Season 6 Speculation WITH Spoilers (US)

[caligirl50]

In the spoilers at the TV Critics lunch in LA this week/last week, a line was uttered, "who needs an under butler these days?"  I paraphrased but that made me think that Thomas will FINALLY get the boot. Not a fan of the character...I wished they would have shown him get nicer through the seasons. We'll see!

[Badger]

They did show him being nicer in the Christmas episode.  Remember the scene where he put on an apron and helped chop up fruit for the punch?  Before, he would have said it was beneath his dignity.

[Andorra]

According to Gareth Neame the main theme will be Mary finding love again and it will be complicated. (how new)

Thomas will try to befriend Andy and at first Andy is not so happy, but then Thomas finds out about a secret that Andy keeps and of which he is very ashamed.

The best thing in the first episode is Mrs Patmore.

Robert will accept that the times are changing. (again: how new)

Edith will be unhappy and tell Rosamund that she thinks she will never be happy. (snore: how new)

Carson will be uncomfortable about how to be professional and engaged at the same time.

Tom will write a letter and tell Mary how homesick he is.

[Llywela]

The Daily Mail the other day (yeah, I know) ran an article saying that a primary theme of the season would be the downsizing of the Abbey and the Crawleys having to come to terms at last with changing times, learning how to manage with a rapidly shrinking staff and beginning to have to fend for themselves.

[caligirl50]

That makes more sense than Lady Mary's love life.

Andorra - how do you know?

[DeepRunner]

* I ship "Baxley" so very much, and Molesley needs something good to happen to him after a lifetime of being a buttmonkey.

 

* Anna and Bates become the British Bonnie and Clyde. ("If your girl starts acting up, then you take her friend.")

 

* Re: Baxley...meh. I guess I'm OK that Molesley stopped being the butt of jokes, but the character, as written, brought a lot of it on himself. The Molesley of S1 was a good, stately butler and valet. Even the pining for Anna in S2 was OK, sorta. The Molesley of S3 and S4 (Cricket, getting in Dutch with O'Brien, which, to be fair, was Thomas the Vampire's doing, drunken dancing at Duneagle, snottily thinking a job as footman was beneath him) is the one people remember the most.

 

* The Misery of the Bates has turned lotsa Downtonians against them. Whether the alleged martyr complex of John Bates, or warmed-over, retreaded, repurposed murder storylines due to incredibly unimaginative writing and highly implausible scenarios (Anna a suspect in killing Green?), their script plate is loaded with a steaming pile of crap, ("Have you ever been over a friend's house to eat and the food just ain't no good?")

[DeepRunner]

OK, here is one more reveal I would like...Rosamund is Edith's real mother. Some people wondered about it in S4 with some of the private Edith/Rosamund scenes. It would be a great twist.

[lottiedottie]

OK, here is one more reveal I would like...Rosamund is Edith's real mother. Some people wondered about it in S4 with some of the private Edith/Rosamund scenes. It would be a great twist.

It would be a great twist, and an interesting one. I would like to see something interesting happen to Edith.

[kassygreene]

That Rosamund might have had a secret baby herself has always seemed to me to be a possible back story, given how she reacted to Edith's circumstances.  Or she could have had a close friend in a similar position.  If Rosamund had been Edith's mother, however, I think we would have had hints by now (or anvils).  I don't think JF is sufficiently subtle to have resisted dropping hints.  I hope he's wise enough to not suddenly stuff that into the history.

[Andorra]

Andorra - how do you know?

I've read various articles about the Press-Launch and those were the (little) spoilers the actors gave away in their interviews.

I'm really upset that Tom and Sybbie are not in the very last cast picture. I feel betrayed even though I know that they will come back early. It's like the producers don't care a fig about the Tom fans. As if they don't matter.

Edited August 16, 2015 by Andorra

[SilverShadow]

It may be that they wanted to keep his return a surprise for the less hard-core fans, rather than a sign of disrespect.

[Andorra]

It may be that they wanted to keep his return a surprise for the less hard-core fans, rather than a sign of disrespect.

Probably. But it shows yet again how insensitive they are in the first place.

[ZoloftBlob]

Well, forgive me but the actual story line hardly paints Tom in a great light. He finally moves on, only to immediately get homesick for *Downton* and is reduced to writing whiny letters to his sister in law... and will no doubt return to be Robert's dog tender... I never really saw *Tom* as that weak or lacking in self respect  but we'll see.

[Andorra]

I agree.

It makes no sense at all to have him leave for Boston only to return, because he is so terribly homesick!

My guess is -since the series will cover 1925, 1926 and 1927 - that the first three episodes will be in 1925. Tom will come back in episode 4 which will be in 1926 then.

But even after a year or a year and a half it's highly unlikely that he made a fortune in America and comes home a huge success instead a failure. Maybe he'll open up a branch for his cousin's business?

I would hate it if he came back, because he was just homesick and a general loser.

[TVFAN]

I think returning to Downton would show Tom's strength and wisdom, not his weakness.  He went to America to expand his horizons.  That took courage.  There is no shame in going home if you decide that is where your heart is.  In fact, it would be foolish to stay in America if he is unhappy there.  He would only be doing so to save face.   

 

Returning to Downton in no way limits his possibilities.  He can go back into journalism or start a business or go into politics or manage the estate or do something else.  He can live at the Abbey or in one of the other homes on the estate.  He can even work in London.  Sybbie can grow up surrounded by family and love.  And if Tom wants to remarry, the family will support him.  The Dowager Countess was right.  He is part of the family now.

 

Come home, Tom!

Edited August 17, 2015 by TVFAN

[Tetraneutron]

Storywise, it makes no sense for Tom to return. Coming to America was expensive and meant uprooting your life, not something you did on a whim. You don't just leave because you're homesick. He might move to Downton if his business failed and he became destitute, but come on. The show won't do that. 

 

I'm interested in what happens to Edith. It looks like she has a relationship with pathetic loser Bernie Pelham. If he becomes Downton's estate manager, as people are saying, it could be interesting. What happens when the Lord's daughter becomes one step up from a servant? And her sister, who she doesn't get along with is the Lady of the house? There's tons of potential for conflict and drama, which the show needs because Edith/Mary tension is the only source of conflict the show has left. (I assume the Drewes are done). It would also reinforce the "sad pathetic Edith" characterization that's been nonstop since Season 1. 

[Andorra]

I don't think Bertie will be the agent. It was said that Mary steps into Tom's shoes and will be a "working girl".

Also I think Bertie Pelham will turn out to be the heir to Lord Brancaster and so Edith will end up with a higher title and position than Mary in the end.

[Tetraneutron]

I suppose Mary needs something to do while having the tired romantic comedy obstacles that keep her from falling into Matthew Goode's arms until the last episode.

 

Still seems like Fellowes's allergy to drama continues and we're stuck in holding pattern where everyone's happy with all their goals met. When Tom comes back, what on earth is he going to do? They tried giving him a love interest, that was a disaster, they tried giving him politics but it gets in the way of the "wonderful golden past" theme of the show. And if he chooses to come back to Downton of his own volition, you even lose the tension of him being an outsider. 

[Andorra]

I'm still not sure it will all end as we predict with Mary married to Henry Talbot in the end. Doesn't this seems way too predictable?

I actually still think Tom is a possibility. I know, everyone will immediately cry now: "No, never, not possible!", but I'm not sure.

Why is Tom coming back? What is he going to do? If he just comes back to be the agent yet again, resume his old role and have no other storyline, then why did Fellows make him leave in the first place?

- Michelle Dockery said her story took a turn in S6 that she didn't expect

- Tom was the only person in S5 with whom Mary was honest and herself. She even talked to him about Tony

- there was the Matthew reference about "knwoing the real Mary", when Tom told her "you are much nicer than people think"

- they had at least two scenes where the Sybil/Tom music played in the background

- Mary couldn't bear the thought of him leaving

- the glances they gave each other in the CS

- in S2 the scene (I think it was a deleted scene) where Mary talked to Lavinia and Edith about Sybil marrying Tom and her "will it wash him clean?" remark when Edith suggested Tom going to America and finding a fortune in oil. Character development for Mary? She wasn't ready to marry a solicitor for love and she thought of Tom as some lower species. Can she change that much?

- the picture of Tom and Mary walking the grounds of Downton together that some AD posted of the last day of filming in Highclere

- yet another picture of Tom and Mary walking the streets in York together

- a total lack of storyline for Tom and an insider who posted on another board: "I see there is no speculation about Tom's storyline on the internet. Maybe there should be."

[ZoloftBlob]

I'm still not sure it will all end as we predict with Mary married to Henry Talbot in the end. Doesn't this seems way too predictable?

 

We are talking about the show where Matthew got a magical inheritance twice, after being third in line in each case, and where all of season one was repeated in season four and five, and the Bates murder fest occured multiple times?

 

But I take your point.

 

Personally I think either Tom or Henry Talbot as the final prize will be difficult to manuever but I am curious how the season will go. My concern with Henry is that I don't think there's time to build a plausible relationship without essentially skipping the courtship. With Tom... I'd accept it but I think a lot of the audience might not since it does have the feel of "well, the show is ending anyway...why the fuck not?"

[sunflower]

I think the key is really that Mary no longer needs a man of suitable marriage to secure her son's fortune.  With that out of the way and the loss of Sybil and Matthew leaving the show, it makes sense.  I'd personally love it.  Tom is my favorite character and he and Mary have chemistry.  Why have him return for a standing in the background role after he spent 2 years considering leaving for America?  He needs a good reason to come back for more than a visit.  Maybe it's just a visit that turns because of circumstances.  Who knows?  I do like the irony of Edith marrying, possibly, higher than Mary.  Please be good, didn't Fellows say he didn't want to piss off the fans?  Is that a vote for Tom/Mary or a vote against? 

Edited August 20, 2015 by sunflower

[Avaleigh]

I should know better than to get my hopes up for Mary and Tom but damn it if I'm not tempted. 

[Andorra]

Please be good, didn't Fellows say he didn't want to piss off the fans?  Is that a vote for Tom/Mary or a vote against?

Good question, I can't answer it. There are avid "Brary" shippers who don't give up hope that they will end up together. Then there're people who yell "no way never". They see it as incest and then there're people like me, who would think it plausible and a nice ending.

I actually would prefer Tom/Mary to Henry/Mary, because I think it's not that predictable. And Mary "hates to be predictable" after all. Going into the season, knowing that it will end with Mary/Talbot is just so boring IMO. I want to be surprised a bit.

I think the majority of casual viewers would like it. At least if I hear around in my family etc, they all think that it would be the perfect solution.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Andorra

[ZoloftBlob]

I actually would prefer Tom/Mary to Henry/Mary, because I think it's not that predictable. And Mary "hates to be predictable" after all. Going into the season, knowing that it will end with Mary/Talbot is just so boring IMO. I want to be surprised a bit.

I think the majority of casual viewers would like it. At least if I hear around in my family etc, they all think that it would be the perfect solution

 

 

My only objection would depend on the story writing... as we left them, they seemed to have warm friendly affection but that isn't necessarily "lets get married". There would need to be some build up. Mary would need to change and my concern, writing wise, is that the writers have always liked Mary as is.

 

That said, I'd find it hilarious especially if it is intended as Fellowes flipping the fans the bird again and then finding out all the casual fans think its fucking genius.

[Tetraneutron]

I don't see it. The show has always been about making Mary the fantasy object. She's beautiful and wild and impetuous and sexy and smart and cool and exciting. The "tame Revolutionary" is your buddy, not your happily ever after. Especially since Fellowes is a total snob and obsessed with titles. The only time Mary had a suitor without a title he as basically blackmailing and stalking her.

Frankly I'm curious what kind of storyline the can even HAVE with Tom, since they've struggled to give him anything to do since Sibyl died. if they had ideas for the character you think we'd have seen them by now. Maybe he comes back from America rich and saves Downton again.

[SusanSunflower]

Tom and Edith -- two "widowed" parents without partners would make a nice resolution -- if there had ever been a smidge of chemistry (or even intellectual meeting of minds) detected between them. 

I was thinking of Edith getting the Goode and Mary getting the estate agent and Tom being a sort of neutered uncle to the clan ... since Robert won't last forever and Cora will need a surrogate son (preferably not a son in law -- I recall no particular chemistry between Cora and Matthew, but she will need a shoulder to lean on in the not-so-distant future). 

I'm guessing Fellowes will feel compelled to kill off someone -- just to watch them die -- (I think it's been spoiled that someone dies) which may be used as wedge or opening for any number of characters to take stock and reevaluate "what really matters"  (blerg) 

So frustrating to have Daisy and the Bates -- who have the means to leave Downton and get on with their lives -- still simpering in service.  We also now know that Carson AND Hughes do not depend on the family for their old age security (how convenient). I think Patmore will end up on the farm with Daisy ... everyone else is young enough and snobby enough to simply find positions in service elsewhere -- factory work and living independently (without the "perks" provided by their position and fellow staff - rent, laundry, meals, healthcare, personal security) being "beneath them. 

I think the series truly "wants" a Thomas Kincaide ending rather than that of a more interesting but uncertain type given US/DS, i.e. new beginnings. I think we will leave the "snug in their beds"  

[lottiedottie]

After watching the trailer, I suspect that its either Isobel or Bates who dies (if there is to be a character death, that is).

[Andorra]

Ok here are my thoughts to the trailer:

Rather lame. Nice song, but no real surprises or exciting teasers.

Mary looking agitated in her riding outfit: There's a woman in the background and I bet it's the one who is trying to blackmail her.

A lot of Carson/Hughes "romance". Well... snore.

Anna in happy tears: The investigation is over.

The man in the car: Tom. He's too sturdy for Henry Talbot.

Mary turning around at the wedding reception of Carson/Hughes and looking happy is of course the moment Tom comes back. Which is good news, because it is probably at the end of Episode 3.

The house they're visiting is probably the neighbour who has to sell up.

[lottiedottie]

When they show Anna at around the :40 mark, she looks much older. I wonder why?

[ZoloftBlob]

She knows about the field of bodies....

 

I mean... I don't know, huh, I wonder....

[Cameltoes]

I am curious about Edith's scene at the :46 mark. She seems to be filled with anxiety but also perhaps anticipation and excitement. It makes me think her "happily ever after" will be Gregson's return from the dead. I just can't see them pulling off two brand new romances and having them both reach some sort of completion. Mary has more or less moved on from Matthew, but Edith brings a lot of baggage into a new relationship. A Gregson return would allow them to relatively neatly resolve the Marigold situation.

[lottiedottie]

I am curious about Edith's scene at the :46 mark. She seems to be filled with anxiety but also perhaps anticipation and excitement. It makes me think her "happily ever after" will be Gregson's return from the dead. I just can't see them pulling off two brand new romances and having them both reach some sort of completion. Mary has more or less moved on from Matthew, but Edith brings a lot of baggage into a new relationship. A Gregson return would allow them to relatively neatly resolve the Marigold situation.

I would not hate that, if that's what happens. It would be a nice pay off for Edith for going with her heart and taking Marigold back (despite the issues that whole storyline had). It would be nice to see one good thing happen for Edith.

[Addlepated]

At :23, it shows Mrs. Hughes turning around and smiling.  The next scene is Carson looking longing and sad, patting his otherwise-empty bed.

[AZChristian]

Here's my dream scenario.

 

The new guy who was introduced as the poor distant relative of the rich people they all went hunting with is ACTUALLY the rich guy.  He put his family up to letting him pretend to be the poor relation, because he didn't want to have the Crawleys trying to foist one of their daughters off on him.  He wants to truly find love.  So he and Edith fall in love, and THEN he reveals that he has more money than God and the Crawleys combined.  

 

I mean did you SEE how Edith looks in that clip with the gold dress and forehead decoration?  That is one happy, wealthy woman.

 

And wouldn't it make Mary just pop a blood vessel to realize that Edith is richer and outranks her on the social scale?  Yep, that would be my dream!

[HoodlumSheep]

Mary looking agitated in her riding outfit: There's a woman in the background and I bet it's the one who is trying to blackmail her.

Did I miss a spoiler/discussion? Is someone supposed to be blackmailing Mary about something this season?

I'd be fine with Mary ending up with Tom. I know some people will find it forever squicky, but Mary and Tom are pretty much my guilty pleasure ship.

As for Henry, he and Mary also have good chemistry, but I don't know if I'd like it as much due to the limited time they'll have to develop it.

And I doubt Evelyn Napier will be coming back from France anytime soon (I prefer him the most out of the possible suitors).

I'd be happy if Mary remains single too, though. She seems the sort that would be perfectly happy being independent.

Based on the trailer it looks like Daisy may actually go to the farm. I'm glad. She should have gone there a season ago.

No Mosely or Baxter in the trailer? :(

Edited August 30, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[Andorra]

It was said at the press launch, that a chambermaid from Liverpool is coming to the house trying to blackmail Mary about her night with Gillingham.

 

AZChristian: Your dream scenario is actually very likely. Bertie is 3rd cousin to Lord Brancaster, as was said in the CS. Also Lord Brancaster spends a lot of time in Africa. In a few spoiler pics from shooting in Scotland, we can see Mary and Tom walking along a street and Tom is buying a newspaper that has a headline reporting some English Marques dying in Africa. Lord Brancaster? From Mary's absolutely shocked face, it could be so.

 

Also why did they film at Alnwick again? I bet they are there, because Edith is living there now! There's a big wedding with wedding carriage etc in one of the last episodes. It could be Edith and Bertie. I don't think Mary would marry this big, because it would be her second marriage and people didn't have big weddings for that.

 

I'm really starting to believe that Tom and Mary will end up together and that this will be the big surprise this series. IMO the trailer hints at it. We don't know much about Matthew Goode's filming for Downton. It was whispered that he had a contract for 6 episodes. Is that enough to be the big endgame love interest??

 

Tom - as it looks now - will be back from Episode 3. I bet we will hear about him in the first two episodes, too. He's driving a cool sports car and Mary looks so very happy when she sees him. Just like she looked when Matthew came back after he went missing in the war.

 

I rewatched Episode 5.8 and the CS today, because I just wanted to look for clues and there are many!  They're always together, every time the family is in a room, it's Mary and Tom sitting or standing next to each other. Tom is teasing Mary. Mary's face when Tom is talking about his plans to go to America, him looking at her when she's singing, her looking at him when Robert holds his speech...

 

I think I'm convinced Henry Talbot will turn out to be a red herring in the end.

Edited August 30, 2015 by Andorra

[sunflower]

 

Mary's face when Tom is talking about his plans to go to America,

 

I just watched that last night and, obsessively, watched the scene back a few times.  Mary had teary voice and seemed bereft and in denial at times in other scenes about Tom leaving.  I wonder if they knew then if them as endgame was one of their possibilities.  I feel them putting in that Edith would miss him too was played as red herring to make us think, oh, of course, both sisters will miss their "brother."  I don't know, but Andorra, please be right! 

[lottiedottie]

So many good theories here! I didn't think it would be possible to get excited about this season (I really disliked last season) but here I am, wondering how in the heck I'm going to be able to stay away from spoilers until January. I wish for this last season they would have aired them in the US at the same time as the UK.

[sunflower]

 

wish for this last season they would have aired them in the US at the same time as the UK.

 

I already know I'm going to spoil myself because even being spoiled, the show is still good because the spoilers don't provide the depth that watching does.  They should really change the rules on this though.

[statsgirl]

I would be good with either Gregson coming back for Edith or her marrying the new Lord Brancaster but I've spent 5 seasons watching Fellowes dump the worst dirt on Edith and I don't trust him to change direction at this point.

 

I don't want Tom for Mary because she deserves better than that, and I deserve better than another season watching all the men vie for her pampered hand.

[SusanSunflower]

It's so difficult for me to image Mary being terribly happy with any man (or making any man terribly happy for long) that I'd rather it not be Tom and have been warming to the "perfect coupledom" of Tom and Edith, a fantasy marred only by the fact they've never shown any interest in each other. Together they could raise a happy intelligent next generation quite easily as doting parents and effectively parent George (who could use the attention) leaving Mary free to marry for money. I'm vaguely rooting for her to end up with the (possibly now rich) previously loser estate agent Bertie whose poor self-esteem will ensure he will never stop counting his blessings or giving into Mary's every whim.  With both sisters married, Tom in charge of Downton (at least he's competent) with Bertie as Tom's BFF, Robert would then be free to do whatever or die. 

Edited August 31, 2015 by SusanSunflower

[HoodlumSheep]

It was said at the press launch, that a chambermaid from Liverpool is coming to the house trying to blackmail Mary about her night with Gillingham.

I think I'm convinced Henry Talbot will turn out to be a red herring in the end.

Thanks for clarifying! I must have missed that bit. And of course some random maid found out about it. Typical Downton.

I wonder if this means we will see Gillingham again, or if Mary will try taking care of the situation herself.

All this "Brary" talk makes me wonder how large of a fandom it really is. The idea of Mary and Tom together seems to have popped up in a number of previous season's interviews/media stuff from what I recall. Although they've always denied it would probably never happen.

Hmmm...

[Andorra]

I really don't know about "Brary". On the ImdB board people are completely convinced that this is out of the question. They are pretty much united in that opinion. They say Julian Fellows would never let Mary marry an ex servant. She will get a title and money, because that has always been in the books for her.

I can only say that in my aquaintance the "casual viewers" are all convinced that it IS going to happen. So the complete contrast. They all say it is crystal clear that Julian Fellows has developed that relationship over the past seasons. Yes, Edith has been friendly with Tom, too and has mentioned on exact two occasions that she will miss him, too, but Mary has said it numerous times etc.

My family says that it will show Mary's character growth.

I'm torn. The actors have always denied it (but did they know? They always said that they have no idea where the their character's story is going). Julian Fellows has never said what he thought about it, but he never does anyway. Mary IS his favourite, but isn't it possible that Edith gets the Marques in the end, while Mary ends up with Tom and they run Downton together?

For me it would make sense as a storyline, so I don't rule it out. And I'm really not convinced about that Talbot guy. Where's the surprise in pairing him up with Mary now? We all know that's going to happen. We knew from the moment the casting of Matthew Goode was announced!

But maybe Fellows IS that simple. Pair Mary with Talbot, Edith with Pelham and Tom will just stay around doing nothing just as it was obvious in the CS. But what will he tell for a whole series 6 then?

Edited August 31, 2015 by Andorra

[ZoloftBlob]

But maybe Fellows IS that simple. Pair Mary with Talbot, Edith with Pelham and Tom will just stay around doing nothing just as it was obvious in the CS. But what will he tell for a whole series 6 then?

 

Did you watch season five? Because really... nothing actually happened. Mary dated and stayed single. Edith got her kid back. Rose got married. The servants dithered.

 

Season six - Mary dates Talbot, Edith dates Pelham, Tom stands about looking pretty, the servants dither. Maybe someone dies. I'll be watching because there's no reason not to but really if it's true that Pelham ends up inheriting a title and estate because he's third cousin to Lord Whoever... I'm just calling bullshit on Julian Fellowes's vaunted skill as a writer.... I mean if he's going to use the same exact plot device from season one, he could make the *minimal* effort of having Bertie be a second cousin...

[SusanSunflower]

Goode's IMDB page is not helpful.

Fellowes could be using him as "stunt casting" for some red herring ... he wasn't in the preview -- unless we want to assume he was one of those face-less male backs we saw.

Goode is an odd match for Dockery because the actor very slim and youthful, often playing very animated, intelligent and charming characters -- IOW, not really Mary's obvious soul mate.  Meaning that he's going to have to carefully written to avoid making Mary look dowdy and old  -- and/or -- to make his character a disappointment to his fans. It's hard to imagine Mary throwing caution to the wind to go barnstorming in his aeroplane ... or acting as his "navigator" in some grand prix road race ... though I'd enjoy seeing both of them in either plot contrivance. 

[Kirsty]

She knows about the field of bodies....

 

I mean... I don't know, huh, I wonder....

ZoloftBlob, that gave me a laugh.

 

The obvious final season storyline for Anna and Bates is a happy pregnancy, but given the way this show is written Bates is just as likely to push someone in front of a train.

 

Thomas finds out about a secret that Andy keeps and of which he is very ashamed.

Is Andy's secret his homosexuality? Providing a nice partner for Thomas is the obvious way to end the series happily, but again, Andy's secret may be that he accidentally broke the soup tureen.

 

the main theme will be Mary finding love again

Lolol, this is the theme every season.

 

I suppose Henry Talbot could be yet another in a series of suitors whose storylines come to nothing, like Tony Gillingham and Charles Blake. (In fact it's possible that they, along with Sarah Bunting, are FAKE SUITORS, intended all along to distract us from the real love story of Lady Mary and Tom Branson taking place before our eyes??)

 

IF Mary/Tom is endgame, I wonder when the show will begin to portray that relationship in a romantic light. I mean, right now there has been zero indication of attraction between them -- and I say this as someone who has been pulling for a Tom/Mary ship since Matthew died. It's clear that they care for each other, but so do Edith and Tom.

 

I wonder if the writing for Mary/Tom will change this season, if one of them will have an epiphany about their feelings, or if they will get a courtship phase? If Henry Talbot is in the mix, maybe jealousy will be a factor?

 

OR... JF watched Matthew Goode in the Xmas Spesh and realised that the search for Mary's husband was over! Menry is the future! Or Hary, lol.

Edited August 31, 2015 by Kirsty

[SusanSunflower]

I suspect Fellowes saw Goode in the Poliakoff "Dancing on the Edge" ... which had some mixed reception ... but the Poliakoff name and brand is top-notch and Goode was pretty much the star as the music magazine editor who discovers and then shepherds the band to stardom and success, even if the band leader played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, was also arguably the "real star."  Goode handled a dialog-heavy role with aplomb and successfully playing his ambiguous character who most clearly straddled the lines of business and friendship in using the band to promote his own interests, even if his character had a last moment -- too late in fact -- change of heart while most do not. Difficult role in series marred by flawed story-telling ... which is unusual for Poliakoff ... 

[Tetraneutron]

It was said at the press launch, that a chambermaid from Liverpool is coming to the house trying to blackmail Mary about her night with Gillingham.

So, that's the third time someone's been blackmailed over Mary's sex life and the second time a maid tries to extort a member of the Crawley family. Good job Fellowes!

 

I agree that this season is going to be all about happy endings and as little conflict as possible. Everyone finds love, even Thomas! Babies and security for all! But somehow I don't see Bertie Pelham inheriting a title and marrying Edith and Edith making a good marriage. It's contrary we've seen to everything so far. Maybe he'll marry her until he learns the truth about Marigold? That would at least be interesting, even if it is Victorian melodrama. 

 

As for Mary marrying Tom, I get why the show might want to because none of Mary's other many many suitors have registered at all. What if Henry Talbot turns out to be just as much of a dud onscreen as Gillingham and Blake? I'm sure when Fellowes wrote those two he was imagining an exciting love triangle with shipper wars bitterly dividing the audience. 

 

But Tom and Mary is such an anticlimax and I say that as someone who likes both characters. They've never shown any romantic chemistry or interest at all, they both want totally different things, and for each of them, marrying the other would mean their life goals didn't work out. Even if Tom comes back rich (which I'm increasingly thinking happens) I still think Mary gets everything: a title, money, and true love with a hot guy. 

[Andorra]

Did you watch season five? Because really... nothing actually happened. Mary dated and stayed single. Edith got her kid back. Rose got married. The servants dithered.

 

Season six - Mary dates Talbot, Edith dates Pelham, Tom stands about looking pretty, the servants dither. Maybe someone dies.

Yes, yes, I know. That's why I'm not sure. I guess I still hope that season 6 will be different. You're absolutely right, of course. Season 5 was incredibly boring and I waited for the point of it till the very end. Came up empty handed in the end.

I think season 5 was just milking the cow.

I'm afraid season 6 will be just as you predict. Mary marries Talbot (maybe a little bit conflict about the car racing), Edith will marry Pelham (who will be the sudden heir to Lord Brancaster) and Tom will stand in the background looking happy instead of sad and tell everyone that he now knows where he belongs. Bleh.

And downstairs Carson and Hughes will marry, Bates and Anna will have a Baby, Daisy will move to Mr. Mason, Andy will be gay and Thomas will be happy.

[sunflower]

 

I still think Mary gets everything: a title, money, and true love with a hot guy.

 

Yeah, but didn't JF and GN say this season is supposed to be about the end of an era or the whole series is?  How is Mary getting the title show that?  She just gets what she wants?  I guess Matthew dying was enough pain and she can be happy and I want her to be happy, but the guys they put forth aren't interesting to me.  They're okay, and I like Atticus for Rose, but, for Mary, a newbie doesn't work for me even if he's in the package of Matthew Goode of Leap Year.  I don't know, I guess I just want something a little outside the box and something interesting story wise for both Tom and Mary.  It may be corny some, but I think them ending up together would be romantic and awesome.  

Edited September 1, 2015 by sunflower