Roseanna

I think it was a lame plot. It would have better if Turner's evil intentions have been succeeded but then Bertha or George or Gladys would have saved the day or, even better, the duke had said "things like this happen, it's rather hilarious, I remember when...". After all, it's how people behave in such events shows their true character. I don't see any spark between Larry and Marian. If the female engineer were younger and single, she could show Larry the world he doesn't know.

Wealth gives to a widowed mother power over her son. It seems that her husband left most of his fortune (at least the house) to Agnes, so Oscar inherits it only after his mum's death. Fellowes has had such aborted wedding scenes before, after all we all know the wows, so he concentrates on something else. In this case, the crux of the matter was Agnes walking in and Ada's uncertainty what her sister's intentions were.

Larry doesn't know his mum's interference, from his POV Mrs Blaine decides to end the relationship on her own initiative. I can't like a man who doesn't respect the woman's "no" (but Fellowes has a tendency to such scenes like Pamuk and Mary's second husband show in Downton Abbey). What has this couple common, except sex?

“They’re not crying for her. They’re crying for you” was a silly line. A far better explanation is that when people died for Diana's death, they had a chance to cry for all their past sorrows and/or it made clear how fragile life is and became afraid that the same would suddenly happen to themselves or their loved ones.

I have seen a series about Edward VII. Only interesting royal happenings in 30ies (Abdication and George VI's stammering) have been described. First and second seasons were good because they were about Elizabeth's inner way to the Queen's role and its influence on her marriage as well as the politics of the age (both Churchill, Eden and Macmillan were interesting).

I don't think the dialog on paper would be any proof. Actors are actors just because saying ILY can have dozens of different meanings (subtext). And it's a good sign that we watchers have different interpretations. As for Larry, he said it in bed after making love. I guess he meant it, i.e. that he felt it in that moment and even that he had begun to feel it sometime during their relationship. But was it love that can be based the marriage on? They enjoyed sex and each others company but what else they had common? She seemed jealous even of Marian - how would she reacted when he wouldn't be constantly by her side but designing the interior for some other lady?

There was inconsistencies: Mrs Blaine began the affair in the manner that showed that she didn't intended it to be serious and appeared in public with him as if she didn't care a bit about her reputation. She seemed also to be jealous of Marian, so many predicted here a good reason that she would cause trouble to Larry if he wanted to end the affair before she did. But of course, we didn't know anything about her feelings. However, do we know her feelings now? Maybe she only answered automatically "I love you too" when he declared his love? Maybe she didn't even believe he was serious - people sometimes say such things after making love. The only sure thing was that she didn't like that he didn't care about her reputation. We don't even know if she had married him without Bertha's intervention - maybe she had, maybe she didn't after realizing that she enjoyed her freedom as a widow more (even if it lasted only a few years after which she would be considered too old to atract men). As for "wanting what's best for him", Bertha appealed with reasons that were best for Mrs Blaine in the long run: would she want to lose Larry's love and see him waiting for her death as she had waited for her husband's death?

I don't hate Jack. I only want his character be tested and tried. Generally, simply "success stories" seem trivial to me when compared f.ex. "Gold turned into sand" in the musical Kristina från Duvemåla, based on the immigrant epos of Vilhelm Moberg. Guldet Blev till Sand (with English captions) - YouTube

Already Aristotle said that history tells us what happened, poetry (fiction) tells what might have happpened. Of course one problem is that characters are based on living persons and happenings and before we watched this show, we had our own interpretations about them. But the second and even more important problem is artistic: is this a good story, worth many episodes? I don't think so. The Queen told the happenings of this episode much better. And if Diana and Dodi's relationship had meant to have any general theme, Mou Mou's machinations destroyed it.

I would rather like a plot where Jack made a invention but then he would be duped to give up his rights to it.

Mrs Astor can't know what happens in the future. The Academy has had a long list of "new money" people who had waited for years a box of their own, so she is confident that they will be happy now when they finally get it - i.e. that being socially accepted by the "old money" is more important to them than listening Metropolitan's superior musical program. Not that such as Bertha cares for music, evidently Metropolitan can offer other benefits that helps it to win.

I would believe it if Turner had married a naive young man like Larry, but I find strange that an older gentleman like her husband wouldn't try to find out her background. Of course, we don't her background, either. Maybe her family lost their fortune and she was forced to work. In the first season she always thought to be better than other servants.

Before that it was shown that he hung up his mobile.

If you are supposed to drive in the moning, you can't drink in the evening, either. If Diana had used her seat belt, she wouldn't have died. People often get such ideas when they are grieving and can't accept that accidents happpen. I don't deny that also Western secret services can commit assassinations but I don't believe that preventing an Atab from becoming the future King's stepfather would be a reason enough for the British Government - the BRF could command it. And nobody had an inkling that Diana would marry Dodi which was rather a consolation fantasy to Al-Fayed. Before all, a conspiracy would have demanded dozens of people (including the French police and hospital staff) to keep silent.

In the show Mou Mou himself destroyed any chance that Diana would have seen Dodi able to guarantee her security and privacy. Even luxury depended on his father's good will. Instead, Onassis who owned not only a yacht but also a private island had much better means to give luxury, security and privacy. After the murders of her husband and brother-in-law Jackie feared for her children's life.

He already told that he was going to say to his sons: "I have been promised that we can be in peace if we allow one photo ops." And just that had regularly happened before. Balmoral was usually safe, but Diana had been tried to picturerd when she (only an unknown girl at that time) dated Charles.

Yes, but George couldn't foresee that Turner will marry with a man with an old money and was a fool enough to "tell" Bertha. As a servant she couldn't do it, if she didn't want to be fired. On the other hand, George showed astonisning naivety for a robber baron towards Turner, speaking only that she had made a "mistake" that could be forgiven and forgotten, when her act showed her calculating and mercenary (I don't believe that she loved George as she claimed) and lack common decency and loyalty towards her mistress. So, George had all reasons to tell Bertha, because (a) he knew that, unliked many other wives, she would have believed him (b) Turner shouldn't have stayed at Russell's because she is a born troublemaker.

After Archie, Gladys has no man who she loves. Instead, there is the duke who Bertha supposedly plans to marry Gladys. Therefore, Bertha vs. George is rather: would George support Gladys if Bertha manipulates her daughter to marry without love? And what would George do if Gladys thinks, as she did with Oscar, that any marriage is a way from her mother's power?

On the contrary. There were many official photoshoots about the whole family, and after the divorce both Charles and Diana on holiday promised a photoshoot if paparazzi leave boys alone after that.

Because she had told him not to use his own money, she accepted his white lie. But he may have told the truth: he could have got new people to buy boxes.

Before Enid kills her husband, she has better learn about his testament. But even a rich widow would't do for the duke. He wants a young and innocent heiress.

I believe that the plot will concentrate on Agnes's unability to let Ada get happiness that she never got. Ada has a kind character, so she can be moved to break her engagement if Agnes pleads that leaving her would mean forgetting a debt of gratitude. I hope that Agnes finally wins her envy and fear of loneliness and as well as ceases to belittle Ada and begins to show her affection and respect she needs. Agnes's lonely dinner was a fine scene as it without any words showed how much also she is dependent on her sister's company, although she has so often reminded Ada on her financial dependency.

I agree. The only explanation is that he is as a rich man's son he is accustomed to get all he wants (his father even let him become an architect) without giving up nothing. Also, when a person is in love, he can't think clearly such things as: how would I and my wife feel if people were sniggering at our age difference behind our backs? what kind of life we will have after 20 years? And as Larry is 20ies, he probably haven't even thought if he wants kids or not, especially as at the age without sure contraceptives the problem was rather not to get too many and at too short intervals.

Raikes had met Marion in their hometown and he visited her at Agnes's and then they met in the opera and his office and made a trip to listen to Red Cross woman...so, it wasn't very speedy. Instead, Raikes had met the rich woman for who he jilted Marian, only two times - and from the beginning she flirted with him.

Well, Bertha was right by telling her the truth: their age difference didn't matter now, but after 20years he would be in the same situation as she was with her old husband - waiting her to die (and keeping a younger mistress). Understandable she didn't like that, whatever good they had now, sooner or later he would cease to love her or even hate to be bound to her. Instead, Larry behaved very selfishly and childishly. He said he loved her and even wanted to marry her, but didn't care for her reputation during their relationship and hadn't thought a bit what kind of marriage they would have. (The difference to today is that they could divorce.)