Nellie

Ha ha! Summed up perfectly. This picture got a good chuckle out of me. It absolutely looks like Henry is photo bombing in the background, with a grumpy look on his face. I think it's hilarious. Sorry.. Not sorry! It is a bizarre choice of photo to release though.

I am still certain that it will be the dowager's funeral. I hope Carson is retired. But, poor Mrs. Hughes will have to spend her golden years with that cantankerous, old man. I also hope that Thomas will have replaced him as Butler. Is there a possibility that Michael Gregson will return? I'm sure we will see how cozy it is at the estate with Mary, Henry and BFF Tom. Will Tom snuggle with them in bed at night too? Or will he be sitting in a chair next to the bed, cheering them on and giving them encouragement and advice as they try to conceive a child? Sorry.... Can you tell that I'm bitter? I'm still pissed about Tom's storyline this series.

Can someone please explain to me how a marriage between Mary and Henry would work? One of them would have to give up something they love, unless they live apart right?? Boy, what a ridiculous conclusion to an even more ridiculous "love" story? I truly hated this ending. I would've preferred Charles Blake or Lord Gillingham coming back over this rubbish. I would've preferred Evelyn Napier even. Sigh, oh well. I still can't get over how badly Tom's character was neutered this season.

I don't think I will need to watch the CS now. I cannot believe how hurried and unbelievable this ending was. Why didn't they focus more on Mary's relationship with Henry this series so that when they decided to get married at the last minute... We would actually give a damn and not be shaking our heads in disbelief?? This may go rank right up there with HIMYM as one of the worst finales ever.... Irregardless of what happens in the CS. Poor, poor Tom.

Lol. Even if you did ship it, like others, including myself... It would almost make it worse for you because you be watching thinking "wth??, maybe there are going there??" And getting a small glimmer of hope that something may happen only to have your hopes go down the toilet. You would realize sadly, like we probably will, that not only did Tom get screwed by not having a respectable storyline but ALSO that your ship also sank to the bottom of the ocean.

Good point!

I'm beginning to see why Allen thinks Tom's ending sucks. It's because the way it's going, he only serves to move Mary and Henry forward. I don't blame him for feeling frustrated. LAME! If Brary isn't endgame, which is most likely the case, then I hope Mary/Henry get together in episode 8. I'm just over it. If Mary and Henry is happening then that's fine (bizarre, but fine) and I want the relationship to be a done deal and not left open ended or with a cliff hanger, when the episode 8 ends. That way, we can move past that storyline and focus on other character's stories in the CS, before it all ends. Maybe (fingers crossed) that will allow us to see some semblance of an satisfying storyline for Tom. He doesn't even have to be paired off with anyone.. I don't mind Tom alone however I would love a ending that feels satisfying to some extent.

Well, this is a "speculation"discussion thread right??Look, I'm all for hearing logical reasons that it will be Henry... Because then I wouldn't be so annoyed. If it is straightforward and predictable then I hope JF figures out a way to make it believable. If it makes sense (and right now it doesn't,) then that's all I care about. Oh, and I also care that Tom's whole SL this series isn't to be Mary and Talbot's third wheel . I've only heard that Rose is coming back. Where did you find the photos? Can you share?

It really will be bizarre to me if it is anything other than a Brary ending. I've watched shows where my favorite couples don't get together and I've been okay with it. You can typically see that it's not going to happen beforehand anyway. But, this show has perplexed me like no other show has. Too be honest, I have always been fine with them not getting together and left as just good friends but this season is bugging me so bad because I JUST DON'T GET IT. I probably could've been invested in and on board with Mary and Henry, if the writer's given me the opportunity to do so but instead we have fed so many unnecessary scenes between Tom and Mary, that it makes it hard to see around them. TPTB haven't given any of us a chance to care about Mary and Henry, so why should we? That time spent could've been used toward a storyline for Tom or towards developing a believable love story for Mary and Henry. I love Tom's character but if the character is sacrificied and neutered this series so that his sole purpose serves only to be Mary's matchmaking sidekick... I'm going to be pissed. I would rather him have stayed in America and maybe come home on the CS (like Rose) with all the news of his successes and maybe even a nice American girl on his arm.

Ok, the goggles are back on. Ha! Henry may only serve as a plot device that allows the audience to see that, yes, Mary has changed and that she would "marry down" so to speak. BUT, they needed something that would push Mary away from Henry. So, what do they do? They make him a race care driver, knowing that she would never be able to see past the danger that's involved mostly because of what happened to Matthew. So, here we are, down the road during the CS. JF has already given the audience a view of a less snobby Mary and we all see that she would indeed be open to marrying outside of money or aristocracy. So, when she and Tom do get together, they won't be able to say, "Its's out of character. Mary would never marry a former chauffeur!"

Looking at it objectively and from all angles, I don't see how a marriage between Mary and Henry would work. I've really tried hard to remove my shipper goggles on this one. 1. The estate is Mary's priority. She has said it countless times and I don't see her leaving it to follow Henry around as he is racing cars. Every time he gets into a race car, she would experience the same level of anxiety and fear as she did before. I can't imagine her suddenly feeling supportive and excited about car racing. So, that won't work. 2. Talbot loves racing cars... It has been his life. Sure, he almost offered to give it up for Mary but she tells him not to. In the end, would he really give up something he is that passionate about?? Would he even be happy? And to do what at Downton, exactly?? Live off Mary?? Work in Tom's car shop?? Be a constant 3rd wheel to BFF's Mary and Tom, who will always be together, since they are in fact, running the estate together and even more so since Robert has been ill. That scenario doesn't work either. There is no way that Mary and Henry could have a happy ending that makes any amount of sense. Because from both of those scenarios, it seems that either one or the other will be quite unhappy. One of them would have to give up something that is entirely too important to them. Again, trying to see things objectively. Someone tell me if I am wrong?? I'm just trying to think this whole thing through by considering every angle. I think maybe Mary does not marry Henry? She will either marry Tom or one of her former suitors will return AGAIN like Evelyn or Charles (ok, probably not Charles.) Or she will end up alone (more likely.). Honestly, I don't know. Maybe we end episode 8 with the possibility of her marrying Henry but it doesn't happen as we find out in the CS.

Oh no... I wasn't saying that regarding your comment because it's true, they have thrown the words "brother and sister" around. I was referencing comments that I have seen before in articles or even other threads where some have said that Mary and Tom together would be incestual.

Right... I'm not so oblivious that I don't see that it very well may end up with Mary/Talbot. In fact, that's probably what will happen. Most often, everything is exactly as we see it and there is no hidden story. My issue is that if it is a Mary/Talbot ending then they have written the most unbelievable, half assed love story. They should not have inserted Tom into literally every aspect of the relationship and given him his own storyline which would have allowed us the ability to warm up to Talbot. I was never a "Brary" shipper until this season. I have always enjoyed their scenes together, especially season 4 and 5 but I never have allowed myself to go there because the AL and MD were so adamant that it wouldn't happen. When Tom came back this season and the writers decided to all but surgically attach them together throughout this series... It turned me into a full fledged, card carrying Brary shipper.

I also don't understand the incest comments either and I'm from America. To me, if Tom and Mary end up together, it allows for both of them to be with someone who knew and LOVED the other's deceased spouse as well. To me, there would be great comfort in being with someone who allowed me to continue to love and cherish memories of a spouse that had died, because they love and cherish memories of their own of that person. I'll also say, even if JF has no desire of making Mary/Tom endgame... I don't see their relationship as sibling like at all (especially that scene after the break up call.). To me, it appears as more of a best friend relationship.

Ok.. I re watched this episode and the scene between to two of them after her break up phone call was very electric. She was upset because she just broke things off with Henry but Branson was very intense here. He rushes to her, holding his hands between them to comfort her. I mean anyone who walked into that moment of them standing so close like that would have thought something was going on between the two. If I'm being honest, it is such a weird scene for them to have if Mary/Talbot are end game. I made my hubby watch it for his opinion and he said the same thing even though he doesn't watch the show at all. I truly have no idea where they are going with this.