S06.E07: Season 6, Episode 7

[iMonrey]

 

Wasn't Mrs. Patmore illiterate at one time? I expected her to mention that to Andrew.

 

I think you might be remembering the story where Mrs. Patmore's eyes were going bad, and she couldn't read a recipe Cora wanted her to make so she tried to talk her way into making something else.

 

I just can't get interested in Talbot. I'm sorry but I don't think the guy is very good looking. I'm sure the actor has his fans but I am not among them. He's sort of pasty and skinny and he's got a weak chin. Mary was much better off with Tony or Charles Blake. Not only were both better looking men they were more socially equal. Hell, even Vicount what's his name is better looking. Plus the endless car racing scenes are boring the snot out of me.

 

So, Daisy was just jealous that Mrs. Patmore might divert too much of Mr. Mason's attention away from herself? I was hoping there was something more to it than that because otherwise . . . what a stupid storyline.

 

Please tell me we haven't seen the last of Violet. I don't think I will care for two whole episodes without her.

[jschoolgirl]

With the way this show works, they'll end up being distant cousins, and Charlie was like a Duke or something, and the title will be transferred to Henry? Or something?

Yes, and there's not much time left for Bertie's cousin to kick the bucket or renounce his title and run off with one of the young men he paints. Or something.

Bertie would be the Marquess of what? What is the estate called? Haxham?

[helenamonster]

I like to think that Robert's knowledge of Egyptology is a tip of the hat by JF to Lord Carnarvan (sp?) of King Tut fame whose house is DA.

Wasn't Mrs. Patmore illiterate at one time? I expected her to mention that to Andrew. Loved her scheme to turn the tables on Carson.

BTW, I thought the drivers lining up and running to their cars funny.

 

Yes, the dogs being given Egypt-related names (Pharaoh, Isis, and now Tio) is a reference to the Carnarvons own ties to Egyptian history.

 

Mrs. Patmore was never illiterate, but she did develop eye trouble that prevented her from reading and would have cost her her job had Robert not stepped in and paid for corrective surgery.

 

Miss Crookshank is awful, but idk how it's suddenly Isobel's responsibility to swoop in and save Dickie Merton from his horrible son and future DIL. Isobel declined his proposal on the basis that she didn't want to live out the remainder of her years as part of that awful family, and she has every right to wash her hands of the whole business. Sure, as a friend, she can let Dickie know what's what, but marriage seems a bit extreme. Also, what is with this show insisting that perfectly healthy men look like they're about to keel over and die any second? First there was Anthony Strallan, who, yes, didn't have the use of an arm but was by no means an invalid, and everyone was acting like Edith would be more of a nurse to him than a wife. Now apparently Dickie is some ill old man when he appears quite spry and with at least a few good years ahead of him.

[Roseanna]

And maybe until they have an actual conversation about what their married life would look like - like where they would live and what happens to the magazine, etc.  I have no idea where the location is of that estate that Bertie manages - is it near London or so far away that Edith wouldn't be able to hop down to London when she needs to?

 

Brancaster is in Northumberland. Or at least Alnwick Castle where they filmed CS is there. That is, it's father north than Yorkshire where Downton Abbey is supposed to be.

 

http://www.alnwickcastle.com/

Edited February 15, 2016 by Roseanna

[izabella]

Yes, and there's not much time left for Bertie's cousin to kick the bucket or renounce his title and run off with one of the young men he paints. Or something.

Bertie would be the Marquess of what? What is the estate called? Haxham?

 

I don't think Bertie is in line for a title.  Isn't he something like 19th in line, which is why the family felt sorry for him and gave him the estate manager job? 

 

I think it's pure speculation on this forum that he could ever inherit the title.

[tenativelyyours]

Yes, the dogs being given Egypt-related names (Pharaoh, Isis, and now Tio) is a reference to the Carnarvons own ties to Egyptian history.

 

Mrs. Patmore was never illiterate, but she did develop eye trouble that prevented her from reading and would have cost her her job had Robert not stepped in and paid for corrective surgery.

 

Miss Crookshank is awful, but idk how it's suddenly Isobel's responsibility to swoop in and save Dickie Merton from his horrible son and future DIL. Isobel declined his proposal on the basis that she didn't want to live out the remainder of her years as part of that awful family, and she has every right to wash her hands of the whole business. Sure, as a friend, she can let Dickie know what's what, but marriage seems a bit extreme. Also, what is with this show insisting that perfectly healthy men look like they're about to keel over and die any second? First there was Anthony Strallan, who, yes, didn't have the use of an arm but was by no means an invalid, and everyone was acting like Edith would be more of a nurse to him than a wife. Now apparently Dickie is some ill old man when he appears quite spry and with at least a few good years ahead of him.

 

 

Ever since as a kid ,I was stuck at my great grandparents for a long week and the only thing I found worth reading were Allen Drury books I have been fascinated with all things 18th Dynasty well beyond Tut.  So as picky as it may be I had to double check and the dog is Tiaa not Tio.  I know it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things Downton...

[jschoolgirl]

I don't think Bertie is in line for a title.  Isn't he something like 19th in line, which is why the family felt sorry for him and gave him the estate manager job? 

 

I think it's pure speculation on this forum that he could ever inherit the title.

I thought that he is from a different family than the Brancaster family (the Sinderbys?) and just happens to work at Brancaster.

I don't want to look it up for fear of being spoiled.

[stopeslite]

 

because Mary thinks he has a relationship with George like she had with Carson.

 

OH MY GOSH LIGHT BULB

I couldn't figure out why the heck Mary cared at all how Thomas treated the children, given that she seems to repeatedly forget that she has one. That totally explains it, though. Thanks, WatchrTina.

[pbutler111]

I'm also wondering if we're being led up to Barrow's suicide. Since Fellowes seems to be pairing up everyone else -- Mary and Henry, Edith and Milquetoast, Isobel and Lord Merton, and is there any doubt that Edith's editor is meant for Tom? -- it would be especially cruel to make Barrow not only the odd man out, but a casualty. On the other hand, Fellowes has pretty much copied every other Upstairs, Downstairs plot point except, so far, a servant suicide. If he kills off Barrow, he can just still get it in under the wire.

By the way, is it possible we're also being led to the Dowager C going down with a ship? There were lots of shipwrecks during this era, and it would certainly bookend things nicely, as a ship going down is where we came in.

[amensisterfriend]

I just can't get interested in Talbot. I'm sorry but I don't think the guy is very good looking. I'm sure the actor has his fans but I am not among them. He's sort of pasty and skinny and he's got a weak chin.

 

Thank you for letting me know I'm not alone! I confessed the same thing in the UO thread. The recaps all mention a million or so times that Henry is the most handsome man to ever walk the earth, and I honestly just don't see it. Even if I did find him as drop dead gorgeous as most others seem to, I think his personality---or lack thereof---would make him a little less attractive to me anyway. And I just don't see any sort of chemistry and connection between him and Mary. I honestly feel like I missed something---how did they go from barely knowing each other to it being sort of widely understood that he's on the verge of becoming Mary's next husband?! I'm liking a lot about this season, but it feels poorly paced---even by JF's standards :) (To be fair, people could probably say that the Bertie/Edith relationship has been too rushed as well, but I adore Bertie and how happy he seems to make Edith too much to care!) 

 

Violet, Molesley and the beautiful new puppy were my MVPs of this episode...and not even necessarily in that order :) 

[ScoobieDoobs]

I just can't get interested in Talbot. I'm sorry but I don't think the guy is very good looking. I'm sure the actor has his fans but I am not among them. He's sort of pasty and skinny and he's got a weak chin. Mary was much better off with Tony or Charles Blake. Not only were both better looking men they were more socially equal. Hell, even Vicount what's his name is better looking. Plus the endless car racing scenes are boring the snot out of me.

 

Me neither.  And yet elsewhere, Matthew Goode has never been anything other than attractive (bordering on adorable), charming & appealing.  I don't think he's any of those here.  He's stiff, uncomfortable & dull.  And not all that attractive either.  Either the lighting or the clothes (not sure what it is, but something) doesn't flatter him at all.  It was a mistake for him to take this gig.

 

I don't get JF's choice to turn Tom into a eunuch & Mary's confidante/wing-girl.  Makes no sense.  The guy is a catch & women would be all over him.

 

OK, so there are only 2 eps left?  Maggie better be in them.

[jschoolgirl]

I'm also wondering if we're being led up to Barrow's suicide. Since Fellowes seems to be pairing up everyone else -- Mary and Henry, Edith and Milquetoast, Isobel and Lord Merton, and is there any doubt that Edith's editor is meant for Tom? -- it would be especially cruel to make Barrow not only the odd man out, but a casualty. On the other hand, Fellowes has pretty much copied every other Upstairs, Downstairs plot point except, so far, a servant suicide. If he kills off Barrow, he can just still get it in under the wire.

By the way, is it possible we're also being led to the Dowager C going down with a ship? There were lots of shipwrecks during this era, and it would certainly bookend things nicely, as a ship going down is where we came in.

Sure, why not a suicide -- perhaps in the Christmas special. After all, a few years ago, Brits got the Yuletide treat of seeing Matthew's vacant dead eyes in a close-up.

[peggy06]

 

I just can't get interested in Talbot. I'm sorry but I don't think the guy is very good looking. I'm sure the actor has his fans but I am not among them. He's sort of pasty and skinny and he's got a weak chin. Mary was much better off with Tony or Charles Blake. Not only were both better looking men they were more socially equal. Hell, even Vicount what's his name is better looking. Plus the endless car racing scenes are boring the snot out of me.

 

I think Mary had some good chemistry with Charles Blake, and they really really really seemed to be setting him up as The One back in S4. They had a meet-cute, there was conflict yet attraction, he was researching about land management of estates, so there was something in common. Then, the cherry on top, we find out he's heir to an estate and not the civil servant he at first appeared to be. Maybe they decided it was too soon to pair Mary off again. But if they had done that plot beginning last season, or even this season, it would have worked well. 

 

Heck, Mary had more chemistry with Sir Richard than she has with Henry. But I think it's the rushed nature of the plot and some bad writing that makes the story fall as flat as it is doing. Though I do find Matthew Goode better at being the carelessly suave Noel Coward type than the guy spouting all these romantic things at Mary.

Edited February 15, 2016 by peggy06

[Black Knight]

The thing that's sort of annoying about Thomas/George having a Carson/Mary-like relationship is that it's supposed to be Sybbie that Thomas is attached to. Sybil was his favorite, not Mary - Sybil was the person upstairs that he knew best and one of the few who'd ever been kind to him, as he said in her death episode. It was a nice character note for him, so I don't really appreciate it being transferred to George.

 

But, I still kinda think that Bertie's cousin will come to DA - maybe for Edith and Bertie's wedding? - and end up taking Thomas off with him as his manservant/lover.  Yes, to our modern eyes that has all kinds of power imbalance problems, but that was the kind of arrangement Thomas had been hoping he'd get with the gentleman he was sleeping with early on in the show, so we know he's open to it. It was a different time.

 

Huh. So, two episodes ago, it had occurred to me that Edith's editor was a possibility for Tom, since she was the only new woman who had been introduced at that point, but then when Tom went up to London with Mary and didn't meet her, I figured that wasn't happening. Now it looks like it is, albeit it'll be a very abbreviated relationship onscreen. But they showed the family likes her, so she's suitable.

 

I actually felt sorry for Mary in her first conversation with Edith. That comment she made really wasn't a barb at all, it was actually a nice flattering thing to say, kind of along the lines of "He's obviously really in love with you!" but Edith took it as a barb - and so did Cora, from the reproving look she gave Mary - and responded as if it had been, and the way Mary's face fell did get to me a bit. It's her own fault for how the dynamic got started, I've said that many times, so I don't feel that sorry for her, but it did seem like she was realizing that she has to do some actual work here if she wants to rehab herself in the eyes of Edith (and Cora and everyone else who won't tell her the truth because they think she'll use it to hurt Edith/Marigold). She can't just start saying the occasional nice thing because Edith and the others will just dismiss it as being either a superficial instance of niceness that doesn't represent any true change, or as some kind of sneaky barb. In that sense, Mary and Thomas have been rather similar - I feel sorry for Thomas too, but he brought so much of it on himself and he still is frequently mean to other people even as he cries about being alone. People will judge you based on the way you act most of the time, that's just reality.

 

It was a nice sisterly moment when Edith ran after Mary and took her hand while asking Bertie who had been killed, and after Bertie confirmed it was Charlie I noticed Mary then put her other hand on Edith's. (It was below the screen, but you can tell from their arms what they're doing.)

 

On the flip side, yeah, it was stupid that Anna ran after Mary as well (and it was pointless since Edith was filling the slot of someone to be by Mary's side). It seems like that whole thing was done just so Baxter would realize Anna is pregnant, but I'm not sure why that would really matter. Maybe something's coming up where it will be important that Baxter knows, though I don't know what that would be.

 

The Edith/Bertie proposal scene was just gorgeous. Edith does also need to explain to him that it'll actually be a very good thing if he considers Marigold his own daughter, since the Crawley sisters cannot give birth without one of the baby's parents dying the same day or even before. It happened with Sybil and with Matthew and with Michael. If Edith gets pregnant again, her baby will never know one of its parents. Best not to.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Black Knight

[Milburn Stone]

I actually felt sorry for Mary in her first conversation with Edith. That comment she made really wasn't a barb at all, it was actually a nice flattering thing to say, kind of along the lines of "He's obviously really in love with you!" but Edith took it as a barb...

 

 

I think the jury's out on whether that was a barb, because I definitely heard it as a barb. Here was the unspoken subtext: "Edith, is your miserable self-esteem really so low that you can't conceive Bertie wanting to come here just to see you? Oh well, I suppose I can understand--it does beggar belief, at that."

[whatsatool]

My feelings for this show confuse me. I'm sad it's ending and yet the plot lines and the writing frustrate me so much. I couldn't care less about Mary's boyfriend problems. I don't care about Spratt and Denker. Miss Baxter's dilemma about whether to visit Coyle is prison is a bore. And so on and so on.

I really only care about Violet and Isobel. I loved Violet's takedown of Miss Cruikshank (she and Larry deserve each other) and I loved that she knew exactly what Robert needed in his life - a puppy.

The clothes, the drivers running to their cars, all the great vocab words of Lord G, the puppy named after Pharoahs, the pigs, Bates on bed.. So many gems. Definitely not the hospital plot.

[jschoolgirl]

I think Mary had some good chemistry with Charles Blake, and they really really really seemed to be setting him up as The One back in S4. They had a meet-cute, there was conflict yet attraction, he was researching about land management of estates, so there was something in common. Then, the cherry on top, we find out he's heir to an estate and not the civil servant he at first appeared to be. Maybe they decided it was too soon to pair Mary off again. But if they had done that plot beginning last season, or even this season, it would have worked well. 

 

Heck, Mary had more chemistry with Sir Richard than she has with Henry. But I think it's the rushed nature of the plot and some bad writing that makes the story fall as flat as it is doing. Though I do find Matthew Goode better at being the carelessly suave Noel Coward type than the guy spouting all these romantic things at Mary.

The actor who played Blake got another job, so there wasn't much Our Lord Creator could do there.

[whatsatool]

Violet, Molesley and the beautiful new puppy were my MVPs of this episode...and not even necessarily in that order :)

No Pharoah retriever was no. one.

[sark1624]

I thought that he is from a different family than the Brancaster family (the Sinderbys?) and just happens to work at Brancaster.

I don't want to look it up for fear of being spoiled.

 

Bertie is the third cousin of Lord Hexham, the owner of Brancaster Castle, Lord Hexham rented the grouse shooting to the Sinderbys because he seldom spent his time there, and in Bertie´s words he prefers be painting in Tangiers (a famous place for rich and aristocratratic gays and play boys). Remember that Matthew was the 4° cousin or something like that, also after the ww1 many aristocratic families lost their heirs and many distant cousin inherited. But to this moment we dont know if there is another male betwen Bertie and his cousin.   

[jah1986]

It was a nice sisterly moment when Edith ran after Mary and took her hand while asking Bertie who had been killed, and after Bertie confirmed it was Charlie I noticed Mary then put her other hand on Edith's. (It was below the screen, but you can tell from their arms what they're doing.)

 

 

That was one of my favorite little moments too. They've been kind of ridiculously written as hating each other as much as they do but I really liked this moment and the even smaller moment when Donk had his bursting Ulcer moment and they shared a look across the table.  I feel there was so much more potential to having them become allies than stay enemies so long.

[sark1624]

I think the jury's out on whether that was a barb, because I definitely heard it as a barb. Here was the unspoken subtext: "Edith, is your miserable self-esteem really so low that you can't conceive Bertie wanting to come here just to see you? Oh well, I suppose I can understand--it does beggar belief, at that."

 

I thought the same, because Cora had a disapproval expression towards Mary after her comment. The thing is that Mary is not used that Edith fight back. 

[jschoolgirl]

Bertie is the third cousin of Lord Hexham, the owner of Brancaster Castle, Lord Hexham rented the grouse shooting to the Sinderbys because he seldom spent his time there, and in Bertie´s words he prefers be painting in Tangiers (a famous place for rich and aristocratratic gays and play boys). Remember that Matthew was the 4° cousin or something like that, also after the ww1 many aristocratic families lost their heirs and many distant cousin inherited. But to this moment we dont know if there is another male betwen Bertie and his cousin.

Yes, thanks. That's what I thought, although I had forgotten that the Sinderbys rented the estate for the shooting party.

[Constantinople]

Please tell me we haven't seen the last of Violet. I don't think I will care for two whole episodes without her.

Season 2: Isobel and Cora have a disagreement about the management of Downton as a convalescent center. Cora takes charge. Isobel is miffed and runs off to France.

Now: Violet and Cora have a disagreement about the management of the local hospital. Cora takes charge. Violet is miffed and runs off to France.

Isobel returned from France (in the very next episode), so I'm guessing Violet, like MacArthur, shall return, though probably not smoking a corn cob pipe.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Constantinople

[pbutler111]

Wildly unpopular opinion, apparently, but I really like Mary and Talbot together. They make me smile, and Mary hasn't made me smile in a long time.

 

FWIW, I totally agree with you.  It would be nice to see Mary follow her heart for a change rather than her breeding.  As for Matthew Goode (Henry), I've been madly in love with him since I first saw him in Woody Allen's Match Point.  I've seen that movie a hundred times, and most of those times was just to see Matthew Goode again.  (He was also great on The Good Wife, but it was rather painful to watch him laboring at that American accent.)

[izabella]

Brancaster is in Northumberland. Or at least Alnwick Castle where they filmed CS is there. That is, it's father north than Yorkshire where Downton Abbey is supposed to be.

 

http://www.alnwickcastle.com/

 

They have a google map on their "Find Us" page and, wow, it's practically in Scotland.  So it is very, very far from London.  That would make it difficult for Edith to try to run the magazine from there since she won't be able to travel back and forth so quickly.  And she'd be far from Downton Abbey, too, so visits will be few and far between. 

 

Definitely something they should be discussing if they are serious about getting married and Edith is serious about the magazine, which I'm not sure she really is, to be honest.

Bertie is the third cousin of Lord Hexham, the owner of Brancaster Castle, Lord Hexham rented the grouse shooting to the Sinderbys because he seldom spent his time there, and in Bertie´s words he prefers be painting in Tangiers (a famous place for rich and aristocratratic gays and play boys). Remember that Matthew was the 4° cousin or something like that, also after the ww1 many aristocratic families lost their heirs and many distant cousin inherited. But to this moment we dont know if there is another male betwen Bertie and his cousin.   

 

Do they need a male heir, though?  I thought Downton needed a male because of the special entail on it, not because it was required in all cases that a male inherit the title.  I mean, Queen Elizabeth had already had her day and she was not the male heir her daddy and his wives went to so much trouble to create, and so did Queen Victoria, in even more recent times.

Edited February 15, 2016 by izabella

[Ohwell]

Edith lounging on the sofa with Bertie was the best I've ever seen her look.  They looked quite sexy--a first for both of them.  

[mimidee]

I also feel they're setting Thomas up for suicide. Probably is realistic based on my own family history - two suicides generations back were gay. That said, I think it's more that Thomas has finally reaped all he has sown over the years vs the fact that he's gay. His line about having roots there made me wonder if he's perhaps someone's illegitimate child...??? Don't know if the math would work going back to when Carson was on stage and had that romance...?? 

[kassa]

I can see Bertie accepting Marigold because he's a decent man, he loves her mother, and there have always been men who have been kind to stepchildren. The revelation about Edith's "character" might take him aback, but they're both over 30 and people have seldom been as naive in practice as they pretended to be. Plus, if you want to be unkind, he can be both Captain Save a Ho and step up into a much more exciting, sophisticated life in the Big City. Edith is a big step up for him socially.

[CeeBeeGee]

They seem to be setting up for Mary to break down her walls and go to Henry. Why else show the character so conflicted? I wish there was more chemistry between them, but that's something you can't manufacture. IMO it's Matthew Goode who's been a bit of a stiff. Even in romantic scenes, his lines come off stilted. Maybe just bad writing? His best moments so far were in the phone call - he also looked more "real" with his hair messed up and some actual emotion to portray.

 

Like many characters, Mary has much better chemistry with someone she isn't supposed to. Her first meeting with Matthew got off to a bad start, as Matthew was overheard wondering with of the girls would be foisted onto him, which offended Mary. So they weren't lovey-dovey with each other at first--they were antagonistic.  It's always better when there are obstacles. Look at that insanely romantic scene in Season 2 when they danced together. All sorts of obstacles there--Lavinia (not just the fact of Lavinia but because Mary was genuinely respectful of her relationship with Matthew), Matthew's sense of honor, their hesitation to cause a scandal.  Because they knew it could never happen, they could relax and be themselves around each other.  This is why Mary and Tom have such chemistry--they "know" it will never happen. Whereas she's had walls up with all of these post-Matthew suitors.

 

As for ms. Crookshank... It makes loads more sense that a nasty piece of work like Larry grey would fall for a manipulative cool kitten than like the bully in the Ethel story have a kind wife. MOST often like attracts like.

And while it may be natural to want to see a father in law married, her motives were calculating and cold. She didn't even offer lady Grantham a chair and her offer of hospitality... May I offer you something.l. Was decidedly cold.

 

 

Cruikshanks was some kind of scheming minx for sure. Where does she get off throwing Lord Merton at Isobel's head, just to get rid of him? Not only is he still the titleholder, but she hasn't even married into the family yet! Isobel should marry him anyway, and they can dissolve the entire estate so that Larry's left with only the title and a moldering old house, with blank spots where the priceless paintings used to hang.

[Andorra]

Me neither.  And yet elsewhere, Matthew Goode has never been anything other than attractive (bordering on adorable), charming & appealing.  I don't think he's any of those here.  He's stiff, uncomfortable & dull.  And not all that attractive either.  Either the lighting or the clothes (not sure what it is, but something) doesn't flatter him at all.  It was a mistake for him to take this gig.

 

I don't get JF's choice to turn Tom into a eunuch & Mary's confidante/wing-girl.  Makes no sense.  The guy is a catch & women would be all over him.

 

 

Ditto to both. 

[KLovestoShop]

Does Lord Merton have a title, like the 9th Earl of Carthage?   If he does and marries Isobel, would she become the Dowager Countess upon his death?  Or is Lord Merton just a landed Lord?

 

Loved Violet and her WWE take down of that nasty piece of work.  I just hope this wasn't Violet's swan song.  

 

I find myself watching Mr Bates more carefully after finding out that filming his scenes had to be shut down because of Coyle's drinking on set.  I read in the Mail that he was arrested for drink driving just after returning to London from a stay in rehab (guess rehab didn't work) on the flight home he was stopped for erratic driving---allegedly he was more than 3 times the legal limit.  The article went on to say that filming shut down a few times because he was unable to remember his lines.  Maybe that's why he's not on as much as in the past?

Edited February 15, 2016 by KLovestoShop

[skyways]

Sorry all. I like Dickie Merton but he's a weak man. Never knows how to handle devious people - first his son and now this woman.

There are all kinds of chemistry - one tends to think it's mostly romantic but Mary and Tom have platonic chemistry. Even the power play between she and Carlyle has a chemistry  to it. I could see them as man and wife - Mary would NEVER run him over and he wouldn't have to play nice.

 

and I really can't get upset about someone I don't even know dying

 

I was wide-eyed at all the over wrought emotion. They didn't even know him and we the audience were not even afforded the aftermath (which must surely have been devastating) of Matthew's death. I mean it was ridiculous and out of nowhere. What the hay????

 

Look at that insanely romantic scene in Season 2 when they danced together

 

I was just watching that scene at the time I read your post.  That scene was fantastic - no embellishments or over-dressed settings.

[tenativelyyours]

They have a google map on their "Find Us" page and, wow, it's practically in Scotland.  So it is very, very far from London.  That would make it difficult for Edith to try to run the magazine from there since she won't be able to travel back and forth so quickly.  And she'd be far from Downton Abbey, too, so visits will be few and far between. 

 

Definitely something they should be discussing if they are serious about getting married and Edith is serious about the magazine, which I'm not sure she really is, to be honest.

 

Do they need a male heir, though?  I thought Downton needed a male because of the special entail on it, not because it was required in all cases that a male inherit the title.  I mean, Queen Elizabeth had already had her day and she was not the male heir her daddy and his wives went to so much trouble to create, and so did Queen Victoria, in even more recent times.

 

 

 

 

Don't try to apply Royal Succession to the rules of titled succession.  Royal succession has too often shifted in the last four centuries due to political expediency whereas noble titles tend to have a slightly more stable set of rules.  Though those rules can vary within the general acceptance per title.  Here is a link to Debrett's which might help understand some of the general ideas.  But also keep in mind that Fellowes often has written exceptions as if they were the rule and treated rules as if they were the exception.

 

 

http://www.debretts.com/people/essential-guide-peerage/creation-and-inheritance-peerage

[Roseanna]

Even the power play between she and Carlyle has a chemistry  to it. I could see them as man and wife - Mary would NEVER run him over and he wouldn't have to play nice.

 

It would have been interesting.

 

I actually liked Carlisle. I mean as a character of the show, not as a person (like I like Thomas). But then he was made too nasty by trying to get Anna spy on Mary. I suppose it was because otherwise the audience could have begin to feel sympathy towards him as Mary treated her badly.

[Kohola3]

Those stupid racing scenes were a major waste of time.  And were we supposed to be somehow invested in or moved by the death of a character we've barely ever seen?

While I loved Vi swooping in and taking down the Cruikshank woman down a peg, what the hell was that all about?  What difference does it make to her if the girl is gold digger? 

Glad that Daisy returned to a normal human being.  I always liked her until she turned into a raving socialist.

Good riddance to that bland, boring racing guy.  He can join the rest of the rejected MarySuitor clones.  I could never tell them apart.

Good for Molesley!  He really has been the comic relief so glad he's going to end up in a good place.  Maybe after his girlfriend goes to see the guy in prison (what the heck is THAT all about) she'll get smart and go off with him.

 

And Mother of God, do we have another London detective hanging around trying to pin something on Mrs. Patmore?  Is she suspected of some crime we haven't yet heard about?  Buying black market sausages?  Serving tea without real cream?  Scones without sultanas?

[dangwoodchucks]

I think you might be remembering the story where Mrs. Patmore's eyes were going bad, and she couldn't read a recipe Cora wanted her to make so she tried to talk her way into making something else.

 

I just can't get interested in Talbot. I'm sorry but I don't think the guy is very good looking. I'm sure the actor has his fans but I am not among them. He's sort of pasty and skinny and he's got a weak chin. Mary was much better off with Tony or Charles Blake. Not only were both better looking men they were more socially equal. Hell, even Vicount what's his name is better looking. Plus the endless car racing scenes are boring the snot out of me.

 

So, Daisy was just jealous that Mrs. Patmore might divert too much of Mr. Mason's attention away from herself? I was hoping there was something more to it than that because otherwise . . . what a stupid storyline.

 

Please tell me we haven't seen the last of Violet. I don't think I will care for two whole episodes without her.

 

I first saw Matthew Goode in 'Chasing Liberty' and thought he was adorable. He was also cute with Amy Adams in 'Leap Year'. It wasn't just looks which made him adorable, it was also personality. Now in DA he looks different, not just older, but as if he had some sort of botched plastic surgery. The character is also stiff as a board, so to me he doesn't have looks or personality to represent him well. Whether it's the fault of the actor or the director, I'm not buying the sudden mutual attraction with Mary. The whole racing stuff took way too much time. More puppy, less Mary's love life!

[tenativelyyours]

Those stupid racing scenes were a major waste of time.  And were we supposed to be somehow invested in or moved by the death of a character we've barely ever seen?

While I loved Vi swooping in and taking down the Cruikshank woman down a peg, what the hell was that all about?  What difference does it make to her if the girl is gold digger? 

Glad that Daisy returned to a normal human being.  I always liked her until she turned into a raving socialist.

Good riddance to that bland, boring racing guy.  He can join the rest of the rejected MarySuitor clones.  I could never tell them apart.

Good for Molesley!  He really has been the comic relief so glad he's going to end up in a good place.  Maybe after his girlfriend goes to see the guy in prison (what the heck is THAT all about) she'll get smart and go off with him.

 

And Mother of God, do we have another London detective hanging around trying to pin something on Mrs. Patmore?  Is she suspected of some crime we haven't yet heard about?  Buying black market sausages?  Serving tea without real cream?  Scones without sultanas?

 

Just proves that if a show is on long enough it tends to go all Law & Order on your ass.  Didn't you see the tiny print that this season is also called Law & Order of the Garter? j/k

[TiredMe]

Count me as another where the puppy was the highlight of episode!

I'm starting to think Carson is going to die leaving Thomas in charge. Hope not. Just would rather to see them all make it in the end. I watch for escapism, not sadness.

I am anti Mary and Tom. He's too good for that ice queen. Lol I liked her with Blake.

[Constantinople]

Those stupid racing scenes were a major waste of time.  And were we supposed to be somehow invested in or moved by the death of a character we've barely ever seen?

 

Don't you understand?

Charlies Rogers was Henry's friend.

His best friend, really.

If that phrase didn't sound like it was something from a... Rider Haggard novel.

Not that I've ever read a Rider Haggard novel, though I have watched King Solomon's Mines with Deborah Kerr a few times and seen parts of She with Ursula Andress.  But those aren't aired as often as they once were.

[albaniantv]

Just fyi, the NYTimes recapper wrote up his summary of the episode broadcast on Feb 14, noting three episodes are left. I hope he is right.

[RedHawk]

I didn't exactly get upset that Charles died in the racing accident, but it was horrible that he was trapped in the burning car. Henry was so desperate to save him, so there was also the tension that he just might get caught in the engine blowing up or something. (Ok, I doubted it, but you never know... we've had one burn-disfigured possible aristocrat before and JF does like to repeat his story lines.)

 

I did notice that the couple of scenes featuring Charles prior to the race made him seem pleasant and charming and full of life. A setup so that his death might have an emotional impact on us.

Edited February 15, 2016 by RedHawk

[skyways]

I hope he is right.

 

He's not. Prepare to be rushed to speedy endings!

 

A setup so that his death might have an emotional impact on us

 

 

How? as a plot device? That dinner with all the long faces was a bit much. Rosamunde at least got a grip lol.

Edited February 15, 2016 by skyways

[RedHawk]

He's not. Prepare to be rushed to speedy endings!

 

 

How? as a plot device? That dinner with all the long faces was a bit much. Rosamunde at least got a grip lol.

Yes, as a plot device. Show him a couple of times seeming like a jolly fine fellow, in addition to the few times we'd seen him previously, and JF hoped we would at least care a little that he died.

 

Why shouldn't the family be horrified to witness a man burn to death trapped under a wrecked car? They had just been chatting happily with him 20 minutes before, and most of them thought the race was fun and thrilling and were shocked by the accident. This was the early days of auto racing. Charles was also the dear friend of the man Mary might marry, and they felt for Henry's loss as well. It might also have recalled their loss of Matthew in a car accident. 

 

Remember, people didn't see violence on TV 24/7 back then as they do these days. 

[QQQQ]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3128557/Tom-Branson-Allen-Leech-spotted-filming-series-six-Downton-Abbey-historic-Brooklands-racing-circuit.html

Love me some English racing car porn...

Edited February 16, 2016 by QQQQ

[Clanstarling]

I'm also wondering if we're being led up to Barrow's suicide. Since Fellowes seems to be pairing up everyone else -- Mary and Henry, Edith and Milquetoast, Isobel and Lord Merton, and is there any doubt that Edith's editor is meant for Tom? -- it would be especially cruel to make Barrow not only the odd man out, but a casualty. On the other hand, Fellowes has pretty much copied every other Upstairs, Downstairs plot point except, so far, a servant suicide. If he kills off Barrow, he can just still get it in under the wire.

By the way, is it possible we're also being led to the Dowager C going down with a ship? There were lots of shipwrecks during this era, and it would certainly bookend things nicely, as a ship going down is where we came in.

I was wondering about the ship and looked it up.

The ship doesn't go down until 1939. So it probably won't be a shipwreck.

 

I think the jury's out on whether that was a barb, because I definitely heard it as a barb. Here was the unspoken subtext: "Edith, is your miserable self-esteem really so low that you can't conceive Bertie wanting to come here just to see you? Oh well, I suppose I can understand--it does beggar belief, at that."

I saw it slightly differently (and I have never liked Mary). My take was that she was attempting a light hearted tease, which was rightfully taken as a barb. I think she felt bad at their reactions, but also realized that her pattern of behavior was to blame.

[Artymouse]

Like everyone, I loved Robert and the puppy! I am pretty sure he loves dogs more than any member of his human family.

 

Violet's takedown of Miss Cruikshank was masterful. I would say she shanked Miss C. with some very sharp language, I knew that young woman had something up her sleeve last week, so I'm glad we got to see her true colors. But I refuse to entertain the notion that this was the Dowager's swan song. Why would Fellowes send his MVP home with two episodes remaining?

 

Bertie and Edith (sittin' in a tree, etc) were very sweet. I think they make a perfect couple, and hopefully, Edith referred to Marigold as her ward in order to gauge his reaction. He was pretty cool about it, so I'm cautiously hopeful that Edith tells him the whole story and still gets her happy ending.

 

Thomas was heartbreaking, and I hope that Molesley's departure will allow him to stay on at Downton, It was sad to see him trying so hard to fit in and getting shut down every way he turned.

 

Henry is starting to grow on me, and while I couldn't have cared less about watching him race ("if I took a pill to achieve it"). I found myself on the edge of my seat wondering what awful tragedy was coming. They did a nice job of building suspense, My unspoiled prediction is that Mary will see the error of her decision, Henry will see the error of his passion for racing, and they'll live happily ever after. Maybe Mary and Henry and Edith and Bertie could have a double wedding! That would be fun to see, but I doubt it would end well.

 

The fashions were glorious. I loved Mary's red dress at the track and the blue one she wore when she broke up with Henry over the phone. And Edith looked just gorgeous in that last scene with Bertie.

[ChromaKelly]

Lol. A rap on your knuckles!

 

 

 re:  WatchrTina's post

 

 

Exactly! I really don't know where all this sympathy for him is coming from. The actor is very good but the character deserves all the trouble he's getting. Watch Season 1 again, for those who seem to have forgotten how horrible a person he was. And at no point did he change.

Was Henry Talbot introduced before? I don't recall.

[skyways]

I'm talking about Thomas.

[txhorns79]

I really need someone to explain to me why Tom is so invested in Henry and Mary's relationship.  I can understand his wanting Mary to be happy.  However, it's to the point where he seems much more excited over Henry than Mary ever did. 

[CleoCaesar]

Edith lounging on the sofa with Bertie was the best I've ever seen her look.  They looked quite sexy--a first for both of them.

 

I don't know what it was about that scene, but I totally agree - it was somehow quite sexy. Bravo, show.