S05.E02: Episode Two

[darkestboy]

Okayish episode. I just wish Edith got her kid back because these contrivances to be in Marigold's life are going to get old very fast.

Mary and Tony continue to have no chemistry. Charles and her do. He would be the better choice for her.

The stuff with the wireless was amusing enough. Continue to enjoy Rose as a character.

Nice to see the Great Intelligence show up in this episode and take an interest in Cora as well. Robert was annoying to a degree in this episode.

Bunting is okay as a character. I do like that she's helping Daisy though.

Nice scenes with Thomas and Anna and Violet and Isobel in this one too, 7/10

[Andorra]

I also agree that telling his wife would be a big betrayal of Drewe. He told Edith it would be their secret alone and he's too honorable now to change that. Also we don't know Marge enough to know how she would react. It weren't just the mothers who got stigmatized when they got a child out of wedlock. Marigold would be stigmatized, too. Would Marge look at her differently? How would she behave towards Edith? Would she go and gossip with her friends about her?

 

What I don't find that believable about that storyline is how reluctant Mrs Drewe is to accept Edith as Marigold's godmother. As a sensible woman she should be delighted about it, because it opens so much more opportunities for Marigold.

[Llywela]

What I don't find that believable about that storyline is how reluctant Mrs Drewe is to accept Edith as Marigold's godmother. As a sensible woman she should be delighted about it, because it opens so much more opportunities for Marigold.

Perhaps, but as a mother who has accepted this child as her own, she clearly resents the implication that Marigold needs special favours, as if the maternal love and care she has offered are not enough. The life she and her husband have given Marigold has been perfectly adequate for their own children, so I can't blame her for resenting the imposition of an outsider into the life of the little girl they've adopted. She doesn't know Edith has an ulterior motive. And the way the suggestion was framed was a bit clumsy, really, with Drew prompting a stumbling Edith every step of the way. If Edith had said, "Mrs Drew, I've seen the love and care you and your husband have lavished on this poor little orphan and it touched me deeply, I have great respect for the way you have opened your hearts and home to her, but understand that it can't be easy to have an extra mouth to feed and body to clothe when you already have a family of your own. I have some money and status and am childless and likely to remain so, so please allow me to ease the strain on your household by playing a role in little Marigold's life," it might have come across a little better. As it was, Mrs Drew clearly felt judged and found wanting.

[kpw801]

Perhaps, but as a mother who has accepted this child as her own, she clearly resents the implication that Marigold needs special favours, as if the maternal love and care she has offered are not enough. The life she and her husband have given Marigold has been perfectly adequate for their own children, so I can't blame her for resenting the imposition of an outsider into the life of the little girl they've adopted. She doesn't know Edith has an ulterior motive. And the way the suggestion was framed was a bit clumsy, really, with Drew prompting a stumbling Edith every step of the way. If Edith had said, "Mrs Drew, I've seen the love and care you and your husband have lavished on this poor little orphan and it touched me deeply, I have great respect for the way you have opened your hearts and home to her, but understand that it can't be easy to have an extra mouth to feed and body to clothe when you already have a family of your own. I have some money and status and am childless and likely to remain so, so please allow me to ease the strain on your household by playing a role in little Marigold's life," it might have come across a little better. As it was, Mrs Drew clearly felt judged and found wanting.

I agree with that completely.  Plus, most sensible people even if they are only emotionally involved in one child in the family, would still take some small amount of interest in the other children as well.  It could only benefit the entire family to have Edith take on Marigold as a sort of ward.

I also think that the Baxter/Barrow thing is a lazy way to try to bring back the O'Brien/Barrow chemistry.  A lot of the writing for Thomas has been pretty stupid lately.  I think it is really rich the way Thomas sneers that Baxter is a thief when the main reason Carson had been trying to get rid of him for several seasons was that he was a thief and constantly trying to make it look like Bates is a thief.  I also find it hard to believe that after everything Bates did to help foil O'Brien's plot to get Thomas fired that Thomas would show absolutely no gratitude and try to stick it to Bates about Greene.  After all, right now he has no reason to resent Bates.  He out ranks him now.  In season one his animosity was based on the fact that Bates had the valet job he wanted and he wanted him out of the way.  Now he is no longer a footman (which he was frustrated by in seasons 1-2).  He is the under butler and a senior member of staff so the beef against Bates does not make any sense.  He is supposed to want to have a friend and to belong but he goes out of his way to alienate the one person who helped save his job?  I don't buy it.  Bad writing IMO.

[ZulaMay]

I have to say, again, I am a bit disappointed in how Drewe approaches his wife.  I was rather in love with this character last season, how he was so kind and understanding to Edith in the CS....more so than her family has been.  He was just such a mensch!  And he still is, I suppose, but his "man of the house" air with Margie is at such odds with how he handles Edith.  He treats Edith with kid gloves and is supremely sensitive to her feelings.  With Margie?  He clearly loves her but he seems to expect her to do his bidding.  

 

Example:  when she told him Edith had a "soft spot" for him and he retorted "don't be daft!" in a rather dismissive way.  He is a different man with his wife:  not a bad one, but not the rather dreamy (IMO) figure he is with Lady Edith of the Manor.

 

It just highlights the class system, how bred-in-the-bone it is for his kind.  The Crawleys get his deference, he bends over backwards for them.  His wife he loves and respects but she is not "above" him and he doesn't treat her as such.

[Tetraneutron]

 

What I don't find that believable about that storyline is how reluctant Mrs Drewe is to accept Edith as Marigold's godmother. As a sensible woman she should be delighted about it, because it opens so much more opportunities for Marigold.

Some people have an independent streak. Some people don't want to see one child favoured while your other kids are ignored. Some people hate the local rulers. 

 

 

I also think that the Baxter/Barrow thing is a lazy way to try to bring back the O'Brien/Barrow chemistry.  A lot of the writing for Thomas has been pretty stupid lately.  I think it is really rich the way Thomas sneers that Baxter is a thief when the main reason Carson had been trying to get rid of him for several seasons was that he was a thief and constantly trying to make it look like Bates is a thief.

 

Everything involving Thomas is ridiculous. Why is he still there? They've made such a big stinking point about how TIMES ARE CHANGING and they only have one kitchenmaid and one footman, but they have a butler and an under butler? Cora said she doesn't trust him, so it's not like he's done a good job of ingratiating himself with the house. No one likes him or wants him around. Not the Crawleys and not Carson or Mrs. Hughes. Sure, they had him save Edith from the fire, so that bought him some goodwill, but he (a) stole that cigarette case or whatever it was, (b) sold food on the black market (or tried to) and I bet Robert the loyal British subject would just LOVE that, and © is gay, which is a crime. Someone could tell Baxter about the first two and she knows about the third.

 

Not to mention, why does Thomas even WANT to be there? As the show keeps beating us over the head with, service is dying and everyone's moving into other jobs. Wouldn't someone like Thomas, ambitious, resentful of being working-class, be the first one moving to London to try and be a clerk or something? The Crawleys would probably help him out like they did with Gwen and Alfred, even it it was just to be rid of him. At first, his attitude was logical because he was trying to rise in the house hierarchy to be a butler. But now he's gone as high as he will with the Crawley and doesn't even seem to be trying to get another post. I get why he's there, because every show needs a villain, but it beggars belief. And they are STRAINING to have plots for him. 

[kpw801]

I have to say, again, I am a bit disappointed in how Drewe approaches his wife.  I was rather in love with this character last season, how he was so kind and understanding to Edith in the CS....more so than her family has been.  He was just such a mensch!  And he still is, I suppose, but his "man of the house" air with Margie is at such odds with how he handles Edith.  He treats Edith with kid gloves and is supremely sensitive to her feelings.  With Margie?  He clearly loves her but he seems to expect her to do his bidding.  

 

Example:  when she told him Edith had a "soft spot" for him and he retorted "don't be daft!" in a rather dismissive way.  He is a different man with his wife:  not a bad one, but not the rather dreamy (IMO) figure he is with Lady Edith of the Manor.

 

It just highlights the class system, how bred-in-the-bone it is for his kind.  The Crawleys get his deference, he bends over backwards for them.  His wife he loves and respects but she is not "above" him and he doesn't treat her as such.

Deference is an understatement.  You know what I noticed?  In the house whenever the family comes down to the servants hall everyone always jumps up to attention and remains standing unless told to sit or until the family member leaves.  When Edith entered the Drew household everyone stood up for her just like the servants do at the abbey.  What is up with that?  It is like they are local royalty.  If so, that would explain Drew's differing attitude between Edith and Margie.

[kpw801]

I'm right there with you. I think Kevin Doyle's Mr. Mosely  has always been the underappreciated performance on this show. It's hard to embue a sad sack with real weight and nobility. His expression and quiver of his voice when Baxter was recounting her story was just beautifully done, while still trying to process some hope and respect for someone he obviously has grown to care for.

And the other thing about Molsley is he is extremely strait laced.  Remember during the Ethel drama he said that if he had known she had been a woman of the streets, he wouldn't have been able to eat another bite of food at the infamous luncheon.  He is going to have struggle with himself if he is to get past Baxter's criminal history.  I think they should hurry up and let the cat out of the bag about why she did what she did.  They wrapped up the tiresome Edna Braithwaite mess within a couple of episodes.  This thing with Baxter is really annoying.

[Tetraneutron]

 

It is like they are local royalty.  If so, that would explain Drew's differing attitude between Edith and Margie.

They are local royalty. That's the whole point of the system. They rent land from the Crawleys, which they farm, and that's how it's been generations. The Crawleys are the patrons of the area. The whole village is geared toward Downton.  

 

We've seen in the past how everyone in the village defers to them, how having Rose present school prizes is a big honour. That's the world. The crawlers are the local poobahs. I think Marge feels some combination of wanting to protect her child from being influenced by someone so powerful, whose capacity for cruelty could be far-reaching, due to the extreme power imbalance, and from the fear her husband is cheating on her with Edith. 

 

I still wonder why Drewe is helping her, though. I mean, other than because the Crawleys are awesome and everyone wants things to work out for them. Does he not delight in having some big secret he can use to his advantage? Not even in a bad way - a break on the rent, help with living so close to the bone in exchange for taking on another mouth to feed and clothe? Hope he can move up in the world? Nothing but pure kindness? 

[shipperx]

I think part of it may be kidness but a bigger chunk may be gratitude.  Wasn't there a plot last season about the way his (fathers?) family was going to lose the farm but the Crawley's allowed him to step in and gave him a chance to set thing aright?  That along with the general thought that they're his 'bosses' as it were, goes a long way toward why Drewe would be deferential (though he should tell his wife that Edith is Marigold's biological mother.  I think that wife should trump Crawley).

[ZulaMay]

Last season I thought it was pure kindness and perhaps a bit of gratitude for the family making a fair deal with him regarding the farm.  I think he wants to do the right thing:  now he's committed to it for the sake of Edith and Marigold, and trying to work around his wife.  He's taken on quite a burden.

 

To be fair I don't think Edith has lorded her position over him at all.  She was very grateful that he agreed to do it, asked if he was sure he could manage it, told him sincerely how much his kindness and decency meant to her.  She feels genuinely indebted to him.  Yes, he is deferential to her and so is his wife to some degree but that is just the system.  Edith is not one to act superior with people.  

 

I don't think she is taking him for granted, but I do think she has a blind spot with regard to his wife, whom she doesn't know as well and who doesn't share the secret as he does.

Edited October 1, 2014 by ZulaMay

[Athena]

I do like Mr Drewe too and he is trying to do the best. He has sympathy for Edith and is grateful to the Crawley family. I can also see how he could have a little crush on Edith. It's not the first farmer that's been smitten with her!

 

I continue to like the VIolet/Isobel dating hijinks. I don't know what is going on but their facial expressions alone is better than the Bunting plot. Bunting was less annoying this episode at least.

 

The actor who plays Mosley is unsurprisingly very good. I thought he did so well. I like this plot too if only because of how much the acting is selling it. This happens in most of the shows I watch, but the hokeyness of this show, the costumes and acting make up for a lot.

 

Cora has got someone crushing on her. Richard E. Grant's character is smitten, but Cora looks like she always does. It was hilarious how exasperated she was with Robert this episode.

 

Finally, the triangle. Blake looked better than he did last season. He has a lot more chemistry with Mary and he is Matthew 2.0 basically. The only reason I haven't hated Tony up to this point is the fact that Tom Cullen plays him. Him being Tatiana Maslany's man elevates him in my eye. But Tony is coming off as smarmy and unctuous. Oh, Mary. 

[Primetimer]

While Mary makes Anna go buy her birth control, Lord G resists Rose's relentless pro-wireless lobbying...for a while.

Read the story

[Kohola3]

There's a witness? Oh, please, just no. Enough already.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Who is this witness, Deux Ex Machina?

Edited January 12, 2015 by MrsRafaelBarba

[LittleIggy]

I actually agreed with Robert! On the memorial, that is. It needed to be in town. He and Carson cracked me up with their huffing and puffing about the radio. Oh, yeah, and quit flirting with my bitch! ;-)

[Lila82]

I can't be the only one who thought Mary would try out that diaphragm with Blake, right???  I mean, the guy got her to say the word "sex".  I can see her attraction to him, as he does share qualities with Matthew, but there's a rawness to him while Matthew was more charming.  Tony is...tall?  As a lady only a few inches from six feet I can understand the appeal, but any man who includes scrumptious and making love in the same conversation is a hard pass.

 

 

Mary also continues her track record of as the most glorious of bitches.  I so want Lady Edith to get a win, but I have to laugh whenever Mary blames her for burning down her room.

 

Carson and Mrs. Hughes are adorable but exhausting.  

[HoodlumSheep]

I love how Isis is pretty much the official 4th daughter of Robert's. he loves that do so much. It's hilarious and endearing. I'm the same with animals, so it's something we have in common.

The Edith/Mr. Drewe plan didn't go so well. Farmer Drewe was kind of pushy, I won't be surprised if his wife confronts him about what's going on.

Miss Bunting appears to be a good teacher. That's the only positive thing I can say about her really.

Oh, Mary, why? Why????? I liked her green (?) dress. I love it when she she wears something with more color, like tonight's dress, or that blue coat.

Dear, sweet Mr. Moseley. If there's one person I want to get a happy ending, it's him. He was the mvp of the episode for me. The actor really sold his scenes. I love him with Ms. Baxter too. There does seem to be something she's omitting from her story...

Hard to feel sympathy towards Thomas. He says that sometimes he wishes he belonged/could befriends with the downstairs cruel, but continues to menace people left and right.

[heebiejeebie]

What is it with the heavy handed Robert Is Right theme?  He is an ass and then in something tangently related Fellowes drags out a tiny meaningless cross to let him straddle to rehabilitate him.  From the cloying cricket match seasons ago to now.  ugh

 

Mary goes to Gill the Ham and Blake shows up.  This is now a year or so right?  Enough already.  Why can't Fellowes resolve stuff.

 

Why he can.  But then he has to bring it back in a slightly different form.  Bates Murder II.  Yawn 

 

And Edith still mopes and whimpers.  I get the general idea behind what Edith is going through.  The execution sucks.

 

I'm glad Bunting had enough awareness to refuse the invitation.  I just wish she wasn't around in the first place.  And I'm still not sure why the other characters insist on putting her with Tom when I have seen little to no interest on his part to prompt their concern or efforts.  Let alone the fact she is rude, poorly mannered and would not be invited to dinner where they still dress.  Tea or a garden party or a larger less formal family event yes.  Bringing her around to dinner because she was hired by the downstairs because she is "Tom's friend" is reaching.

 

Rose seems to have regressed.  Wasn't she the one who was involved with a married man when we were introduced to her?  Then to show bravada she wanted to get with Jack Ross.  Now she seems a bit more simpering and wide-eyed.  Julian waves his wand and they all go back to Go with a get out of jail card handy (though if we have to spend a couple of episodes of Bates back in jail I'm hunting Fellowes down and beating him with the seasons three and four blu ray set editions.

[Eegah]

I was quite pleasantly surprised by the argument about the Russian Revolution. Usually (as last week with Sarah) Robert's clearly in the wrong but we're meant to agree with him because he's more polite, but here it was a clear case of Robert and Tom both completely talking past each other. The Revolution was a very messy situation that boiled down to replacing one group of assholes with another group of assholes, but with less than a decade to process it I can absolutely understand why each of them is still sticking to their own version, especially with no Internet around to reveal how nasty both the nobles and the Bolshevicks were.

[magdalene]

After watching the repeat of the first couple of hours of the superb PBS classic THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN with its compelling and tragic love affair this evening just before Downton ABBEY Mary and Gillingham come across as especially irrelevant and tedious.

[twoods]

Mosley (and Mrs Baxter) continue to be the only enjoyment for me on this show. I love Tom as well but he barely does anything anymore.

[helenamonster]

I liked this episode. Most of it was lighthearted and fun, so I wasn't expecting it to end on the cliffhangery note that it did. Poor Mrs. Hughes. She doesn't want to know everyone's business but she does. They better build her her own wing onto the abbey when she decides to retire...the things she's done for damn near everyone in that house, I swear.

 

I am actively enjoying Donk, but probably because the show seems to be admitting that he really is an asshole. "They can't tear up my cricket pitch for a war memorial that I didn't even get to head! That Bunting woman should be shot and thrown in the river! She's literally dragging a kicking and screaming Sybbie form this house as we speak! Clifford from Spiceworld better back the fuck up and leave Isis alone!" It's delightful.

 

Speaking of Clifford, I see the Spice Bus took a little bit of a detour. Hello, Richard E. Grant! He totes magotes wants on Cora. Am I wrong in actively wishing for this affair? Imagine how angry Donk will get! The various enraged outbursts he could have are endless! What a time to be alive.

 

The goodbye scene between Jimmy/Thomas was very sweet and I think wrapped up their complicated relationship quite nicely.

 

Sarah wasn't as annoying this episode. I thought she was very sweet in the way she approached tutoring Daisy, and I liked that she passed up an opportunity to fight some more with Donk. But she don't know shit about Tom's relationship to his family.

 

Golden Globe winner (yay!) Joanne Froggatt was cray cray adorbz in this episode. I mean...Anna? Getting a light-hearted story? That didn't involve Bates? It's like my birthday and Christmas all wrapped into one. I give Mary a lot of shit but I honestly think her relationship with Anna is one of the most stable in the history of the show. I mean, they're the closest either of them currently has to a best friend. Yeah, it was shitty of Mary to put the burden of shame on Anna and pretty much force her to buy what I assume is a diaphragm, but Anna is more than her lady's maid. She literally helped her move a dead body. There just seems to be a certain level of trust and understanding between the two of them. Mary can be self-centered and demanding, but I 100% believe she'd take a bullet for Anna. I also loved the little moment Anna had with Thomas. It reminded me of the one they had after Sybil died. Despite their history being plagued with drawn battle lines, they know when to put the nastiness away with each other. Of course, Bates doesn't factor into that equation for Thomas, but that would be a tall order.

 

#TeamMargieDrewe

[LakeGal]

I was hoping that Blake and Rose would start flirting.  It would have annoyed Mary and I would have enjoyed that. 

[Amelie06]

I thought Mary was incredibly annoying in her scene with Blake. She seemed to be rubbing it in that she was choosing Gillingham over Blake. Why do that? I know the writer was indicating that there is still something there between them, but it just made her seem like a bitch. She was doing a genteel version of blowing raspberries at the man. I don't blame him for shit talking Gillingham by the fire. He tried to leave without saying anything and she basically asked for him to bless her fuckfest with Gillingham. (I know she meant her stupid relationship, but we all know she was really focusing on the sex week.) That being said, I do need to throw out a hearty "Get it Girl" to Mary. Tony is kind of weird and has terrible taste in valets, but the man is cute. As long as she can keep him occupied enough that he doesn't speak, things should be ok.

Boo to cute Jimmy being written off the show. I guess he is lucky to not be killed off. I think his friendship with Thomas was a wasted opportunity for the show. But I'm no expert. I'm sure following Mary being a vicious bitch and Edith being a sad bitch is much more worthy and not at all repetitive.

I love this speculation we're working on, accusing Tony or Mrs. Hughes of killing that valet. That would probably happen on a much more interesting show. Maybe they were working together! I hope this murder mystery is over soon. It's not particularly engrossing.

[Lillybee]

Daisy continues to impress and I was glad that she offered to pay for the tutoring. I am also impressed that Mrs Padmore declined her offer.

[TomGirl]

Loved this exchange while they were all listening to the King on the wireless:

Mrs. Patmore (whispering) - "I don't suppose he can hear us?"

Daisy: "No, it doesn't work that way."

[madam magpie]

Any time Mary slips back into bitch mode is fun for me, and she got a couple of good shots in tonight. Anna seemed uncomfortable buying the diaphragm (condoms??) and yeah, technically Mary is the boss, but I agree with helenamonster that Mary would take a bullet for Anna and basically they're very good friends, so I didn't mind that scene at all. I also think that if Anna had refused (which obviously Anna the Saint would never have done), Mary would have been disappointed but nothing would have happened. Mary's not going to fire Anna; they're too close for that, and despite her faults, Mary is unfailingly loyal. So I just found the whole thing amusing.

I was a little surprised the local pharmacy would have just stocked and sold birth control back then. It seems like more of a back alley thing, but I don't actually know.

I think Mrs. Drewe is genuinely concerned Edith will get bored with Marigold. Mr. Drewe obviously knows that isn't true, but it's a legitimate worry. I feel like everyone needs to be more suspicious on this show, to tell the truth. I'm suspicious of Mr. Drewe and Tony. Why aren't the characters??

Could it be possible that Mrs. Hughes orchestrated Greene's murder? That would be awesome, but seems farfetched.

The Isobel/Granny dating shenanigans are hilarious, and I loved everyone standing to listen to the king on the radio.

In other news, way to go, Joanne Froggatt!! She seemed genuinely stunned to win and was pretty charming.

Edited January 12, 2015 by madam magpie

[Nire]

I liked this episode better then last week's.  I really liked the scenes with Baxter and Mosley.  I hope Baxter is allowed to stay and Mosley comes around about the idea that she is a thief.  I still feel like there are missing details too.  I also hope Thomas moves on from bullying her because it's been done to death. 

 

I feel for everyone in the Marigold situation.  Poor Edith is miserable without her daughter and Mrs. Drewe has every right to be frustrated by this situation.  This upper class woman is swooping in and playing house with a child that Mrs. Drewe is raising.  I would assume Mr. Drewe has his reasons for not being honest with his wife perhaps she's a bit of a gossip and the whole village would have found out very quickly?  I'm curious to how this will all play out.

 

If we're going to return to the Green mystery it better not be Bates who killed him nor should it focus on just Bates.  The only way I'll find it interesting is if it's somebody unsuspected and they don't linger on Bates for too long.  Otherwise it's just too much repetition.

[ShadowFacts]

I actually thought this episode was less funny than the first one, and I thought to myself at one point, why am I continuing to listen to these pretentious people in their dining room and drawing room natterings?  I am fed up with Mary's whole schtick, Robert is badly in need of a hobby, Edith's stalking at the Drewe's is getting very old, and Cora is yapping too much about nothing but social arrangements.  I still enjoy some of the servants' storylines, minus Bates as a possible murderer.  I join others in thinking it was actually Tony getting Greene out of the way of his goal of marrying the lovely Mary.

 

Thomas and Jimmy's goodbye was touching, as was Anna's looking in on Thomas afterward.  The actor who plays Thomas just gets me to the point of disgust, and then shows that sad vulnerability and I can't hate him.  He does a terrific job of showing self-loathing, I think.  It's why he can't accept friendship or stop screwing with Bates and Baxter.

 

I thought Sarah Bunting was a very good, enthusiastic teacher to Daisy.  Since she usually teaches children, adult education would be different, she's putting her money where her mouth is in wanting to improve things for lower class people.  She was prepared to do it at no cost.  She also showed good judgment in not going to dinner, and her parting words to Tom sort of felt to me like she doesn't really have a romantic interest in him, but a platonic one.  However, re-igniting (or moving up from the back burner) Tom's dilemma about where he fits is also getting repetitive.  Even if I did love Tom refusing to back down at dinner.  The women of the family love him, but Robert's attitude is going to drive him away.

 

I had to laugh when Blake cut off's Mary's musings about sex and the single girl and abruptly left the room.  That should happen more often, and I'd like to see someone shut down Carson in a similar way.  His pomposity knows no bounds.

 

 

[terrymct]

Oh man, I laughed and laughed at Robert's indignant "tell him to stop flirting... with Isis!"

 

Especially since it's not Robert's dog that he's flirting with.  The way the art guy (his name isn't sticking in my head) talked to Cora, it seemed like they had met before although Cora gave no indication of that.

 

Regarding the policeman at the end and the investigation.  OMG, please just drop that story line.  It's never been good and now it's way past its expiration date.

Oh man, I laughed and laughed at Robert's indignant "tell him to stop flirting... with Isis!"

 

Especially since it's not Robert's dog that he's flirting with.  The way the art guy (his name isn't sticking in my head) talked to Cora, it seemed like they had met before although Cora gave no indication of that.

 

Regarding the policeman at the end and the investigation.  OMG, please just drop that story line.  It's never been good and now it's way past its expiration date.

[Haleth]

The scene where Violet stood up to listen to the king on the wireless cracked me up.  

 

What wasn't so cute was Anna being forced to purchase the diaphragm.  I'm afraid the storyline will be that someone finds out, a scandal ensues, and Bates thinks Anna is trying to avoid getting pregnant.  Then he kills the pharmacist.

 

I also guess that the truth about Marigold comes out when the wife accuses her husband of having an affair with Edith, scandal ensues, and Bates kills the Pig Man.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Haleth

[Constantinople]

Sometimes I think JF writes disagreements for the sake of filling air time.  Given how traditional Carson is, I find it hard to imagine he'd want the war memorial anywhere other than the village center that's likely been around for hundreds of years.

[mikem]

I thought Bunting wasn't as annoying as she's been in previous episodes, but I'm still not understanding why Tom is interested in her.  She isn't particularly nice to him (or anyone), she treats his family badly, and she isn't particularly good-looking.  They don't have any chemistry, either.  I don't get it.

[terrymct]

I thought Bunting wasn't as annoying as she's been in previous episodes, but I'm still not understanding why Tom is interested in her.  She isn't particularly nice to him (or anyone), she treats his family badly, and she isn't particularly good-looking.  They don't have any chemistry, either.  I don't get it.

 

I think it's because he's comfortable with her.  Her views are similar to his.  She doesn't feel that he's below her in class.

[monakane]

 

Robert totally loves Isis more than he loves his wife and daughters.   It isn't even close.  

 

So do I!

[TexasGal]

What wasn't so cute was Anna being forced to purchase the diaphragm.  I'm afraid the storyline will be that someone finds out, a scandal ensues, and Bates thinks Anna is trying to avoid getting pregnant.  Then he kills the pharmacist.

 

I will be shocked if the news of Anna's purchase doesn't make it back to Bates, who then thinks Anna is using the diaphragm.  And Anna out of loyalty to Mary can't tell him why she purchased it, blah blahcakes.  But, heh, on killing the pharmacist.

 

Reading comments from the UK viewers back in September, they were speculating Tony may have killed his valet.  Mary did end up telling him about Anna's rape, didn't she?  And how Anna wouldn't be comfortable having the valet at Downton?  Hmmm....maybe he is very, very evil.

Edited January 12, 2015 by TexasGal

[Boton]

I actually rather liked the build-up to Anna buying the pessary/diaphram for Mary.  Realistically, no one was going to sell an unmarried woman birth control, so Mary needed someone who was known to be married (and with a living husband).  That's also a good excuse for Anna to make the purchase in town; if she's known, it's known that she's married, and there's less chance of her being turned away.

 

Of course, given the amount of communication that simply doesn't happen in this show, we can predict (no spoilers, just guessing) that last week's comment from Bates about the pair not having a baby yet combined with someone no doubt spilling the beans about this purchase will lead to Anna/Bates drama for the entire season, because Anna will feel like she can't betray Lady Mary even to her own husband, and he will be furious that she's practicing birth control (he thinks).  As if the pair of them wouldn't actually be comparing notes in bed every night about what they learned about their various upstairs charges.

[izabella]

A lot of people have said Anna bought a diaphragm for Mary.  I don't think that's possible.  Diaphragms come in different sizes and need to be measured and fitted properly (or they don't work!!) by a doctor.  You can't go and buy one in a drug store, even today.  Would it have been realistic to be able to pick up a diaphragm in a drug store in the 20's in rural England?

 

I also think it must be condoms because Anna said she wanted to go back and buy a dozen more. 

 

On the other hand, I don't know what Mary thought 1 condom would do for a whole sex week. 

 

I'm very confused.

[Kat From Jersey]

So, Mrs. Hughes killed Green, huh? And framed Bates by putting the ticket in his pocket? That's...awesome.

 

(...Or not -- she's probably just upset that Bates might get caught. I like my theory better.)

Heh!  As much as I like Mrs. Hughes, I'd love to see your theory played out, just to shake things up a bit!

 

Hmm, lessee, this episode...

Mary saying something snarky and demeaning to Edith: check

Mary delighting in two men fawning all over her: check (can you tell I really want to slap Mary upside her head?)

Violet and Isobel's snarking endearingly at each other:  check (although I love seeing those two go at it!)

Robert declaring that the wireless is just a fad: check. I'm half expecting him to declare the 'horseless carriage' a passing fancy that will soon die out.

Dragging out the Baxter drama: check

Poor Edith almost dissolving in tears at the sight of her secret daughter, and even more so when the farmer's wife took her away: check

 

I did love the Thomas/Jimmy goodbye scene, though.  I like that he's self-aware enough to know that he loves to create drama in other people's lives.  Too bad JF probably won't ever explore that side of him.

 

I also loved how horrified Robert was that they were considering destroying the beloved cricket pitch that's used, you know, for the cricket!  I can't imagine him every playing cricket, other than maybe for the yearly town vs. estate match, if that; but still, tradition and all that, what ho?

 

I always enjoy Rose and her wardrobe, and her 'modern' sensibilities shaking up the house.  I enjoy Cora always seeming to get the upper hand on Robert and his stuffy manners.

[laddibugg]

A lot of people have said Anna bought a diaphragm for Mary.  I don't think that's possible.  Diaphragms come in different sizes and need to be measured and fitted properly (or they don't work!!) by a doctor.  You can't go and buy one in a drug store, even today.  Would it have been realistic to be able to pick up a diaphragm in a drug store in the 20's in rural England?

 

I also think it must be condoms because Anna said she wanted to go back and buy a dozen more. 

 

On the other hand, I don't know what Mary thought 1 condom would do for a whole sex week. 

 

I'm very confused.

People today think you can reuse condoms, I would not be surprised it someone thought that 100 years ago. 

[Zahdii]

God, I can see it happening now.  Edith gets to be godmother to Marigold and then one night the pig man's whole house goes up in flames, and the only survivor is, you guessed it, Marigold.  Pig farmer managed to toss her out the window just in time, faithful to the end.

 

Now Edith gets a perfectly reasonable excuse to raise her own daughter.

[FineWashables]

I was surprised when the first thing Rose heard on the radio was her old squeeze Jack Ross.  I do hope he comes back into the story somewhere.  That could become a really compelling subplot, if done right.  He and the obnoxious teacher would make an interesting team.

 

I also keep hoping for the return of Edith's old flame and babydaddy.  There were so many unanswered questions in that plotline.  What was the paper she signed?  Surely this wasn't arbitrary and meaningless; JF is a better writer than that.  I know we were meant to think he'd been a victim of some sorts, but could he possibly be collaborating now with the new regime in Germany?

 

Also: who the hell named that kid Marigold?  Edith, or the pig parents?  It's a very, very awful name.

 

Since the pharmacist wanted to know if Anna wanted more than one device, I'm assuming she was sold a condom, not a diaphragm.  I don't pick up any chemistry between Mary and either one of her suitors, although I have a lingering fondness for Blake because of the pig-watering incident.  Mary made a nice little speech to Anna about needing to be sure she's sexually compatible with a man before agreeing to marry him.  I'd enjoy it if Mary now dumped Gillingham for being bad in bed, especially after seeing him splayed seductively in the doorway.  Won't anybody be suspicious when Mary returns without any sketches?  I wonder if Gillingham is setting her up for scandal by having her use her own name at the hotel, and I wonder how often unmarried women stayed alone in hotels.  

 

 

[Avaleigh]

I was surprised when the first thing Rose heard on the radio was her old squeeze Jack Ross.

 

 

Really? I totally didn't catch this. I love that sort of continuity and don't always expect it on this show.

[Constantinople]

Won't anybody be suspicious when Mary returns without any sketches?

I doubt anyone will care enough to want to see them, and Mary can always say they were so embarrassingly bad that she threw them away.

 

ETA: I suppose if Bricker is still around when Mary returns, he might ask.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Constantinople

[Little Ann]

Has everyone forgotten that Baxter and her soap placement caused Cora's miscarriage?  I wonder if that will ever be addressed, or have I missed it?  That would be a lot worse than stealing some jewels.

[Avaleigh]

Has everyone forgotten that Baxter and her soap placement caused Cora's miscarriage?  I wonder if that will ever be addressed, or have I missed it?  That would be a lot worse than stealing some jewels.

 

 

Little Ann, that wasn't Baxter with the soap, that was O'Brien who left the family in the first episode of season 4 so that she could go work for Rose's mother Susan in India.

Edited January 12, 2015 by Avaleigh

[Ketzel]

When Mary asks Anna to buy her contraception, she shows her a copy of Marie Stopes' "Wise Parenting," an early manual on family planning and points to a picture showing her what to buy. The only pictures in the manual are of what Stopes calls a "check pessary," an early form of the diaphragm. They did come in sizes and need to be fitted, although it was difficult-to-impossible to find a physician who was capable and willing to fit them at the time. I believe the pharmacist would sell them based on the height/weight of the woman, and on her number of pregnancies, since Stopes advises that a woman who has given birth will need a larger size than one who has not. [Random information provided with thanks to my Social History of Women university course.]

[Constantinople]

Has everyone forgotten that Baxter and her soap placement caused Cora's miscarriage?  I wonder if that will ever be addressed, or have I missed it?  That would be a lot worse than stealing some jewels.

 

That was O'Brien with the soap, Cora's lady's maid at the start of the series

[terrymct]

Has everyone forgotten that Baxter and her soap placement caused Cora's miscarriage?  I wonder if that will ever be addressed, or have I missed it?  That would be a lot worse than stealing some jewels.

 

That was O'Brien, Cora's lady's maid before Baxter.  She left to be a lady's maid for a woman who was going to India.