<p>Agree with all the above comments. One thought I kept having was Edith shows no signs at all of being pregnant. How far along is she at this point? Sure the dress styles can hide a beginning “bulge,” but no morning sickness? No indications at all? Yet, in spite of this, her grandmother has guessed? But not her mother or sister or any of the servants? Yeah, right.</p>
<p>Another thing that bothered me – it was so easy for Daisy to be given the day off when Alfred was coming, but not Anna? Even after Mary knew why she didn’t want to see Green? What a stupid plot line - Mary tried to phone Gillingham to say not to come, but when she found out she was too late to catch him, why didn’t she just give Anna the day off or send her someplace on an errand?</p>
<p>IMO, Cora is becoming increasingly irritating - partly due to the role she’s given (not given) and partly because I’m not very impressed with Elizabeth McGovern’s acting talents in this role. Maybe it’s just me …</p>
<p>As a final comment - perhaps even one less suitor for Mary would be a bit more believable? I mean seriously – they’re all just swarming around her …</p>
<p>CBBBlinker, I agree with you about Elizabeth McGovern’s acting talents. But I don’t think she’s been given much of a role at all in this series. Especially this season, there is hardly any reason for her to even be in the show. </p>
<p>BTW, that was a nice touch when Tom introduced his new lady friend (the teacher whom he met at the political meeting) to Lady Grantham. The lady friend was surprised that everyone – even Lady Grantham!! – was busy carrying things around. </p>
<p>It’s hard to stomach what Julian Fellowes has done to Cora. She was so capable when Downton was used as a hospital during the war and now she is being written like a complete airhead.</p>
<p>Last night’s episode was the best this season, IMO. Loved how Daisy met the challenge of saying good-bye to Alfred and her moment with Mrs. Patmore afterwards. Love the new relationship being developed for Tom and his struggle with his politics and his love/respect for the Crawleys. Maggie Smith was priceless as she looked back and forth between the arrangements telegraphing her thoughts about the discrepancy in size of the bouquets.</p>
<p>We especially like Maggie Smith in the flower scene and when she is grilling Aunt Rosamund and Edith. Husband said that was his favorite scene, where she figured out Edith’s situation.</p>
<p>I still like Cora.</p>
<p>Also, husband is on Team Gillingham, I am on Team Blake. But I have to look carefully, because they look a bit alike. Mary smiles brighter when she is with Blake, I think, so I predict they will get together.</p>
<p>I’m not really clear on who Blake is, exactly, I am getting all the men mixed up, too. I have Gillingham and Evelyn Napier down, however it took me a long time to get that Evelyn and Napier are the same person because I thought Evelyn was a girls name. I thought they were talking about some woman I’d somehow missed. </p>
<p>Evelyn was a man’s name at that time, like author Evelyn Waugh. </p>
<p>I don’t like the village school marm. Branson is too good for her. She’s pushy. </p>
<p>At one point, I caught some dialogue that indicated Edith was 5 months pregnant. She had 4 more months to go or something like that. While the clothes make it easier to hide it a bit, the woman doing the laundry would know that they had not washed the cloths women in those days used in months, in Edith’s case. </p>
<p>I hope that they don’t use a tired plot line like ‘Gregson was knocked out and had amnesia for lo these many months’. And yes, why doesn’t Edith read that document she signed. The clue to his disappearance could be right there. And recall that he had card shark skills. Maybe he had a misspent youth and it’s catching up to him.</p>
<p>The AV Club website brought up another question. What did Lord Grantham say at the end of the party when Blake and Gillingham agreed to drive together - something about a menage? I could not catch it.</p>
<p>ETA: I went back and viewed it: “What sort of menage has that turned into while I was away?” All the ladies are speechless! </p>
<p>OK, I have officially spent too much time on this this morning.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the episode, but it did feel as if they were trying to cram a lot of loose ends into it before the season finale. The plot line is clearly developed for contemporary tastes in subject matter and seems a bit revisionist in terms of likely attitudes and reactions to controversial issues. Rose’s relationship and the references to “another time” for example, seemed forced and designed to appeal to current sensibilities. </p>
<p>I wasn’t sure about the rationale for the plan, later dropped in favor of adoption in Switzerland, that Edith should give the baby away to the tenant farmer’s family. What would that have accomplished if the child could never even know it was hers? Was she hedging her bets in case MIchael managed a miraculous return? Edith is at least 4 1/2 - 5 months pregnant since Rosamund (I think it was aunt Rosamund) mentions the proposed trip being 4 months in duration. Edith does seem to be wearing her clothing more loosely now. </p>
<p>As for the Gregson disappearance mystery, weren’t the documents Edith signed supposed to be power of attorney over his affairs? With his extended disappearance, wouldn’t she know by now if she had been tricked into signing something altogether different? That possibility seems a bit far fetched. </p>
<p>BTW, Evelyn Napier is the same guy who was once upon a time also infatuated with Mary. He brought the Turkish diplomat’s son to Downton with all the fall out that came along with it. Blake is his boss;the two are on a government project to determine the post war status of the viability of the huge estates and the likely impact on the economy. </p>
<p>Mary has so many suitors because she is one of the few single women in England who is wealthy in her own right. That makes her very attractive!</p>
<p>And I am not convinced that Bates killed Green. Why do I have this sneaking suspicion that Mrs. Hughes might have had something to do with it?</p>
<p>I don’t think that Jack Ross proposed to Rose - I think she proposed to him, and she ran right over him to get him to say yes. That’s why he had to break it off in a letter - if he did it in person, she’d steamroll him again.</p>
<p>Loved the shot of the three women watching Mary go off with her suitors as the very last shot! Great camera work.</p>
<p>Here is my question, for those of you more knowledgable. It is amazing to me how so many of these British costume dramas center on ‘what to do about the increasingly unaffordable estate and landed gentry lifestyle’. Just look at the body of work for any of the older Downton actors for a list of these shows. DoAmerican dramas have a similar theme, or did we just focus instead on westerns, gangster movies, Horatio Alger stories, etc?</p>
<p>I agree, Cardinal Fang: Rose is in no way worthy of Ross. </p>
<p>I’m still on Team Blake. </p>
<p>I doubt that Bates would hire someone to kill Green. He would be laying himself open to a life of blackmail.</p>
<p>Treetopleaf, Gone with the Wind was essentially about the impossibility of maintaining the plantation lifestyle without slaves. We were supposed to think it was a shame that such a “gracious” way of life was no more. Just pay no attention to that silly slavery stuff, why mama was just SO nice and kind to all our people. Yeah, right.</p>