lady G would be very happy to have a cat or two about the place. I feel that she would approve of them.
There is a very funny scene too when Daisy gives Mrs Patmore a shock and she drops a roast chicken on the floor. It is immediately seized by a lurking cat which Gwen then shoos "back to the stables". They give the chicken a bit of a towel over and Anna puts a sprig of parsley on it and says something along the lines of "they'll never know". One of the maids pulls a face and says "I wouldn't eat that". Made me laugh out loud. You only see the cat for a millisecond but it has such a funny expression as it seeks its teeth into the bird and starts pulling it under the table.
There is a very funny scene too when Daisy gives Mrs Patmore a shock and she drops a roast chicken on the floor. It is immediately seized by a lurking cat which Gwen then shoos "back to the stables". They give the chicken a bit of a towel over and Anna puts a sprig of parsley on it and says something along the lines of "they'll never know". One of the maids pulls a face and says "I wouldn't eat that". Made me laugh out loud. You only see the cat for a millisecond but it has such a funny expression as it seeks its teeth into the bird and starts pulling it under the table.
1
Professor McGonagall of course!
I'm getting a bit bored/annoyed with Barrow. On the one hand he decries the fact that he thinks he is purposely being forced to go and doesn't have any friends, and then keeps proceeding to push back on people and look for other opportunities. At times he's "thisclose" to being sincere with people and then in a split second goes back to his usual form.
4
He's been a devil for most of the series but even he doesn't deserve the scorn he's received this season.
4
Like Baxter said. He is his own worst enemy. But I do find him becoming to be such a sympathetic character. I'll be disappointed if he doesn't find some measure of happiness in the end of all this.
@Doug
Oh leave Barrow alone...He hasn't been this much fun since O'Brien left. Sure he gets a little soppy and self-defeating from time to time, but it's nice to see him back in full-snide mode again.... You go, Thomas!!
Oh leave Barrow alone...He hasn't been this much fun since O'Brien left. Sure he gets a little soppy and self-defeating from time to time, but it's nice to see him back in full-snide mode again.... You go, Thomas!!
My money's on Molesley--which surprises my Upstairs soul. Despite season after season of investing Sunday nights on the Crawley clan's fates, I find I care most, at this point, about Molesley's chances to climb the stairs to a meaningful life. In education, in particular. If Baxter fits in to such plans, all's the better. More than all, however, I want to see Molesley finally get his chance at a real life--and grab it. As for me, I have only one option: stay tuned. My intentions, indeed.
18
Nice payoff with Gwen, her new life, and the reminder that Sibyl was the agent for change. If this had happened a couple of earlier episodes, Tom wouldn't have been across the table. The storyline payoff I've been waiting for is the reappearance of the disfigured soldier who told Edith he was the relative everyone thought went down on the Titanic. Is Baron Fellowes playing that card before the conclusion?
4
Has anyone else noticed the prevalence of "B" names in this show...? To list the ones I can think of:
Bates
Barrow
Branson
Baxter
Bunting
Blake
Butte (housekeeper at the London house)
O'Brien
Braithwait (sp?)
Bartlett (Vera's friend)
Beven (Mary's blackmailer, season 6)
Burns (Mrs. Hughes' love interest, season 1)
Bird (Mrs. Crawley's cook)
Bullock (Rose's love interest just prior to Jack Ross)
Bricker
Bryant (Ethel's love interest in season 2 and his family)
Bates
Barrow
Branson
Baxter
Bunting
Blake
Butte (housekeeper at the London house)
O'Brien
Braithwait (sp?)
Bartlett (Vera's friend)
Beven (Mary's blackmailer, season 6)
Burns (Mrs. Hughes' love interest, season 1)
Bird (Mrs. Crawley's cook)
Bullock (Rose's love interest just prior to Jack Ross)
Bricker
Bryant (Ethel's love interest in season 2 and his family)
12
Well done! May I add an honorary B for our esteemed lead Abbot, Louis Bayard?
6
And the recaps by yet another B- Bayard.
1
Good idea!
1
Not only do I salute Mr. Bayard for his wonderful recaps but to all you commenters - thanks for the additional details and insights and especially for your great witticisms. You too collectively are also fun to read.
29
Nice payoff with Gwen, her new life, and the reminder of Sibyl, with Tom sitting across the table. Not sure if Baron Fellowes will play this card, but will the disfigured soldier who told Edith he was the realtive everyone thought went down on the Titanic reappear? Still waiting for that one.
1
Robert and his belly ache must be headed for the local hospital, where they cannot treat his burst appendix (or whatEVER it is), if his mum gets her way re hospital upgrade. OR Isobel wins out, the hospital is modernized, and voila, Robert's life is saved by modern medicine, Violet is enlightened, finally willing to embrace the future. In that future though, she cannot exist, and so must keel over peacefully, for once, without protest. Only when Violet departs, can the future come to Downton. Possible?
7
And not to mention Mrs. Bates having to run to London when she starts to feel pain- I guess Mary felt her local doctor wasn't up to the challenge of a pregnancy with complications ....
It was a special procedure to help her carry through, probably not in the locals' repertoire (outdated remember). Same thing Mary got to help her (a stitch, they called it).
I hadn't thought of that -- it's brilliant. Can't wait to see if you're right.
Glad that Lord Grantham's gripping his midsection--I just want to hear him say "my tummy" one more time.
2
I love reading the recaps even more than watching the show! Do you think you can continue to do recaps even when the show ends?!!?
22
The hospital 'controversy' is just so deadly dull that it HAS to be some sort of premonitory plot device (right now, it has all the excitement of the good ladies of DA sitting around discussing shoe shopping). Otherwise, it's just treading water as a vehicle for Violet's zingers.
Anyone else think that, in her street duds and standing next to the larger-than-life Carson, Mrs. Hughes-Carson looked remarkably small and unassuming? I've always respected Mrs. H. as the strong moral center of this show, and I'm hoping that marriage (and its accompanying mysteries of the universe) hasn't turned her meek.
And Daisy looked like she'd been gut-punched when Lady G. took the wind out of her sails by telling her about the Mr. Mason decision. Dare we hope that this might buy us some temporary peace from Daisy's fevered rantings?
Anyone else think that, in her street duds and standing next to the larger-than-life Carson, Mrs. Hughes-Carson looked remarkably small and unassuming? I've always respected Mrs. H. as the strong moral center of this show, and I'm hoping that marriage (and its accompanying mysteries of the universe) hasn't turned her meek.
And Daisy looked like she'd been gut-punched when Lady G. took the wind out of her sails by telling her about the Mr. Mason decision. Dare we hope that this might buy us some temporary peace from Daisy's fevered rantings?
9
agree, her hard soled work shoes laying done the law in the the servants hall punctuate her position as a woman of authority, will we still hear that? And she just seemed to give in without a whimper about being called Mrs Carson!
2
It ended with her being Mrs. Hughes as before. Also, before that, when Carson was saying the time away seemed a long absence to him, Mrs. Hughes-Carson said that wasn't very flattering. She'll still speak up. She'll be the same, if not the stronger voice at times.
1
Hands down the best recap of this episode. "...daze of carnal knowledge..." and "What. A. Slut." both had me spitting out my coffee in laughter. Thank you Louis Bayard!
20
Perhaps I'm wrong but the quote about good men doing nothing for evil to triumph is anachronistic- wasn't it coined in reference to WWII? Strange that the whole car theme has never brought in a reference to Mary's late husband, or a tremor of memory.
11
I will scream if this new guy dies in a car accident a la Matthew.
4
The quote originated with Edmund Burke (January 12, 1729 – July 9, 1797).
The memory of Matthew may resurface once she sees Talbot actually racing.
The memory of Matthew may resurface once she sees Talbot actually racing.
4
The quote is from Edmund Burke, philosopher (1729 - 1797).
5
It looks like Lady Rosamond is never going to get the screen time and lines she deserves, so I hereby petition for a spinoff focusing on this complex character.
28
Yes. And I have already made a petition for her hats!
1
This is always Home Fires -- Samantha Bond is the lead in that series and she is quite good.
6
Hear-hear!
1
To all, like myself, who appreciate and have enjoyed Downtown Abbey throughout the years, I suggest a brilliant, addictive, complex and thoroughly exciting successor: you absolutely must watch A Place to Call Home, an Australian series about to begin its' fourth season later in 2016.
APTCH begins in 1953 with an extraordinary cast, complex characters, relationships, conflicts, post-WWII changing cultural values, production values equal to DA in their appropriateness to aristocratic and staff lives in both Sydney and family's country house two hours away. The characters and the actors who portray them are so real: we care so much about them, what happens to them in this most addictive program. Written so smartly, wisely, daringly, several storylines interweave - no spoiler alerts here! This is the most beautiful, meaningful, penetrating group of characters, situations, resolutions, villain, heroes, heroines seen on tv. Bravo to the great Aussie team for doing this - a series intended for only two seasons, won so many prizes and outpouring of appreciation, joy, and love by Aussie that it got a third season, and is now preparing its forth. Seasons1-3 available on Amazon,
now showing on PBS. I bought and watched all 3 and simply can't wait for season 4. WATCH IT! YOU'LL ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! What a gift from Down- Under! BRAVO to all of them!
APTCH begins in 1953 with an extraordinary cast, complex characters, relationships, conflicts, post-WWII changing cultural values, production values equal to DA in their appropriateness to aristocratic and staff lives in both Sydney and family's country house two hours away. The characters and the actors who portray them are so real: we care so much about them, what happens to them in this most addictive program. Written so smartly, wisely, daringly, several storylines interweave - no spoiler alerts here! This is the most beautiful, meaningful, penetrating group of characters, situations, resolutions, villain, heroes, heroines seen on tv. Bravo to the great Aussie team for doing this - a series intended for only two seasons, won so many prizes and outpouring of appreciation, joy, and love by Aussie that it got a third season, and is now preparing its forth. Seasons1-3 available on Amazon,
now showing on PBS. I bought and watched all 3 and simply can't wait for season 4. WATCH IT! YOU'LL ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!! What a gift from Down- Under! BRAVO to all of them!
17
Also available on AcornTV. Loved this series.
@JK Connecticut Thank you for recommending this, I will check it out. Have you seen "Home Fires" on PBS? While its first season has finished, it has been renewed for next year.
2
@Pauline
Great news! A vastly under-hyped series. Glad to hear of its return. Stunning cast.
Great news! A vastly under-hyped series. Glad to hear of its return. Stunning cast.
3
Lovely to see Gwen again. I had forgotten that, during her break from DA, we saw her (and pretty much all of her) as Ygritte in Game of Thrones.
3
She was also in the last installment of Luther. Somewhat wasted; but still present.
1
Dear Mr. Bayard,
I usually love your recaps, and this one was no different except for one small sentence: (What. A. Slut.). While you were, of course, meaning this in a humorous way, I am surprised that the Times would allow such low humor to pass muster among its pages. The term "slut" has a long and very unfortunate, anti-feminist history. The use of the term--even as a joke--to describe a female character's past love affair is to perpetuate a negative, shameful label, undeserved as her paramour faces no like equivalent to the word "slut." I think that this article, published last year in this paper, is illuminating: http://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/should-slut-be-retired/
One reader's opinion. Anyone else? I would be interested in the author's and editor's explanation of how this is tasteful.
I usually love your recaps, and this one was no different except for one small sentence: (What. A. Slut.). While you were, of course, meaning this in a humorous way, I am surprised that the Times would allow such low humor to pass muster among its pages. The term "slut" has a long and very unfortunate, anti-feminist history. The use of the term--even as a joke--to describe a female character's past love affair is to perpetuate a negative, shameful label, undeserved as her paramour faces no like equivalent to the word "slut." I think that this article, published last year in this paper, is illuminating: http://op-talk.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/03/should-slut-be-retired/
One reader's opinion. Anyone else? I would be interested in the author's and editor's explanation of how this is tasteful.
32
Used in this context, about Violet, I thought was very funny. I laughed out loud. The use of periods, emphasizing each word, made it all the more delicious.
8
@Lisa
While I can understand your opinion, I can still think of a few words that are worse.
While I can understand your opinion, I can still think of a few words that are worse.
1
I think you need to lighten up.
7
Lord Grantham winds up in the hospital, survives; Carson drops dead, Mrs. Hughes moves back in; Barrow takes over as butler; Edith takes the job as editor, marries Pelham and adopts Marigold; Mary is the agent, marries Talbot; Anna has the baby and retires (no child care available); Baxter is lady's maid to both Cora and Mary; Edith buttons her own clothes; Tom manages race car teams; Oct. 29, 1929 happens; the Crawleys close Downton Abbey and move to London full time. Whew!
11
Wrong. The E of G kicks, Downtown sells for lack of $ for taxes, Mary left with loser suitors, no money, no purpose in life, Edith the winner in the sister stakes (have you noticed she's much better looking now?) with hubby Pelham ,kid and terrific modern job. Daisy hitches with footman, God help him, goes to Yew Tree, Bateses had kid, start a business, Violet lives forever and may see Mary as her incarnation. Carsons stay on for rich American buyers of estate. Hopefully, Mrs. Pat, ore gets some. Barrow? He starts a buttering school in Boston, great success
2
Amen, :)
Was this the first pig-less episode in a while?
5
@Jerry
Yes. And also the first child-less episode in a while...
Yes. And also the first child-less episode in a while...
Now that Carson won't need his bachelor room at Downton, they should offer it to Sergeant Willis, so he can cut down on his daily commute to Downton.
76
Bravo! It is so very tiresome to see Sergeant Willis come around in every blasted episode - at least this gave us a laugh out of the situation! Well done!
Yorkshire's only policeman really should get his own room. And maybe his own parking space as well.
2
I think he has his eye on Mrs. Patmore.
1
Excellent recap, as always. So tired of Daisy.
I miss Julien Ovendon, who played Charles Blake -- wish he'd come back to match wits with Lady Mary again.
Harriet Walker, who plays Lady Shackleton, with the terrific voice -- did a great turn as Fanny Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, the Emma Thompson version that also starred Alan Rickman.
I miss Julien Ovendon, who played Charles Blake -- wish he'd come back to match wits with Lady Mary again.
Harriet Walker, who plays Lady Shackleton, with the terrific voice -- did a great turn as Fanny Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility, the Emma Thompson version that also starred Alan Rickman.
23
It's Harriet Walter, not Walker. And yes, she's wonderful.
1
She was Harriet Vane to Edward Petherbridge's Lord Peter Wimsey in a series on Mystery! in the 80s. One of my favorites.
2
R.I.P. Alan Rckman. Wonderful actor. Great loss.
3
Perhaps they could just resurrect that Mr Pamuk?
It might cheer Mary up, and I'm sure I wouldn't mind at all.
It might cheer Mary up, and I'm sure I wouldn't mind at all.
18
"Will Violet become the first female pope? Will Tom do anything? Anything at all?" bahahahaha i love reading these reviews on my lunch break. HILARIOUS
13
It's amazing with what aplomb this most peculiar lot of aristocrats takes a former housemaid turning up at table, the care they take that the lady's maid shouldn't have a miscarriage and the turn-out to welcome back Carson and his Mrs. hughes. The one thing they can't wrap their heads, or rather tongues, around is calling her Mrs. Carson.
15
In reality of the 19th century colonial times, the commoners in the house had to face the wall, when the owners passed by, Downton Abbey is just plain ridiculous romanticized version of the bad things of the old times, and nevertheless riveting, :)
4
That would be French predicates, I believe. Not "French, prejudice."
15
O-o-o-o-o-o-h! Now, that makes sense. Thanks!
YAWN. What should have been ten minutes of viewing extended to an entire episode. Not only the tenor of the series--which I have adored until lately--but the timing is reminiscent of a soap opera. In that vein, here are my soap-opera-ish predictions for the end:(I haven't seen/read any future episodes, so this is all from my fevered mind)
Robert has a coronary episode, nearly dies because the local hospital is not up to the task, and is transported to the York hospital. Due to the delay, he dies. George inherits, but soap opera plot device alert! the soldier of a few episodes ago who told Edith that he was the true heir, who supposedly perished on the Titanic, reappears, and is proven to be the real thing. All of the family, with the exception of Edith, are tossed out. Violet tosses off a few zingers, and follows her son to the grave.
Edith is wooed and then rejected by the estate agent for being a "scarlet woman" and having a child out of wedlock. She marries the soldier/rightful heir and has a wonderful scene taunting Mary that now, she (Edith) is the Countess of Grantham.
Tom, who is interested in working with Henry Talbert, heroically dies either saving Mary or Henry, thus freeing little Sibbie to remain with her aristocratic mother's family. In the last few seconds, we see Sibbie and George falling in love, with the problems inherent in being first cousins.
Robert has a coronary episode, nearly dies because the local hospital is not up to the task, and is transported to the York hospital. Due to the delay, he dies. George inherits, but soap opera plot device alert! the soldier of a few episodes ago who told Edith that he was the true heir, who supposedly perished on the Titanic, reappears, and is proven to be the real thing. All of the family, with the exception of Edith, are tossed out. Violet tosses off a few zingers, and follows her son to the grave.
Edith is wooed and then rejected by the estate agent for being a "scarlet woman" and having a child out of wedlock. She marries the soldier/rightful heir and has a wonderful scene taunting Mary that now, she (Edith) is the Countess of Grantham.
Tom, who is interested in working with Henry Talbert, heroically dies either saving Mary or Henry, thus freeing little Sibbie to remain with her aristocratic mother's family. In the last few seconds, we see Sibbie and George falling in love, with the problems inherent in being first cousins.
6
A romance between Mary and Tom? Definitely not because Mary is the most conscious, expressive character of her Downton generation when it comes to peerage and the aristocracy. While it would be consistent with her week-long tryst and spoiled moral character, managing prize pigs with a spouse is too easily compromised by romantic distractions.
Bayard: The expectation of your weekly humor is rivaled only by the requisite viewing of the episodes by us loyal and enormously appreciative Abbots.
Given the overwhelming popularity of the show (and yourself), you should consider a touring, one man standup show? Or perhaps scribe a parody with too many seasons; one slightly varied soundtrack melody; and all manner of brilliant inconsistencies, plot perversions and more off-screen sex! I know you are a legitimate writer but this may be your ticket to buying your own English estate.
Bayard: The expectation of your weekly humor is rivaled only by the requisite viewing of the episodes by us loyal and enormously appreciative Abbots.
Given the overwhelming popularity of the show (and yourself), you should consider a touring, one man standup show? Or perhaps scribe a parody with too many seasons; one slightly varied soundtrack melody; and all manner of brilliant inconsistencies, plot perversions and more off-screen sex! I know you are a legitimate writer but this may be your ticket to buying your own English estate.
7
"Spoiled moral character?"
1
Edit: change to "spoiled chaste behavior." Does that work for you, Jennifer?
For god and country and the abstract hope that 40 strong men will die, Mary will embrace the stick shift, pulling it into it's highest gear, the engine screaming for mercy, thereby resulting in another dead body, even if it's not Turkish.
5
Duly noted and queried:
* It was mostly the older generation that used classical references (Ariedne et all) and prescient phrasing ("the dark side," etc.), while Mary observed that her education consisted of "French, prejudice and dance steps." To me, that is Lord Fellowes opining that in the upper class world, a well-rounded education was neither expected nor especially desirable. That allowed decay and financial ruin to enter and force unwanted change. He likes to show working- and middle-class class people like Tom, Moseley, Gwen, Daisy and Isobel improving their lot by embracing education, work and modern ways.
* Violet is on a tear about the hospital business, which reminds me that she is long overdo for that "change of gears" she noted tartly that she "knows something about." Could a now-widowed Prince Kuragin be returning to shift her into overdrive after that is resolved? One hopes.
* Now that we know parenthood is likely for the Bates family, it's time to suggest baby names. I pray that Anna's predilection to call her beloved husband Mr. Bates will not extend to referring to a son as... Master Bates.
Until next week.
* It was mostly the older generation that used classical references (Ariedne et all) and prescient phrasing ("the dark side," etc.), while Mary observed that her education consisted of "French, prejudice and dance steps." To me, that is Lord Fellowes opining that in the upper class world, a well-rounded education was neither expected nor especially desirable. That allowed decay and financial ruin to enter and force unwanted change. He likes to show working- and middle-class class people like Tom, Moseley, Gwen, Daisy and Isobel improving their lot by embracing education, work and modern ways.
* Violet is on a tear about the hospital business, which reminds me that she is long overdo for that "change of gears" she noted tartly that she "knows something about." Could a now-widowed Prince Kuragin be returning to shift her into overdrive after that is resolved? One hopes.
* Now that we know parenthood is likely for the Bates family, it's time to suggest baby names. I pray that Anna's predilection to call her beloved husband Mr. Bates will not extend to referring to a son as... Master Bates.
Until next week.
15
These columns are nearly as entertaining as the show ! I look forward to them every week
8
So, it's Welcome Back! -- And the gang's all here....plus a few surprises. Starting with Sgt. Willis, which can't be good...must be the next intrigue. But at least, Baxter isn't going back into the clink. And it looks like our Thomas of yore is back-- just as snippy & snide as ever. Oh, how we missed ye!...Now a word to Lady Shackleton. Better mind what's in your tea, if you're going up against Granny (who knows what a 'gear stick' is, by the way). And it's also the return of "the Nephew"!-- Lucky for Tom. They might talk about cars, but I still doubt that will keep him from eating....It's Poor Anna back for more suffering, but at least no waterworks this go 'round. And Robert. It's not the booze that's giving you a stomach-ache. Look at the Dinner conversation!!! -- Anyway, let's raise a glass to Lady Sybil, and count me in for a double Gin Punch every time Bates appears onscreen with his theme-music.
Here's the Wish-List: I hope Lady Mary gets a new gear stick. I hope Mrs. Patmore eventually discovers the 'mysteries' of life. I hope Andy-Cow-Eyes finds a new pasture. I hope Daisy stops being Karl Marx. And hope to see you next tea-time, Abbots!...Cheerio.
Here's the Wish-List: I hope Lady Mary gets a new gear stick. I hope Mrs. Patmore eventually discovers the 'mysteries' of life. I hope Andy-Cow-Eyes finds a new pasture. I hope Daisy stops being Karl Marx. And hope to see you next tea-time, Abbots!...Cheerio.
11
Edmund Burke never said that "all this is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Whoever wrote the Downton script fell victim to a common mistake.
1
Burke did say it. A longer version of it.
1
Wow, didn't realize that was ygritte, recalled to life for a tale of 2 series. I feel the dialogue this season is overly clever and stilted. Even Violet tells her son that he sounds like he's quoting someone though the same could be said for her. Danker and Spratt have the best chemistry and hope they have a more prominent role this season. Mary refers to Tom as her brother so unlikely for any romance there. Also, in last week's episodes Edith expresses concern about leading a purposeless life. Did she forget she is a mother of a young child?
2
Another reason Mary and Tom won't have a romance or get married: Mary would never agree to marry in the Catholic church or raise future offspring as RC's.
2
Your comment on Barrows makes me wonder if he and Daisy will team up to weak revenge on the upper class. One can hope.
2
Every one of those high culture references sounded like Julian Fellowes writing in a race to the finish line. One excellent idea was introducing Miss Baxter's seducer by name, Peter Doyle. I hope when she faces him at trial, we'll see an irresistible Irishman, like Colin Farrell, and understand her temptation.
Mary looks like she's ready to be seduced by another cad. My hope is she has her heart broken by him, goes home and hires a governess for the three children who have been neglected for too long. A well-educated governess, the likes of Miss Jean Brodie, would give Tom Branson something to do in the romance line.
I hope Molesly can bring Baxter back to life; failing that, Molesly would be a good match for the governess. As for feisty Daisy, the young footman who loves living in the country is keen on her, she being the only girl for miles around.
I hope Robert takes himself into the Yorkshire hospital for surgery, thus settling the hospital contretemps. Dowager Countess Violet will be proven wrong about hospitals and could very easily die of embarrassment or sheer cussedness.
Mary looks like she's ready to be seduced by another cad. My hope is she has her heart broken by him, goes home and hires a governess for the three children who have been neglected for too long. A well-educated governess, the likes of Miss Jean Brodie, would give Tom Branson something to do in the romance line.
I hope Molesly can bring Baxter back to life; failing that, Molesly would be a good match for the governess. As for feisty Daisy, the young footman who loves living in the country is keen on her, she being the only girl for miles around.
I hope Robert takes himself into the Yorkshire hospital for surgery, thus settling the hospital contretemps. Dowager Countess Violet will be proven wrong about hospitals and could very easily die of embarrassment or sheer cussedness.
3
I hope not too much like Miss Jean Brodie. She was, of course, in her prime, but she was also a Fascist—literally, not euphemistically—and she was trying to lead her students into Fascism, too. Little Sybbie goose-stepping—what horror!
5
Do we not think that the story arc Lord Grantham's tummy ache might intersect with the hospital tsuris? It seems these two plot lines should come together with either LG being saved by new healthcare technologies from York OR by the good graces of a the local docs. We must remember, of course, what happened to poor Lady Sybil at the hands of the "best doctor in the land" when the local yokel had the diagnosis pegged.
14
I don't much care for Downton Abbey -- Fellowes lost me way back in season 1. And dipping into it, once in a while, for 10 minutes or so hasn't changed my opinion. BUT I do love these reviews. Perhaps Mr. Bayard is too kind but I do appreciate his skill at tagging the absurd.
t's starting to feel like Barrow owns this season. He's the only character left with an interesting and unpredictable story arc. Is this plot line "boiling up" to something? That seems to be the only question left worth asking.
7
Of course,Tories would not want a National Health Service.They are now defunding and dismantling it.
We're headed for a saccharine happy ending where all is resolved.Everyone enjoys Toryland.Tom has been converted so he fits right in.
Viewers have been tweaked to dislike Sarah Bunting, Thomas,baby-snatching Mrs Drewe,as we are meant to close ranks around the beatific family and their friends,the servants as they frolic together in jolly old England.
We're headed for a saccharine happy ending where all is resolved.Everyone enjoys Toryland.Tom has been converted so he fits right in.
Viewers have been tweaked to dislike Sarah Bunting, Thomas,baby-snatching Mrs Drewe,as we are meant to close ranks around the beatific family and their friends,the servants as they frolic together in jolly old England.
4
Or perhaps not. The worm in the apple, the most prominent one, is Moseley. He was a youth of some talent and ambition, and all that old world could find for him was cleaning boots and laying out cufflinks. The thought of him alone at night, thinking of what he is and what he could have been, gives the lie to that whole Edwardian summer afternoon existence.
1
Did I just learn that it is Henry Talbot courting Mary? Could it be that this Henry Talbot will have some relation to the Talbot car company (i.e., Sunbeam-Talbot, et. al.)? That eventually we will see Mary driving such a roadster--carefree, scarf flying in the wind, goggles--freed at last from the trappings of aristocracy, but wealthy nevertheless? Somewhere inside her there must be another Mary longing to break free, I can only hope.
7
"scarf flying in the wind" and, a la Isadora Duncan, scarf caught in the car's wheel and strangling her, thereby poetically joining poor Mary in a freak car-death reunion with poor Matthew? "Mahsterpiece" indeed!
2
Mary's flirting tactic of promising Henry that he will be turned down belies the facts of her sexual history, and dare I say is the subtlest of hints to her domineering positions in the bedroom?
And Fellowes has really crossed the line this time with all this raunchy talk of "gear sticks."
Daisy, if anything, has been losing brain cells over the course of the series, despite the fact we've seen her poring over the books with the slightly less dense Molesley. It's a miracle she hasn't accidentally started a ghastly grease fire yet.
And I'd say it was Fellowes' idol Maggie T. that Violet was channeling, not Rand. There must be something left in Britain to privatize!
And, geez, Louis -- give Tom a break! He just got off the boat!
And Fellowes has really crossed the line this time with all this raunchy talk of "gear sticks."
Daisy, if anything, has been losing brain cells over the course of the series, despite the fact we've seen her poring over the books with the slightly less dense Molesley. It's a miracle she hasn't accidentally started a ghastly grease fire yet.
And I'd say it was Fellowes' idol Maggie T. that Violet was channeling, not Rand. There must be something left in Britain to privatize!
And, geez, Louis -- give Tom a break! He just got off the boat!
4
Tom is an extremely unrealistic character for 1920-reverse immigration for an Irishman from the US to England.He's ready to sing Kumbaya in the happy ending.
4
You're not dropping the subtlest of hints.
From interviews with Fellowes I've heard and read, I don't think he was sympathetic to the Thatcher strain of British conservatism. I think he probably advocates a continued role for the aristocracy as guardians of the traditional way of life, with it's noblesse oblige care of those less fortunate.
3
With respect to Violet's zingers and her libertarian speech -- anticipating Ayn Rand -- Penelope Wilton, who plays Isobel, once commented in an interview that she believes that Julian Fellowes most identifies with Violet, which is why she is given most (perhaps too many) of the good one-liners. We must remember that this is *Baron* Fellowes who writes these, after all, so it's unsurprising that Violet comes across sounding as she does, if she's really the closest to Fellowes' own sentiments.
Indeed, I recently caught "Gosford Park" (2001) for the first time, and Maggie Smith plays a character who seems almost exactly like Violet (same crackling good lines, for one thing), seemingly having stepped across some space-time continuum. "Gosford," which was also written by Baron Fellowes, was essentially a dry run for "Downton" -- a large country house, a weekend shooting party, intrigue among both the upstairs and downstairs casts, etc. Even the sets, especially the downstairs corridors with rows of small window panes, seem eerily to echo "Downton." Anyone who loves this show (and really, if we're posting here, don't we all?) who hasn't seen "Gosford" owes it to themselves to see this alternate-universe . . . complete not only with Maggie Smith but also Jeremy Swift (Sprat) also playing a footman and a few other recognizable faces, such as Richard E. Grant (Simon Bricker from season 5).
Indeed, I recently caught "Gosford Park" (2001) for the first time, and Maggie Smith plays a character who seems almost exactly like Violet (same crackling good lines, for one thing), seemingly having stepped across some space-time continuum. "Gosford," which was also written by Baron Fellowes, was essentially a dry run for "Downton" -- a large country house, a weekend shooting party, intrigue among both the upstairs and downstairs casts, etc. Even the sets, especially the downstairs corridors with rows of small window panes, seem eerily to echo "Downton." Anyone who loves this show (and really, if we're posting here, don't we all?) who hasn't seen "Gosford" owes it to themselves to see this alternate-universe . . . complete not only with Maggie Smith but also Jeremy Swift (Sprat) also playing a footman and a few other recognizable faces, such as Richard E. Grant (Simon Bricker from season 5).
11
the difference between Gosford Park and Downton Abbey is that Gosford Park is clever "comedy' about snobbery, greed, and class exploitation. Downton Abbey is pure soap opera. How far you have fallen Baron Fellowes.
2
He works much better in short form than long form. Just doesn't have the imagination and grace to sustain multiple seasons of fiction.
1
If you like Gosford, check out the Fellowes novel "Snobs."
2
And it was driving Ms. Daisy crazy!
4
Daisy is meant to come off as bumbling and irritating as were all those who were not completely sold on this way of life.She humbly apologized-so she stays.
2
Tom Branson is "living the life of Riley" mooching off the Crawleys. His new job title seems to be "peacemaker" mixed in with the occasional chaffeuring of Lady Mary. He may have to do some heavy lifting to earn his keep if Baron F. decides It's time to end Lord G's misery. After all, what's the point of living if you cannot enjoy the occasional swig of Port.
4
Yes Robert's illness will propel us to the new hospital model but -- crikey! - why isn't anyone mentioning the outdated doctoring/doctor may have / probably led to Sybil's death as well? Oh sure, we had to hear that it "probably would have happened in London" so Cora and Robert could make up, but they have experienced lacking medical care with the worst outcome already!
2
The irony is that the local doctor saw all the signs of eclampsia, and tried to warn the family, while the specialist Robert hired did not.
10
Louis, These recaps make me laugh out loud...I will miss them!!
1
Mary really is ice-cold. Her beloved husband is killed in a car crash and yet she enjoys was watching another hot prospect race cars for the thrill of it. Shudder!
5
Not at all—in the preview she's shown expressing great anxiety about the speed, obviously thinking of what happened to Matthew. And her mourning for Matthew has been profound.
8
Why did Edith imply she would hire a female editor? What happened to last weeks emergency editorial fling?
6
Pelham was just on hand helping in a pinch, and Edith has said that she doesn't want to be full-time editor. So she needs to hire someone and is considering employing a woman -- especially since it's a women's magazine.
4
Career opportunity for Tom- he and Edith get along well and he does have experience as a journalist.
Everyone keeps harping on Mary's disdain for Edith, but no one seems to mind the fact that green eyed Edith has never had one good word for Mary either. She does nothing but deride and dismiss anything that Mary is doing whether it is managing the estate or rushing off to London with Anna. She never lets an opportunity for a derogatory remark pass. And let's not forget that no matter what Mary's attitude towards Edith might be she has never done anything as loathsome as Edith's letter to the family of Mr. Pamuk revealing the details of his death.
23
I mentioned Edith's Pamluk shenanigans two weeks ago. Edith was the original instigator of the two sisters.
1
Absolutely agree. I am hoping that since all of Mary's secrets have been disclosed to those to whom she had hoped to keep them, Edith's cruelest deed will become common knowledge before the end of the series.
She risked not only ruining her sister's name and future but also her family's. John Bates' imprisonment and possible execution were results of the gossip generated by the letter to the Turkish ambassador. Also, there was Mary's period of being indentured to the loathsome Sir Richard Carlisle. As noted by recent commenters, Edith is utterly unaware of the pain she brought to the Drewe family.
That Mary has not told her parents about Edith's cruelty is a sign of enormous discipline and character. However, she can certainly be forgiven her chilly attitude and even her snide remarks.
Edith was probably born depressed and deserves sympathy for that. And her early negativity would explain why the more self-confident Mary never took to her younger sibling, even before she wrote the letter. Most of us know people whom we instinctively dislike but have to deal with; it is especially difficult when that person is a relative. Mary and Edith have never had a good relationship, but snide remarks by a sibling do not excuse an act as mean and ruthless as that letter.
That said, it has been 13 years and we should applaud Edith's embracing the 20th Century. But I would never, never want to have a cup of tea with her.
She risked not only ruining her sister's name and future but also her family's. John Bates' imprisonment and possible execution were results of the gossip generated by the letter to the Turkish ambassador. Also, there was Mary's period of being indentured to the loathsome Sir Richard Carlisle. As noted by recent commenters, Edith is utterly unaware of the pain she brought to the Drewe family.
That Mary has not told her parents about Edith's cruelty is a sign of enormous discipline and character. However, she can certainly be forgiven her chilly attitude and even her snide remarks.
Edith was probably born depressed and deserves sympathy for that. And her early negativity would explain why the more self-confident Mary never took to her younger sibling, even before she wrote the letter. Most of us know people whom we instinctively dislike but have to deal with; it is especially difficult when that person is a relative. Mary and Edith have never had a good relationship, but snide remarks by a sibling do not excuse an act as mean and ruthless as that letter.
That said, it has been 13 years and we should applaud Edith's embracing the 20th Century. But I would never, never want to have a cup of tea with her.
4
And let's not forget that no matter what Mary's attitude towards Edith might be she has never done anything as loathsome as Edith's letter to the family of Mr. Pamuk revealing the details of his death. . . .
. . . Except lying to Strallan about Edith and her true attitude towards him as he was about to propose, thwarting her chance at marriage in Season one. No, nothing at all.
. . . Except lying to Strallan about Edith and her true attitude towards him as he was about to propose, thwarting her chance at marriage in Season one. No, nothing at all.
3
Having had that same medical stitch as Anna (MacDonald Procedure) I was put on bed rest for the remainder of my successful pregnancy. Amazing how much better Anna did so many years before.
Speaking of medicine, I predict that Robert's symptoms will become a full-blown medical emergency and lead the Dowager to realize the local hospital needs updating. My crystal ball does not extend to knowing if he recovers.
Speaking of medicine, I predict that Robert's symptoms will become a full-blown medical emergency and lead the Dowager to realize the local hospital needs updating. My crystal ball does not extend to knowing if he recovers.
8
Surely Lord Grantham's "gut pain" must also play into the hospital plot line: with the merger in effect, the village hospital receives a new machine (what the MRI or X-ray of that time was) that will enable some doctor to perform a life saving miracle, so the series can end Happily Ever After.
3
I will so miss this delightful, scathing, snarky, laugh-out-loud and mostly clever column when Downton finally fades, like King Arthur, into the mists of time and tragedy (think WWII). Think "Remains of the Day."
3
A question for Mr. Bayard: What is the London restaurant that Henry takes Mary to, and does it still exist? And what about those grand houses that Barrow has recently been going to for interviews?
A question for fellow Abbots: Is it likely Mary will fall for a race car driver after what happened to Matthew?
A question for fellow Abbots: Is it likely Mary will fall for a race car driver after what happened to Matthew?
2
Not a restaurant. Its the Royal Automobile Club. Henry must have needed to use up his monthly minimum in a temporarily vain attempt to do some gear shifting with Mary.
9
Thanks for the info.
1
Well, it certainly looks like Lady Mary has already fallen...the question is how far??
1
The dining room scene with Gwen and the Crawleys reminded me of something I couldn't quite place my finger on, until I thought back to some immortal dialogue from a 1970's sitcom classic. With apologies to Mr. Asner and Ms. Moore:
Lord Grantham: "You know, Gwen you've got spunk."
Gwen: "Why, thank you, Lord Grantham."
Lord Grantham: "I hate spunk."
Lord Grantham: "You know, Gwen you've got spunk."
Gwen: "Why, thank you, Lord Grantham."
Lord Grantham: "I hate spunk."
19
I've enjoyed this season more than I expected to. I think it's the best in a while. Thanks for your witticisms Bayard. I always look forward to them.
I tried to watch "Mercy" but could not tolerate it. I realized how good the acting and script are in "Downton!"
I tried to watch "Mercy" but could not tolerate it. I realized how good the acting and script are in "Downton!"
8
In England, obstetricians, like all surgeons, call themselves Mr. (or Mrs.) rather than Dr. This seeming oddity comes from a chip they are still balancing on their shoulders about the days when surgeons were barbers and not allowed to call themselves doctors. Now, they disdain the title once denied to them. I wonder why Julian Fellowes called Ryder Dr..
5
So much bling on the woman's dresses,
where's my shades?
And when the show is over at 9:45, I'm left disappointed. Is this new?
where's my shades?
And when the show is over at 9:45, I'm left disappointed. Is this new?
1
Raquel Cassidy (Baxter) was brilliant in this episode, as we see her wrestling with the request that she testify against Peter Coyne. In an episode that delivered a lot of silly "wrapping the series up" moments, I felt honestly moved by her dilemma, and by Cassidy's subtle but clear demonstrations of all the emotions this situation evoked. When Molesley demonstrates that he really doesn't get how Coyne damaged her and changed forever her sense of self-worth, confidence and safety ("You're standing here, aren't you?") her "Yes, but I'm...changed," actually brought tears to my eyes.
31
If Lady Mary had any good sense she would ask Tom too marry her.
(enough of Daisy,, please) Can't she be sent off to an Anglican convent of socialist nuns?
Why do none of these characters ever express views about the concept of a Monarchy?
(enough of Daisy,, please) Can't she be sent off to an Anglican convent of socialist nuns?
Why do none of these characters ever express views about the concept of a Monarchy?
A good recap, but I have to offer one quick correction. Moseley isn't quoting Edmund Burke. While most everyone seems to believe Burke made the statement about the moral duties of good men standing up against evil, the comment has never been found in any of Burke's writing nor in any of his speeches in Parliament. In fact, no one has ever been able to find the original source of the exact quotation, although John Stuart Mill did say almost the same thing in a speech.
10
Doesn't Tolstoy use the line in the Epilogue to War and Peace???
Will Charles Blake ever return from Poland? He was the only fellow whose company made Mary likeable, muddy, messy and willing. He always had her best interests at heart. Will Harold Levinson return or has that story line faded?
11
Given Charles Blake's scene with the mud while rescuing pigs, I prefer she choose this pig man over the car man.
And poor Thomas just needs any man.
And poor Thomas just needs any man.
9
I got a distinct gay vibe from Blake--playing matchmaker for Tony, his frank advice to Mary, and then when the field is clear, scarpering off to Poland.
Poor Blake was used shamelessly as a plot device to get Mary out of her engagement to Tony-
but didn't she find out later that he is due to become a Baronet? which sort of puts him back in the running-
I too am waiting for him to reappear...
but didn't she find out later that he is due to become a Baronet? which sort of puts him back in the running-
I too am waiting for him to reappear...
1
Is it just me or are Mary and her new love interest totally without chemistry? He's actually rather rude to her. Not that she doesn't deserve it. I'd rather see her back with ol' Tony, who actually adored her.
Robert was holding his lower abdomen this episode, so it looked less like a heart issue.
So glad Gwen did so well for herself, but I would have sacked Barrow that night.
Robert was holding his lower abdomen this episode, so it looked less like a heart issue.
So glad Gwen did so well for herself, but I would have sacked Barrow that night.
16
Mary also seemed to be putting a distance between herself and racecar-boy with her remarks about her lack of interest in cars and the "tidy" tying up of the Downton estate in her and her father's co-ownership and the eventual takeover by George. I think maybe we're meant to see that there's no real chemistry, that he's interested in her for her money and she knows it. I think Andy might be interested in Daisy for the same sort of reasons—or, rather, I think that's how his interest makes sense as the characters and story are written so far; Fellowes probably thinks it's a real love story.
1
I thought they had great chemistry. He held his own with her, and the repartee was sharp and funny.
9
Can someone tell me why, after years of Thomas' meddling, Lord G. and Mr. C. are bent on getting him out of DA? What crossed the line? Was there some ultimate transgression of Thomas' or is this merely financial retrenchment?
I think that THomas will be reclaimed from the forces of darkness, become totally human, and be welcomed into the bosom of DA by the end. The emotionally wounded Thomas of this season feels like such diminishment after the luscious snark bet. Thomas and O'Brien of past years. His outing of Gwen at lunch was a bit of the old Thomas that we'd grown to love/hate, but otherwise he is a shadow of himself.
I think that THomas will be reclaimed from the forces of darkness, become totally human, and be welcomed into the bosom of DA by the end. The emotionally wounded Thomas of this season feels like such diminishment after the luscious snark bet. Thomas and O'Brien of past years. His outing of Gwen at lunch was a bit of the old Thomas that we'd grown to love/hate, but otherwise he is a shadow of himself.
5
Lord Grantham says to Carson that he doesn't like to feel out of step with his fellow man - in 1925 the landscape had changed so much that few large houses maintained the staff they used to. Lord G: "I mean, who has an under-butler these days anyway?" He also mentions that the wage bill is three times what it was before the war, even with a dramatically reduced staff.
Servant labor was more expensive and less fashionable in 1925 than when the show started in 1912. Lord G is, amazingly, trying to keep up with the times for once.
Servant labor was more expensive and less fashionable in 1925 than when the show started in 1912. Lord G is, amazingly, trying to keep up with the times for once.
4
Whatever happened to the dog? Did I miss a demise?
Yes, she died of cancer in the last season. Many believe it had to do with her unfortunate name...
The dog died last season. If my memory serves me, she had cancer. There is a touching scene at the end of the episode with Cora and Robert cradling the dog between them in bed.
1
Yes, the dog died. Probably because its name was Isis. Unfortunate.
1
I have a bad feeling about this! If Mary falls for Abbott, despite her disinterest in cars and racing, will she be taken for a ride where upon Abbott puts that gear stick in hyperdrive? Hope Fellowes is not hinting at M'Lady's demise!!
It was driving Ms. Daisy crazy!
3
Barrow should go up to London and be valet for one of Bertie Wooster's dim pals from the Drones Club.
13
Mary ending up with a "car man" when her first (and beloved) husband was killed in a car crash?
15
Julian Fellowes is a gifted and skilled scriptwriter, as evidenced in the first season of Downton Abbey and the deliciously cynical Gosford Park, but I suspect that because of the wild success of Downton and what I assume are boatloads of money being thrust at him, Fellowes was coaxed into continuing something long after he lost creative interest in it.
Fellowes seems to have been convinced that it was his duty to educate what has become a world-wide audience in the manners, mores and politics of England in the first part of the 20th C. This has lead to an almost school-mistressy earnestness in the writing and the many awkward bits of expository dialogue. I think it's still well acted (you often wonder what the actors think about the clunkers they'r required to make silk purses out of) and beautifully produced,and I keep watching in hopes that Fellowes will find a way of providing plausible resolutions for the characters the actors have so skillfully brought to life.
Fellowes seems to have been convinced that it was his duty to educate what has become a world-wide audience in the manners, mores and politics of England in the first part of the 20th C. This has lead to an almost school-mistressy earnestness in the writing and the many awkward bits of expository dialogue. I think it's still well acted (you often wonder what the actors think about the clunkers they'r required to make silk purses out of) and beautifully produced,and I keep watching in hopes that Fellowes will find a way of providing plausible resolutions for the characters the actors have so skillfully brought to life.
20
You are spot on. It is what my husband and I were commenting on last evening. Thank you.
2
It's a shame that Fellowes has been the only writer; the show could have benefited enormously from having a group of writers who played off each other and served as correctives to each others' weaknesses. It's rumored that Robert Altman had his writers clean up the Gosford Park screenplay, and I believe it. Though I agree that Season 1 was by far the best, even it suffered from the pacing issues that have plagued the whole series—there was no reason to leap through three years in that season; it was rushed. That prepared the ground for the great leap through the Great War and contributed to the vampiring of the Downton population—who are these people, really, who have aged 5 years in 15?
17
I don't think Fellowes is adept at writing for a sustained series and I agree that the script becomes formulaic and the story arcs boring. He is now at work on an NBC series to be called "The Guilded Age," about America in the late 1800's. You have to wonder how he can possibly understand our culture when he's so buried in his own and how he can write dialogue spoken by Americans without sounding like a slavish imitation of period Brit aristos.
1
The malevolent way Barrow was watching Carson leave the kitchen to go up the stairs one last time made me fear for Carson's safety! I feared that Barrow would be lurking in the shadows at the top of the stairs once Carson started back down. I was very relieved when the scene faded to black without a tragic "accident"!
8
These are so much better than watching the show!
6
"What's your passion?"
A couple of first tries...
"Well I love my job..."
"Oh, and don't you have a son?"
"Oh yeah, him... Still not a passion, but yeah, George, I think that's his name. Yes, I'm certain, George!"
A couple of first tries...
"Well I love my job..."
"Oh, and don't you have a son?"
"Oh yeah, him... Still not a passion, but yeah, George, I think that's his name. Yes, I'm certain, George!"
27
I find it cloying and annoying when people asked those kinds of questions respond, "My child..." Mary is living in 1925 and so does not feel the need to parade her parenting before the world. George is part of her private life and Henry Talbot is a mere acquaintance; theres's no reason that she would bring him up in response to a question about her interests, which is what the question about passions was. It was weird for Edith to bring up Marigold during her chance meeting with Bertie last week. Anachronistic for her class and time.
8
What parenting?
5
Jennifer,
You get it that this is tongue in cheek here right?
You understand the Mr. Bayard doesn't dislike the show, and neither do we Abbots, but we do find the show to be worthy of "What Ho!" and what not.
Even if the intention was not to be anachronistic, I live in the today, and I find it amusing that the woman wouldn't even consider her child to be something to be passionate about.
Beyond that, do you really think the Baron Fellowes didn't intend for that to be noted? Why do you think he wrote the scene that way?
Lastly, the show is over, it has been all season. It was noted from the very first line of dialog as Lord Grantham essentially broke the 4th wall right off. It is self referential, it is a self parody.
You get it that this is tongue in cheek here right?
You understand the Mr. Bayard doesn't dislike the show, and neither do we Abbots, but we do find the show to be worthy of "What Ho!" and what not.
Even if the intention was not to be anachronistic, I live in the today, and I find it amusing that the woman wouldn't even consider her child to be something to be passionate about.
Beyond that, do you really think the Baron Fellowes didn't intend for that to be noted? Why do you think he wrote the scene that way?
Lastly, the show is over, it has been all season. It was noted from the very first line of dialog as Lord Grantham essentially broke the 4th wall right off. It is self referential, it is a self parody.
Louis,
You say exactly what I'm thinking. Bravo, my dear companion in snarky thoughts!
You say exactly what I'm thinking. Bravo, my dear companion in snarky thoughts!
4
Fully agree. Mr. Bayard. Get your snark on!!
1
"Will Tom do anything, anything at all?" Among Louis Bayard's brilliant and hilarious insights, for me this ranks as the most caustically insightful. Tom, who once dreamed of revolution, has become as dormant as a stuffed couch. Did he learn anything in America?
33
yes, WHAT did he learn in America that drove him back across the ocean only moments (apparently) after penning his last letter to Mary which gave no hint of his return?
I suspect we will never know what became of his cousins or what halted his pursuit of a new start, some new entrepreneurship' instead, back the comfortable bosom of Downton affluence without explanation beyond homesickness (as if he had not previously left Ireland not once but twice and left Downton for Ireland with his new bride). He's acquired Robert and Mary's drawl, his Irish accent vanished; in fact, he has metamorphosized further. becoming Robert's mini-me.
I suspect we will never know what became of his cousins or what halted his pursuit of a new start, some new entrepreneurship' instead, back the comfortable bosom of Downton affluence without explanation beyond homesickness (as if he had not previously left Ireland not once but twice and left Downton for Ireland with his new bride). He's acquired Robert and Mary's drawl, his Irish accent vanished; in fact, he has metamorphosized further. becoming Robert's mini-me.
4
@Lawrence
Will Tom do anything? --Yes. Tom will eat.
Will Tom do anything? --Yes. Tom will eat.
4
Yes, he learned what Fellowes wanted him to learn, namely that in the good old USofA, anyone can achieve onepercentality, if they only try hard enough, therefore, capitalism isn't all bad. Yawn.
Getting my full geek on, remember that the Star Wars epic all takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, so a reference to the dark side is problematic as an anachronism.
I don't know about this... seeing as how the events of Star Wars unfolded "a long time ago," they predate the events of Downton Abbey, no? Thus making it plausible that the residents of Downton are familiar with the Star Wars saga. Surely the history of the Jedi Order and the Rebellion and so forth was included in their schoolbooks along with instruction in French and dance steps! ;)
I thought it was so strange that Violet told her daughter, Lady Rosamund, that her grandchildren would regret her (Lady Rosamund's) failure to take a stand against government overreach. Lady Rosamund rightly replied that she wouldn't have any grandchildren. Surely Lady Rosamund's lack of children would always be in the forefront of her mother's mind in an era when marriage and childbearing was central to a woman's identity? Why wouldn't Violet have said something broader like "future generations of this family"?
26
Because Edith is Rosamund's daughter?
4
I have always wondered about this! The two redheads...
It's been clear to me for quite some time that Rosamund is Edith's mother. The dynamic between the two, her knowing how to handle Edith's "situation," Violet's reaction when she learned of Edith's predicament...and then of course there's the fact that they look identical--while Mary & Sybil look like their mother.
It was not meanness on Violet's part, it was a slip.
It was not meanness on Violet's part, it was a slip.
1
LOVE the Gloucester pronouncement on the Bates. Fits in the with the "Hail Britannia" kitchen-sink madness that overcame Fellowes this season to work in every English glory he can think of. I applaud Violet explaining the Magna Carta (it did just celebrate a big anniversary) but I'm still recovering from Mrs. Hughes citing Oliver Cromwell the other week--in reference to her looming love life. From the "Out of Time" department: did people think of fixing things by taking a pill in 1925, a la Lady Mary?
And small point, I thought Violet said "Ariadne's string" not thread, which is the lesser-used phrase.
And small point, I thought Violet said "Ariadne's string" not thread, which is the lesser-used phrase.
2
The ITV subtitles say it's Ariadne's thread.
1
Maybe Lord G needs " a stitch".
8
While speculating on the racing car driver Henry Talbot, let's not forget that Mary's first husband died by automobile accident!
9
Barrow simply would not have had the courage/impudence/stupidity to address a dinner guest (Gwen) directly with an uninvited question or comment -- no matter who that guest was or might have been.
It was the most strident and the most obvious wrong note of the episode.
It was the most strident and the most obvious wrong note of the episode.
95
You are really well trained in the supposed haviour of the domestics in the great houses of England.
And, by the way, Gwen was not a 'dinner' guest, but a lunch guest. No matter if one can see the daylight through the windows or not, lunch tables are never adorned with lit candles, only dinner tables are.
And didn't Gwen also wear a hat?
And, by the way, Gwen was not a 'dinner' guest, but a lunch guest. No matter if one can see the daylight through the windows or not, lunch tables are never adorned with lit candles, only dinner tables are.
And didn't Gwen also wear a hat?
9
It wasn't uncommon for women guests to keep their hats on during a visit, even at the table.
3
I've never been much of an Edith fan, but I do love how she's taken to driving. She seems to really enjoy it. In that regard she reminds me of Detective Alexander Eames, of Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Eames was the senior partner of Eames and Goren, but Eames was known for loving to be the one to drive. She drove fast, and well. A true family-tradition-police-officer. daughter, sister and widow of police officers.
4
That looked like the car was being towed in the close-ups. Allen Leech described his genuine fear during the scenes where Tom was teaching Edith to drive; the car was worth a fortune and Laura Carmichael can not drive.
3
@Prairie
Not only that, Edith is an old pro' by now... She started out by driving a tractor in Season 1.
Not only that, Edith is an old pro' by now... She started out by driving a tractor in Season 1.
4
Hello to a fellow Eames/L & O: CI and Downton fan!
let's give a hurrah for the costume designers! The elegant chemises are beyond stunning. Did I not hear that there is a suicide? I bet it is Thomas, who cannot stop being evil and clearly has nowhere to go. And I have reached my limit with Daisy. Please, let her go to Yew Tree Farm with that footman who looks like the spawn of comedian Marty Feldman!
27
NO, no -- the footman looks like the spawn of Mr. Bean
5
Nice spoiler, thanks.
:(
:(
4
Agreed, Cora's outfits were particularly yummy this week!
3
Not one mention in the column or comments of my favorite scene when his Lordship gave the back of the hand to Evil Butler Barrow. I reprised an outburst from the day's earlier football games. "YES!!!!!"
11
It was deeply satisfying.
2
and what Butler would dare comment while serving at table???
1
@Suzanne
Agreed. Let's not forget the wrath of Lord Sinderby....scary, indeed.
Agreed. Let's not forget the wrath of Lord Sinderby....scary, indeed.
I'm a bit worried that Mary will lose another lover to a car crash just as her father dies of a ruptured appendix because his mother refused to modernize the hospital. And Tom, back from the wild West, gets the upper hand as agent, leaving Mary grieving and adrift in her gorgeous outfits.
24
How can anyone overlook the best LOL line of this episode! Isabel's response to Violet's remark re: the many decades that have passed since she made her way "downstairs". "Did you bring your passport?" remarks Isobel. The Isobel/Violet relationship is the very best and consistent one in the show! It recalls the adage "they can't live with each other and yet can't live without each other". Sums up one of the basic themes of the show which is the entrenched British class structure being challenged. Only a few more recaps left! They will be missed by all of us recap readers.
93
@Elena
Spot-on!!!-- Great line. And the way it was delivered....priceless!
Spot-on!!!-- Great line. And the way it was delivered....priceless!
6
One of the best things in the show is the evolution of Violet's absolute distaste for Isobel and Matthew and now her love of Isobel (even if she continues to feign a sarcastic attitude).
5
Yes, it was a perfect line! And indeed, the Best of Show this episode. But Bayard consistently either ignores or worse, deprecates Mrs. Crawley who is one of the best characters in the series. "Best," in so many ways. I fear she isn't "snarky" enough for Louis to admire. His loss'
As a car guy, I appreciate Henry, the cars and the references. For those of you who might not be familiar, Brooklands Circuit was the first banked racing circuit ever built, and the fastest track in the world at the time. The Bentley Boys would win The 24 Hours Of Le Mans 5 times between 1924 and 1930, and would drive the cars to and from the track. The Blower Bentleys remain iconic and quite fast to this day. Good show Lady Mary!
11
@LLK
And a jolly good car chat. Thanks.
And a jolly good car chat. Thanks.
Snappy chariot!
1
Some of Brooklands remains, although it's mostly overgrown with weeds. At least one banked turn remains.
I haven't looked yet; but I would guess the racing car scenes are filmed at Goodwood.
I haven't looked yet; but I would guess the racing car scenes are filmed at Goodwood.
3
Funny recap, and I am sure it was said in jest, but maybe, just maybe we can find another way to humorously describe women who are knowledgable about the world and sex without using the word "slut". This is the New York Times. This archaic and defamatory language towards women just doesn't cut it anymore.
55
I was surprised by that, and disgusted. I said something unprintable and imperative aloud when I read it.
5
I wasn't offended; but I am continually puzzled as to why so many people think these recaps are so great. I think it's because this kind of snark is now the coin of the (Internet) realm. I find it an overall lowering of what passes for wit and good writing.
4
"Archaic" means no longer in everyday use. Can's say that about the term, "slut." I love the Urban Dictionary definition of a slut - i.e., a woman with the morals of a man.
9
Did anyone else think that Peter Coyle sounds like the Kilgrave (from Jessica Jones) of his day?
1
Yes, I was thinking the same thing.
When I worked at a school we had boys who could not keep both shoes tied at once, but who could look at a girl and see exactly how to manipulate her. Almost always boys who did it, rarely girls.
And if you think you are too smart for that, look up a brilliant movie on DVD, Falling, starring Penelope Wilton and Michael Kitchen.
And if you think you are too smart for that, look up a brilliant movie on DVD, Falling, starring Penelope Wilton and Michael Kitchen.
1
Steve, thanks for the recommendation. I missed that one. And looking at the IMDb listing, it was directed by Tristram Powell, son of the great Anthony Powell (A Dance to the Music of Time).
You may have seen it; but if you're a Michael Kitchen fan as I am, seek out 'Reckless,' which was a TV movie as well (not the one with Charlotte Rampling); but the one with Robson Green (also excellent).
You may have seen it; but if you're a Michael Kitchen fan as I am, seek out 'Reckless,' which was a TV movie as well (not the one with Charlotte Rampling); but the one with Robson Green (also excellent).
2
Do I detect a tremor of a new plotline for a renewed relationship with Tom and Ms. Mumford who is almost as annoying as Daisy? Another dinner confrontation with Ms. Mumford will cause Robert to go into cardiac arrest!
2
Another confrontation with Miss Mumford might cause my TeeVee to have clogged arteries as well as I hurl my wooden shoes into the screen!
Do you mean Bunting? I don't recall a Mumford.
3
Yeah, prolly. I was just following the lead.
Downton has evolved into a hot-house tomato. Looks appetizing, but that's about it. Recycled plots to make the Friends of the Earth proud. Predictable enough to make Jean Dixon jealous. Beating dead horses more than any Russian hero in a Dostoevsky novel. Yes, there is some good dialogue, here and there, but mostly it has become a vintage fashion show.
7
I'll take a gear stick any day!
1
Concerning "the ruins of the Drewe family — a tragedy that has never particularly interested Baron Fellowes":
The Drewes, like Fake Patrick, Bunting the Excruciating, Flirty Grocer Man, and countless others have gone to a great purgatorial green room in the sky where characters too boring to go on (according to the Julian calendar, that is) are permitted to go, as long as the actors playing them don't ask to leave the show. Here they will be served cold tea and stale treacle sandwiches. If they are very good they will be permitted to watch the original "Planet of the Apes" with Czech subtitles on a very old television set from time to time.
(Of course, as everyone knows, anyone who has teh temerity to *ask* to leave is immediately killed, with the exception of Sarah O'Brien, who received a special dispensation for being Too Evil to Die.)
The Drewes, like Fake Patrick, Bunting the Excruciating, Flirty Grocer Man, and countless others have gone to a great purgatorial green room in the sky where characters too boring to go on (according to the Julian calendar, that is) are permitted to go, as long as the actors playing them don't ask to leave the show. Here they will be served cold tea and stale treacle sandwiches. If they are very good they will be permitted to watch the original "Planet of the Apes" with Czech subtitles on a very old television set from time to time.
(Of course, as everyone knows, anyone who has teh temerity to *ask* to leave is immediately killed, with the exception of Sarah O'Brien, who received a special dispensation for being Too Evil to Die.)
26
This is hilarious.
3
@Beatrice23
Even death is afraid of O'Brien...
Even death is afraid of O'Brien...
7
True--or else Death would have had O'Brien slip on a well-placed bar of soap.
3
I nominate for best scene 2 of them. The tone of uncharacteristically and aggressively direct bitchiness among the women at the dinner table arguing about the hospital and the contrastingly restrained and slyly witty tone of courting aristos between Mary and Henry.
6
So I am going to sound like an idiot here but I need some background. I have watched DA from day 1 but am unclear on Mrs. Hughes. Since she is Mrs. Hughes she was once married? Is she a widow? I understand her hesitance to become be intimate with Carson based on her considerations but in that episode it seemed (to me) that she may have never had sex - I need some background if it was ever explained or am I just missing a piece of the story. Thanks all!
2
In great homes, all senior female servants were referred to as "Mrs." regardless of their actual marital status. You will find this information in many a vintage etiquette book. Mrs. Hughes has been in service all of her adult life and never has been married before. Same for Mr.s Patmore.
Ladies' maids go by their surname only, as valets do.
Ladies' maids go by their surname only, as valets do.
3
According to previous posters, in that time, the female servants would have been addressed as "Mrs." even if they were not married.
1
Mrs. Hughes was not married. It was the custom for housekeepers to be addressed as Mrs. and had nothing to do with their being married or not. It was just a form of address.
Your "what.a.slut." line made me spit out my coffee. I like the recaps as much or better than the show.
17
I will admit for a preference for Lady Edith, not Lady Mary, and found it to be another metaphoric kick in Edith's teeth that Rosamund implied a potential match between Edith and Henry while they were driving. Naturally, Mary already had that potential suitor locked up...
8
Was I the only one who thought Tom might be interested in going to work with Edith?
3
@Kate
Unless Edith starts to include a section in her magazine on Popular Mechanics, I don't see how that will work out.
Unless Edith starts to include a section in her magazine on Popular Mechanics, I don't see how that will work out.
5
I thought that, too.
Not with Edith but with Lady Mary. They both have interest and apparent talent in managing the estate. They show easy respect for each other. Even though she calls him brother, he asks about her feelings about past suitors. Mary's aloofness would allow for a marital relationship with Tom. We saw this possibility last year, and we keep picking up hints that this is the key to Downton Abbey's future.
Has Tom grown plump during his sojourn in the land of (bootlegged) beer and honey?
20
I thought that Leech gained weight for his role in The Imitation Game in 2014 but the weight appears to have not just been for the movie as he's definitely heavier than he was early in the series. On the other hand, Dan Stevens has lost so much weight since he left DA that he's practically lost the beauty and handsomeness that made his blonder hair and blue eyes and a touch of baby fat in the face so appealing as Matthew Crawley. He's still very attractive but the "Matthew" look is gone which obviously he wanted it to be.
4
I'm hardly one to talk, being a bit plumper than I'd like to be myself, but when Anna said that Mr. Bates thinks "she et all the pies, " all I could think was, no that's Tom.
7
I see the great cycle of life looming on the horizon: Lord G succumbing to a horrible and incurable malady just as Anna gives birth to beautiful twins, one of whose she names Robert.
As the world turns . . .
As the world turns . . .
1
Actually, ...as the stomach turns.
4
Or, as the stomach churns....
Some of the partners appear to be forming up on the dance floor.
I thought Molesley had an especially good episode this time around. What are the odds on the next downstairs wedding a Baxter - Molesley affair? They could then be known as the Moss-backs. (Does Baxter even have a first name?)
Poor old Thomas, however, remains partnerless and may soon be jobless...He is maybe my favourite character, now that O'Brien is gone... he's certainly one of the most interesting, complex and well-acted ones (out of many...) he fills my brain !
I want something to happen to him, but what ?
A monastery ? Perhaps the two Thomases - Barrow and Branson - could go into a monastery at the end of the show, each for different reasons.
The return of that sexy, penniless (and rather nasty) duke from the ur-episode ? Would Thomas be happy for very long, going off into the sunset with anyone (except possibly O'Brien?) I rather doubt it.
I have a feeling, Fellowes has cooked up some especially hellish heaven (or heavenly hell) for Thomas before the end. What will it be ? I'm glued to the screen until then...
I thought Molesley had an especially good episode this time around. What are the odds on the next downstairs wedding a Baxter - Molesley affair? They could then be known as the Moss-backs. (Does Baxter even have a first name?)
Poor old Thomas, however, remains partnerless and may soon be jobless...He is maybe my favourite character, now that O'Brien is gone... he's certainly one of the most interesting, complex and well-acted ones (out of many...) he fills my brain !
I want something to happen to him, but what ?
A monastery ? Perhaps the two Thomases - Barrow and Branson - could go into a monastery at the end of the show, each for different reasons.
The return of that sexy, penniless (and rather nasty) duke from the ur-episode ? Would Thomas be happy for very long, going off into the sunset with anyone (except possibly O'Brien?) I rather doubt it.
I have a feeling, Fellowes has cooked up some especially hellish heaven (or heavenly hell) for Thomas before the end. What will it be ? I'm glued to the screen until then...
12
Last week someone posted vague spoilers, mentioning a sudden death, a birth and a suicide, if I recall correctly. I am afraid that the only candidate for suicide is Thomas, who seemed very much in despair this episode.
And you had to repeat them (spoilers), without a warning.
Ta ver mouch!
(But I guess that make you the third man to have said it. Fellowes, the fellow from last week and you!)
Ta ver mouch!
(But I guess that make you the third man to have said it. Fellowes, the fellow from last week and you!)
If you really want to get drunk take a swig every time Anna starts to cry. That poor actress has spent the last five years with snot running down her face as she wails "I won't live without you, Mr. Bates! I know Vera is guilty! I love you! No don't touch me, I'm spoiled and soiled! I can't have a baby!" I wouldn't blame her if she did nothing but comedy for the rest of her life.
We're getting yet another Mary boyfriend who is indistinguishable from the last 5 or 6 boyfriends? I can't even tell which one was the one she slept with since Lane Fox was flirting with them all as well. Fellows would have done better to bring back the newspaper man from Game of Thrones. He was at least an interesting idea for a character.
And boy Fellows sure hates the working class. He recently gave an interview saying that this series would never have been aired on BBC and he's probably right. Proletariats are constantly punished on this show. Hussy Edith becomes a prostitute for wanting to rise above her station. Lady Sybil dies in childbirth for marrying beneath her. The irritating school teacher is banished for saying the peasant class might not like bowing and scraping before the people in the big house. Tenant Farmer Mason says that the big houses won't go on forever and he loses his farm.
It will be interesting to see what Fellows next project "The Guilded Age" is like. Going by his penchant for stereotypes I'm picturing people wearing cowboy hats and saying "yee-haw" a lot.
We're getting yet another Mary boyfriend who is indistinguishable from the last 5 or 6 boyfriends? I can't even tell which one was the one she slept with since Lane Fox was flirting with them all as well. Fellows would have done better to bring back the newspaper man from Game of Thrones. He was at least an interesting idea for a character.
And boy Fellows sure hates the working class. He recently gave an interview saying that this series would never have been aired on BBC and he's probably right. Proletariats are constantly punished on this show. Hussy Edith becomes a prostitute for wanting to rise above her station. Lady Sybil dies in childbirth for marrying beneath her. The irritating school teacher is banished for saying the peasant class might not like bowing and scraping before the people in the big house. Tenant Farmer Mason says that the big houses won't go on forever and he loses his farm.
It will be interesting to see what Fellows next project "The Guilded Age" is like. Going by his penchant for stereotypes I'm picturing people wearing cowboy hats and saying "yee-haw" a lot.
12
Housemaid Ethel became a prostitute, not Lady Edith.
3
The hospital subplot is very disrespected, and, yes, it is somewhat tedious (and endless), I admit. But methinks that it will come into full play in the subplot of Lord Grantham's ailment, which is getting worse (aka more frequently trotted out in the scenes). It will happen something like this: he either dies because the village hospital lacks modern equipment due to his mother's machinations to keep local control or he is saved due to Mrs. Crawley & Co.'s win in the battle. I have my crystal ball handy for us.
23
Ditto your observations on the hospital subplot.
I agree this is the most likely justification for such a tediously long-drawn-out subplot.
The magic is truly lost. Perhaps it should have ended last season. My fury at the sight of Daisy is growing to the point of wanting to toss shoes at the TV when she opens her mouth. She pollutes the show with her presence.
21
I actually enjoyed last night's episode, The Dowager was back and one of my favs was an early scene when she asked "are you here to help or irritate". Her concerns about government intervention were finally framed as a legitimate argument. Agnes description of Sybil almost made me cry . I liked Lord Grantham's comments to Thomas downstairs about trying to embarass Agnes, but she really held her own. Poor Mrs. Patmore. Lastly, the wardrdrobes of the women is wonderful to see. Edith's suit from last week and Cora's black and cream ensemble last night were really sharp. Their hats are everything!!
29
My apologies I meant Gwen..had a Mary moment...
2
Who is Agnes...? You mean Gwen?
2
Agreed about the clothes this season. That greenish dress with the beaded straps Edith was wearing made me swoon.
4
Did you see those rosy cheeks on the usually pale Mrs. Hughes?
I guess the climate (and goings-on?) of Scarborough really agree with her!
I guess the climate (and goings-on?) of Scarborough really agree with her!
14
Would a cook of Mrs. Patmore's ilk know of Karl Marx? She who resists mod cons on principle?
7
@Casper
I'm still trying to figure out how Mr. Bates would even know about Sergei Diaghilev....
I'm still trying to figure out how Mr. Bates would even know about Sergei Diaghilev....
Hmmm...Just wondering, Abbots -- You do all know about Sergei Diaghilev, don't you???
Great! YOU watch so I don't have to! ;-)
2
Enough with Mary, she is positively the biggest stiff of the bunch. For 6 seasons, we've been stuck with this character as the center-piece, even more dreary than the nonstop perils of the Bates pair. Best scene for me was at dinner, hearing Gwen recount all that Sybil did for her - and seeing the rest of the family look at her like the RCA dog staring incredulously into that old Victrola speaker. She was the most lively person in this episode.
66
Does anyone beside me want to smack Barrow in the face with a chair?
14
No. I pity him. He has a difficult life in an unforgiving Britain. He would be older than Alan Turing, which would make life among his homophobic peers just as bad if not worse. I think a lot of his personality can be attributed to his outsider status as a gender minority. Besides next to Violet he has the best lines.
4
Judy: If not Barrow, then Baron Fellowes, who created him. Barrow should've been let go a long time ago. His continued presence is beyond any willing sense of disbelief.
2
In defense (sorta) of Barrow: if you've ever watched Mad Men, he's like Don Draper to me, someone who is so broken, his deplorable behavior is the result. I like how DA sometimes shows that he still has good inside. He was so heartbroken at Lady Sybil's death, bc she had been so good to him and treated him like a person. I don't know how I would feel if he suddenly becomes "good" this season, but for some reason I just want him to get a good break so he doesn't have to keep being so bad.
3
Is it just me, or does it seem like various characters come into a room, stand on their mark, say their lines, and leave?
21
I used to work on sitcoms and I once did a show like that. People walked in hit the mark-the same mark-talked, and left.
Easiest show I ever did.
Easiest show I ever did.
@Jackie
They usually have to have a drink first..
They usually have to have a drink first..
1
You might think Mary would want to avoid Henry and his car racing interests given her bad luck with Matthew's driving.... has she forgotten how men with fast cars didn't work out so well last time?
49
In the preview Mary is watching Henry race and looks visibly uncomfortable. Had Matthew not died in an car accident, she would have rooting for him to hit the pedal to the metal. Mary likes a winner. Of course it will be hard for her to separate the two...It may even become an ultimatum.
Indeed! "Oh I just see them as transportation" is actually "Oh I just see them as the thing that killed my husband right after the birth of our son who was going to be the saving grace of a very difficult few years and therefore the thing that truly ruined my life forever, and thank you how are you?"
"Clever Abbot" ... I am so honored. He likes me! Louis Bayer really likes me!
Golly!
Golly!
64
Well, of course, I do! (But what nine things will the stitch in time save? Future Bates grandchildren?)
2
Not so much since you misspelled his name, but...
Congratz on the mention!
Congratz on the mention!
2
Louis, see my earlier comment: A stitch in time saves nine (months)!
2
"Oh sweet mystery of life at last I've found you!" I hope Mrs. Patmore finds that mystery with Sergeant Willis and his, ahem, gear stick.
Hahahahahahaha! Best line of the recap "Lord G’s gut pangs are coming so frequently now they need their own theme music."
Hahahahahahaha! Best line of the recap "Lord G’s gut pangs are coming so frequently now they need their own theme music."
42
Would Sergeant Willis's, ahem, baton be a more suitable metaphor?
3
Yes, absolutely!
1
@Mary
OOooh....very cheeky!!--
OOooh....very cheeky!!--
1
Did anyone notice the scene where Lord Grantham makes light-hearted reference regarding his mother's funeral to Mrs. Crawley, and Mrs. Crawley teased him that his mother might live to attend HIS funeral? Lord Grantham has NO CHANCE of surviving this season. None whatsoever.
58
I did...my thoughts exactly!
A stitch in time does really save nine (months)!
I so appreciated Molesley quoting Burke, but it served as a harbinger of the war that will follow after the series ends.
Daisy has reached new heights of irritation. I think all the staff and certainly Lady Grantham were appalled by her behavior. She has become the most annoying and tiresome character. After the visit by the former maid, I was praying for Daisy to leave to seek her own fortune.
I so appreciated Molesley quoting Burke, but it served as a harbinger of the war that will follow after the series ends.
Daisy has reached new heights of irritation. I think all the staff and certainly Lady Grantham were appalled by her behavior. She has become the most annoying and tiresome character. After the visit by the former maid, I was praying for Daisy to leave to seek her own fortune.
27
I was thinking the stitch saved nine pounds. I fear for tiny Anna bearing Mr. Bates' big-headed baby.
I laughed out loud when Violet made squeaking noises at the dinner table after her outrage.
17
And she had trouble cutting her food! Precious.
8
@VonWald
Agree. And also the way she dropped the cutlery on her plate in exasperation, before taking up her wine glass. BRILLIANT!
Agree. And also the way she dropped the cutlery on her plate in exasperation, before taking up her wine glass. BRILLIANT!
6
Only Dame Maggie... what a treasure.
1
Reading this review makes watching this silly show bearable. Sure, I love the characters just like everybody else, but it's nice to know I can see them delightfully skewered in this column every Sunday night.
12
Great recap, as always. I enjoy seeing Harriet Walter in Downton, and I was delighted to see her in Star Wars (bigger role in the next one, I hope). I've been a fan ever since the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries she was in back in the '80s -- those were great!
12
I couldn't agree more, Merrill! She made the perfect Harriet Vane - and was deliciously avaricious as Fanny Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility...
5
I mentioned a few recent things above; but looking at IMDb, I noticed (and sadly forgot) that she was also in Atonement and Bright Young Things (two of my favorite movies) as well as the very well done 'A Dance to the Music of Time' which never made it to US TV; but is now available on DVD and well worth watching. A PBS/BBC/ITV remake is overdue, although that first one is very good, with an amazing Simon Russell Beale as Widmerpoole. I bought a region-free DVD player pretty much just to watch a UK copy of that series before it was available here.
1
Ah the film and TV attention monopoly!! It is worth saying that Harriet Walter (like Maggie Smith and others on the program) is first and foremost a stage actor. Her Brutus in the all-female Julius Caesar that came to St. Anne's Warehouse is a performance I will never forget.
19
And I saw her in Broadway playing Queen Elizabeth I after many roles on BBC! She was also the conniving sister-in-law in Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility-she is a treasure!
And I saw her on Broadway as Queen Elizabeth I a few years ago. After many roles on BBC, I most enjoyed her as the conniving sister-in-law in Emma Thompson's "Sense and Sensibilty". She is a treasure!
Agreed, RDeanB! Harriet Walter is a brilliant theatre actress. I will never forget her performance as Queen Elizabeth, along with Janet McTeer (who played Mary, Queen of Scots), in "Mary Stuart," at the (wonderful) Donmar Warehouse in London (I saw it again when it came to Broadway). Harriet Walter was also superb in Henry IV at St. Ann's recently (which also began at the Donmar). Seeing Harriet Walter, Maggie Smith, and Penelope Wilton (also a terrific theatre actress) on Downton is a true thrill for this theatre lover. If only Judi Dench (whom I recently saw in "A Winter's Tale," in London, also starring Kenneth Branagh -- both spectacular) had dropped by Downton (or Violet's!), it would have been a dream come true (sadly, this doesn't happen:)).
2
Violet is spewing one-liners like a Catskills comedian. Too bad, because they completely lose their punch when deployed every time she opens her mouth. This show is certainly limping through to the end. Still gorgeous to look at, but getting more and more painful to listen to.
83
I wondered. But then she said he was (like?) her brother. So that would be icky.
I know I am in the minority on this point, but I feel that the character of Violet would have been more interesting if it had been played by, for example, Eileen Atkins, Phyllida Law or Gemma Jones.
1
In fact, It's a pleasure that won't last much longer, Brenda Stoddard, and a show to be appreciated. The pain I worry about is the void it will leave in my personal Sunday night. I know I'm not alone.
7
People bumped along pretty well, didn't they? Things go better when small children aren't around and Edith and Mary don't have to act like sane parents with appropriate boundaries.
Where's Daisy's solidarity when it comes to the Drewes?
Spratt and Denker must have been huddled in a corner somewhere cooking up something tasty for next week. I hope so.
Poor Barrow. He's trying to reform. I hope he finds a job with someone who appreciates his warped sensibility. Haberdasher?
Where's Daisy's solidarity when it comes to the Drewes?
Spratt and Denker must have been huddled in a corner somewhere cooking up something tasty for next week. I hope so.
Poor Barrow. He's trying to reform. I hope he finds a job with someone who appreciates his warped sensibility. Haberdasher?
43
Maybe better to say, we don't have to watch Edith and Mary being exposed as weird parents.
10
They parent?
14
I could use a "matrimonial worm."
Ha! Thanks.
Ha! Thanks.
12
I thought it was a very nice touch to see Gwen once more. In a way, through the memories she related, we even got to "see" Sybil again. What a well acted scene that was, especially the look of reckoning on Mary's face as she listened to Gwen and was forced to contemplate her own life.
196
I honestly had tears in my eyes remembering Sybil!
1
She died on Game of Thrones Season 4 so she was again available. I liked her smart hair-do.
I watched Episode 3 again and noticed something I didn't notice last week: Edith typing as she and her new friend put the magazine together. When did she learn to type? Did I miss something?
44
And Robert drove a car in episode two. They must have attended some sort of aristocratic reality camp during the hiatus.
27
And what, pray, do you think she & Mr. Gregson did during their assignations?
1
I believe she was typing with just two fingers.
4
I so look forward to these recaps. They fill me in on some of the points I've missed while watching the show. I especially like the dry humor.
61
(second comment)
re: Dame Harriet Walter on Star Wars: cameo appearances by famous actors is part of the fun, there are a slew of them in several movies, including the Force Awakens (see, for example, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/19/how-to-spot-all-the-sta.... Plus her (late) uncle, Sir Christopher Lee, played Count Dooku.
re: Dame Harriet Walter on Star Wars: cameo appearances by famous actors is part of the fun, there are a slew of them in several movies, including the Force Awakens (see, for example, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/19/how-to-spot-all-the-sta.... Plus her (late) uncle, Sir Christopher Lee, played Count Dooku.
6
Rose from "Upstairs Downstairs" was in an early episode of "Twilight Zone."
5
Carson in "Shakespeare in Love" and "Brassed Off"
2
Carson/Jim Carter in "Shakespeare in Love" gave a wonderful performance in a wonderful movie.
1
Carter's last moments in his old digs: touching indeed. A nice way to close the episode .
119
I was half expecting Carson to come into his old room to find Thomas's things already moved in.
21
Thank you for another witty commentary! I was appreciative of the recap, especially to catch up with obscure references and breakneck speed repartee -- there was even more than the usual flying around this time. Lots of fun though!
It's too late to change the script now of course but, boy do I wish Daisy had finished her education and been shipped away already. When her scenes come on I find myself nipping out to put on the kettle for some tea...
It's too late to change the script now of course but, boy do I wish Daisy had finished her education and been shipped away already. When her scenes come on I find myself nipping out to put on the kettle for some tea...
67
Perchance, as recompense, it will be pointed out (perhaps by Thomas) that, contrary to Mr. Mason's belief in her love for his dead son, Daisy never cared for William (and certainly hadn't wanted to marry him except that sending him unwed off to war and death was bad form) -- that's her guilty secret.
6
I'm so relieved someone else noticed Daisy's hypocrisy. She had to be talked into marrying William.
Well, if it's Daisy's secret --- then she's been more true to William's memory than many a girl is or would have been. She's doing what she can to help his father who loved her for having married his son and made his last days bearable.
8
Does anyone think there's a chance Mary and Tom will get together?
63
No.
3
They do seem cozy, talking about pigs.
2
Since there is no limit to banality on this program, one would be crazy to bet against it.
3
I'm hoping that Mrs. Patmore "learns the mystery of life" before the show concludes.
202
Hold on-- Didn't we think that Sergeant Willis was interested in Mrs. Patmore a few episodes back? He sure is rushing in and out of the basement right now without so much as a how-de-do, or "My, Mrs. Patmore, that joint of lamb smells delicious!"
54
I nominate Sargent Willis.
3
Since last season, I've been hoping for Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason. Remember them together pointing Daisy in the right directoin when Albert left?
8
Oh, Downton Abbey, so subtle in your foreshadowing regarding Robert's fate! (Though, despite making fun of the foreshadowing itself, I confess that I am quite nervous for Robert.) I'm also nervous for Baxter. Come on, Fellowes, can't we go two weeks without a visit from Sergeant Willis? (Did someone make you a wager challenging you to have him visit every possible character on the show?!)
I did appreciate the way that Thomas's moment of existential crisis and reflection was written and acted. It was nice to see Thomas let his guard down a little, however briefly. I'd like more of those moments and fewer of the strange political discussions with odd modernistic overtones. I'm glad that Tom is not a monarchist, but I could do without his drinking the American capitalist Kool-Aid, and without being made to listen to Violet spout Libertarian views.
Unexpected sparks of the evening: That weird little moment of chemistry between Daisy and Andy. And Tom's being so taken and charmed by Henry and his profession! (Not that I think Mr. Fellowes intended the latter to be read as sparks.)
And while I did enjoy the "gear stick" innuendo, I thought the best lines of the evenings were Mrs. Patmore's, by far! "You couldn't be harder on those potatoes if you wanted them to confess to spying!" "I wonder if Karl Marx might finish the liver pâté?" And so on!
Wishing everyone affected by the snow, - including our illustrious recap author, bien sûr - a swift post-storm cleanup/recovery!
I did appreciate the way that Thomas's moment of existential crisis and reflection was written and acted. It was nice to see Thomas let his guard down a little, however briefly. I'd like more of those moments and fewer of the strange political discussions with odd modernistic overtones. I'm glad that Tom is not a monarchist, but I could do without his drinking the American capitalist Kool-Aid, and without being made to listen to Violet spout Libertarian views.
Unexpected sparks of the evening: That weird little moment of chemistry between Daisy and Andy. And Tom's being so taken and charmed by Henry and his profession! (Not that I think Mr. Fellowes intended the latter to be read as sparks.)
And while I did enjoy the "gear stick" innuendo, I thought the best lines of the evenings were Mrs. Patmore's, by far! "You couldn't be harder on those potatoes if you wanted them to confess to spying!" "I wonder if Karl Marx might finish the liver pâté?" And so on!
Wishing everyone affected by the snow, - including our illustrious recap author, bien sûr - a swift post-storm cleanup/recovery!
91
I'm hoping Sgt. Willis notices Mrs. Patmore and they become an item.
96
I had hoped for the match earlier, but now I think Mr. Mason and Mrs. Pamore should hook up to keep Daisy from self-destructing. Even Barrow tried to save Daisy from herself this episode. Clearly, it is taking an entire staff to raise Daisy.
15
Robert himself alluded to his demise in the promo we saw before the season started.
3
Gwen to Crawleys, "You know nothing, Lord Grantham." Oops, I got her roles mixed up. Last week it was Tom, this week it's Ygritte, I mean Gwen. What's with past characters returning to the show? At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the show concludes in zombie apocalypse with Matthew Crawley (or Sibyl) returning as the Walking Dead.
41
And the cousin who went down with the Titanic.
36
...ahh, if it was only Jon Snowe on her arm as she entered the hallway...
4
you'll start to see previous characters returning for "curtain calls" now; this was Gwen's.
1
Painfully obvious plot line? Lord G is rushed to the local hospital where his imminent death can only be averted by the intervention of someone or some advanced medical technology from the big bad bully York Hospital - thus changing the Dowager's mind about the merits of a takeover?
187
Or the reverse. Lord G rushed to the local FirstMed and saved by the unctuous village sawbones
30
Unctuous is one of my favorite words. Well-played, anon.
Yes. We recall how well that worked for Sybill.
3
You're very funny
I love reading your recaps!
I love reading your recaps!
48
"Isabel [sic] made a funny allusion to Ariadne’s thread and somehow got a glimpse into the future writings of Ayn Rand: 'For years I’ve watched governments take control of our lives, and their argument is always the same — fewer costs, greater efficiency. But the result is the same, too. Less control by the people, more control by the state until the individual’s own wishes count for nothing. That is what I consider my duty to resist.'”
------
That was Violet, not Isobel.
------
That was Violet, not Isobel.
24
Waited in vain for someone--Isobel?--to point out to Violet that until very recently, SHE was the state. Now that she can not pick up a phone and call some nephew-in-law in Whitehall to pull some strings, she wants anarchy.
17
And for me anyway it presaged Margaret Thatcher
3
Any way we can continue getting the recaps after D.A. is over?
250
Loved this recap, as always. However, I would have made the constant stuttering over "Mrs. . . . Carson" the drinking game this week. I seemed to be stumbled over by everyone!
Oh, yes, perhaps Mr. Bayard could write political summaries this year as an antidote to the op-Ed commentaries.
8
Louis B should start writing fan fiction episodes of Downton Abbey for all of us who can laugh at our addictions.
3