I imagine Sarah 55 years earlier at Downton, with some dispossessed former Southern slave owner reminiscing about the happy prewar days on the cotton plantation. What would you expect her to do and say?
Now wait, wait, wait. Miss Bunting says controversial and upsetting things that are clearly not within the boundaries of of good manners WHILE SHE IS A GUEST in someone’s home. It’s not good manners today and it certainly wasn’t appropriate in 1924. She is clearly meant to be provocative as part of the dramatic action, providing conflict, but there is no way she is a polite person. Political opinions are one thing, but when you are a guest at dinner or tea, it is part of the social contract to be pleasant and avoid confrontation.
If what I think are racist or sexist statements are made by my hosts at dinner or tea (although I haven’t been to too many teas, lol), I will challenge them. I think the slavery analogy holds true. If Dr. King were alive today, that’s what he would advocate. The status quo will never change unless people on the bottom and middle stand up to their oppressors on top and however well-intentioned the English aristocracy may have been, they were oppressors.
The situation is also complicated by the history of how British aristocratic opinion about the Romanov imperial family and the aristocratic dominated social order in what was Imperial Russia wasn’t necessarily as united or as uncomplicated as the show has portrayed so far.
Also, this was a period when old class hierarchies like the British and other nations were being seriously challenged not only by the “lower orders” as symbolized by folks like Miss Bunting, but even by younger generations within the higher orders as symbolized by the late Lady Sybil…and caught in the middle of both worlds is poor Tom Branson.
LOL! Ok, those of you who think that Miss Bunting is a noble soul, putting those nasty aristocrats (who are stupid enough to entertain her in their home) in their place are welcome to invite her over to be rude to the guests of whom you don’t approve.
I personally will not be inviting her to any of MY dinner parties 
I thought that the entire scenario of Cora dining out with art historian totally unbelievable. While she may be feeling of little use or purpose and appreciates his attention, a woman in her position in the 1920’s would not dine out with an unrelated man. Acceptable to visit an art gallery or museum and afternoon tea perhaps but she would not have dined with him solo and would not have confided in him as she did.
Also so predictable that the farmer would tell Edith to stop coming around and Edith seems clearly oblivious that it is a problem for Mrs Drewes.
Turns out all Miss Bunting said(I wasn’t able to catch the entire comment when watching the episode) was saying the late Czar was “misguided in his policies." Her error was making it as an unsolicited statement in light of the place and state of the Russian aristocratic guests, not in the making of the statement itself.
IMO, it would not have been wrong of her to make such a statement should the Russian aristocrats start ranting about what a great Czar he was and how the Russian people didn’t appreciate how great he was.
Especially considering from a historical and political perspectives, Bunting’s comment is actually an astonishing understatement.
Czar Nicholas II was way out of his depth as Czar and “Autocrat of all Russias”* due to his father’s refusal to start educating him for the czar job until he suddenly fell ill and died unexpectedly when Nick II was 26.
His reputation was also tarnished by events in his reign such as:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_%281905%29
Worse, considering the political structure depended on a strong autocratic ruler to function and Nick II’s inclination to avoid actively dealing with difficult issues and stubbornness at the wrong times, those tendencies played a critical part in undermining his regime to the point he was overtaken by events and was forced out of power.
- That was one of his actual titles.
thanks cobrat for that info. “helpful”
my question: i think tom will leave for america. think he’d take young sybil with him?
Can we please talk about Downton Abbey again?
I really enjoyed watching Cora on her “date” with the art historian. We heard more of her back story last night than ever before. I assumed her father was Jewish but had no idea she was from Cincinnati. I’d like to know more about her background but don’t have much hope for that. She wasn’t at all her usual vapid self while she was talking about her former life, so maybe that veneer is something she’s had to adopt in order to survive among her husband’s family and the British class system.
psst Cobrat…I’ll bet we’ve all read Nicholas and Alexandria too. No need for anymore lectures.
I can’t imagine that Tom would go away and leave his little daughter. I know that jerk of an Earl thinks he has undisputed rights to his grandchildren (except, I suppose, Marigold if he knew about her), but Tom is Sybbie’s father.
And a bozhe tsarya khrani to you, too. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRES9oLBNZw
Wonder how long will Fellows extend the Russian aristocrat exile subtheme here…
I thought the Russian scene with Violet and the bearded guy was contrived and dumb.
I am tired of Edith and Marigold. Either she needs to come out and claim the child as her own, or she needs to get on with her life. No more burning down Downton either.
I like Mary’s “exploration.” She can’t have been the only woman of her time to have cared about sexual compatibility. Plus, having been happily married, she doesn’t want to find herself in an unsatisfying relationship the next time around.
I dislike Sarah Bunting. I get that she is there to bring Tom back to his activist roots, but she grates on my nerves.
A large part of that may be Fellows’ writing to get the audience to identify, sympathize, and imagine they are part of the aristocratic family even if in history, folks like the Granthams wouldn’t deign to associate with most of us unless they needed something from us…
This includes having us feel deeply how grating folks with ideas which challenge the aristocrats’ preferred social order were perceived by aristocrats like Lord Grantham and company.
Also, it is just me or does it seem like Lord Grantham is acting like a grumpy kid whose cheese got moved once too often?
Thanks cobrat for the link- Bloody Sunday
The tension between Bunting and Lord Grantham exemplifies class struggle.
It’s abrasive at times, on both sides, but serves it’s dramatic purpose.
It does, but the writing is so heavyhanded. The Bunting character could make the same point of class versus class, without her being so rude. It’s unrealistic.
Could Fellows be doing so on the assumptions this is the only way to get a modern audience to understand the contestation between the old order and one closer to our era and the deep antagonistic feelings which came from it on both sides?
That and demonstrate his sympathies clearly lie with the aristocrats considering he’s one of them and has a seat on the conservative bench of the House of Lords? That would be one explanation for the writing of Bunting’s character and her interactions with Lord Grantham.
While I’d be surprised if Fellows would even consider this, this would be a good setup for a subplot where Lord Grantham ends up asking Miss Bunting and/or Daisy for tutoring in basic math and some commonsense…like how NOT to fall for scams like the Ponzi scheme. 
Meanwhile, back at the Abbey:
I agree that the plot with Edith and Marigold is approaching stupid. Whatever happened to the old Edith, who would run down to London at a moment’s notice and who had a great career as a writer? That can’t have evaporated just because Mr. Gregson vanished, right? Something has to happen with that plot line. It’s getting too stupid to watch.
Here I go again with predictions!
Tom takes off to America with his daughter. LG is upset but Edith says “Wait Dad! I’ve got a new grandkid for you!”
Drew’s wife now knows Edith is the mom and tells the whole town.
Bates finds the BC and book in Anna’s purse and confronts her. She tells him “a woman’s purse is private” and it’s all his fault and refuses to talk to him.
Violet has tea with the Russian guy and decides to “try him out” for the weekend thinking maybe Mary was right. Isobel applauds her forward thinking and decides maybe she too should join in the fun.
Mr Carson capitulates to Mrs. Patmore’s request to put name on statue because once again he “can’t stand being on the wrong side” of Mrs. Hughes. And he’s afraid Mrs. Patmore will spit in his gravy. He asks LG’s advice about it who tells him it’s “no biggie and will make family happy and strangers won’t know”.
Cora takes up painting mockingbirds and wants to go to dances rather than teas. LG can’t dance.
I like the intimation that Violet has a ‘past’…
And Cora sleeps with the art guy, and Daisy sleeps with Miss Bunting, and Rose sleeps with Mr. Carson.
Now, that would be a plot twist!