Glade

This season has been stunningly pointless and dull--much like the aristocracy themselves, who's problems and consequences are a far, far away place from the people they employ, like the sad-sack Bates's who are filled with tragedy/farce. I didn't care about Mary's suitors (neither does she), but seeing them all vanish into thin air wasn't satisfying either. All of these time jumps are obnoxious. I do hope that Violet and Isobel get their new husbands/paramours. It's too bad Shrimpy and Atticus' mother weren't at Edith's wedding, all that was needed were some sharp words to shove Anthony back to the altar, instead of Robert and Violet cheerleading his departure and otherwise voicing their disapproval at every possible oppurtunity. I want Thomas to have a lover, not be an uncle to an uncomfortable straight lad. I missed Rosamund this episode.

The idea that Mary alone has endless opportunities, that even despite her past scandals and family problems, she can flout three suitors but still be guaranteed a husband despite the shortage of upper class males after the war is ludicrous. Fellowes wants us to agree that Mary has such singular beauty, status and charisma that it's not possible she could ever wind up unhappy, which the audience hardly sees and history shows to be false. I don't care who she marries, but I hope that Edith and Tom get away from the estate and find a better life.

I was so disappointed that Edith didn't go to America or just stay in London and lead her independent, professional life. Why give up a chance for real freedom in favor of living a life of fraud and hiding amongst people who really dislike. disregard, and disrespect you at that horrible house? And there is a huge flight risk in giving Marigold back to the Drews, especially giving Mr. Drew money and putting him on a train out of town...she might never see her daughter again. And now it looks like Isobel won't be able to have her happy new life either because all of the action and characters has to stay in the tediously dull 'downton triangle' or perish. Honestly, I'd love to see Daisy already living with Mr. Mason, I'd love to have seen Sybil's life in Ireland and Edith's trip to Switzerland, or her married life with Stralland, etc. A better show would have been able to give us these storylines. I hate what burdens that unimaginative limitation puts on these characters and stories. If both Edith and Branson went to America, there could even be a spinoff, starring Shirley Mclaine. Meanwhile, we apparently have another tedious and obtuse conclusion to a deflated murder mystery involving the Bates'. I certainly didn't want that to drag out any longer, but then I fear it will anyway. For the record, Merton's son's were most certainly sent away as young as 5 years old to boarding schools rife with beatings and other forms of abuse, and then they went through the traumas of the war. So while they were dickish, and screwed over by their parents and people like them, they probably didn't spend much time with their parents at all and might have very good reasons for resentment.

It was great seeing Zachary Quinto blow through the other producers feigned obligation to take Shane's trashy, racist, homophobic film seriously. It's disgusting trash. And I also don't buy all of this stuff about 'it's just his demographic, etc' one of the most revolting scenes of the chair for me was when Shane was laughing with the ecstatic, immature joy of an elementary school bully while watching an actress pretend to vomit. He plainly likes what he's doing, and there is nothing inside of him to mature or grow beyond it, nothing more deep or intelligent inside of him. I thought it was unbelievably stupid when the producers were talking to him about what characters the audience really responded to vs. not, and his response was only to count the laughs....so character development and good acting performances don't matter to him, just slapstick. I really hope he doesn't win just because Anna doesn't have a youtube following, and just because the original scriptwriter was allowed ten minutes per episode to talk about how much he hated Anna for taking creative control of the script.

I too really liked the first season of this show, but wanted more Maura, and 100% less scenes of gabby hoffman acting out sexually. Thankfully GH's story arc seemed to veer very far away from that by the last episode, so hopefully there will be change in the second season. And maybe the show will also come to terms with the fact that yes, it was really sick and wrong for the babysitter to sexually prey on a fifteen year old boy. A second season that's more Maura centered but also portrays how the rest of the family can use this as an opportunity to successfully heal old wounds would be great.

This show is so mind-numbing and poorly edited/written. I would really have preferred to see Edith finding out the news about Gregson rather then watching ten minutes of other people whispering about the fact that she is just about to/just did find out the news. Way to kill the drama and suspense, also by needlessly dragging plot lines out only to give them tedious and boring conclusions. Of course everyone dumps Fellowes' idiotic timing onto Edith, including her conceited, nasty sister, who I agree, I couldn't care less about what she does with her hair. Please never go back to downton, Edith! Leave those self-centered emotionally abusive sobs behind forever, book passage to America and live with your grandmother! The conclusion to the Bates' murder mystery is even duller then it was last time. Though I guess I can see why Bates has nothing else to do this season when all of his other plotlines are being recycled by Baxter and Thomas--who instead of going to London for anonymous gay sex went for snake oil. Baxter and Molsely don't seem to be romantic anymore, she's now just a watered down Obrien, best frenemy of Thomas. I'm so bored with this show.

Sean's collection was my favorite, so I'm glad he won, though for most of the season I was really rooting for Kini, his collection was underwhelming.

I was surprised by the format, not like PR at all really. It reminded me of those game shows on nickelodien back in the 90's--which isn't a bad thing, it just depends on who the audience is. Red carpet does seem too boring for their age set, but I guess if they were 14 they'd be more rebellious and scoff at it. But the models should be close to their age group and they should be putting out their own creative innovations for young people. That red satin gown with it's 'pleats' was just screaming cheerleader to me, and the fabric looked SO cheap... And was it really necessary to have two 'celebrity' guest judges in the same episode? This was all over the place. I didn't like the host/judge/mentor Vanessa, if Christian is going to be there every episode he should have a better defined top role. I might watch another episode.

Meh. Cora's subplot was very interesting, but to be honest I started to fear that she was going to die at the end episode, especially after that cryptic conversation with her would-be-lover. I'd much rather Robert die, of course--nothing but hate for him and Carson in this episode, and I'm glad we got a break from the poor, poor Russian aristrocracy. So sad that you can no longer live a life of extreme wealth while the peasants starve... I'd still prefer Tom find someone else, though--Mrs. Bunting is not pretty or likeable. Mary's plot is not romantic or passionate at all--it's dull. If Mary's going to swing back to Charles Blake now, I guess he will try to blackmail her and it will turn out that Tony killed him. I also wondered, would it be possible that Greene was the man whom Baxter was corrupted into stealing for in her former position? Maybe she killed him, but was so watchful of Bates because she thought she could frame him if the time came? I don't think Bates killed anyone (except for the people that he, Robert, Matthew, Thomas, etc. were paid to kill for the king), and no, he's not likely to beat Anna. But it is ridiculously selfish of Mary to use Anna in this way again and again. I'd love to see Edith still writing her articles. And I sorely missed Rosamund this episode, hopefully she will show up later in the season; since she is the only one who knows who Marigold is, she's probably pissed as hell.

It was embarrassing to watch Korina lose it big time. I think it's kind of stupid that they were given help from other designers for the 1 hour challenge. If Sean hadn't nudged her, it sounded like Char was going to make yet another super-tight hoochie dress, and maybe Korina would have done something simpler if she didn't have Emily there. And if they're getting help/input from a perhaps better designer, then how does it showcase their individual talent? I do agree that Char was saved multiple times and has been the recipient of a lot of help, but it is just a game show. Personally, I'd like it more if reality tv edited around the nastiness and veered away from melodramatic scenes that humiliate and make people look bad, leaving out chunks of redemption. Assigning Korina as Char's assistant next week (or like, the day after this episode for them) sounds like a cheap producer-driven ploy to milk more drama out of the situation. Too much toxicity for me... Personally, I do really like Emily's designs (I'd like to see her collection in the top 3), and some of Korina's too. I liked their mood fabric sweater, but clearly they were one of the two bottom teams.

I've just been watching this season for the first time, and absolutely can't stand it. I find Jeffery and Vincent completely creepy and repulsive, it's really sad that the former was saved from elimination so many times despite his poor skills and toxic attitude. I couldn't believe how much he verbally abused Angela's mother and then made that dowdy middle-aged librarian outfit for her. I can certainly beleive that he was once a homeless junkie; he obviously never left most of that persona behind. I was also creeped out by the woman who kept having children that she apparently didn't want and didn't care about it. Having been spoiled about who the winner is, I'm going to skip the last four episodes. I liked a few designers (including Uli, who actually showed a lot of creative growth on ALl-stars), but don't want to watch most of these people ever again. I hated when Jefferey and Seth Aaron were brought onto All-stars too; I have no interest in their ugly egos.

Yes, her earlier escape plans do seem very naive now. It's not safe for anyone to travel around solo, even understanding the complexities of that world and being in a group is perilous in such a brutal and indifferent environment. And now that she is wanted by a sadist in the occupying army, it's even more essential for her to utilize the protection of the clan.

I agree, Violet has often been very rude and snobbish. Her venomous confrontation with Cora's mother last season was all about her bitter jealousy that both "Shirley Mclaine" and Isobel, despite being outsiders with modern outlooks, were being courted by aristocrats and could become titled. Now she is very openly doing whatever she can to try and sour Isobel's prospects with Lord Merton, and in an extremely blunt and obvious manner. Regardless of whether she has something else to amuse herself with, she needs to mind her own buisness and/or treat Isobel as an actually friend with feelings.

But I really think there must be some young man in Rippin or in the village that he could have a tryst with. Or, since we're supposed to beleive that Bates could travel to London, track down Greene and kill him, then make it back to Downton all in one day between the gongs, then certainly Thomas could do the same, and peruse the underground gay scene there for a few hours. I just don't buy that his only chance was the footmen or getting a job with the duke. Undoubtedly it would have to be discrete (because that's how the gay community survived for centuries), but I still don't see it as that hopeless. I'd love to see a storyline where Thomas explored some possible avenues. I'd hate to see him weighed down by fear and shame for the rest of his life.

I guess the redcoats arrested Claire for disturbing the peace? You can't run around screaming in a national park, people are trying to have picnics and enjoy the weekend... It looked as if those flowers from the pilot weren't blooming by the stone, so does that mean she wouldn't have been able to time travel anyway? The beginning of this episode (pre-attack) was so gorgeous, Jaime and Claire looking ethereal up in the mountains. I like the disorienting effect of the rest of the episode, after Claire kills her potential attacker. At first I was expecting her to be upset because she had taken the hippocratic oath and was now stabbing people to death, but no, it went much farther then that. I wish she and Jaime had a chance to reconnect before he went off to obtain his innocence.

I thought this episode was really tired. The only things I'm interested in seeing are being held at the end of a very long pole, and may not get there for years. Instead, we have dreary life at Downton headed over by the bloated, pompous right wing Robert who can't keep his mouth shut for five minutes and dissaproves of everything Edith does, says, and everyone that she tries to marry. He can barely even look at her without trying to roll his eyes. If I was her, I'd also do anything I could to get the hell out of that house; it's too bad that she didn't have a relatives who could help get her out of there a long time ago, like Rose did. Speaking of which, Rosamund has slipped back into her black hole again, which is a shame. I wanted to see an exciting murder mystery that would have Carlyle as a prime suspect back in S3, but recycling ALL of Bates' past plotlines now it just a letdown, and I really don't care about Greene. He must have died years ago by now... Anna suddenly does look a lot older, with makeup-wrinkles and thin, dry, whispy hair, and halfhearted sentiments for Thomas, who it seems isn't really trying to find a boyfriend.

Tim's over the top drama is not constructive, at all; he's starting to sound like some of the judges, looking for a bitchy sound-bite instead of actually helping. It is very rare on this show for a designer to successfully scrap everything and start over, so they should not be encouraged to do so. Alexander could have taken off the yellow patch and used that fabric for a belt, perhaps made the black into a jacket or something. But he wound up with a sort of catholic school/girl scouts uniform in the end and it was really bad. I can kind of understand Tim wanting to protect a pre-school teacher from being further defamed by her appearance on the show, but Char still deserved to go home--apparently she will next week, though. So whatever. I didn't really care about Korina's comments, personally. I know they all say a bunch of things about themselves and other designers in the confessionals. I find her very easy to ignore compared with past PR villains who went around having toxic meltdowns and shouting in people's faces, etc. And I had to laugh about Amanda's comment about not getting a third chance--just wait for All-stars season 5/6, and I'm sure we'll see her again though she still won't win.

I am glad that the Baxter 'mystery' wasn't dragged out for another whole season, but it is just a repeat of the Bates' situation. Is Molesley going to travel to London and get the 'real story' of the theft from her father? Whatever... But really, people who have served their time in prison should not be punished further by being denied employment and left to be homeless, and have the only way to survive be more crimes. So I really couldn't care less about the Crawley's prejudices there. Interesting twist that though Marigold's foster mother looks EXACTLY like Edith, the little girl does not. Sadly Mary continues to verbally abuse Edith at her conveinence; complaining that she's bringing the party down with her mood, and then implying that she intentionally chose to burn down her room; go to hell! Jimmy being sexually harassed by his former employer was kind of a good storyline, while it lasted. Have we seen the last of Jimmy? It is a clear paralell to Robert and that housemaid at the end of S2, but even worse. What is she really offering Jimmy, I take it she isn't considering marrying him, or even firing her butler and giving him the job. He would perhaps be welcome back in her house in the lowest servant position, making miserable wages while she gets to use his body whenever she wants. But as a wealthy aristocrat, she took no real risk in coming to Downton and costing him his job. That Jimmy had this history makes the whole encounter with Thomas make a bit more sense--he wasn't just reacting out of homophobia, because women have used him as an object too. Both he and Thomas do look a lot better (more flattering hairstyles, etc, and Jimmy was even shirtless!) then they did in S4, so that's good. It's hard to really side with anyone in the politics; I agree with Sarah and Tom, because yes, the war was a pointless waste, a destructive imperial act that robbed many people of their lives, and Robert should be angry with the government, not her. But Sarah is atrociously rude and obnoxious on all matters, all the time; she doesn't respect anyone elses boundaries. I disagree strongly with Robert about everything, but of course we all know today that the background/identity politics of the prime minister/president/whatever does NOT mean they won't serve the interests of old money and corporate power.

I could not beleive that Sandyha thought a modern preteen would want to be sent down the runway in atrocious, cheaply made toddler pajamas complete with a snap back for diaper changes! No reference at all to sailing. It reminds me of her horrible yellow bridesmaid dresses in the wedding challenge a few episodes back--so out of touch and lacking taste. And her argumentative attitude on the runway just said everything--she is so arrogant, obnoxious, self-centered and dense. I'm so glad that she's gone, it looked for a second that they were realy going to send Emily home, which would be horrible--aside from the no-waist feature, I thought her sweater and dress were gorgeous. I think Alexander belonged in the bottom, not safe--his design look cheap and ill-fitting, but I wouldn't want him gone before Sandyha. But I really liked Korina's outfit this episode, and she seemed much more personally likeable too. I hope that sometime backstage/off camera Tim would own up to the fact that he was totally wrong in shooting down Sean and Char's fringe, which the judges loved when the latter put aside his advice. Maybe he gave a longer defense of Sean's outfit that didn't make it to the show, but he was so wrong.