C'mon. Isis is the name of a mother of a King, taken from the ancient classics, hence a perfect name for the fussy full-of-himself Lord Grantham to have given his dog.. I.S.I.S. is a very recent acronym.
6
"Earl grumpy"?
Sounds like the perfect tea blend for these chilly mornings!
Sounds like the perfect tea blend for these chilly mornings!
5
If only Baron Fellowes would do "The Betrothed" (I Promessi Sposi). What a romp that would be!
2
What are we Abbots going to do once the DA series is over? Here's hoping that Baron F updates us every year with a Christmas special that Louis B. can dissect and skewer for our amusement.
3
It's bizarre to me how many people on here talk about these characters as if they are real.
@HC
No offense, but are you just tuning in????
No offense, but are you just tuning in????
7
But they are real.
Real, as Emma Bovary or Huckleberry Finn are real.
Not living, breathing, human beings, but real, and I find myself caring what happens to them.
Or have I missed something?
Real, as Emma Bovary or Huckleberry Finn are real.
Not living, breathing, human beings, but real, and I find myself caring what happens to them.
Or have I missed something?
8
Beautifully stated, Gordon! Wholeheartedly agree!
1
Paging Charles Blake to return from whatever south american country he ran off to sweep in and marry Mary, restore her to royalty 1% class while they wrestle the pigs together again and talk farm economy. Matthew Goode was too good to be true, and so he is.
5
I think he went to Poland.
1
For those of you who think "suck up" was invented in the past 30 years, it dates back to 1860.
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/11/the-language-of-downton-abbey/
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/11/the-language-of-downton-abbey/
3
Btw six thousand posters have already confirmed this
1
A huge shout out to the costume department! Especially loved Mary's race event outfit!
Awards all around!
Awards all around!
10
Yes, that's a favorite for me too. The dinner outfit at her Aunt's when Henry dropped in was very striking. Like all of Edith's track outfit, different style, but very put together.
3
As we contemplate separation from DA, I'd like to suggest something wonderful to ease the pain-- "Nicholas Nickelby" with Roger Rees (1982). It is exactly the opposite of DA in that there are NO sets and very little in the way of costumes. But the characters are spellbinding and you would have to have a hard heart not to cry at least once or twice.
2
Maybe the large cast reminds you of DA? Seems it would be culture shock at first and not exactly a bridge.
Thanks for the referral. It's one of my favorite Dickens. I have the old 1947 version, which I like a lot, but know the one you mention is something special.
What about Bertie Pelham's boss? The unmarried north country nobleman who doesn't hunt or do sports, who likes to paint the boys of Tangiers and seems to have acquiesced in a VERY long engagement with a cousin? I bet HE will need a butler... Barrow, brush up that interview suit. There may be a place for you yet.
7
Why do so many people want Mary & Tom to marry each other? What's wrong with a good strong friendship between in-laws? As well as the fact that a true friendship, with no sexual tension, between a man and woman is probably a rare thing in those times. While I agree with those who'd like to see Mary stay single to keep her going in the strong direction of taking over the estate, and having a fabulous life, I don't think getting married means she can't still do all of that, but with someone else along for the ride. As she co-owns the estate with her son, she'd still run things. And a man like Henry Talbot, might be just fine allowing her to run the estate, while he and Tom could open a car dealership together!
10
Loved LM as a "Frigidaire." My partner Juan says, didn't he mean, Frigid heiress?'
12
Mr. Bayard, the thing I will miss the most about Downtown is your absolutely phenomenal commentary. You are a treasure!!!
17
can I nominate Bates and Anna as most annoying? I am just coming back to DA now after being driven away from it b/c for so long it seemed like it was more about the interminable perils of this not very charismatic pair (...snnnooorr) and I stopped watching. A couple weeks ago they had s dumb little "bad harvest bad harvest" scene--an inconsequential bit of nothing --and still I wanted to leave the room.
8
The nomination would probably find a lot of seconds.
3
Finding the Bates (both of them!) annoying? -- Count me in....since Season 1.
5
I strongly disagree. I love Anna and Bates, and most of the other major characters.
1
My favorite scenes were when Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore plotted to get Carson to cook the dinner. Carson was exhausted! Wonderful!
8
If TIAA comes, can CREF be far behind?
18
Hope I'm wrong, but I have a feeling that Edith's beau will give her the heave-ho once he learns that Marigold is a "love child." It's going too well for another disappointment not to befall poor Edith.
3
It's been a sick pattern.
Surely in the last season, her luck must change for the better!
2
Is it me or does Miss Cruikshank have a decidely working-class accent?
1
Don't see that. Do see a non-working class mentality.
1
Spot on!!! --
Supposed to be ironic, I guess, that after dissing poor Isobel, Larry--or is it the other creep of a son?--is going to marry a "Cruikshank"... you can just see B Fellowes relishing such an "unattractive" name for such purposes.
2
Love these recaps! But best is Mrs. Patmore and the B&B with the first peron from Trip Advisor..Hysterical!
11
No time to read all of these comments, so I apologize if others have already predicted that Lady Mary and Tom will marry.
2
They seem very suited. As Thomas O'Hara said to Scarlett, "What difference does it make who you marry so long as he's a Southerner and he thinks like you?" Tom and Mary have the love of Tara (Downton) in common.
And like Scarlet, Mary's matings usually result in death.
3
And like Rhett, many don't really give a, well, bean flip, especially for that combination. P.S. Actually, a quick scroll down would do the trick.
when DA closes the damask curtain forever, Louis Bayard will get an agent and open in Vegas with a stand up routine
1
In my Crystal Ball...
Barrow hangs himself. (wish is was 4 seasons ago)
Marigold's father will return from the dead just as Edith and her new friend are walking down the aisle...
Mary and Edith become BFF's after Mary finds out about Marigold.
Mary and Tom happily ever after. I called that one the episode (season) after Matthew died.
Barrow hangs himself. (wish is was 4 seasons ago)
Marigold's father will return from the dead just as Edith and her new friend are walking down the aisle...
Mary and Edith become BFF's after Mary finds out about Marigold.
Mary and Tom happily ever after. I called that one the episode (season) after Matthew died.
4
I would hate for young be right about Barrow, but just as they gave us a dose of reality with Anna's rape and her powerlessness, it would be a another harsh slap to show what happened to many like Barrow who had no place.
1
K - See it more as a dose of bad taste being dispensed.
2
You need a new crystal ball...
4
Barrow, Lord Grantham will remember, was instrumental in finding his "lost" dog years ago and ask him to stay on at Downton as keeper of the estate's kennels. Barrow will probably love dealing with dogs more than the humans there. The man hiding in the shrubbery spying on Mrs. Patmore, is investigating to see if her guesthouse is suitable for a visit by royalty. Mary will soldier on alone, just the way she likes it and Edith with marry and be happy ever after.
3
Here are my "predictions" for DA.
1) Lady Violet will pass away-either while visiting France
or at home from natural causes. I figure that Lady
Violet is around 86 years of age in 1926.
2] Barrows will attempt suicide but fail in that attempt.
He will DA , go to London and start a new life.
Then again when Carson retires he may end up as the head butler
3] Lady Edith will marry and go to live in London
with her new husband and Marigold.
4] Lady Mary will not marry remaining a spinster
until her death in 1985 or thereabouts. I figure
that since Lady Edith mentioned she was born in 1895
Lady Mary was most likely born in 1890.
5] George , Lady Mary's son will fight in WW II
but will return to be the next Lord Grantham
6] Lady Cora and Robert will both live until the
1950's or so. Robert was probably sometime between
the mid to late 1860's . Lady Cora most likely is
the same age or just a few years younger.
7] Tom Branson will end up opening up a mechanics
shop and eventually a dealership. He will live
to a ripe old age.
8] Carson & Ms. Carson will retire from DA and
enjoy their married life traveling and taking it easy.
9] Ms. Patmore's B&B will be successful
10] Daisy will go to live on the farm or be sent to a farm.
1) Lady Violet will pass away-either while visiting France
or at home from natural causes. I figure that Lady
Violet is around 86 years of age in 1926.
2] Barrows will attempt suicide but fail in that attempt.
He will DA , go to London and start a new life.
Then again when Carson retires he may end up as the head butler
3] Lady Edith will marry and go to live in London
with her new husband and Marigold.
4] Lady Mary will not marry remaining a spinster
until her death in 1985 or thereabouts. I figure
that since Lady Edith mentioned she was born in 1895
Lady Mary was most likely born in 1890.
5] George , Lady Mary's son will fight in WW II
but will return to be the next Lord Grantham
6] Lady Cora and Robert will both live until the
1950's or so. Robert was probably sometime between
the mid to late 1860's . Lady Cora most likely is
the same age or just a few years younger.
7] Tom Branson will end up opening up a mechanics
shop and eventually a dealership. He will live
to a ripe old age.
8] Carson & Ms. Carson will retire from DA and
enjoy their married life traveling and taking it easy.
9] Ms. Patmore's B&B will be successful
10] Daisy will go to live on the farm or be sent to a farm.
8
The problem with Barrow attempting suicide is that it was a crime back then and would most likely be tried and convicted. Not a good ending, really!
"They live as they're supposed to live." A line which could almost be parody of the whole show. Very hard to dislike Carson though, somehow, although a real life one would have quite a different effect we're sure.
2
Julian Fellowes said there would be a death in this last season but over all it would end to most viewers' satisfaction. I suspect Charlie Rogers' death is the one he meant and as this was a peripheral character we hardly got to know - the series can end without anyone mourning the death of a major character.
4
I think the death will be Lady Violet, the Dowager.
So aghast that anyone could think Lady Mary has no heart.
Baron Fellows, I am sure, has a personal crush on her. Not that it would mean she has in fact one, but if you get the Script Edition of each season, you will get rewarded with many, many personal Fellowsians comments at the bottom of the pages, like every three pages, and, lo and behold, how much does Julian care for Mary, and he is RIGHT.
Baron Fellows, I am sure, has a personal crush on her. Not that it would mean she has in fact one, but if you get the Script Edition of each season, you will get rewarded with many, many personal Fellowsians comments at the bottom of the pages, like every three pages, and, lo and behold, how much does Julian care for Mary, and he is RIGHT.
6
Despite Gregson being confirmed dead not long ago, he'll reappear the minute after Edith marries Bertie. A real pickle, but a great story for the magazine that breaks circulation records throughout the British Empire. Gregson thanks Edith for a job well done and takes back the magazine causing Edith to annul the marriage to Bertie now that neither of them has a pot, she declares her love and love-child to Gregson, and then marries him the next day. So, okay, it's only slightly less likely than Mary marrying Tom.
3
I'm quite fond of the notion of a Gregson return. The fictitious pen can overturn the discovered "evidence." It would be poetic justice for Edith to end up with the mannest man that's come along.
But Bertie makes coffee!!!...doesn't that count????
1
Not in comparison.
When is this going to end? I thought it was 8 episodes, which would make next week the last week, but I didn't get that impression from last night's episode or the previews of next week's episode. Good grief. I'm starting to get the impression this season was written so poorly because they really hadn't intended to end it until Maggie Smith said she wasn't doing any more and they made this snap decision to wrap everything up very quickly.
1
They've snapped it to 9 episodes, so two more to come. Hang on. I understand Santie Claus is coming on the last one to pass out goodies to one and all.
3
The guy monitoring Mrs. Patmore's B & B activity surely is an inspector from the county or town, and Mrs. Patmore probably did not secure the appropriate license to operate a B & B, is my guess.
The couple at the Patmore BnB are married, but not to each other. The fellow snooping from the bush is a private eye about to photograph the couple leaving the love nest together, a repeat of the Atticus' bachelor party floozie incident.
4
Oh no, stage props -- casing the joint, Yep, coming back after hours, peeping Tom too.
1
Barrow will hang himself. Or die saving a child.
2
Or the dog...
2
Or maybe even a hog ...
4
I thought that Mary does not know that Marigold is actually Edith's child? Or am I mistaken? Maybe she suspects, but no one has actually ever told her...
No, that little goodie is yet to be unwrapped. I say it will explode on contact, but some see a kinder and gentler relationship coming from it.
pay attention people! when Lord G was being hauled out by ambulance attendants, Mary overheard Lady V talking to Cora about Edith's "situation" with Marigold and iinstantly got it..she's been snooping ever since.
1
kathy - disagree. What you saw was her ears picking up at what she overheard. If she had instantly gotten it, she wouldn't have quizzed Tom later, and told him he better not be holding out on her.
1
I was a little surprised at Cora's ignorance in the episode where they opened the house to visitors. She didn't realize why it was called Downton "Abbey" and she never noticed the shields on the fireplace? What was that all about? She certainly isn't dumb. Why would Fellowes make her seem that way in this episode? I know, I know, she's an American but some of us can be pretty smart - particularly about a house we've lived in for 30 years!
11
@Harriet: Yes, esp. as Cora had that overheated flirtation with the art historian over DA's renaissance painting a few seasons back!
4
Even Mary, the "heiress" and Abbey-first girl, ad libbed her lines.
3
One thing is for sure. I will truly miss these weekly recaps. They get more than a few chuckles out of me.
I am laughing as I type this having just read "Crash and Burn"!!
Thank you for the laughter
Louis Bayard!!
I am laughing as I type this having just read "Crash and Burn"!!
Thank you for the laughter
Louis Bayard!!
4
As this season feebly comes to a close what they should have done is have Barrow leave the show last season to start a small business. He becomes incredibly successful and with a final twist of the knife in the last episode exacts his revenge by purchasing Downton Abbey from the bankrupt Crawleys and chucks the whole snotty lot of them into the street. This would have been a perfect comment on the changing times Fellowes keeps wanting to illustrate.
9
Barrow has been a villain this whole series. What makes you think he deserves revenge?
7
Hmmmm ... Oh, they ain't such bad eggs all around. In the same time and circumstance, most would do the same. And they've even been scoffed at for being so attentive to their servants, taking care of them. There's Mrs. Patmore's eye surgery and quite a number of things, especially earlier on. When Mrs. Hughes was ill, Cora made it clear to her that "we will take care of you" and meant it. To me, they're decent enough souls that Fellowes makes do and say oddball stuff.
They've been good to Barrow also. Sorry, but it's true. He's caused a lot of trouble. There used to be an outcry against him, that he had nine lives, always getting a reprieve, getting away with serious things. He was part of providing "evidence" against Bates that he killed his wife so he, Barrow, could get Bates' job as valet. Robert turned back the local constable, et al when they came in response to a footman's charge against him. They contrived the under butler job to work things out for him at one point.
Lots of sides to the stories.
They've been good to Barrow also. Sorry, but it's true. He's caused a lot of trouble. There used to be an outcry against him, that he had nine lives, always getting a reprieve, getting away with serious things. He was part of providing "evidence" against Bates that he killed his wife so he, Barrow, could get Bates' job as valet. Robert turned back the local constable, et al when they came in response to a footman's charge against him. They contrived the under butler job to work things out for him at one point.
Lots of sides to the stories.
8
You've obviously never lived in a class system. The working class in England gleefully watched as the landed gentry were torn down a peg or two. And this show is purely fiction and the people not real.
Mr Bayard, you are indeed funny!, :) Thought will miss you a lot after the Downton Abbey is done with, but I googled your name and you know what I am going to buy some of your books to keep myself entertained with your sadistic satire, fiction and historical accuracy laced together, albeit poisonously, :) I thought your English, nah, but you do have English blood from your Mom's side, Thank you for the excellent cracking up DA reviews, :)
4
"Who’s the mysterious fellow monitoring Mrs. Patmore’s new B&B? The world’s first TripAdvisor commenter?" hahahaha. Such a witty comment!!!
6
A private eye for the spouse of one of her first guests. She'll get in hot water for hosting illicit assignations. Because she's doomed to slave over a hot oven forever. Because the series must have a bittersweet end.
Or because the class system must be upheld: Mrs. Patmore can't get above her station by becoming a successful businesswoman, perhaps?
2
Nay. The class system is being revised as she sautes. Nobody's got the blunt anymore to uphold it. Many other examples shown.
2
stray thoughts:
1)tom has become such a putz! unfathomable story arc there;
2) wish the audience would lay off daisy. what? you would prefer her earlier frightened, nervous, insecure & mousey self?
3) mary is really rather a bore and much too skinny!
4) seriously, there wasnt even a single underground gay bar in york barrow could visit on his days off?
he cant be the only gay man in the north of england.
5) the clothes are far superior to the dialogue!!
AND
6) got a crush on you louis bayard!!!!!!!!!!
1)tom has become such a putz! unfathomable story arc there;
2) wish the audience would lay off daisy. what? you would prefer her earlier frightened, nervous, insecure & mousey self?
3) mary is really rather a bore and much too skinny!
4) seriously, there wasnt even a single underground gay bar in york barrow could visit on his days off?
he cant be the only gay man in the north of england.
5) the clothes are far superior to the dialogue!!
AND
6) got a crush on you louis bayard!!!!!!!!!!
8
Aw shucks.
9
You are very upbeat about Barrow's prospects. I dread that we will find him hanging from the rafters of his sad and lonely room, most likely while the other staffers are celebrating some joyous occasion. As a staunch traditionalist, Baron Fellowes will likely follow the early 20th Century format for most homosexual characters and bump him off at the end. Or at the very least, lead him into some hopelessly tragic circumstance. I hope not but there we have it.
1
I agree - feels like a looming suicide to me.
@ro
Actually having Noel Coward over for dinner is a superb idea!
Actually having Noel Coward over for dinner is a superb idea!
5
Oh no--well, I'll be surprised if Tom swings. DA has been tinged with a distinct strain of PC all along. As if the Crawleys--or actual aristos--would have ever become as involved with the personal lives of those downstairs in the ways that they do. I'd guess that the reality was more along the lines of tedious Daisy's--I wish SHE'D hang herself--comment about the Crawleys not "seeing our faces".... No, Tom will get Molesley's place and lived on in the household. Or take up with ever-expanding, snobbish and unbelievably trite Tom. Don't get me started.
While as a strong supporter of PBS I am pleased Downton Abbeyhas been such a hit.However, as someone who has watched Channel 13 since its inception I am not enthralled by DA.Yes, it is well acted and visually beautiful, but the story lines are just a little too precious for my taste. The writing reminds me of someone carefully intending to put a jigsaw puzzle together with its hopping from scene to scene in a manner reminiscent of As The World Turns.
Congratulations on the success of Downton Abbey, but I'll take "Upstairs Downstairs" any day.
Congratulations on the success of Downton Abbey, but I'll take "Upstairs Downstairs" any day.
5
This production seems almost simple next to Fellowes' Gosford Park, very large cast and multitudes of story lines. He has said he likes soap operas, alas. I heard that about the time of DA's season 2, and it was showing up. He's gone wild with it since. That's why Mr. Bayard's recap and following commentary are so diverting. I've decided the program is the satire, and Mr. Bayard is merely writing insightful summaries of them. lol
2
Actually, don't you think "Masterpiece Theater" as a whole has been going down hill? I certainly do. I think part of the problem is the woman who started it for WGBH and still runs it is now living in her own country manor in the west country of England and is maybe having trouble coming up with some good new ideas.
Pretty dismal if not gritty stuff! I understand Everyone, including Barrow, comes out with a good deal. Not everyone will like all the outcomes, but it's Santa Claus at Christmas time for number nine.
I really wish Fellowes had hired professional writers. Starting in season 2.
12
Wow, a Leo Buscaglia reference in the wrap-up. A name I haven't thought of since the 70s. But totally spot on; Tom is being a tad pushy. Nice job.
2
Wonder how many hits the google search page got for Leo since this was published. ...He was an entertaining speaker.
1
I had to go back and find that reference -- it certainly dates the writer. The last time I heard someone mention Leo Buscaglia was in the early 80s, when someone I was dating mentioned him and I asked who he was as I'd never heard of him. My friend replied "he's a sort of sweaty, sincere guy."
1
Am I the only one who is going to be disappointed to see Edith ride off into the sunset with a marriage and Lady Mary left behind? Although I want Edith to be happy -- and glad she is, the show hasn't been built around her and it would be a let down if that is the big finale/joke.
1
I think Mary is going to marry Branson :-0
Too soon to call. The fat lady hasn't sung.
2
Mary will marry before Edith does.
But nothing on the insufferable Bates and Anna, their upcoming little surprise?
Okay, Frosty Mary is going to come out. At dinner.
"By the way, I'm a lesbian, and so is Anna. Tell Bates we're leaving. Her baby will be ours. Someone please look after little George. He was a mistake. Ta."
Okay, Frosty Mary is going to come out. At dinner.
"By the way, I'm a lesbian, and so is Anna. Tell Bates we're leaving. Her baby will be ours. Someone please look after little George. He was a mistake. Ta."
9
I'm impressed by all these bloggers here who right away know "who is who" by just reading their names. I'm less impressed by their addiction to this shallow show.
1
The addition, if that's what it is, is joining in with the recaps' spoof of the farce this series has become. Perhaps the writer's idea was to "make 'em laugh." If so, he succeeded, as one laughs through the experience of his "efforts."
The detail is part of the appeal; the bouillon spoons and the Bentleys. And the chance of seeing the likes of Harriet Walter or Jane Lapotaire, even in a small role or seeing people like Kevin Doyle or Douglas Reith turn a small role into a big one.
1
But you're impressed enough to write about how unimpressed you are...Great!
4
I think Violet says, "But I am a tough nut to crack against," rather than a tough nutcracker. That would be more in keeping with cracking two nuts in your hand back then, which was a common way of breaking them... one usually breaks first... Of course on the other hand, I doubt if they broke too many of their own nuts, they were busy breaking chops... Deleted the recording before I read this essay or review or whatever it is that you call this great entertainment that we get to read on Mondays...
I heard "Nutcracker"...but whatever it was, Dame Maggie delivered it with flair and just the right amount of acid.
1
I think Barrow will try to hang himself but Carson will discover him just in time and cut him down...
(By the way, I like that Daisy, Carson and Lady Mary have their outstanding faults and arent afflicted with an American tv case of the warm fuzzies.)
(By the way, I like that Daisy, Carson and Lady Mary have their outstanding faults and arent afflicted with an American tv case of the warm fuzzies.)
3
Funny. Soap operas used to be considered the idiot step-child of the entertainment business. Now, with fewer episodes, ie. time to write and produce them to higher standards, the same old central question remains: "Will he kiss her?" and the soap opera lives in the mainstream again.
3
Much of Dickens was 'soap opera' as well. Written and compensated by the word, serialized, and purposefully manipulated to keep readers hanging, with switched identities, people supposedly dead coming back to life, etc. But it was also extraordinarily well done soap opera.
3
The idea of Dickens being paid by the word is an erroneous one and a commonly reiterated myth that discredits his ability and legacy as ab author. The University of California has a center/site with some information and resources about Dickens that begins to address this question, and there is a good Washington Post article ("Five Myths about Charles Dickens") that elaborates on this and on some other points about him. And I think we'd all be hard pressed to identify many soap operas that address issues of socioeconomics, politics, and so forth, particularly in as thoughtful and eloquent a manner as Dickens did! Sharing some qualities (e.g., serialization) with the technical definition of a soap opera does not every work a soap opera make.
Ugh! As *an author, not as "ab" author. I know a bit about what we know of Dickens's writing process. I know nothing about his abs. Sadly, I do know a bit about typos, it appears.
LOOSE ENDS: Denker was a past victim of the evil brute who victimized Miss Baxter, and that's what turned her into the larcenous drinker that we all know and well, know.So he is bringing brought back for a surprise encounter with another of his formerly hapless victims, who will throw something at him and be at last understood if not forgiven. She and sly Thomas will open a cabaret.
1
I do wish B Fellowes would address Tom's obvious discovery that being a car dealer in Boston was no fun--having to actually work, take care of a child (even if she is mute), and live in some triple-decker dump--and that labor and poverty were the real reason he came back to live in an English country house, wear white tie that someone else cleans and presses, to have cush hours and nannies....
5
It's Marigold who is mute, not Sybbie.
4
Marigold just takes after her mother, Edith...
1
You're right of course. Sybbie does have a little pers. But it came from her mother, not her dullard phony of a father.
Dare we consider that Mrs Patmore's first visitors are in the midst of a sly tryst? Will it be revealed that unsavory acts took place in the B&B? It would get things off to a rocky start for the place if a man and his mistress land in the papers. Let's face it, nothing comes easy to the downstairs inhabitants, so this won't come as a surprise to me.
5
". . . . so what’s a formerly evil guy to do?"
Barrow does resemble Gru. Can the Minions be far behind? One hopes not.
Barrow does resemble Gru. Can the Minions be far behind? One hopes not.
4
Could someone please convince Maggie Smith to return to do a Downton spin off... The Dowager and Denker See the World? Lots of potential there!
15
I think Mary will discover the truth about marigold, and this will help her understand Edith, and they will become closer. She may share with Edith her experiences with out-of-wedlock passion. I am worried that barrow will commit suicide, he is in such anguish. Perhaps Mr. Carson will decide to retire and Barrow will take over his position.
4
I'm hoping nobody else will have to be questioned by police.
10
I believe that at this very moment, Sgt. Willis is preparing a warrant for the Bates' fetus.
15
Did anyone notice the similarities in name between Miss Cruikshanks and the name of Hermione's cat Crookshanks in the "Prisoner of Azkaban"?
The name seemed familiar but I could not place it until I thought of the scene as a very dignified catfight.
I also noticed as well that it would have been considered rude of Miss Cruikshanks not to ask Lady Violet to ask her to sit down. Lady Violet had to suggest it herself.
Larry and Miss Cruikshanks deserve each other.
It will take a long time for Miss Cruikshanks to be as formidable as Lady Violet.
The name seemed familiar but I could not place it until I thought of the scene as a very dignified catfight.
I also noticed as well that it would have been considered rude of Miss Cruikshanks not to ask Lady Violet to ask her to sit down. Lady Violet had to suggest it herself.
Larry and Miss Cruikshanks deserve each other.
It will take a long time for Miss Cruikshanks to be as formidable as Lady Violet.
4
Oh, yes, I noticed! It was actually a little distracting because I kept thinking about the cat every time she was mentioned.
1
Turns out Julian Fellowes' father is introduced in the final episode and murdered. But as every single cast member has a motive (since there will be no Baron Fellowes to enslave them to every single hackneyed plot line, red-herring, and ridiculously implausible outcome imaginable) the cast is free to enjoy a full life free of having to act out the embarrassing roles to which they will have been enslaved otherwise.
Watching this series is like taking a workshop in screenwriting. Its many flaws and mediocrities have served to focus my own taste about what it is that I actually like.
I only wish it would continue to clank along like those dangerous race-car contraptions--even at 70mph, on bad tires, with no seatbelt, helmet or rollbar, the terrors are quaintly genteel.
Watching this series is like taking a workshop in screenwriting. Its many flaws and mediocrities have served to focus my own taste about what it is that I actually like.
I only wish it would continue to clank along like those dangerous race-car contraptions--even at 70mph, on bad tires, with no seatbelt, helmet or rollbar, the terrors are quaintly genteel.
3
I've often thought about the interviews of the actors after the first two seasons, how sincerely admiring they were, of the writing particularly. This is the top line of them, clearly pleased to be a part of the production.
Weeell, not anymore - now, it's all ha, ha, laughing their way through their answers. I have also thought about the challenge they must have to go with so much of it. They are champs.
Weeell, not anymore - now, it's all ha, ha, laughing their way through their answers. I have also thought about the challenge they must have to go with so much of it. They are champs.
2
Is anyone else unnerved by Tom's school-girlish giddiness when he's around racing cars? When he had that exchange with Mary about her potential relationship with Henry, I half expected him to say, "If you don't want him, leave him to me". With only 2 episodes left is Fellowes really sending the most interesting character, Violet, into french exile? Her best lines come from interactions with her family especially Isobel. Although, seeing her humiliate Denker on the French Riviera could be ground breaking.
10
Tom belongs with Barrow.
1
Hell, I'd be giddy around a couple of racing Bentleys.
3
Isn't time for Mr Barrows to hop a boat for the new world? With his polished manners and British accent he would make an excellent manager at some swanky hotel or restaurant in New York. Plus in a big city he might find more social opportunities.
28
That was my thought when Mrs Carson told them were people for him "somewhere".
1
Barrow seems to be having everything that has ever given him a sense of pride stripped away bit by bit until he is alone without anyone or anything. I see Fellowes doing this to illustrate the lonely and sad life that some many homosexuals had to live in that era. It's one of the things that Fellowes has never looked back at fondly, so it leads me to believe that Barrow's fate will be suicide.
3
I'm holding out hope that all of this bad stuff for Barrow will lead us to the finale, in which everything goes his way. He suddenly finds himself with a giant inheritance, and love.
2
I hope he has a good outcome too. Everyone needs a break. Understand it's to be positive all around.
I, too, think Barrows will suicide, but I've always felt that his unpopularity in the house has more to do with his extreme nastiness than his homosexuality.
On the other hand, it's also possible his nastiness comes from a lifetime of feeling an outcast.
On the other hand, it's also possible his nastiness comes from a lifetime of feeling an outcast.
1
Love the recaps; Barrow makes me cry.
8
That's the design.
1
Surely Barrow will kill himself in despair and even Carson will feel some remorse at that.
An episode deeply needed. Lady Edith better not be let down by her man. Surely anyone with Lady Mary's complexion can't stay single forever, not when Matthew Goode is in the offing.
An episode deeply needed. Lady Edith better not be let down by her man. Surely anyone with Lady Mary's complexion can't stay single forever, not when Matthew Goode is in the offing.
6
As much as Carson needs an awakening, I fervently hope that Barrow will not be the cause of it (certainly not in that manner). Barrow's purpose as a character is not to make Carson or any other character feel or act in any particular way - as was well noted in this recap, there has already been a "long scroll of secondary characters who are sacrificed for the moral awakening of primary characters." We don't need to add to the mix any primary characters being sacrificed for the sake of the moral awakening of other primary characters.
5
I love Matthew Goode as an actor (and Goode is a fine old name, as I had it myself!) but there is nothing really enticing about Henry. Even his sex appeal is pretty narrow...
2
Was it just me or did anyone else notice the Sphix-ish table sculpture baring its breasts behind Mary while she was disassociating herself from Vroom Vroom Talbot? Was that a bit of foreshadowing for Tiaa's entrance?
8
Well.she a sphinx, whose motives are unreadable. It was a little obvious
And encounters with her can take a deadly turn.
2
A Minx with a Sphinx ...
2
I just binge-watched the first 5 seasons again and have picked up on the patterns that the show follows. Whenever something bad happens to a main character, no matter how long it's drawn out (over episodes or over seasons), there is a happy and satisfying resolution. Tom finding his place in the family after losing Sibyl. Mary finding her footing and suitors after losing Matthew. Anna and Bates finding happiness after 5 seasons of agony. Robert and Cora making up after some infraction or another. Violet and Isobel making up after some argument. Molesley finding his career. Robert forgiving his daughters after becoming 'loose' women. Mrs. Hughes teaching Carson a lesson in the rigors of cooking. ETC. So based on this, I think that everyone will find happiness of some sort. We see it lining up for Daisy, Mrs. Patmore, Anna and Bates, etc. So I think Edith will marry Bertie after getting him to accept Marigold. Mary will marry Henry after he comes to the Abbey to chase after her (see the previews), Tom will find a career and love (perhaps the editor), and I do think Thomas will find something. He may be made butler after Carson retires. He may find love and run off with someone. Or he may be hired as valet to a rich, handsome, semi-closeted man. And even if he attempts to kill himself, he will be rescued and redeemed. And I think Robert will enjoy raising his puppy and Cora will find fulfillment with the hospital. Isobel will marry Dickie, and Violet will get the last word.
13
At last, something positive, :) Thank you,
4
I'm still thinking Tom and Mary are going to get together... she does "want to be more like Sybil"..
I find the very notion of such a union disgusting and simply not believable, unless perhaps done for strategic/financial purposes.
3
Why anyone would want warm, kind-hearted Tom to end up with a cold fish like Mary is beyond me. Mary is too much of a snob to marry that far beneath her. She even admitted as much to Tom, not to mention the fact that she views him as her BROTHER. Good gracious, she's struggling with accepting Henry, and he's on a higher plane than Tom will ever be, plus she loves him! If Tom has any sense he'll snap up the lady editor, and quick!
7
Why anyone -- other than someone who wanted the money -- would want her has always been beyond me, and I never could sense any real attraction between the first husband (was it Matthew?) and her. Was obvious she wanted to stay on as the chatelaine of Downton, but what he saw in her was beyond me.
2
She's probably very different from most of the "debs" around - hard to get aspect, a challenge, background, foreground, money, estate, looks, style, brains ... Easy to fancy oneself in love in those hardening times.
Henry Talbot's racing gear only proves that it's impossible to look sexy in goggles.
8
I am convinced that Downton Abbey has gone beyond its creative life. Like the aristocratic lifestyle rigor mortis has set in. There has veen so much that was good in the earlier seasons. Delightful sets, good acting and a story line that progresssed and keep you guessing. What happened? It is hard to care about any of the characters anymore. The dialogue is now inauthentic. For example in an early scene Edith says Mary's new beau is, "sucking up" to Lord Grantham by inviting him to a motor race. Really, was that an idiom in use at that time? The story lines are repetitive and slow going. I almost liked the Bates couple better when they were distressed and being chased by the pesky police. Must Baxter now have her own legal clouds following her all over the Abbey? Almost all of the servants are rising with the tide of prosperty buying property all over the shire and opening businesses too? The pay must be pretty good "in service." At least at Downton or are the servants skimming the books and that is why the poor Lord in facing unbearable debts? The Dowager remains interesting, but her sudden departure to the continent must have some dire consequences in the remaining two episodes ahead. War and Peace took us through a thousand page novel with more ease in four weeks then Downton has been able to do in six years. It is sad to see the old world die, especially such a long and slow death.
1
it was an idiom way back when, yes. So much that sounds new to our ears is actually pretty old.
2
I agree with WRJH.
According to Mirriam-Webster, the first known use of the expression "suck up" is 1971.
While I haven't researched them all, there have been many expressions in the DA script that strike me as being anachronistic.
According to Mirriam-Webster, the first known use of the expression "suck up" is 1971.
While I haven't researched them all, there have been many expressions in the DA script that strike me as being anachronistic.
5
MIR: Others here have cited much earlier uses in the Oxford English Dictionary, going well back into the 19th century, but I don't have access so can't check it. Usage in England may have come earlier than here, so the OED and Merriam-Webster might have different dates.
1
For the last two rather dreary and facile seasons, my family's been watching just so we can read Bayard's scintillating recaps.
5
Another lovely wrapup. Thank you, dear Louis. Meantime, I'm reading comments today for fashion reaction. Oh, those Crawley threads. And the hats! Simply the best!
4
Predictions:
Downton Abbey burns down in the final episode (foreshadowed by fiery crash at the races). Barrow rushes into house to rescue the children (who are unbeknownst to him already outside) and dies. This is foreshadowed by his affection for the youngsters. Bates and Anna do, unfortunately, lose the baby, but cousin Rose has a child out of wedlock and gives him/her up to the Bates parents on Mary's recommendation. All the coupling occurring now allows everyone to be comfortably ensconced after the abbey is destroyed. Mary is the only uncoupled, and she goes down with the abbey.
Trump does not get the Republican nomination.
Downton Abbey burns down in the final episode (foreshadowed by fiery crash at the races). Barrow rushes into house to rescue the children (who are unbeknownst to him already outside) and dies. This is foreshadowed by his affection for the youngsters. Bates and Anna do, unfortunately, lose the baby, but cousin Rose has a child out of wedlock and gives him/her up to the Bates parents on Mary's recommendation. All the coupling occurring now allows everyone to be comfortably ensconced after the abbey is destroyed. Mary is the only uncoupled, and she goes down with the abbey.
Trump does not get the Republican nomination.
5
Pipe dreams, I'm afraid.
1
While I hope that the denouement of Barrow's travails will be a "You really love me" Sally Fields moment, am I the only one dreading that Carson (and Carson would deserve to be the one) will find poor Barrow swinging from a rope inside his room? Given Barrow's wicked machinations in past seasons, I never thought I would care for the guy. At this point, however, no one other than Mr. Bates is entitled to continue to harbor any ill feelings towards Barrow, and it is positively heart breaking watching Barrow in his isolated misery.
10
Instead of Newcastle Nut Brown Ale, to be more authentic and more local, I'd go with Timothy Taylor's Landlord or Boltmaker. Super quality Yorkshire ales.
In fact, I'd sort of hoped that Tom might go into the brewing business, which is a lot more likely in the Yorkshire area than anything to do with cars.
In fact, I'd sort of hoped that Tom might go into the brewing business, which is a lot more likely in the Yorkshire area than anything to do with cars.
3
I'm not sure what we look forward to more: a new episode of Downton Abbey or Louis Bayard's recap. Mr. Bayard, please recap all the rest of the episodes, and while you're at it, do all previous seasons!
7
Just saying as it's really dawning on me that the inevitable end is approaching --- Louis, I shall miss your insightful and amazing reviews, and I shall also miss this community of like-minded souls. We have weathered together the ups and downs of plot devices and dissected characters as if we knew them, and always, we had a group to turn to with our rants who understood the minutiae even when those closest to us would stare blankly and try to feign interest. Thank you, NYT, for providing us with this forum, and Louis, we shall eagerly seek out any of your future contributions.
13
The conflicts in the last season are perfunctory. Tom coming back with a weak explanation was silly. It would have been much better for this sympathetic character to frankly lapse, to take the road most traveled for those who marry advantageously, albeit for love. I don't mean he should be a jerk. Just a Flowering Judas (or maybe that's what he did do, and I'm watching at an inappropriately superficial level--nah).
I think that shadowy character in the bushed with camera at Ms. Patmore's is the local tax guru. After all, she has turned the house into a B&B and that must make it more taxable,
1
More likely a private eye taking pictures so that the gentleman's wife can sue him for divorce, which would be based on real adultery or a set-up with an actress, to defraud the law of England, which in those days provided that adultery was the only grounds for divorce. See, the case of Mrs. Simpson, who divorced her husband after photos of a phony tryst in Brighton were obtained. She was then free to marry dear David (Edward VIII), but he had to abdicate in any event. Good thing.
1
Private detective; The inaugural couple staying with Ms. Patmore are married. But not to each other. The doctor is most likely there with his receptionist.
So Mrs. Patmore finds herself out of the gate, keeping an open house, an inadvertent red light in the front window. The scandal... Especially when it is Daisy who leaks it to the staff, blurts it out as if they can solve it, and smirks when they can not...
So Mrs. Patmore finds herself out of the gate, keeping an open house, an inadvertent red light in the front window. The scandal... Especially when it is Daisy who leaks it to the staff, blurts it out as if they can solve it, and smirks when they can not...
1
Please get this straight: THOMAS BARROW ALWAYS LANDS ON HIS FEET.
5
Nine lives, they used to say.
1
Not really. Nor has he stood on his feet. It's the props provided by O'Brien and the Crawleys that kept him going. He didn't realize his dependence on her, so let the falling out go on. The Crawleys are being maligned because they can't continue to carry him. There's a lot of entitlement in him.
1
The more I see of Downton, the more I miss U/D.
1
I saw some "Upstairs Downstairs" a couple of years ago and was shocked at how badly it stands up over time. The sets looked cardboard and what I remembered as wonderful acting was a little stilted now. While I agree with many who have pointed out issues with the plot twists, no one can argue with the sumptuous sets and costumes, as well as the wonderful acting by all. If you saw U/D again, you might be disappointed as I was.
7
Well Judy, Upstairs Downstairs was a stronger dramatic work, wasn't it. Major Bellamy was a mental war casualty and a tragic hero, while Richard Bellamy had a significant role in government during the war, not a military sinecure as did the Earl of Grantham. The family equity was wiped out in the market crash due to the Major's improvident investments with a leveraged investment fund run by Goldman, where his brother-in-law worked in New York. The faithful housemaid's inheritance from her fiance, killed in the war, was lost too, so she had to continue in service where she could after Sir RIchard (by then knighted) had to sell Eaton Place. Oh, and Lady Southwick, Mrs. Bellamy, went down on the same boat as the Crowley cousin.
The British never seemed to spend the kind of money on sets etc. as American shows (smaller budgets by far). As for the writing and acting though, I can't agree. Upstairs, Downstairs was pretty fantastic.
2
It is my fondest hope that Mrs. Patmore gets a Michelin star at the end of the series, but I doubt they'll have time between the 17 weddings that seem to be on the horizon.
3
LOL for TripAdvisor comment.
Does one's current attitude toward Barrow reflect one's general willingness to forgive? I for one will always hate him. Short memories, guys. He deserves to go dig ditches somewhere.
Does one's current attitude toward Barrow reflect one's general willingness to forgive? I for one will always hate him. Short memories, guys. He deserves to go dig ditches somewhere.
3
Although not related to last night's show, I have long wondered how the family and entire staff could know when to leave the library or their respective downstairs duties to greet arriving guests prior to the advent of the telephone/cellphone? The Crawley family and staff are often shown lined up outside the house waiting for cars to pull up to discharge expected visitors; I wonder if they stood for 45 minutes waiting or if a lookout was positioned at the entry to the property to give them all a head's up so they could get into position. Either that, or the lot of them wasted an awful lot of time standing in the drive, especially if guests arrived behind schedule. Does anyone have an insight on this custom? (Alastair Bruce?)
2
I'd wager two things: One, in later years, they could call from the train station. Two, people were on time then. If you said you'd be there at 2 p.m., you were there, barring severe unforeseen circumstances. With two mail deliveries per day (and telegrams) it was easy to let people know when you were arriving. Trains also ran on time, like clockwork.
4
I think Barrow is going to kill himself. Everything in his life is going wrong. Carson is really being a pill with him, now Andy doesn't need him. The two interviews we've seen him take were dismal. The children like him, but they don't vote. He is utterly alone.
As for Lady Mary--oy, talk about pills. She has the emotional depth of a. . . . I can't think of anything shallow enough. There is no chemistry between her and Matthew Goode.
And as for Lord G--I sincerely doubt he would have used that language in that day and age. I was roundly chastised for saying "bloody" back in 1970. It's a religious thing--blood of Christ.
But it was delightful seeing Mr. Carson trounced!
As for Lady Mary--oy, talk about pills. She has the emotional depth of a. . . . I can't think of anything shallow enough. There is no chemistry between her and Matthew Goode.
And as for Lord G--I sincerely doubt he would have used that language in that day and age. I was roundly chastised for saying "bloody" back in 1970. It's a religious thing--blood of Christ.
But it was delightful seeing Mr. Carson trounced!
8
Oh, dear Mr. Bayard, please produce a 'companion book' with your articles and selected comments, to be savored by the Abbots of today in nostalgic bliss, and to enlighten Abbots of the future. Publishers get cracking !
Sold alone it would do well, but packaged with the Deluxe DVD Edition would be sublime.
Sold alone it would do well, but packaged with the Deluxe DVD Edition would be sublime.
5
"And, Bertie, in the interest of being totally truthful to you, Marigold was conceived in my, well, womb, by immaculate conception, I reckon. So please forgive my uncouth sister for implying I had an illegitimate child. Besides, your well below my station so you should be happy to have me, bastard child and all."
3
**Pedantry Alert** "Immaculate conception" is the doctrine of Mary's being conceived free of original sin. You're thinking of virgin birth.
6
Never in the course of human soap opera have so few said so little to so many.
4
Here's an idea for Mr. Barrow. Run away with Spratt! An odd but no less plausible than anything else love interest. It looks like they both may be need a new job soon anyway.
Perhaps open up a very stylish Bed and Breakfast together. Opening up a "little place" seems to be the thing for a number of the show's folks to do. Could be the start of a new series, even..
Perhaps open up a very stylish Bed and Breakfast together. Opening up a "little place" seems to be the thing for a number of the show's folks to do. Could be the start of a new series, even..
3
Perhaps Violet has been sent off so we can forget what she looks like.
Then, in the final moments of the series, after a fadeout on Downtown Abbey as we've known it, the scene reopens on another line of tourists wanting to see the Abbey. We won’t immediately recognize the elderly lady with an entrepreneurial gleam in her eye, taking tickets at the door…but who could it be but Lady Mary, who despite shoulder pads, acid-washed jeans, platform shoes, and big hair, has a more-than-passing resemblance to her grandmother?
I personally would pay cash money to see Dame Maggie act the heck out of that.
Then, in the final moments of the series, after a fadeout on Downtown Abbey as we've known it, the scene reopens on another line of tourists wanting to see the Abbey. We won’t immediately recognize the elderly lady with an entrepreneurial gleam in her eye, taking tickets at the door…but who could it be but Lady Mary, who despite shoulder pads, acid-washed jeans, platform shoes, and big hair, has a more-than-passing resemblance to her grandmother?
I personally would pay cash money to see Dame Maggie act the heck out of that.
6
To me it is odd that Barrow's character has become so maudlin. It's a bit excessive. Can a dastardly conniver change so completely?
6
Agree. This self-pity mode is starting to chafe...We need O' Brien!!!
Reaping what one has sown is more a result than a change. The excessive maudlin is another brand of bad choice that keeps him in his cycle.
Oh yes, O'Brien, the mastermind of the criminal enterprise. Interesting character, no doubt - anti-hero, no less. Their shelf life isn't so good. She got out just ahead of the sheriff, so to speak. She's probably still swimming the Indian Ocean where Rose's toxic mother dumped her. That termagant was no Cora, looking the other way (no posture pose reference intended). Probably happened even before the money ran out.
Henry T will pull up to Downton Abbey in his bloody awful racing car and accidentally run over Tiaa, thereby putting a conclusive end to his relationship with Mary.
3
I'm not offended by your usage, but I used 'bloody' once in a comment in the old 'Wheels' blog and it was dumped.
1
More amenable here, but I did not see the post of a one-liner about Daisy needing a lob.... (where they rearrange the brain). I know, it was desperately wicked. I am so glad they saved me from obloquy. :-)
By the way, I'm new to this recap column, but has anyone ever noted that the old insufferable Bates & his first wife murder plot, from earlier seasons, was lifted almost wholesale from the marvelous 1948 movie, "The Fallen Idol," complete with a butler named Baines, played by Ralph Richardson? Even the casting for Bates looks like Richardson. Has Fellowes ever credited that film for his plot? Is it homage...or ripoff?
2
Thanks for this! I love Ralph Richardson and have never seen this -- now will hunt it down!
Superficially similar, but probably owes more to the research for this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Fellowes_Investigates:_A_Most_Myster...
Pretty well done, by the way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Fellowes_Investigates:_A_Most_Myster...
Pretty well done, by the way.
It was a terrible plot line, but nice to know the source...
If you cast Matthew Goode to be the "love interest," you know he's going to get the girl...
3
or Tom....
To a few earlier commenters: In case no one mentioned this already, it was revealed that Lady Edith's paramour, Michael Gregson, was beaten to death by a roving pack of 'Brown Shirts' while in Germany. So it's not likely he will return, although soap operas always seem to find a way to make the seemingly impossible return of characters happen.
And as to the Lady Mary / Tom Branson hook-up that so many Abbots seem to be rooting for, please NO NO NO NO NO! These two have ZERO sexual chemistry together
And as to the Lady Mary / Tom Branson hook-up that so many Abbots seem to be rooting for, please NO NO NO NO NO! These two have ZERO sexual chemistry together
6
I agree, that would be icky. When Tom returned, my first reaction was, 'Oh that bore is back," but then I saw how his ready cheerfulness and good nature serve as a crucial moral sounding board to Mary (and to a lesser extent, Edith) which is needed to humanize Mary and give her ample opportunity to emote in swan-like Mary fashion. Entire scenes would cease to exist without Tom. He is the literary equivalent of furniture, like a couch that fills the room and brings the other pieces into harmony.
Good point on the possible return of Michael Gregson. Wouldn't it just be bloody awful if Edith is doomed again?
Good point on the possible return of Michael Gregson. Wouldn't it just be bloody awful if Edith is doomed again?
1
She'll be right there at the altar, about to plight her troth--and there'll be Gregson, in the choir loft, shouting "EDITH! EDITH!"--right next to Major Gin Bottle, shouting the same thing.
Then she'll look around, grab Marigold, and run like hell.
Then she'll look around, grab Marigold, and run like hell.
2
There are a lot of people on this page who don't understand DA at all. Refreshing to see a comment from someone who knows what was going on.
1
This recap had me LLOL -- laughing literally out loud -- in several places. Forget Lady Mary -- how are we going to manage without our weekly fix of Louis Bayard after the Abbey credits roll for the last time? Perhaps the Times could engage him for a new feature: we, the readers, send in recaps of our lives and he comments on them every week? We all encounter characters whose mouths could use stuffing with a monogrammed Louis Bayard dish towel.
12
Mrs. Hughes has finally figured out Thomas' sorrow; she'll get the situation fixed for him. Mosley is heading to school [did we hear how Daisy did on HER exam?] and that leaves an opening slot so Thomas won't have to depart. As fractious as Thomas was in the past, esp. when paired with O'Brien, it would be nice to feel that he has earned a place at Downton.
7
Twice now we have had close-up shots of Spratt perusing his stamp collection. Surely there must be a Penny Black, Penny Red or other incredibly valuable specimen in there somewhere, bringing him wealth and fame among the international stamp set. Selling his collection enables him to buy Mrs. Patmore's B&B, once she and Mr. Mason realize they (and Andy and Daisy) belong together at the farm, and Denker joins him in running the guest house. Despite his increasing pressure on Barrow to leave, Mr. Carson, after one too many evenings as "chief cook at bottle-washer" due to his wily wife's faking another hand injury (why didn't I think of that?!), is so physically exhausted that he can no longer perform his butlerly duties and is retired by the Crawleys (with a comfortable pension befitting his years of service). Barrow then eases into the slightly revised role of family retainer with duties that include roughhousing with children, perhaps some part-time tutoring, dog-training and chauffeuring. (He can drive, you know.)
9
Oops. Of course I should have written chief cook AND bottle washer.
He could have an Inverted Jenny as well, given they came out in 1918.
3
The wittiest recap yet! Louis Bayard, please, please say that you will continue recapping after DA is over! Perhaps you can recap the presidential race/debates? Your inimitable view would no doubt be wonderfully amusing!
120
Recap the presidential race/debates!! That would be wonderful. I could turn off CNN forever! Think about it!
3
Don't forget Spratt. He's quite marvelous !
Please do recap and analyze the so humorless presidential race!
4
"Thus Charlie Rogers joins the long scroll of secondary characters who are sacrificed for the moral awakening of primary characters."
Best line/observation I've seen in a while. These recaps are a pleasure
Best line/observation I've seen in a while. These recaps are a pleasure
51
I'm not a regular reader of the comments. Are any Abbots predicting that Michael Gregson is going to return from the dead? Seems like a likely plot "surprise" to me.
16
nah. but when they do a WW2 special, Edith will be the fiercest anti-Nazi crusader in the magazine business. If she makes through the Depression, of course.
8
That is not going to happen.
Actually, that has been mentioned. There would be a cover story for it, amnesia or something.
I didn't know Lady Violet was capable of such kindness. It's too bad she didn't get to see her son's pure happiness as he scooped Tiaa into his arms.
Mr. Bayard-- I think you overlooked one important sentence as you recounted Daisy and Mrs. Patmore-- not only did she say that Mr. Mason still had plenty of love for Daisy but she also said something like "And I have plenty of love for you too." That made Daisy smile in her happy way, not her jealous, threatened, needy way.
Now if one of them could only find something to say to Barrow--- to lift his humiliation-- or say something to everyone else to just knock off the mean talk. Maybe Noel Coward really will drop by and they can drive off in a really nice car together.
Mr. Bayard-- I think you overlooked one important sentence as you recounted Daisy and Mrs. Patmore-- not only did she say that Mr. Mason still had plenty of love for Daisy but she also said something like "And I have plenty of love for you too." That made Daisy smile in her happy way, not her jealous, threatened, needy way.
Now if one of them could only find something to say to Barrow--- to lift his humiliation-- or say something to everyone else to just knock off the mean talk. Maybe Noel Coward really will drop by and they can drive off in a really nice car together.
44
Yes--but not too fast.
7
I thought Daisy was going to call Mrs. P "mum" and fling her arms around her.
I have a feeling there are lots of weddings in these last few episodes.
I have a feeling there are lots of weddings in these last few episodes.
2
The UK critics were right last year, this season is a load of drivel. And talking of drivel when did anyone in Edwardian England say 'he's sucking up' You can rewrite history for fiction but introducing modern slang for the American market with the silly afternoon soap opera plots illustrates just how far this show has deteriorated.
And just how does the cook afford a bed and breakfast? they could barely survive living in the master's house. Perhaps she'll give the ever miserable Mary a free room to go and defrost and practice how to crack a smile. The pigs are destined to become her only true friends. Lord Grantham acting way over the top about a dog shows just what a ridiculous figure he's become.
This season badly needed some intrigue such as advancing real history and bringing in Hitler's smooth Foreign Minister - Ribentropp - into the Crawley's lives as he plots to woo the traitor Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson. It could have precipitated their destruction like most stately families around that time instead of living happily ever after over the hills and far away.
And just how does the cook afford a bed and breakfast? they could barely survive living in the master's house. Perhaps she'll give the ever miserable Mary a free room to go and defrost and practice how to crack a smile. The pigs are destined to become her only true friends. Lord Grantham acting way over the top about a dog shows just what a ridiculous figure he's become.
This season badly needed some intrigue such as advancing real history and bringing in Hitler's smooth Foreign Minister - Ribentropp - into the Crawley's lives as he plots to woo the traitor Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson. It could have precipitated their destruction like most stately families around that time instead of living happily ever after over the hills and far away.
12
Sorry but according to the Oxford English Dictionary the first recorded use of "suck up" in this sense dates to 1860.
5
"when did anyone in Edwardian England say 'he's sucking up'"
Go check your OED. The usage has been around since the mid-1800s.
As for the B&B, in Season 5, Mrs Patmore received a small inheritance and decided to invest it in this way. Also, don't forget that her salary was, as they say, "all found".
Go check your OED. The usage has been around since the mid-1800s.
As for the B&B, in Season 5, Mrs Patmore received a small inheritance and decided to invest it in this way. Also, don't forget that her salary was, as they say, "all found".
8
As I recall, Mrs. Patmore inherited some money and invested in property.
1
Drinking game:
A glass of Cora's favorite wine for every time of the commenters here has mentioned the possibility of a Barrow suicide without reading other comments to see that this has been discussed ad nauseum.
A glass of Cora's favorite wine for every time of the commenters here has mentioned the possibility of a Barrow suicide without reading other comments to see that this has been discussed ad nauseum.
18
I see the return of his former cohort and partner in crime, Miss O'Brian. Sacked, Barrow teams up with O'Brian, ala Bonnie and Clyde, to wreak havoc on the bucolic English countryside. And they bring along Daisy as an unwilling hostage.But wait...Daisy, Barrow, and O'Brian are killed in a hail of tommy gun bullets. IMHO.
1
And a glass of Robert's port every time someone mentions the possibility of a Mary/Tom match without reading other comments, etc., etc.
I do beg your pardon.
1
Hold on! Was that a cheesecake shot of Edith, legs and all? Has anyone noticed how downright good looking they're making her this season. I'm telling ya here and now, Edith wins the sister stakes, new man, great job, money in the bank, a kid to call her own and a flat in London.
136
I too admired her legs tucked so adorably under her on the sofa. you just try that for more than a minute and your legs (even if you're 21) are gonna hurt like hell. plus the toes pointed neatly for a further elongation effect. Sigh. Laura Carmichael must have been all but crippled if they had to do multiple takes of that scene!
4
And barefoot! Talk about intimate!
2
Indeed! -- But actually she has been looking good for a couple of seasons already...You go, Edith!
3
I liked the colors, the sweep, the backgrounds, and all the rest. Happy endings for more and more each week.
And I hope we see Maggie Smith again, but if we don't, then it was one of the more graceful exists of a character I can recall. And her reasons for going were pure and wonderfully expressed.
And I hope we see Maggie Smith again, but if we don't, then it was one of the more graceful exists of a character I can recall. And her reasons for going were pure and wonderfully expressed.
45
And let's NOT learn via telegram that something untoward has occurred to her in France, please.
For quite the opposite of Lady Violet in demeanor, attire, and social standing, see Dame Maggie's latest release, "The Lady in the Van."
For quite the opposite of Lady Violet in demeanor, attire, and social standing, see Dame Maggie's latest release, "The Lady in the Van."
Is Maggie's trip to France really a cover for the time she had to spend making "The Van"?
1
omg! don't say that! I can't bear it to be true. She's the tops, the coliseum and the Louvre museum.
1
I knew when I fell asleep at almost the beginning of the hour, that I could rely on Louis Bayard to catch me up today. From watching this online at pbs.org this morning. it does seem that my nap was worth the loss of live TV. BTW, isn't the phrase 'sucking up' fairly new? This was Edith re: Henry asking the Abbots to dinner. It's fairly incredible to me that I find Thomas to be the most interesting character at this point in time...even over Violet.
4
Too easy for Robert to turn into a feminist and be in favor of the Talbot-Mary match. I can see Edith and Bertie, even though her inheritance from the long dead lover will support them. But, Mary with a race car driver? Her clothing budget alone is more than he makes in a year. Adored Mr. Carson getting pranked & the tearful, emotional Molesley realizing how long he put himself down. http://tvruckus.com/2016/02/15/downton-abbey-recap-escape-from-servant-s...
9
The Dowager will not drown, but die brilliantly and comfortably somewhere in the Abbey with one, final, memorable, great zinger. Sadly, Mr. Barrow will commit a noteless suicide. Molesley and Miss Baxter deserve each other, along with a bit of earthly happiness. Edith, too, deserves some happiness in London with Marigold and Bertie. Robert and Cora? They'll survive. Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason will run the B & B happily ever after. Daisy? She'll become the head cook at the Abbey. The Carsons will be fine now that Mister understands how really difficult it is to cook. Lastly, Tom & Mary: they're both committed to keeping the Abbey, while making it self-sustaining through land sales and house building. They're good friends, fond and respectful of each other. Why shouldn't such a substantial friendship morph into love? I've been predicting it for years.
27
This is exactly how I have envisioned things turning out on Downton Abbey!
4
There was a time I thought them an impossible match -- how could he be with Mary after the generous, kind Sybil? -- but it's looking less improbable now.
3
I've seen the whole thing. Your ratio of wrong to right deductions is pretty high.
Why does it seem increasingly certain to me that Evelyn Napier -- the man who first introduced the soon-to-be-demised Turkish ambassador to Downton -- who obviously has carried a torch for Lady Mary through her many romances and looked wistfully on, will be the man to marry Lady Mary in the end?? Did others notice the brief but meaningful gaze of his as she leaves the "arranged" singles dinner party with Henry....
I also do hope that the Dowager Countess encounters her old flame Prince Kuragin [echoes of War & Peace and Imperial Russia] when on the French Riviera and perhaps returns as Princess Kuragin.
I also do hope that the Dowager Countess encounters her old flame Prince Kuragin [echoes of War & Peace and Imperial Russia] when on the French Riviera and perhaps returns as Princess Kuragin.
25
but he's penniless
1
And his wife is a drag....
And married.
Something about Edith inheriting the magazine has bugged me from the start: could she really have legally inherited it from Michael Gregson when, at the time of his death, he was still married to a woman in an insane asylum? The law did not allow Gregson to divorce specifically because the state did not want to be saddled with the care of his wife, so how could he leave such a significant asset to his floozie girlfriend? (Sorry Edith, but let's be honest.) So many plot lines rely on that magazine, that it bugs me that Fellowes may have conveniently overlooked the operation of the same law that he used to create the whole Michael/Edith drama. I may well be the only person lost in the legal weeds on this, but does anyone know if the Edith inheritance was legit?
Bravo to Violet for ferreting out Miss Cruikshank's true motivations and then putting her in her place. A well done scene all around.
Maybe Barrow and Bertie's cousin who likes to paint will cross paths at some Edith/Bertie event that springs from their engagement. Why would Fellowes create the perfect solution for Barrow and then make no use of him? Barrow deserves a puppy too.
Bravo to Violet for ferreting out Miss Cruikshank's true motivations and then putting her in her place. A well done scene all around.
Maybe Barrow and Bertie's cousin who likes to paint will cross paths at some Edith/Bertie event that springs from their engagement. Why would Fellowes create the perfect solution for Barrow and then make no use of him? Barrow deserves a puppy too.
34
Legally he can leave it to his cats. His wife, or her relatives, could challenge the will if he left no provision for her care; if he established a trust for her permanent care they'd have no case. Unless you drift off into fan fiction, she's incurable and he's provided for her.
I have a feeling that the law had more to do with religion than economics. Why did it take so long to allow a man to marry his his deceased wife's sister? No economic problem there. But some theologians would have called it incest.
I have a feeling that the law had more to do with religion than economics. Why did it take so long to allow a man to marry his his deceased wife's sister? No economic problem there. But some theologians would have called it incest.
7
Well, with an entailed estate, how did Matthew become part owner during Robert's lifetime? Not just in name, but so fully that he was able to leave it to Mary by will?
1
@Janet, I don't remember all the details, so perhaps some other Abbots here can add to them, but sometime prior to Matthew's death, Robert lost most or all of his/Cora's money, and Matthew, who had finances from something (his work? an inheritance? I don't recall), contributed his financial resources to the estate, thereby becoming part owner. I've no idea how that aligns with how legal proceedings would really have worked at the time, but that's how it came to be on the show. Hope that helps!
1
I'm really surprised by the ongoing/weeks-old support for Lady Mary hooking up with Tom Branson. I can't imagine it! In fact, it gives me the "eeuwws." And - I confess I've not seen every episode of the last few seasons....did I miss one in which Edith's lover was proven definitely dead? I do admit I entertain the unlikely scenario of him returning, and he and Edith and little Marigold living happily ever after.
20
I believe there was an episode where his death was confirmed, so Edith can move on with her new love, as long as he can accept Marigold. I'm with you on Tom and Mary, who are like brother and sister. Why in the world would any Downton fan want warm, caring Tom to end up with a cold fish like Mary is beyond me! She's lucky to have found love twice in her life and if she's smart, she won't blow it.
JC, I'm with you. Mary and Tom feel like siblings to me, and apparently to one another. We were told that Michael Gregson's body was definitely identified. I guess the poor man was in the show only to provide Edith with more interesting accoutrements: a child, a magazine and a fabulous London flat.
I like that idea too, and I don't recall anything definitive, but maybe someone else will. It's like something Fellowes would do.
With such a truly divine cast and it being the last season, did they really need to spend
such a disproportionate time at/on the race track? My heart bled instead for more time
with Lady Violet, et al. I think we've also derived the Mr. Barrows story line as well. Just
when Molesley was coming into full character, they cut him short. A new dog was also
long overdue.
It's sad this show has it's reached it's conclusion given it's extraordinary cast, the massive overabundance of talent - how they complimented each other and the potential for future
and truly infinite story lines. I am heartbroken . . . .
such a disproportionate time at/on the race track? My heart bled instead for more time
with Lady Violet, et al. I think we've also derived the Mr. Barrows story line as well. Just
when Molesley was coming into full character, they cut him short. A new dog was also
long overdue.
It's sad this show has it's reached it's conclusion given it's extraordinary cast, the massive overabundance of talent - how they complimented each other and the potential for future
and truly infinite story lines. I am heartbroken . . . .
9
I have sometimes wondered this season if Tom and Mary will end up together?
4
Well it's off to the races, Abbots!...again. Sense of deja-vu, anyone? First shocker. Violet eating humble-pie?--or is it tongue? Whatever it is, a word of warning to Miss-soon-to-be-Mrs.-Larry...RUN! You're no match for the Dame!
Welcome back Denker and Spratt!..for a minute, anyway. And Carson, seriously. The Missus 'hurts' her hand, and you're only worried about how she'll cook? Beware. Mrs. Hughes has a new recipe for you -- it's called 'Revenge' and it's best served cold. I'll skip over Daisy since we all seem agree her fate should lie at the bottom of a well. But what's up with Thomas?? -- no tots to tote this time. QUICK. Somebody call O'Brien!!
And Mary, you've met your match. Mr. Talbot is just as vain and sclerotic as you are -- but maybe 10 degrees colder. A NEW PUPPY!!! Good! -- Now the series can end just like it begins. We're almost at the finishing line, Abbots!
Welcome back Denker and Spratt!..for a minute, anyway. And Carson, seriously. The Missus 'hurts' her hand, and you're only worried about how she'll cook? Beware. Mrs. Hughes has a new recipe for you -- it's called 'Revenge' and it's best served cold. I'll skip over Daisy since we all seem agree her fate should lie at the bottom of a well. But what's up with Thomas?? -- no tots to tote this time. QUICK. Somebody call O'Brien!!
And Mary, you've met your match. Mr. Talbot is just as vain and sclerotic as you are -- but maybe 10 degrees colder. A NEW PUPPY!!! Good! -- Now the series can end just like it begins. We're almost at the finishing line, Abbots!
7
I'm not sure if I'd call this a prediction, but I had fun mulling over potential outcomes for the show:
After yet another unsuccessful job interview, Thomas is humiliated (yet again) by Carson, who this time says (untruthfully) that Robert has said that Thomas has only one more month to find a position, then he'll be sacked. Thomas cracks & in revenge sets fire to the house, then in a fit of remorse races for the nursery. He grabs George & Sybbie, the nanny grabs Marigold, & they run for the door. Thomas gets out, but the nanny collapses. When Thomas sees that the nanny isn't behind him as he races out the front door, he hands over George & Sybbie & runs back into the flaming house & doesn't emerge. His body is found the next day in the rubble, clutching Marigold's body. Carson has a heart attack from the stress & dies on the front steps of the house he's served for so long. Violet has a heart attack on her journey abroad when she hears the news about the house; when her body arrives home, Denker is apparently overcome w/grief, but she has too much of her secret stash of cooking wine & slips up, telling Sprat that she's set for life because of lifting some of the Dowager's jewelry. Sprat turns her in& she's arrested by Sergeant Willis. Cora, Robert, Mary, & George move to the Dower House, where Sprat continues as butler & Baxter becomes the lady's maid to both Cora & Mary. Daisy & Andy get married & move to Yew Tree Farm, where Mason teaches Andy pig farming skills...cont.
After yet another unsuccessful job interview, Thomas is humiliated (yet again) by Carson, who this time says (untruthfully) that Robert has said that Thomas has only one more month to find a position, then he'll be sacked. Thomas cracks & in revenge sets fire to the house, then in a fit of remorse races for the nursery. He grabs George & Sybbie, the nanny grabs Marigold, & they run for the door. Thomas gets out, but the nanny collapses. When Thomas sees that the nanny isn't behind him as he races out the front door, he hands over George & Sybbie & runs back into the flaming house & doesn't emerge. His body is found the next day in the rubble, clutching Marigold's body. Carson has a heart attack from the stress & dies on the front steps of the house he's served for so long. Violet has a heart attack on her journey abroad when she hears the news about the house; when her body arrives home, Denker is apparently overcome w/grief, but she has too much of her secret stash of cooking wine & slips up, telling Sprat that she's set for life because of lifting some of the Dowager's jewelry. Sprat turns her in& she's arrested by Sergeant Willis. Cora, Robert, Mary, & George move to the Dower House, where Sprat continues as butler & Baxter becomes the lady's maid to both Cora & Mary. Daisy & Andy get married & move to Yew Tree Farm, where Mason teaches Andy pig farming skills...cont.
10
So. Many. Words.
9
...& Daisy takes over the bookkeeping for the farm. They name their first son William. Mrs. Patmore beams from her wildly successful B&B. It's done so well that she's now serving dinners in the expanded inn, where Bates is running the adjoining pub, & has added additional rooms to rent. Mrs. Hughes oversees those. Anna helps w/the rooms & the pub periodically, but primarily tends to hers & Bates's child & takes in sewing to help make ends meet. Mary has her own carpe diem moment & decides that she really wants to marry...Charles Blake. Evelyn Napier & Tony Gillingham are put into cold storage by Fellowes in case they're needed as future suitors. Tom joins Henry Talbot's racing team & marries the editor of Edith's magazine. After Marigold's death, Edith breaks down & tells Bertie that Marigold was her daughter, & because Fellowes has never given any lasting happiness to Edith, Bertie walks away, leaving Edith alone. She moves to London permanently & after her editor's departure becomes sole editor of the magazine, living out the rest of her life in Gregson's apartment & surrounded by her memories. And finally, Isobel marries Dickie, who then disinherits the detestable Larry & his brother & establishes an endowment for the local hospital w/the inheritance. Did I forget anyone?
2
Hilarious! Thank you for the laugh.
3
I will miss this recap as much as the show. Hilarious!
6
Note to all screenwriters: While all is quiet, outline at least 5 seasons of plot before putting the first into production. This is what I have done, in case anyone wants screenplays...
1
This has become an Anthony Trollop plot. The series can't end before every last character is hooked up.
3
I hope that was a deliberate misspelling.
17
Sandy -- that was … priceless!
7
Thanks, Linda. I think you and I may be the only two who picked up on it ;)
Enjoyable episode - loved seeing the puppy at the end, even if it was total emotional manipulation. But Mary and Tom? Soul mates? I just don't see it. Yes, she loves him, but as a brother, not a romantic partner. My vote is for the irony of a happy ending for Edith, but not for Mary. And I'm still not sure that Lord G is completely recovered, although my dad swears they won't kill him off. Tune in next week!
7
Not Mary and Tom, but Tom and Miss Edmunds, Edith's editor.
23
Great point, Wolf. That rather ridiculous confession Tom makes to Miss Edmunds about what they have in common? Yes.
A few questions:
1) How far in line is Lord Grantham from the throne of England?
2) Why hasn't Lady Mary been paired off with one of the many princes of Europe?
3) I forgot why Mosely didn't follow his fathers footsteps?
4) Why do we Americans have to refer to the Granthams by title? I once met that Conron guy, the furniture designer at an event. His PR handler told me I could call him by his first name, or as Mr. Conron, but no need to call him by his title.
Finally,
LOVED LOVED LOVED Mary's outfit, the one shown in this recap. Fashion has moved into the 20th century, you can see hints of some of the more elegant 1950s styles in it.
And,
Am sick of the comments about Barrow taking his own life. Don't you folks read the comments? This has been discussed ad nauseum, you are not original.
1) How far in line is Lord Grantham from the throne of England?
2) Why hasn't Lady Mary been paired off with one of the many princes of Europe?
3) I forgot why Mosely didn't follow his fathers footsteps?
4) Why do we Americans have to refer to the Granthams by title? I once met that Conron guy, the furniture designer at an event. His PR handler told me I could call him by his first name, or as Mr. Conron, but no need to call him by his title.
Finally,
LOVED LOVED LOVED Mary's outfit, the one shown in this recap. Fashion has moved into the 20th century, you can see hints of some of the more elegant 1950s styles in it.
And,
Am sick of the comments about Barrow taking his own life. Don't you folks read the comments? This has been discussed ad nauseum, you are not original.
5
1. We have no reason to think that Lord Grantham is anywhere near the throne.
2. Those many princes would be highly unlikely to wish to marry a commoner.
3. His father was a gardener. Perhaps the son prefers life indoors.
4. It's called proper etiquette.
2. Those many princes would be highly unlikely to wish to marry a commoner.
3. His father was a gardener. Perhaps the son prefers life indoors.
4. It's called proper etiquette.
1
1. A very long way away, and there are German princes with stronger claims.
2. Not that many princes left worth the train ticket to meet them, and she's Jewish.
3. His father was a farmer who couldn't afford to pay for his schooling. Service had a little higher status than that in the 90's.
4. No law saying you have to use their titles other than politeness.
2. Not that many princes left worth the train ticket to meet them, and she's Jewish.
3. His father was a farmer who couldn't afford to pay for his schooling. Service had a little higher status than that in the 90's.
4. No law saying you have to use their titles other than politeness.
1
First, I assume you mean Conran, and not Conron. I believe he's only been knighted ('Sir Terrence') so it's not a big deal.
Grantham is an earl, which is a solid title; but most princes of royal blood would want another royal, not a medium aristocrat. They might take a duke; but not much below that. Mary is not that big of a deal in that regard. Remember, Princess Diana, the daughter of an earl, was considered a 'commoner' with respect to the Prince of Wales.
Grantham is an earl, which is a solid title; but most princes of royal blood would want another royal, not a medium aristocrat. They might take a duke; but not much below that. Mary is not that big of a deal in that regard. Remember, Princess Diana, the daughter of an earl, was considered a 'commoner' with respect to the Prince of Wales.
7
Did you say putz?
2
"Putz" is originally German for "sharp" or "pointed". There is also a Yiddish meaning derived from it but as it is not suitable for publication in the NY Times, I doubt that Mr. Bayard would use it in that sense (not). But the "clean" Yiddish variant (pronounced as in "foots") is the same as the original German meaning. A Yiddish saying is "Oyvin putz; hintem schmutz") describing an unsavory character as, "on the outside, sharp; on the inside, dirty". Mr. Bayard has yet to shock us with the Yiddish word that is derived from the German word for "jewel".
2
He did. I doubt Baron Fellowes knows that word.
Actually "Putz" has several meanings in German, all depending on the context in which it is used. It could refer to fine clothing, wall plaster, an argument, or showing off. The Yiddish word 'Schmuck' means jewel in German.
I am among those who enjoy the show as well as the most diverting Monday morning-after commentary. While it would seem most improbable, I have hoped for greater sentimental happiness for Thomas, though I cannot imagine how that might play out....
7
I think that Edith's husband (father of Marigold) will return from his disappearance in Germany - just as Edith is pondering this new man/marriage....although this scenario would take longer than the remaining episodes to straighten out....so, maybe not. Certainly, I believe Mr. Fellowes is trying to bore us to death, so that we'll be good & ready to have the series end.
4
Edith was never married to Marigold's father.
7
That is the crux!
Amiable critics try too hard, thus defeating themselves and the adjective.
2
Translation????... And is that "adjective"? or "objective"?
2
Tom gets Mary. Or does Mary get Tom? They were soooo close to snogging in one scene last night I nearly fell off the couch cheering them on!
5
Mary could never abide such a sententious and avuncular sap as Tom has become.
18
... just as Tom could never abide the chalk-faced frozen-hearted stick-insect popsicle as Mary has always been and always wiill be, from cradle to grave.
2
Did Mary actually say something nice to Edith? It seemed that she was encouraging the relationship with Bertie. Or maybe Mary is concerned that word will ge ou that Edith is an unmarried mother and wants her to be married. Probably not to make Edith legitimate but to not reflect badly on Mary.
2
This is an interesting plot line that has been hinted at the past few episodes. It's old news for Mary to snipe at Edith, but Edith had stopped doing it until the last episode or two. I noticed that in particular as it went along. This time, she gave Mary pause with her remark. Did you see Mary's look? That's new. Think that pot is being stirred for a showdown.
3
Mr. Bayard, I'm surprised you didn't pick up on Edith's "I Google so You Don't Have To" line, delivered at Lady Rosamund's dinner table, about "the monstrosity" being erected on the site of Devonshire House. Surely the Crawleys would have been acutely aware that the Duke of Devonshire had abandoned his family's immense London palace in 1919, due to the massive estate taxes imposed after World War I -- a fate to which Lord Fellowes often, if sometimes obliquely, refers with regard to the Crawleys themselves.
11
I am going to stick around for the bitter end. A lot of the show is boring, though, and this season feels the worst to me.
It even managed to be boring when a fatal car crash happened. Was there anybody watching who didn't absolutely know that one of the cars would crash and burn? My interest is so low that I didn't even care if it was Lady Mary's boy friend or not.
It even managed to be boring when a fatal car crash happened. Was there anybody watching who didn't absolutely know that one of the cars would crash and burn? My interest is so low that I didn't even care if it was Lady Mary's boy friend or not.
6
So why bother to stick around?...hmmmm????
1
I'm afraid many people are going to be very, VERY disappointed when the end does come. And not "because" it's over, but how it ends.
2
I Disagree, Science Teacher. People are going to love the sappy diabetic alert ending!
I think it is good to have no spoliers in the thread.
All I would say as a UK viewer is that the reaction here was generally otherwise, and most people enjoyed the ending.
Of course, there are plenty of people here too who have been saying pretty much from Season One, Episode Two "Well, of course, DA, used to be be very good, but it is terrible now etc" however most people have continued to find the characters compelling, and to enjoy the interplay of the stories, the many interesting scenes and the high standard of performance and production.
I have been watching all the seasons over and I think it holds together not too badly. Even storylines that I did not get much out of first time round (e.g. the various Bates' sagas, Mary's suitors, anything to do with Rose) I have found much more interesting on a second viewing.
Certain characters, for example, Rosamund, also begin to emerge much more strongly and you begin to look forward to their scenes.
Overall, I would say...just keep watching!
All I would say as a UK viewer is that the reaction here was generally otherwise, and most people enjoyed the ending.
Of course, there are plenty of people here too who have been saying pretty much from Season One, Episode Two "Well, of course, DA, used to be be very good, but it is terrible now etc" however most people have continued to find the characters compelling, and to enjoy the interplay of the stories, the many interesting scenes and the high standard of performance and production.
I have been watching all the seasons over and I think it holds together not too badly. Even storylines that I did not get much out of first time round (e.g. the various Bates' sagas, Mary's suitors, anything to do with Rose) I have found much more interesting on a second viewing.
Certain characters, for example, Rosamund, also begin to emerge much more strongly and you begin to look forward to their scenes.
Overall, I would say...just keep watching!
8
Just once before the whole Downton Abbey saga is over I want to see Cora with her head on straight. She always has it cocked to one side in a kind of submissive pose, looking sideways in a puppy-like manner. It is so annoying and if she truly is to be the president of the hospital association she has to hold her head high.
31
Thanl you!! My wife and I mockingly imitate that look regularly!
3
Thank you! My wife and I mock that look to each other when ever she does it. You could almost make a drinking game out of it.
2
Oh...and let's not forget how she pulls her chin in with those long drawn eyes...in a slightly patronizing manner...when doing so. But, if it is a drinking game, what should it be? Gin? Single malt Scotch?
1
"Who’s the mysterious fellow monitoring Mrs. Patmore’s new B&B? The world’s first TripAdvisor commenter?"
He looked like a private detective seeking evidence for a divorce proceeding. My guess is that the bed-and-breakfast will develop a scandalous reputation, causing Mrs. Patmore to sell it and driving her to Mr. Mason's farm.
He looked like a private detective seeking evidence for a divorce proceeding. My guess is that the bed-and-breakfast will develop a scandalous reputation, causing Mrs. Patmore to sell it and driving her to Mr. Mason's farm.
8
Lots of us have seen the series through to the end, but most of us prefer not to spoil it for others.
7
Oh ho. So that was NOT Mrs Doctor after all. Poor Mrs P.
A "guess" is not a spoiler.
1
I hope this is not the last we see of Maggie Smith. As you point out every week, her scenes are always the best, and she ties the show together. I have been afraid all season that she might be on her death-bed soon, somehow. Having her die, off-camera, while at sea, seems awkward, though.
Is anyone else worried that they are so many dropping heavy hints about Barrow's sense of isolation, rejection, and as of this week, uselessness? I'm afraid they may be setting us up for a suicide attempt. And no one seems to notice his spiral into depression--in this household where he feels he has "roots."
Is anyone else worried that they are so many dropping heavy hints about Barrow's sense of isolation, rejection, and as of this week, uselessness? I'm afraid they may be setting us up for a suicide attempt. And no one seems to notice his spiral into depression--in this household where he feels he has "roots."
8
Mrs Hughes & Miss Baxter have noticed. The camera is constantly showing us their concerned faces each time Barrow takes another emotional hit.
6
I'm very worried about Barrow. He seems extremely depressed. If Carson continues grinding his heel in Barrow's face I'm concerned Barrow may do himself harm. That may be how the writers intend to dilute the puppy treacle.
2
On the basis of the way Fellowes has endowed the only out gay character on this multi-year series with so many negative stereotypical gay characteristics, perhaps his title should be Julian Baron Homophobe Fellowes.
1
I may be nit-picking, but it seemed odd that Mary used the word "stuff" near the end of the episode. Not a fit for the time, I think, but I could be wrong. I loved the puppy, and I too hope Violet returns before the series ends.
2
Shakespeare (pre-Mary): "We are such stuff as dreams are made on;..."
4
I drool when I think what P.G. Wodehouse could have done with this material.
6
We keep waiting to see Bertie Wooster introduced in one of the restaurants or clubs.
4
"What ho, Crawleys!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tgi8tejnKs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Tgi8tejnKs
2
Yes! Have Mary see Henry one last time at the Drones Club, and then everyone can throw dinner rolls at them!
4
Lord Fellowes is a master at weaving his magic by allowing the woman of Downton to prevail. I for one, hope that Lady Edith and Lady Mary avoid accepting the predictable marriage proposals and march out on their own .. carving a strong and blazing path for women in the 1920s. most specifically in publishing and real estate. and finally, open the doors of Downton to historic preservationists, and bequeath the role of Docent to the Dowager. As we know, her knowledge would far exceed the pathetic lack of information as witnessed by Cora & her daughters .. giving women of all ages equal rights. (just my wish)
6
Chauffeur Tom last seen Googling "Lists of cliches more worn and odiferous than crashed-and-burned tires at Brooklands."
2
The show includes quite a few cliches; but Tom expounding a bit doesn't bother me a bit.
5
I was just thinking that this show supposedly prides itself on having all details historically correct and yet they call the FOOTMAN "Mr. Mosley" or and the under butler "Barrow". I don't even recall ever having heard them mention Mosley's first name but that's how the staff would refer to him and they don't like Andy being "Andy". It's all just one big laugh riot, in the end, people taking this show so seriously whereas I watch for the train wreck that it is.
2
Calling him Mosely after his rehiring as a footman was the family's preference, covered in an earlier episode.
4
@William
It's MOLESLEY.... And if you find the show and the people who watch it so riotous, you are probably in a uproar about the current political landscape since you have a predilection for train wrecks.
It's MOLESLEY.... And if you find the show and the people who watch it so riotous, you are probably in a uproar about the current political landscape since you have a predilection for train wrecks.
1
Molesley. (First name Joseph)
2
Edith has to own up to Marigold being her child. I know it's the wrong century for an out of wedlock baby but let's give Marigold some legitimacy.
6
Loved the 'Mrs. Stone-ish scandal' reference referring to Tennessee Williams' saucy work "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" about an older rich American temptress enjoying the pleasures of Rome. Violet would fill that role with gusto.
6
Bayard, Bayard....only three episodes left! I can't bear the thought of Monday mornings without you. But timing is everything. Downton ends and you launch a silly-season column, Dumbton Alley. You'll never find a richer cast of characters.
Re your questions--yup, Barrows gets Molesley's spot, Branson and Ms. Edmunds have a go, ditto for Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason. The wild cards: Marigold, Mary and the mystery man outside the B&B. Who can he be?
Re your questions--yup, Barrows gets Molesley's spot, Branson and Ms. Edmunds have a go, ditto for Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason. The wild cards: Marigold, Mary and the mystery man outside the B&B. Who can he be?
7
I thought there was only one more hour long episode with a week off for the Academy Awards followed by the "Christmas" episode??
"Bayard, Bayard....only three episodes left! I can't bear the thought of Monday mornings without you."
He's a novelist. You can own him.
http://www.amazon.com/Louis-Bayard/e/B001ILKG5O/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qi...
He's a novelist. You can own him.
http://www.amazon.com/Louis-Bayard/e/B001ILKG5O/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qi...
3
Two more after this.
1
Biggest disappointment: Henry, Lady Mary's new flame. He's stiff and dry as a stick. Surely she can do better. But then she never has in the past, and she's no bargain either. Still, she's gorgeous, and it's such a waste.
10
Matthew Goode is gorgeous too. I would have liked a passionate scene with them in bed. After all, she's done it before.
1
Barrow has a better personality than Mary! She's horrible!
3
But Mary couldn't send Anna round this time to get her contraceptive Dutch thing-a-ma-jig, given that Mrs. Bates is now preggers.
Is it too late for Bates to kill somebody else?
I suppose it is, but they have made my favorite character into a house pet
I suppose it is, but they have made my favorite character into a house pet
17
Mr. Bayard strikes me as much too sophisticated to enjoy Downtown Abbey.
1
Hmmm ... Seems an all-around fun guy with plenty of brains.
1
I have a very Romantic vision for the last shot of the entire episode. Mary will wed no one. She is becoming more and more like her imperious grand-mama. It won't be abandoned completely and will stand, but with only Lady Mary in residence. The new Matriarch, as it were. The Bates will remain in their cottage nearby to be her house employs--'servants', as a term, will be retired. Last shot, a long dolly upwards, Mary out front waving the last car good-bye, turning and climbing the steps, entering the house, and closing the door. Fade out.
29
Maybe the whole series will turn out to be a flashback, experienced by the elderly Lady Mary! (Kind of like the final episode of the Bob Newhart show.)
5
"It" meaning Downton Abbey itself. It got left out. Sorry.
1
@Rosie
Or a dream, like on "Dallas". Mary wakes up and finds Matthew still beside her. She forbids him from driving himself from then on.
Or a dream, like on "Dallas". Mary wakes up and finds Matthew still beside her. She forbids him from driving himself from then on.
1
I was disappointed that you didn't google Haggard so i wouldn't have to. I guess i'm not as well-informed as most Abbots, but i'm glad i did google him. Who knew that he was the literary source for Rumpole's "She Who Must Be Obeyed" line?
My first thought was that Mystery Scribbler must be a travel guide/inn review writer - both of those concepts were about 100 years old in 1925. But now i'm wondering: Is there some potential tabloid scandal or embarrassment afoot at the idea of the "chef" of Downton moonlighting at a lowly B&B?
My first thought was that Mystery Scribbler must be a travel guide/inn review writer - both of those concepts were about 100 years old in 1925. But now i'm wondering: Is there some potential tabloid scandal or embarrassment afoot at the idea of the "chef" of Downton moonlighting at a lowly B&B?
10
Or , is Mrs. Patmore running a B&B without a license ?
1
Perhaps Mrs. Patmore forgot to acquire a business license...
2
He's probably a PI hired by a jealous husband or wife to check on the couple staying there -- maybe as part of a divorce proceeding.
3
Might we just say, dreadful, and leave it at that!
8
You can say dreadful if you like, but do let's explore its parameters !!
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." -- Wait, make that "that a smart, strong-willed, spirited young woman with a title, a good fortune, and a landed estate must be in want of a husband."
What if Lady Mary never does re-marry? What if she galavants through a succession of lovers as dashing and witty as herself, makes a career out of managing the Grantham estate, travels, parties, maybe writes a book or two, becomes a spy or a diplomat on the way into WWII? I for one am really pulling for something more exciting for her than a settling into matronly peace and domesticity.
Onward, Lady M!
What if Lady Mary never does re-marry? What if she galavants through a succession of lovers as dashing and witty as herself, makes a career out of managing the Grantham estate, travels, parties, maybe writes a book or two, becomes a spy or a diplomat on the way into WWII? I for one am really pulling for something more exciting for her than a settling into matronly peace and domesticity.
Onward, Lady M!
97
By the time this is over, Tom (aka Leo Buscallia) will change roles from brother-protector/business partner to husband/life partner. The catalyst for that union may indeed be Violet's death (I think the sunken cruise ship idea is a brilliant idea and perfect metaphor - wish I would have thought of it!)
Because she's been consciously and determinedly conventional from the beginning. Yes, she's had her little rebellions (managing the estate, 'test-driving' Gillingham, etc.); but at heart she wants a husband and to raise her son and other children at Downton.
3
As if we needed another dreary episode to remind us this show should have been put to rest more than a year ago. Introducing a puppy was to make up for a lack of other story lines and sympathetic characters!
8
So why are you watching it?
13
Why do you watch if you feel like this?
6
Not only why are you watching it? -- why bother to even write about it????
3
I was a bit disappointed that the race wasn't shot at Brooklands, enough of which still exists to make the race look realistic.
I'm not sure where it was shot-Goodwood perhaps?
I'm not sure where it was shot-Goodwood perhaps?
3
Very little remains of the track. I believe there's only one banked turn left and weeds are poking through the surface. No way could they have restored it to a level where it could be used for the show.
2
I predicted both the death of Charles and the arrival of the puppy! I guess Fellowes is more predictable than I've been admitting. BUT -- what a deep bench of actors this show has. I thought Miss Cruikshank was fabulous! I don't even know her name yet, but I'm a fan.
22
I would pay good money to see 20 minutes of Violet consorting with the French on her sojourn. Is it possible we'll get to see something like that in the next episode? Be still my beating heart.
38
OUI!!!---moi aussi.
I am going to miss these recaps more than I will miss the show. "...just get Tom to put a cork in his Leo Buscaglia act..." <-- that made me literally spit the coffee.
But seriously...I can't be the only Mary/Tom 'shipper out there who wanted Tom to declare that he was the only one who truly knew Mary's heart at that moment, am I???? I mean, Edith's editor is cute, but she is a petite blonde deus ex machina plopped in there just to tie everyone but Barrow up in a neat heteronormative package.
But seriously...I can't be the only Mary/Tom 'shipper out there who wanted Tom to declare that he was the only one who truly knew Mary's heart at that moment, am I???? I mean, Edith's editor is cute, but she is a petite blonde deus ex machina plopped in there just to tie everyone but Barrow up in a neat heteronormative package.
16
Lady Mary must end up with Tom. Together they can get the Abbey through Modern Times. After all, the show is Downton Abbey, not The Grantham Saga. Besides, it's pretty obvious they have great affection for each other.
11
As brother and sister. How many times have they referred to each other as such?
10
OK. It's Lady Cora's favorite wine and a side if Gin Punch for you!!!
1
When Lord Grantham snapped "Shut up" at the dinner table my jaw dropped. That display of typical modern rudeness, even though it was aimed at his sister and could be forgiven as sibling bickering, was the best example of how much this family has changed since the first season. I most enjoyed the story when the family was very different from my own. The pre WWI world of the Crawleys was fascinating - the modern Crawleys not so much, except perhaps for the costumes.
13
I'm guessing the couple staying at Mrs. Patmore's B&B aren't married and that was a detective hiding in the bushes with a notebook and camera - preparing to snap a photo of the couple when they emerge from the house, for use in divorce proceedings. It won't be a good start for Mrs. Patmore's business to have her home involved in a scandal...
As for Lady Mary's marriage prospects, I've been a fan of the Honourable Evelyn Napier, ever since his conversation with Cora on Downtown's front lawn, the morning after he realized Mary was 'just not into him'. He said "I wonder if I might risk embarrassing you, because I should like to make myself clear. The truth is, Lady Grantham, I am not a vain man; I do not consider myself a very interesting person... but I feel it's important that my future wife should think me so. A woman who finds me boring could never love me, and I believe marriage should be based on love... at least at the start." {{{sigh}}} Sensitive, handsome, and heir to Viscount Branksome! Come on, Mary!
As for Lady Mary's marriage prospects, I've been a fan of the Honourable Evelyn Napier, ever since his conversation with Cora on Downtown's front lawn, the morning after he realized Mary was 'just not into him'. He said "I wonder if I might risk embarrassing you, because I should like to make myself clear. The truth is, Lady Grantham, I am not a vain man; I do not consider myself a very interesting person... but I feel it's important that my future wife should think me so. A woman who finds me boring could never love me, and I believe marriage should be based on love... at least at the start." {{{sigh}}} Sensitive, handsome, and heir to Viscount Branksome! Come on, Mary!
42
We just started watching the whole thing from Season 1, and saw that conversation yesterday. It made me really like Evelyn. And I had the same theory you have about who was lurking in Mrs. Patmore's bushes. Oh, I'm going to be sorry to not have these mysteries to look forward to solving!
1
Brilliant! He's a doctor. Could it be one of the York docs involved in the hospital dust up?
1
I've also liked Evelyn, but Mary doesn't love him, and he does want love at the start, although he realizes that people change after they marry.
I no longer care what happens to Lady Mary.
This last season has been very disappointing. In the early seasons, I used to store the shows for weeks on my TiVo and re-watch the best parts. Now I delete them as soon as they're viewed to make room.
I no longer care what happens to Lady Mary.
This last season has been very disappointing. In the early seasons, I used to store the shows for weeks on my TiVo and re-watch the best parts. Now I delete them as soon as they're viewed to make room.
3
Dislike seems to be the name of your cuddle blanket as you crash and bash the writing and the characters and plot turns. Now I know why my nieces and nephews have avoided their uncle who tickles them until they cry while believing everyone’s having fun. They retreat to find their more normal realms of happy times with positive relatives rather than smarty-pants ones.
I watch Downton Abbey because it is delightful, brimming with period history, colorful and relatable characters, sensual satisfaction and above average writing. I don’t need a twit coming along to feed the repressed anger of others who also enjoy undermining in order to feel superior, one way or another.
Your talent for word arrangement is excellent but your energy and intention sends you to the woodshed at our house for a good dose of character correction. Even Violet doesn’t disdain everyone.
At to all the fans of this critic, this is my response, even if I’m the only one. I acknowledge without apology that I’m, like Kermit, a dreamer and a lover of things beautiful. Downton Abbey is one of them.
I watch Downton Abbey because it is delightful, brimming with period history, colorful and relatable characters, sensual satisfaction and above average writing. I don’t need a twit coming along to feed the repressed anger of others who also enjoy undermining in order to feel superior, one way or another.
Your talent for word arrangement is excellent but your energy and intention sends you to the woodshed at our house for a good dose of character correction. Even Violet doesn’t disdain everyone.
At to all the fans of this critic, this is my response, even if I’m the only one. I acknowledge without apology that I’m, like Kermit, a dreamer and a lover of things beautiful. Downton Abbey is one of them.
48
So eloquently put...
1
"Now I know why my nieces and nephews have avoided their uncle who tickles them until they cry while believing everyone’s having fun. They retreat to find their more normal realms of happy times with positive relatives rather than smarty-pants ones."
Surely, as an LICSW, you don't honestly believe there's no difference between actual harm to actual people and a critique of a fictional story? Who is being harmed in these two cases? In the first, it's your nieces and nephews - obviously real people, and real abuse. In the second, it's ... hmmm, I can't think of any real people who are harmed, can you? Are you concerned that Julian Fellowes is being hurt in some way by the review?
If it's you who is being harmed, then there's a simple solution: don't read the review. Wouldn't you tell your nieces and nephews to stay away from their uncle when he's in a tickling mood? I suggest you take that same advice yourself.
Surely, as an LICSW, you don't honestly believe there's no difference between actual harm to actual people and a critique of a fictional story? Who is being harmed in these two cases? In the first, it's your nieces and nephews - obviously real people, and real abuse. In the second, it's ... hmmm, I can't think of any real people who are harmed, can you? Are you concerned that Julian Fellowes is being hurt in some way by the review?
If it's you who is being harmed, then there's a simple solution: don't read the review. Wouldn't you tell your nieces and nephews to stay away from their uncle when he's in a tickling mood? I suggest you take that same advice yourself.
8
So why read this if it upsets you so much?
8
I'm starting to feel sad as the show winds down. So many Sunday nights spent luxuriating in another world! I am liking this season, despite what others are saying. Mary is my favorite and she's blossomed this season into a more realistic character, with vulnerabilities. Love her gowns! I'm also glad for Edith...
61
If it weren't for Mr Bayard's recaps and the community of like-minded Abbots he has created, I would have abandoned this soap-opera two episodes ago.
7
LOVED the scene with Lady Violet and Miss Cruikshank. It was sort of an inside-out version of Lady Catherine De Burgh and Elizabeth Bennet's conversation in the "little wooded area" on the Longbourn grounds near the end of "Pride and Prejudice." They do seem to be working toward tying everything in very neat packages for us, which isn't necessary. Is Branson going to start going to London to visit Edith's new editor? Will Edith tell her new man about Marigold, or will Mary be just mean enough to tell him in order to spoil Edith's potential happiness?
21
Loved your comparison of the two scenes. Interesting also because I was thinking that Miss Cruikshank's manner of speaking reminded me of Elizabeth Bennett's. It seemed Austenesque at any rate. In this case - a most gratifying scene, exhibiting the Duchess Dowager's powers still hold sway in the arena of social confrontation.
17
BTW, it's specifically Jennifer Ehle's speaking manner I had in mind, the mannerisms too. (P&P, 1995 television version)
Yes, agree about the Lady Catherine-esque conversation. But Larry's fiancee is no Eliza Bennett.
Elizabeth Bennett wouldn't have held designs on her kindly father-in-law's estate. Or used manipulation for personal gain that way.
Elizabeth Bennett wouldn't have held designs on her kindly father-in-law's estate. Or used manipulation for personal gain that way.
2
I do believe Rick-Steves-in-a-hat will report the unlicensed B&B to the constable, thus once again bringing Sergeant Willis to Mrs. Patmore's door. Two suitors!
Oh, to be in the South of France with Violet and Denker. (Just occurred to me: Denker, Donk, .... sounds like a conjugation of some sort, doesn't it?)
So pleased that Septimus delivered the puppy.
Oh, to be in the South of France with Violet and Denker. (Just occurred to me: Denker, Donk, .... sounds like a conjugation of some sort, doesn't it?)
So pleased that Septimus delivered the puppy.
14
Who’s the mysterious fellow monitoring Mrs. Patmore’s new B&B?
Two possibilities:
He's a private detective checking on the unmarried couple who stayed overnight (if they are, in fact, unmarried)
or
Mrs. Patmore's business violates some village rule and he's a zoning officer.
Two possibilities:
He's a private detective checking on the unmarried couple who stayed overnight (if they are, in fact, unmarried)
or
Mrs. Patmore's business violates some village rule and he's a zoning officer.
12
I'm guessing Dame Maggie Smith asked for more dramatic lines and now she is getting chances to "chew the scenery," as in the great scene with the future bride Cruikshank. It was a plot twist - wanting Dickie married off to Isobel - and may result in Isobel marrying him after all, I hope.
As for Edith, she'll say yes to Bertie as soon as he utters the line, "Of course I'll care for Marigold as one of my own children."
As soon as Miss Edmunds, with her blonde hair and curly features, appeared as Edith's editor, who didn't know she was meant for Tom.
How to 'splain Thomas Barrow's repeated humiliation at the hands of Carson and how he'll find a job? At the end of the series, he will remain the one bittersweet character when all others, from Daisy to Isobel, have paired off.
As for Edith, she'll say yes to Bertie as soon as he utters the line, "Of course I'll care for Marigold as one of my own children."
As soon as Miss Edmunds, with her blonde hair and curly features, appeared as Edith's editor, who didn't know she was meant for Tom.
How to 'splain Thomas Barrow's repeated humiliation at the hands of Carson and how he'll find a job? At the end of the series, he will remain the one bittersweet character when all others, from Daisy to Isobel, have paired off.
10
I saw Dame Maggie chewing the upstart with control and mastery. I understand "chewing the scenery" to mean overacting, which did not seem the case to me.
12
The most exciting thing about this season is the interesting ribbon trimming on the ladies' hats. I find myself looking for glimpses of the ruching and other fancywork rather than attending to the dull stories. Although it is nice to see Edith happy. In a later day she'd be gulping anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds. Here, she just threw herself into work and happened on a nice guy.
4
Perhaps Season 7 could be just hats, with no dialog and no plot?
2
Re: the notetaker outside the B&B: In the previous episode, did not someone in the kitchen refer to Mrs. Patmore needing a license for her B&B? Perhaps the B&B owner has to be in residence when the guests are staying there? Is she breaking the law?
10
Yes, with the exception of the tragic death of Charlie Rogers, this episode had so many satisfying moments for Downton fans that it was indeed as case of "puppies all around." The lesson taught to Mr. Carson and Violet's take-down of Miss Cruikshank were delightful.
And thanks to Moseley's astounding scholastic performance, there is now a path open for Thomas to remain at the Abbey as a footman. But his demotion may just be temporary, because it looks like Mrs. Patmore is ready to join Mr. Mason at the farm, opening the door for the Carsons to take over her B&B. So perhaps the season will end with Barrow realizing his dream of becoming the butler at last.
As for Lady Mary, it's not likely that she will change her mind about Henry, and I continue to think she will eventually realize that Branson, while not as dashing as her other suitors, is her real soul-mate. (Of course, if Charles Blake returns from Australia, all bets are off.) And if Edith's beau rejects her after learning about Marigold, she can always snuggle up with her magazine.
And thanks to Moseley's astounding scholastic performance, there is now a path open for Thomas to remain at the Abbey as a footman. But his demotion may just be temporary, because it looks like Mrs. Patmore is ready to join Mr. Mason at the farm, opening the door for the Carsons to take over her B&B. So perhaps the season will end with Barrow realizing his dream of becoming the butler at last.
As for Lady Mary, it's not likely that she will change her mind about Henry, and I continue to think she will eventually realize that Branson, while not as dashing as her other suitors, is her real soul-mate. (Of course, if Charles Blake returns from Australia, all bets are off.) And if Edith's beau rejects her after learning about Marigold, she can always snuggle up with her magazine.
3
All bets off for Lady Mary and Branson. It hints of psychological incest. You can't marry a sister's mate.
7
Does Mrs. Patmore seem like someone who would abandon her long-held dream of the B&B to clean up after Mr. Mason on the farm? Not that she doesn't like him; but that's not realistic.
3
Woody did in Hannah and her Sisters. And he's not gross or anything.
Great episode, but ... was "sucking up" a generally used phrase in 1925?
15
I wondered about "sucking up," too, although I do recall that Lavinia Squire used the phrase during Season 2. Still wondering.
**Swire, not Squire. :-/
From the Oxford English Dictionary's entry for "suck":
5. intr. to suck up to, to curry favour with; to toady to. (Also without to.) slang (orig. Schoolboy slang). Cf. sucker-up n. at sucker n. Compounds 2.
1860 J. C. Hotten Dict. Slang (ed. 2) Suck up, ‘to suck up to a person’, to insinuate oneself into his good graces.
1876 ‘A. Thomas’ Blotted Out xvi, I can't suck up to snobs because they happen to be in power and to have patronage.
1899 E. Phillpotts Human Boy 203 Fowle sucked up to him..and buttered him at all times.
1905 H. A. Vachell Hill vi, ‘Afterwards’, John continued, ‘I tried to suck-up. I asked you to come and have some food.’
1936 M. Mitchell Gone with Wind xl. 719 We hear how you suck up to the Yankees..to get money out of them.
1945 E. Waugh Brideshead Revisited ii. iv. 261, I imagine she's been used to bossing things rather in naval circles, with flag-lieutenants trotting round and young officers on-the-make sucking up to her." With additional examples from 1957, 1963, 1966, and 1979.
5. intr. to suck up to, to curry favour with; to toady to. (Also without to.) slang (orig. Schoolboy slang). Cf. sucker-up n. at sucker n. Compounds 2.
1860 J. C. Hotten Dict. Slang (ed. 2) Suck up, ‘to suck up to a person’, to insinuate oneself into his good graces.
1876 ‘A. Thomas’ Blotted Out xvi, I can't suck up to snobs because they happen to be in power and to have patronage.
1899 E. Phillpotts Human Boy 203 Fowle sucked up to him..and buttered him at all times.
1905 H. A. Vachell Hill vi, ‘Afterwards’, John continued, ‘I tried to suck-up. I asked you to come and have some food.’
1936 M. Mitchell Gone with Wind xl. 719 We hear how you suck up to the Yankees..to get money out of them.
1945 E. Waugh Brideshead Revisited ii. iv. 261, I imagine she's been used to bossing things rather in naval circles, with flag-lieutenants trotting round and young officers on-the-make sucking up to her." With additional examples from 1957, 1963, 1966, and 1979.
12
Mr. Bayard- You are the only one who can right this listing cruise ship of a show.
After this season comes to an end, I will surely miss it- not because of some of the silly antics but your truly entertaining writing. I will be searching for your commentary on any subject long after the this family finally realizes that time does march on.
After this season comes to an end, I will surely miss it- not because of some of the silly antics but your truly entertaining writing. I will be searching for your commentary on any subject long after the this family finally realizes that time does march on.
14
At what point did the recaps become better than the show?
14
In answer to that question, the recaps became better than the show the moment the first one was printed.
3
At the end of Season 1....
I'm still waiting...
2
Mr. Fellowes/Sir Julian,if you are getting rid of Maggie Smith's character during her little vacation, I will never forgive you ever.
38
Re both Barrows as a good and/or bad person, and dogs in the Downton story, what about the scene way back, when he confined a dog in a shed . . . we never got that part: wha' hoppen? and why?
We look forward to this Monday morning commentary after each Sunday night episode.
We look forward to this Monday morning commentary after each Sunday night episode.
4
The dog in the shed was contrived to allow Thomas (then) to be the hero who found the "missing" dog. His stock was down at that point, and O'Brien told him he needed to render some heroic service to raise it, like hiding something and finding it. He looked up, and there was Isis in the hall. So, he hid him in the shed, joined the search party, but was thwarted when some children found the dog and freed him before he could. However, he registered some gracious words of "concern" with Lord Grantham later, which garnered him some points.
1
Barrow locked Isis in the shed so Robert would fret that she was lost and Barrow could come to the rescue and "find" her. It was a sad attempt to get into the earl's good graces. As it turned out, the dog was discovered before Barrow could play the hero.
1
Someone else (who?) noticed the dog barking, and let her out. It was never found out that Barrow was plotting to be a hero, by 'finding' her.
2
I have to wonder if Violet may not make it back from her European tour. She seems to have made quite a dramatic departure already with only a note and a puppy for remembrance. After all, the subtext of this final season is largely about the passing of the Old Guard.
14
That race track music practically screamed : Watch out! Dreadful music.
Seems like the cars were the only thing gaining traction in this season so far.
I concede that's Violet's dressing down of the conniving Miss Cruikshank was well done. Poor Barrow is reaping the harvest of all he has sown. Think of all the rotten things he has done. The only person who has been consistently kind to Thomas Barrow has been Anna. Now, for the rest of this season, some fireworks, please.
Seems like the cars were the only thing gaining traction in this season so far.
I concede that's Violet's dressing down of the conniving Miss Cruikshank was well done. Poor Barrow is reaping the harvest of all he has sown. Think of all the rotten things he has done. The only person who has been consistently kind to Thomas Barrow has been Anna. Now, for the rest of this season, some fireworks, please.
4
Mrs. Hughes was very kind to Barrow this episode. I think you'll get your fireworks in the next episode. Fellowes loves extremes and to swing the pendulum radically in opposite directions.
2
The clothes just get better and better. Thank goodness Violet finally got some dialogue not related to the hospital. Boy, Fellowes sure likes deadly car crashes.
8
I looked into my crystal ball, and Mrs. Patmore is a hotel tycoon with down on their luck Crawleys as her flunkies.
3
Can someone please get Elizabeth McGovern to stop tilting her head to the left? Much obliged.
25
Absolutely, but it's a little late in the series for that. She also speaks almost all her lines with the same whiny sing-song.
6
It appears she adopted her mien from shy Princess Di.
1
And maybe get her something to eat.
2
The Patmore twist is that the inspector has finally tracked down Mrs. Lovett!
Mrs. Bates, Mr. Green, Matthew's break lines... the odd soldier during the hospital episodes... Oh yeah, Mrs Patmore her been a very naughty bit of work!
Mrs. Bates, Mr. Green, Matthew's break lines... the odd soldier during the hospital episodes... Oh yeah, Mrs Patmore her been a very naughty bit of work!
1
I am voting for Violet to reconnect with her Russian prince on the ship. How many weddings are we headed for?
2
With so many interesting plot lines to resolve, I hope that not too much time is spent in the remaining episodes on Mary's non-quest for a husband. Her character is more interesting as an heiress, estate manager and mother than as a tolerator of puppy dog suitors.
I also hope that Barrows does not end up hanging from a rope in his small room. But....I guess that would be a realistic outcome for him in that time.
I also hope that Barrows does not end up hanging from a rope in his small room. But....I guess that would be a realistic outcome for him in that time.
11
How many times are they going to beat the dead horse regarding Mary's love life....sickening....and shouldn't she at least look aged a bit?
5
What happened to Downton ?
The show has gone from entertaining, to outright pathetic.
Predictable, and boringly monotonous.
I used to care what happened, now whatever happens, who cares.
The show has gone from entertaining, to outright pathetic.
Predictable, and boringly monotonous.
I used to care what happened, now whatever happens, who cares.
5
"Who cares"???....READ ALL THE COMMENTS!
3
Sooooo boring...put us out of our misery already. How much more sap can we take? The characters have all become alarmingly 21st Century in their open mindedness. Too much of a departure from prior seasons. Understand wanting to package the story lines for the last season,but this is just painful.
6
So why do you continue to watch and comment?
7
I must admit, I Googled the name of the ship Violet is taking to France to see if it would sink. It would be apt to end the series with a shipwreck, since it started with one.
11
So, what were your Google results?
1
There have been several ships with the name, but none of them sunk.
As did I. Looks like Violet is in the clear, unless she changes plans at the last minute. I'm dying to see what kind of mischief Denker gets up to during their trip. Perhaps she'll get caught cheating in a casino and get tossed into a French jail. Violet would leave her and sail home without a second thought.
Isn't that puppy, I'd say three months, old enough to be housebroken? The British are very indulgent about their dogs, if not their children.
6
With only three episodes left, it is not surprising that the pace of the story line has picked up substantially. If the Austen-esque dance needs to be over in the time that's left, and an "all's well that ends well" finale is inevitable, then the fast-cutting, puzzling, and comedic scenes make sense.
The comments here show how deeply involved folk have become with the characters, individually, familially, and socially. It is to Baron Fellowes' credit to have drawn in such a large and devoted audience. And frankly, Sunday nights will never be the same for many of us once this witty and insightful comedy concludes.
The comments here show how deeply involved folk have become with the characters, individually, familially, and socially. It is to Baron Fellowes' credit to have drawn in such a large and devoted audience. And frankly, Sunday nights will never be the same for many of us once this witty and insightful comedy concludes.
17
I'll miss Downton, sure, but Veep, Girls and Silicon Valley are all returning soon, so we can spend Sunday nights pondering the cliffhangers of Downton's 21st-century counterparts -- Will Selena (Daisy) emerge victorious from the electoral college and realize her dream of becoming president? Will Hannah (Edith) find love and happiness in her work as a high school teacher and her newfound romance with her boring, but sweet, colleague? And -- will Richard (Molesly) outwit Raviga and triumph as CEO of Pied Piper?
It feels like this series has gone on a tad too long.
Having already dealt with most of the historical and socio-political highlights of Edwardian England, it's reduced to a syrupy soap with great costumes.
That said, it's still fun to check out on Sunday night, just not as fun as a couple years ago.
Having already dealt with most of the historical and socio-political highlights of Edwardian England, it's reduced to a syrupy soap with great costumes.
That said, it's still fun to check out on Sunday night, just not as fun as a couple years ago.
7
Does anyone recall an exchange between Robert and Violet in an earlier episode? "I won't come to your funeral!" And I won't come to yours, either!" If so, is Baron Fellowes setting us up?
Poor Lady Edith is now "Lying Lady Edith."
Poor Lady Edith is now "Lying Lady Edith."
3
Terrific hats at the racetrack.
15
Yes! You can't fault the costume designers. The clothes keep getting better and better. Wonderful historical accuracy, too.
11
Yes. The hats are definitely Ascot caliber!
1
Nobody gave Barrow the slightest props for working as a tutor. It seemed unnecessary to humiliate him, bit Carson's attitude towards him is entirely consistent with that day and age.
If Violet ceases breathing while on a cruise, she wont need to become ill, decline, and (finally) expire. That would take weeks and wa're running out of time. She's a great-grandmother, after all. Also, probably don't need much of a funeral, just a bit of grieving and speaking about the funeral in retrospect. Denker will become unemployed and Molesley's future is assured. Might be nice to see Edith married off, but if Violet dies, she'd need to wait at least 6 months.
If Violet ceases breathing while on a cruise, she wont need to become ill, decline, and (finally) expire. That would take weeks and wa're running out of time. She's a great-grandmother, after all. Also, probably don't need much of a funeral, just a bit of grieving and speaking about the funeral in retrospect. Denker will become unemployed and Molesley's future is assured. Might be nice to see Edith married off, but if Violet dies, she'd need to wait at least 6 months.
3
Too little, too late.
3
As we welcome the puppy Tiaa to the Abbey, I note that PBS knows a large portion of its audience. The product placement of TIAA (the higher education financial behemoth) is perfect.
;-)
;-)
29
Shall little TIAA soon be joined by CREF?
14
We were wondering if we'd seen the hindquarters of the DC after she took her snit Continental, but that can't be. She has to come back to finish the job of eviscerating Miss Cruikshank. I look forward to it and we'll need more than a dish towel to mop up that mess.
3
Bookend ship sinkings? Titanic and SS Paris? Nooooo!
2
No. The SS Paris sailed until she caught fire and capsized in port at Le Havre in April 1939. Fellowes won't change a real historical date.
1
And Violet won't live that long.
1
I think I saw Miss Edmonds on stage at the SAG awards when DA won a big award as if she played an important part on the show now so she apparently links up with Tom. That means Mary will link up with Henry who lost my vote for good fellow when he was able to make literary connections (H. Rider Haggard) in the midst of his grieving and when he stalled his grieving long enough to phone Mary and press his case. (Either a flaw in Fellowes' characterization or in Henry himself.) Whichever, Mary deserves whatever she gets. Bertie will of course say yes to Marigold because finally Edith is to become the winner. At last! My favorite couple--Molesley and Baxter--I hope will have a beautiful wedding. Barrow will of course remain on and yes probably in Molesley's job. And who is that fellow outside Mrs. Patmore's house???? A new plot spinning into the show at the very end? As for Daisy, I don't see any spark in her eye for Andy at this point; don't know how her story will get resolved.
2
Louis, Did you miss the line just before the race when Lady Mary said something about her digestive system being backed up? I'm pretty sure I didn't imagine it. I was so looking forward to what you would do with that! Too late for a postlude?
11
I called it two episodes ago: Fellowes is going whack Barrows. This is the final season, after all. And, didn't we all see a car crash coming? Yep, some writers are getting weary of this story line..."what to do, what to do" as the struggle with the pen.
2
Henry showed more human emotions towards Tom than to Lady Mary. Probably because Tom knows how to tinker with an engine. Come to think of it, Henry most likely thinks of Mary the same way he thinks of race cars -- as an glittery, fearsome object that he loves being around and showing off. Not a good match.
14
At this point I'm only in it for the costumes and Louis Bayard's commentary.
7
And of course the ability to comment about it here.
1
Mrs. Patmore has turned out to be my favorite character. Definitely the most level-headed among them (quite a way from her whimpering gratitude to Lord G when he offered to pay for her eye surgery). I hope the mystery man doesn't cause problems for her, and that she can find a way to help Thomas. I'm feeling sorry for him lately - who knew he liked being at Downton? As for Henry Talbot, I don't think he and Mary would have been very happy in the long run - both too egotistical and stubborn to be a good match.
10
Did anyone else find the phrase "sucking up" anachronistic? Mary was suggesting that Henry was trying to impress her father.
3
It's not anachronistic. Check Google Books.
1
Before questioning anachronisms, it really is a good idea to Google it first.
4
I thought Edith said it.
Mrs Patmore and Mrs Hughes really put Carson in his place-just wonderful. It seems as though Barrow will have a place now that Mr. Moseley(who is wonderful!) will be leaving to teach.I am worried about Edith/Bertie:she must tell him about Marigold right away. If newly unattached Mary finds out , she will tell Bertie immediately. Mary can't stand Edith in the best of times-she will try to ruin her happiness come what may. One last observation: I crave Rosamund's London home-I'd move in tomorrow!
12
Somehow it makes sense to me for Mary and Tom to end up together. After all, they share a common bond/goal, the long-livedness of Downton Abbey.
2
And...Another round of Lady Cora's favorite wine, with a side of Gin Punch!!
1
Forget 'The Cheerful Charlies' (Mr. Carson's former vaudeville duo) --- we now have the entertaining team of Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore (Hugmore? Pughes?)! Downton's downstairs version of Violet and Isobel cooked up a way (pun intended) to show Mr. Carson how the other sex lives. You GO, ladies!
15
A friend suggested to me that Mr. Barrow will commit suicide. Would Fellowes do such a thing? I say, yes, it's a real possibility.
3
Lady Mary's courtship with Matthew was interesting, romantic, and, for DA, realistic. Who can explain why Henry would even consider marrying the horrible, haughty Mary of today? Tom has not grown and learned, he has had a personality transplant and is completely unrecognizable. We are limping to the finish line. Two bright moments - modern woman Edith snuggled with her charming Bertie was the shot of the episode, and Violet had one of the best written and performed scenes of the series.
34
Mrs. Patmore has to get a medal for handling breakfast upstairs, downstairs, for the Carsons, and (how far?) down the way at her B&B. Beats the car racers.
27
Your reference to Leo Buscaglia had me in tears. I was just thinking last week that my kids should listen to his talks. Corny, I know. PBS needs to roll those out again!
3
I was jarred by the characters' use of language that seems out of place for the time of the show, such as Mary saying "Let's not do any of that stuff now", and Robert shouting "Shut up!" to his sister, at the dinner table no less. This inauthentic dialogue -- as well as Tom's psychobabble -- robs the drama of a lot of its power.
22
What makes you think that language is "inauthentic"? I find many uses of both terms in literature from the period.
4
The phrase 'sucking up'? Edith re: Mary's Henry inviting them to dinner? I can't imagine that that was a phrase that would have been used in polite society.
Times change. The constraints of the past weaken. The influences of 'the now' increase and are absorbed even unconsciously. The dialog works.
(I had my 'shock of the new' when I heard my priggish mother utter the "F" word for the first time. At least Mr. Fellows didn't go that far).
(I had my 'shock of the new' when I heard my priggish mother utter the "F" word for the first time. At least Mr. Fellows didn't go that far).
2
I agree with Mr Bayard, our little Daisy was so much more tolerable this episode; she even seems ready to accept the looming Patmore - Mason merger. Nice.
And how lovely to have a new puppy (I had been wishing and hoping for one since Sybil's death in Season 3). Robert is really at his best when he's nuzzling up to yellow lab puppies and teddy bears from Paddington Station.
No wonder Cora has that zombie look, and really it's a miracle they had three children. Or is it....
And finally, Edith has been kissed and proposed to.
What more can a loyal viewer ask for?
(Except, way down low, a little voice mutttering, "O'Brien, O'Brien, O'Brien"....)
And how lovely to have a new puppy (I had been wishing and hoping for one since Sybil's death in Season 3). Robert is really at his best when he's nuzzling up to yellow lab puppies and teddy bears from Paddington Station.
No wonder Cora has that zombie look, and really it's a miracle they had three children. Or is it....
And finally, Edith has been kissed and proposed to.
What more can a loyal viewer ask for?
(Except, way down low, a little voice mutttering, "O'Brien, O'Brien, O'Brien"....)
7
Barrow is good with the children and Carson is getting on in years, so I think he will stay on in a "new" position that reflects the changing times. Won't Edith and her new hubbie need someone to help out with Marigold? But first he will do something to save somebody's bacon - probably Carson's.
I love this show. It's so totally different from anything else on TV. You can watch it with anyone, young or old, and not be embarrassed by anything you see. It's rated G, in the same way that classic movies were. No gore, no vulgarity. Beautiful to watch. It's witty, clever, smart, with an abundance of storylines that we know Mr. Fellows will manage to tie up in wonderful style, like a modern Charles Dickens.
I'm so sorry to see this show end but I'm looking forward to the new TV show that he's working on.
I love this show. It's so totally different from anything else on TV. You can watch it with anyone, young or old, and not be embarrassed by anything you see. It's rated G, in the same way that classic movies were. No gore, no vulgarity. Beautiful to watch. It's witty, clever, smart, with an abundance of storylines that we know Mr. Fellows will manage to tie up in wonderful style, like a modern Charles Dickens.
I'm so sorry to see this show end but I'm looking forward to the new TV show that he's working on.
20
I agree with everything you said except "no gore." Did you miss that episode?
2
Henry's most singular talent appears to be arching his left eyebrow, instead of actual speech...
8
But he does look splendid in a pair of white overalls, don;t you think?
2
Michelle Dockery is a good enough actor to show ambivalence in Mary's character...and so do others in the cast for theirs. They are not quite so two dimensional as some hasty reviews make them out to be.
(You won't print this)
(You won't print this)
16
I guess I am a sentimentalist, but I was hoping that Edith and Mary would begin a rapprochement. They both rushed down to the track, in full wail about who was the victim of the fiery crash. When they found out it was Henry's mate, and not dear Henry, it would have been quite natural--and a sibling breakthrough--for them to embrace in mutual relief. Oh well.
I too was taken aback by the Earl's snap at the ever delightful Rosamund. Well out of order, and simply boorish.
I hesitate even to suggest it, but I am fearful about Barrow. He seems so alone and at sea with his future. I just hope he does not off himself in despair. If he can only hold on until WWII, he'll meet a cornucopia of blokes. Better late than never. I wish Mrs. Patmore also had a crystal ball he could gaze into--he'd see that things will be better. He's resourceful enough to land on his feet anywhere.
The Countess Dowager looked particularly ravishing in this episode. Bring her home safely and ready to send all us Downtonites on our way in suitable fashion!
I too was taken aback by the Earl's snap at the ever delightful Rosamund. Well out of order, and simply boorish.
I hesitate even to suggest it, but I am fearful about Barrow. He seems so alone and at sea with his future. I just hope he does not off himself in despair. If he can only hold on until WWII, he'll meet a cornucopia of blokes. Better late than never. I wish Mrs. Patmore also had a crystal ball he could gaze into--he'd see that things will be better. He's resourceful enough to land on his feet anywhere.
The Countess Dowager looked particularly ravishing in this episode. Bring her home safely and ready to send all us Downtonites on our way in suitable fashion!
19
I'm so happy for Molesley I could burst. Kevin Doyle was truly great in the scene where he learned he had done well on the test and could become a teacher. There were some brilliant lump-in-the-throat moments last night and that was one.
Another fabulous moment was the barbed chitchat between Violet and scheming Amelia. Have to see that one again, to savour all the bons mots from Violet. They could have just stuck each other with knitting needles back and forth ("Take that, you scuzzy old bat" -- "Why, you impudent slut! Touché!" ---) but the dialogue was so much more subtle and then they can always come back for more and do it again for our viewing pleasure. Although there isn't much time left and Violet's down on the Promenade des Anglais while Denker poses half-naked for starlet photographs on the Croisette... now *that* would be an interesting episode....
And I could have had more of that well-played picnic scene, where it was discovered that Andy couldn't read and the kind schoolteacher proposed a solution. They cut away too fast to the car races, but then they are always cutting away fast from deep emotion to fast action or light banter or pig farming or what have you. My head is spinning with all these plots and subplots and new pretty editor ladies who might be a match for Tom and what will Bertie say when he finds out the truth and where for pete's sake is O'Brien?
Another fabulous moment was the barbed chitchat between Violet and scheming Amelia. Have to see that one again, to savour all the bons mots from Violet. They could have just stuck each other with knitting needles back and forth ("Take that, you scuzzy old bat" -- "Why, you impudent slut! Touché!" ---) but the dialogue was so much more subtle and then they can always come back for more and do it again for our viewing pleasure. Although there isn't much time left and Violet's down on the Promenade des Anglais while Denker poses half-naked for starlet photographs on the Croisette... now *that* would be an interesting episode....
And I could have had more of that well-played picnic scene, where it was discovered that Andy couldn't read and the kind schoolteacher proposed a solution. They cut away too fast to the car races, but then they are always cutting away fast from deep emotion to fast action or light banter or pig farming or what have you. My head is spinning with all these plots and subplots and new pretty editor ladies who might be a match for Tom and what will Bertie say when he finds out the truth and where for pete's sake is O'Brien?
32
WHAT a surprise. Shades of DA past. Downright pleasant. And, likely shades of Episode 9. In the meantime, the whole Violet content was Fabulous. Mary shows actual - tenderness. Ms. Dockery turned in some good acting. The Carson thing was made to order, without the trouble of denting the head. Mrs. Hughes is always her same self. Edith’s matrimonial prospect declared. Tom has met a new friend. Molesley, perhaps the most evolved character, came along as many predicted. And, wonder of wonders, Daisy rejoined the human race. It’s like the Bishop came in and exorcised the place. Barrow is destined for a breakthrough, because the opposite was indicated here. He has been cleared as pertains to Andy, who will be taught to read professionally. Mrs. Patmore’s house is more than I expected, and the enterprise off to a good start. Pop got a new puppy. The car crash was horrendous, but otherwise - Sweetness and Light.
So …. definitely fasten your seat belts for next week. It’s all set up to be a very bumpy ride. Expect all H to break loose, the S to hit the fan and the skids to be hit. But, if one can hold on one more time, after that - Christmas bliss all around. Bound to be. After all the Baron has drug everyone through, he must know that in order to avoid a lynch mob, nothing else will do. Hopefully, there will not be too much syrup, but he will likely pull a rabbit or two out of the hat before it’s over. Definitely on a seesaw from here.
So …. definitely fasten your seat belts for next week. It’s all set up to be a very bumpy ride. Expect all H to break loose, the S to hit the fan and the skids to be hit. But, if one can hold on one more time, after that - Christmas bliss all around. Bound to be. After all the Baron has drug everyone through, he must know that in order to avoid a lynch mob, nothing else will do. Hopefully, there will not be too much syrup, but he will likely pull a rabbit or two out of the hat before it’s over. Definitely on a seesaw from here.
14
Looks like Patmore will be in a bit of trouble with the authorities with food and/or housing service.
I like this episodes kindness. Violet leaves with a puppy as a reminder and Ms. Patmore's idea to help Mrs. Hughes teach Carson a lesson was done without confrontation.
I like this episodes kindness. Violet leaves with a puppy as a reminder and Ms. Patmore's idea to help Mrs. Hughes teach Carson a lesson was done without confrontation.
8
Is it out of the question to think Barrow might pull a 'Maurice' - and perhaps end up in Tangiers? Ah, wishful thinking.
As to some of the other characters, loved it when the ladies were having a good laugh at Carons' expense. Nice way to end the episode.
Too, I loved the fire in Maggie Smith's eye when she was dealing with the upstart. Great acting!
As to some of the other characters, loved it when the ladies were having a good laugh at Carons' expense. Nice way to end the episode.
Too, I loved the fire in Maggie Smith's eye when she was dealing with the upstart. Great acting!
17
I have to confess that Henry has me pining for the fjords of Tony Gillingham's landed estates. And for Tony's ability to speak in complete multi-word sentences. Or Charles Blake, discussions of land appropriations and fun with the pigs. Something more than Henry's 'I want you to come and cheer me on'. Oh, please. Cheer yourself on and call me later.
Who would have thought it possible to turn Matthew Goode into a dullard? Mr. Fellowes has succeeded admirably. Perhaps the poor guy is wearing an undergarment from the 1880's. Who knows? And does anyone care anymore? I'm checking my watch and wondering if there's time over the last three episodes to resuscitate Tony or Charles or any other random beau for Mary.
I knew that any young female appearing on the scene, no matter how chipper, was not going to be a Good Person if she was burdened with the name Cruickshank. Isobel is much too smart for the Murky Merton, no matter the size of his garden.
Thomas falls under the category Just Desserts. I don't mind leaving him there. Bravo to Mr. Molesley who is a good soul and has earned the goodwill of everyone. Is it too late to give Daisy elocution lessons? Testosterone injections? Anything to bring her voice down about three octaves?
Looks like Edith is going to go simpering off into the sunset with the mystifyingly odd Marigold in tow. Poor Bertie.
Who would have thought it possible to turn Matthew Goode into a dullard? Mr. Fellowes has succeeded admirably. Perhaps the poor guy is wearing an undergarment from the 1880's. Who knows? And does anyone care anymore? I'm checking my watch and wondering if there's time over the last three episodes to resuscitate Tony or Charles or any other random beau for Mary.
I knew that any young female appearing on the scene, no matter how chipper, was not going to be a Good Person if she was burdened with the name Cruickshank. Isobel is much too smart for the Murky Merton, no matter the size of his garden.
Thomas falls under the category Just Desserts. I don't mind leaving him there. Bravo to Mr. Molesley who is a good soul and has earned the goodwill of everyone. Is it too late to give Daisy elocution lessons? Testosterone injections? Anything to bring her voice down about three octaves?
Looks like Edith is going to go simpering off into the sunset with the mystifyingly odd Marigold in tow. Poor Bertie.
14
Does anyone else have the feeling that Thomas is going to end it all?
2
Been seeming that way all season with the unrelenting bullying by Carson and the Earl
No. And this has been discussed ad nauseum in the comments section.
5
It crossed my mind, but I think it would be too awful for this series. "Upstairs, Downstairs" included a suicide, but it dealt with much weightier topics and could get away with it. Here it would feel s-o-o-o manipulative.
Barrow has been made to behave disjointedly, but the actor who plays him (Rob James-Collier) has managed to pull it off, and the character has suffered enough and become more sympathetic enough to have bought a kinder resolution...or so I hope!
Barrow has been made to behave disjointedly, but the actor who plays him (Rob James-Collier) has managed to pull it off, and the character has suffered enough and become more sympathetic enough to have bought a kinder resolution...or so I hope!
10
My predictions:
1. I thought for a while that Barrow would die some noble death--saving the children from a fire, perhaps--but I think he'll be allowed to redeem himself and live.
2. Mary and Henry will find happiness. Interesting, though, that Mary is now spouting the notion that theirs is a doomed, star-crossed love. Matthew tried that on more than once before he married Mary. Also, Mary will not figure out the true identity of Marigold because she's too caught up in her own glittering image.
3. Tom and the lady editor would be a good thing. Fellowes has positively neutered Tom. I snickered at that meta line Tom utters, Mr. Bayard.
4. Everyone's upset with Daisy for behaving like a fire-breathing mouse, but I find Isobel the most annoying character. She's a two-dimensional stand-in for the stereotype of a nagging, sanctimonious control freak. Dickie should run from Isobel: it would make the two of them happier.
5. Bertie simply cannot balk at the inevitable revelation that Marigold is not some ward of the family. Edith is finally getting her groove on and deserves happiness. Also, Bertie is just not that much of a jerk.
6. Denker and Pratt will run off to start their own fabulously successful careers as a comedy act in the movies a la Laurel and Hardy. Their secret benefactors? The dowager countess and her French gigolo/boy toy.
1. I thought for a while that Barrow would die some noble death--saving the children from a fire, perhaps--but I think he'll be allowed to redeem himself and live.
2. Mary and Henry will find happiness. Interesting, though, that Mary is now spouting the notion that theirs is a doomed, star-crossed love. Matthew tried that on more than once before he married Mary. Also, Mary will not figure out the true identity of Marigold because she's too caught up in her own glittering image.
3. Tom and the lady editor would be a good thing. Fellowes has positively neutered Tom. I snickered at that meta line Tom utters, Mr. Bayard.
4. Everyone's upset with Daisy for behaving like a fire-breathing mouse, but I find Isobel the most annoying character. She's a two-dimensional stand-in for the stereotype of a nagging, sanctimonious control freak. Dickie should run from Isobel: it would make the two of them happier.
5. Bertie simply cannot balk at the inevitable revelation that Marigold is not some ward of the family. Edith is finally getting her groove on and deserves happiness. Also, Bertie is just not that much of a jerk.
6. Denker and Pratt will run off to start their own fabulously successful careers as a comedy act in the movies a la Laurel and Hardy. Their secret benefactors? The dowager countess and her French gigolo/boy toy.
7
Another great recap.
I was moved when Molesley reflected on his being wrong about desrving good things --- it brought back the image of him digging up the streets, a job he hated but one he performed with humility. It's a lovely character arc for a noble character.
I was moved when Molesley reflected on his being wrong about desrving good things --- it brought back the image of him digging up the streets, a job he hated but one he performed with humility. It's a lovely character arc for a noble character.
73
Moseley is the example of how to respond to setbacks, win friends, get somewhere in life that, etc. that, unfortunately, clueless Barrow misses by a mile. The "martyr" (as Mr. Bayard rightly types it) routine has become a complete gag.
5
I was glad that they didn't have to crash any of those cars on camera. They are every bit as beautiful as the hats and frocks and pictures and plate. I haven't been asked yet, but I think Lady Mary and Tom ought to pair up, even if they have to live like brother and sister. They both like pigs, Tom can drive Mary around the estate safely and slowly and keep the car in good repair, and they are totally sympatico, especially about the pigs. BTW, they should have hugged at the bottom of the staircase. BTWW, the line "he's just sucking up" is anachronistic (unless it refers to pigs).
3
Those cars are the mechanical equivalent of Highclere, as one of the DVD featureless shows, and worth mid-six figures each. Also as idiosyncratic as hell; they have to be driven by their owners, including the lady who owns the light blue Bugatti.
6
First thought---Yay for the puppy!
Mr. Carson has been quite snarky since he has 'gotten some'. Glad to see that he had a slice of how the other half lives. Maybe he will give Mrs. Hughes some well-earned appreciation. And maybe with the news that Barrow has been tutoring Andy, the loss of Mosesley to all things educational, Mr. Carson will grudgingly let Barrow stay and become footman and the kid-wrangler.
And finally, I hope that editor, Laura (sniff sniff) will be worthy of my....I mean our Tom Branson. Deep sigh!
Loved the scenes with Edith and Bertie, Violet and Miss Cruikshank, the luncheon picnic when Moseley was given the fabulous news about his new position in life.
Mr. Carson has been quite snarky since he has 'gotten some'. Glad to see that he had a slice of how the other half lives. Maybe he will give Mrs. Hughes some well-earned appreciation. And maybe with the news that Barrow has been tutoring Andy, the loss of Mosesley to all things educational, Mr. Carson will grudgingly let Barrow stay and become footman and the kid-wrangler.
And finally, I hope that editor, Laura (sniff sniff) will be worthy of my....I mean our Tom Branson. Deep sigh!
Loved the scenes with Edith and Bertie, Violet and Miss Cruikshank, the luncheon picnic when Moseley was given the fabulous news about his new position in life.
14
Tom is certainly focussed on dispensing advice to the lovelorn, particularly Lady Frigidaire. Do you think he might have a future as the advice columnist for Lady Edith? Or perhaps he has secretly submitted?
Must admire the way the Dowager handled Miss Snip and took her hurt feelings off on a cruise. Brava, full speed ahead!
Must admire the way the Dowager handled Miss Snip and took her hurt feelings off on a cruise. Brava, full speed ahead!
31
You are going to be VERY surprised at who the advice columnist turns out to be. It's funny; but not very realistic.
1
The lurker by Patmore's cottage is no doubt a private eye. The guest may be a doctor but that probably isn't his wife. So the injured spouse is looking for grounds for divorce. The resulting scandal that Mrs Patmore is running trysting spot will cause her disgrace and dismissal from the manor house. Upstairs can mess about but heaven forbid your servants reflect poorly upon your house.
1
Bring the redemption for Mr. Barrows already! I am frustrated with Fellowes' ongoing narrative of impending doom for the man. He has redeemed himself as a flawed human being - let him enjoy something at the end. Perhaps Mary and Tom could be a couple? Three cheers to Mr. Molesley's success in finding his confidence and path ahead, and for Daisy for (finally) ceasing her constant need to interfere with everyone's lives. About time for Edith's love life to take a turn for the positive, but Mrs. Carson's divine subterfuge to teach Mr. Carson a valuable lesson was more love-inspiring than anything else in tonight's episode.
8
Yes but the Carson caper was the most set up of anything they've done, and the least realistic for 1925.
2
I thought Violet said she was a "cruel" little miss. I listened to it twice. She is cruel to palm Lord Merton off.
2
Nope. Turn on your closed captioning. "Cool," it is. As in ice flow through her veins!
"Cool little miss" is a familiar phrase to me from reading period fiction. Or, "you're a cool one." It seems to imply cool nerves that can deceive to their advantage.
Ok I'll admit I cheated and have seen the whole season (you can buy it fairly cheaply on Google Play-not a plug). All I can say is....oooo just wait!
1
I was going to say that this was the Ahhhhh! episode. But 'puppies' does quite nicely.
2
Not even a cute puppy could save us from this dreadfully boring final season. There must be a misguided shark in the North Sea that Lord Fellowes has jumped.
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Puppies all 'round is fine with me. Hoping for a big puppy for Barrow and a guard dog to bite anyone who tries to harm Mrs. Patmore or her cottage. Denker is probably not going to have as lovely a time as she thinks. Maybe constant seasickness? No strolling down the Champs Elysee, or wherever it was she mentioned. Hooray for Molesley, relief from Daisy.
I don't share Julian Fellowes's politics and he's unable to portray revolutionary thought in anything but an unflattering light, but he does want us all to be one big, happy family, and I at least agree with him in that.
I don't share Julian Fellowes's politics and he's unable to portray revolutionary thought in anything but an unflattering light, but he does want us all to be one big, happy family, and I at least agree with him in that.
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For revolutionary thought, you could always check in to the Russian Revolution...and Russia around the time of Downton.
True, Simon, but I don't think Daisy has ever contemplated that! She's just noticed that spending a lifetime "in service" isn't that desirable a future.
3
Nice point, Mr Bayard, about Kevin Doyle's excellent work as Molesley. A couple of seasons ago, Molesley was a very annoying Eeroye type. But he has emerged as a thoughtful, compassionate, intelligent and interesting character the audience can root for.
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Good point! I used to tire of him, too. Turns out he was whining for something he was readily able to achieve. Yay Mr. Molesley!
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I agree. Molesley may be the most developed character. Some have been reinvented, but that's not the same. I also remember his near nerd days, with Carson disdaining him for whining about the footman prospect, to making a go of it, to becoming a very positive force. Bonnieville said in an interview that, initially, the character was just to be butler/valet in Isobel/Matthew's house, but Mr. Doyle did so much with the part that they enlarged it. Glad they did.
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Yes, and Kevin Doyle also showed his acting chops on "The Crimson Field." I still wish BBC had renewed that show!
9
"Henry T, a penniless, danger-courting professional driver."
Who buys his own Bentley? No cheaper then than they are now. He may not have as much money as the Crawleys, but he's probably better off than most of us.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Boys
Who buys his own Bentley? No cheaper then than they are now. He may not have as much money as the Crawleys, but he's probably better off than most of us.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley_Boys
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@Steve, that may be true, but the Crawleys speak about him as if he were essentially "penniless" and had no financial prospects to speak of, and Henry tends to speak of himself in much the same manner.
2
Bit early in the timeline for the Bentley Boys.
I hope we get to the General Strike. I'll bet Daisy is a real firebrand.
I hope we get to the General Strike. I'll bet Daisy is a real firebrand.
What a strange episode. It felt like a jumbled bunch of moments strung together without much cohesion. I would have liked a little less cars-around-the-track action and more of the dowager, though it seemed out of character for her to make secret departure to France, leaving behind a note with Isobel and a puppy with the staff. (Cute puppy, though.) As far as the noble daughters go, Edith curled up against Bertie was charming and natural, while the scenes between Mary and Henry were oddly boring. On to next week, I guess.
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You are clearly not a writer. Followes is just tying up the loose ends into soon-to-be clearer
plot resolutions.
I suggest you try writing a massive work of epic proportions for six-seven years, to international popularity and acclaim before mouthing off your vinegary opinions.
A truly cheap shot reply; one wonders, indeed, why some of you DO watch!
plot resolutions.
I suggest you try writing a massive work of epic proportions for six-seven years, to international popularity and acclaim before mouthing off your vinegary opinions.
A truly cheap shot reply; one wonders, indeed, why some of you DO watch!
5
It's far from clear that Fellowes is a writer!
8
Golly, Out-of-Stater, you sure read Sharon J's comments as being a lot meaner than I think they are or were meant to be! Take a deep breath and think calm thoughts...we're just sharing our opinions about something we all enjoy watching, one way or another.
14
"...starts with the drivers actually sprinting to their cars..." Has come to be known as a Le Mans start.
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Leo Buscaglia. Exactly. Not the type of fluff that your typical ex-freedom fighter typically comes out with. The actors must have had a few good chuckles at some of these lines. I loved the way in which Violet dismantled Miss Cruikshank. It was so nice to watch her sort the young hustler out. Really up in the air as to whether Marigold is acceptable to Edith's perfect new man. Wasn't if shocking to hear Robert yell "shut up" at his sis? We were aghast. Wifey wants Charles Blake to reappear and sweep Mary off her feet. Tough given the fact that he was the only suitor who was shorter than Mary. We have come to like Cora more as the end approaches. We have survived the goofy, Stepford wives dialog of the past and is now very solid and wiser. We really, really want Barrow to have a rebirth at Downton. Didn't he kind of save Edith's life and the old homestead when the fire struck? Didn't Cora hint that he had a lifetime gig for his heroics? I never thought I'd say this, but I am getting tired of Carson's ancient fealty to Robert. Come on, it's 1925! This 7th week episode righted the ship. It was beginning to feel sappy without a sense of cohesiveness, as if Fellowes had lost his way. However, he found his way back this week. Please let Barrow (Rob James-Collier) find a purpose in life and stop Carson from being a Debbie Downer to him.
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"Wasn't if shocking to hear Robert yell "shut up" at his sis? "
Saying "bloody" in polite, mixed company was the equivalent of an F bomb then. The comic euphemism was "Not Pygmalion likely."
Saying "bloody" in polite, mixed company was the equivalent of an F bomb then. The comic euphemism was "Not Pygmalion likely."
9
I too keep hoping Charles Blake will return. I felt certain he was the right guy for Mary... strong and irreverent enough to not put up with her BS, and really attractive.
I liked the creative way Mr. Carson, who has been truly obnoxious, was humbled. I was expecting Mrs. Hughes to move back to her room in the Abbey. As for Henry's being "good for Mary," he is supremely self-absorbed and smug. She should run the other way to the patient Evelyn.
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FINALLY!!!! FINALLY!!!!! Someone else sees the merit of Evelyn Napier. I've loved that character since Season One! Back then and at first, I thought he was pale and dull (especially compared to the Turk), but his understanding of how toxic Edith is was illuminating! Please let's not forget that she sent the letter to the Turkish Embassy, went back on the adoption of her daughter to the Schroeders in Switzerland, and then went back on placing the girl with the "pig man" and his wife. And the weeney doesn't want Mary to know that she herself was a "slut". I realize this was about Evelyn Napier at the beginning, but this rant developed a life of its own as I typed!
13
This is of the utmost importance: Do you think Mr. Carson got the message?
1
I agree with your view of Napier, but find it hard to believe you'd criticize Edith for deciding she wanted to keep her own child, the only surviving offspring of her fiancé, who was killed by thugs in Germany, which he was visiting to establish citizenship so he could divorce his wife and marry her. Her decision to adopt Marigold could potentially have ruined her life and the child's life. It's understandable that she faltered.
As for your use of the word"slut", what century are you living in? The term wasn't used in the series. Nor does it apply to Edith's circumstances.
I've never been able to assimilate the awful thing Edith did in writing the Turkish Embassy. I chalk it up to several extreme character shifts in the Downton Abbey universe that are hard to process.
As for your use of the word"slut", what century are you living in? The term wasn't used in the series. Nor does it apply to Edith's circumstances.
I've never been able to assimilate the awful thing Edith did in writing the Turkish Embassy. I chalk it up to several extreme character shifts in the Downton Abbey universe that are hard to process.
7
I know we've seen Robert evolving a lot, but it rather felt like being beaten over the head with his newfound modernity to hear him discussing Henry's "sex appeal!" (Not that I disagree with that assessment of Henry, but I can't say I ever thought I'd hear those words from the Earl of Grantham's lips!)
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Or tell are Rosamund to shut up at the dinner table.
10
I think the earl has dementia. It solves so many things about him.
4
With only three episodes left, I expected a lot of "stuff" to happen, even silly Fellowes stuff, and, alas, NOTHING happened that made any sense or that kept my attention. I used to refer to this season's episodes as "drama with a sledgehammer" but it's more like "drama with an Ambien" because it was one big silly stupid.......zzzzzzzzz.
26
The Brits do silly, stupid soap operas much better than we do.
4
Carol, I'll drink to that!
1
Oh, Mr. Bayard, the Dishtowel!!!! Who knew there could be so many unforseen uses?
47
In Britain they're called tea towels.,
4
Not just in Great Britain! My mother, who was born in 1921 in Hammond, Indiana, and taught home ec, always said "tea towel." She must have learned that term in college, as she was the daughter of Croatian immigrants.
2
Will the Dowager pull a Scalia-- be found dead in her cabin in West Texas, I mean her cruise ship? I hate to think she won't be appearing in the last episodes, but Fellows did leave us the feeling that she might be sailing off into the sunset. And then with the goodby gift of the ooooh so cuuute puppy... I hope Maggie Smith is back to have (literally) the last word. Who deserves it more?
222
pull a scalia? classless puppy you are
16
Bad taste
54
Well one big difference between Scalia and the Dowager is that the Dowager would be missed. Pay no mind to these "holier than thou" trolls with their criticisms of your comment as though you were commenting on their parents or something, if they don't like your comment they should write one of their own rather than trolling comments they don't like as though we were discussing the Nobel Peace Prize or some such thing. I've heard that Smith has no desire to ever return to this role again so I think she's going down just like the heir did on the Titanic.
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What an excellent summary! The episode seemed to have so much stuffed into it, and to touch on so many different storylines, that I couldn't quite reconcile all the thoughts and feelings it evoked - but Mr. Bayard, as always, knows just how to do so! Well done! And I will resoundingly echo the salute for Kevin Doyle. He and Rob James-Collier are turning in the best performances of the whole lot by far!
I was so happy for Mr. Molesley, and I do so hope Mr. Barrow has better things coming to him. Now that Mrs. Patmore so cleverly helped Mr. Carson's to see the light about the hard work of housekeeping and (one hopes) about the way he's been treating his wife, perhaps she can devise another scheme to help Mr. Carson come to his senses about the way he's been behaving towards Mr. Barrow. Either that, or find him employment at her B&B!
Speaking of, yes, who was that lurking around the building at breakfast? I was wondering about the questionable wisdom of introducing a mystery so late in the show, but now I am laughing at the thought of "the world’s first TripAdvisor commenter!" Perhaps after Carson goes about inventing the microwave, he can collaborate with Al Gore to invent the Internet, thereby allowing this mysterious TripAdvisor fellow to post the first review of Mrs. Patmore's B&B!
I was so happy for Mr. Molesley, and I do so hope Mr. Barrow has better things coming to him. Now that Mrs. Patmore so cleverly helped Mr. Carson's to see the light about the hard work of housekeeping and (one hopes) about the way he's been treating his wife, perhaps she can devise another scheme to help Mr. Carson come to his senses about the way he's been behaving towards Mr. Barrow. Either that, or find him employment at her B&B!
Speaking of, yes, who was that lurking around the building at breakfast? I was wondering about the questionable wisdom of introducing a mystery so late in the show, but now I am laughing at the thought of "the world’s first TripAdvisor commenter!" Perhaps after Carson goes about inventing the microwave, he can collaborate with Al Gore to invent the Internet, thereby allowing this mysterious TripAdvisor fellow to post the first review of Mrs. Patmore's B&B!
68
Regarding my own initial comment above - oops! That should say "Mr. Carson," not "Mr. Carson's." And I meant that Mrs. Patmore should find Mr. Barrow employment at the B&B (which seems like it could be more interesting and rewarding than a continued life of service in the shadow of the Downton estate and of Carson) - not find Mr. Carson employment there. Hopefully that was clear despite the poor grammar there, but one can never be too grammatically careful, hmm?
14
I was figuring the B&B review as you suggest or perhaps the guests are just playing doctor and this is a PI getting dirt for the divorce.
8
Perhaps Mrs. Patmore is running an illegal rooming house without a license...you know, like AirB&B...
6
Question on a small point:
The wedding invitation called the groom Larry Grey. Would his formal name really have been Larry, rather than Lawrence?? (This is the British aristocracy.)
(Clothes this week even more astonishing than usual, if that is possible. They're really pulling out all the stops as this behemoth is winding down.)
The wedding invitation called the groom Larry Grey. Would his formal name really have been Larry, rather than Lawrence?? (This is the British aristocracy.)
(Clothes this week even more astonishing than usual, if that is possible. They're really pulling out all the stops as this behemoth is winding down.)
74
Really? I thought that the clothes bordered on the dowdy.
1
Agreed on the costumes. Amazing. And his father's name is "Dickie," so maybe it's a family thing?
1
It would be spelled "Laurence."
2
After being so excited about the race, and to have it end so tragically, (unsurprisingly) who the heck could possibly think of dinner and let alone a marriage proposal...awkward. I actually am feeling sorry for Thomas. Andrew could have thanked him. Random: Mr. And Mrs. Bates single beds, is that the first time we saw them? Mrs. Patmore, is the smartest woman in that house. Her job is one of the most secure, she has her future secure with the B&B, Mr. Mason has eyes for her and all the while schooled Mr. Carson...you go GURL!! Violet's gift of a puppy was very big of her, and was the best line never uttered.
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Aren't Bates and Anna staying with the family in Lady Rosamund's London house? So the bedroom isn't in their cottage.
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Single beds were in the servants quarters at Lady Rosamubd's, not in their own cottage.
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Yes, that's right, they were still at Rosamund's. Thanks.
2
Indeed. Puppies all round. Well said Mr. Bayard.
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Puppies and a grisly death. We're you paying attention at all?
2