<p>Every producer of a successful series dreams of setting the story in the days of a pandemic. The audience doesn’t like your character or (more likely) you are holding out for more money…your contract is nixed with a big red stamp that says SPANISH FLU.</p>
<p>“Remember we Yanks are getting the Edwardians for Dummies version.”</p>
<p>That explains alot. I stopped watching after 45 minutes last night. I felt like the show was somehow sapping away my IQ. I give up.</p>
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And I would think amnesia of the kind where you get clonked on the head again and suddenly get your memory back is even rarer!</p>
<p>I thought this episode was terribly weak sauce. Yet another Branson/Sybil garage conversation that went nowhere. Daisy once again fleeing the room in tears. Vera once more finding a way to prevent Bates’ remarriage (at least that’s over with). Edith again weeping over an unsuitable man. And then that awful scene where Cora and Violet manipulated Isobel into leaving Downton. Isobel was an intelligent and canny woman during the first season, and now they’ve turned her into a muddleheaded fool. It’s all become so over plotted and ham handed. I think Fellowes wrote a fine tale with a fine ending, never expected he’d be offered a second season, and had no clue how to extend the story. So we have story lines worthy of the CW wrapped in pretty costumes and scenery. So disappointing</p>
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<p>Yes, but who says she died? Older people got the flu, they just survived it better, as you say.</p>
<p>My grandfather got the flu - he was a student in Lausanne at the time. He survived. :)</p>
<p>Yeah, but if she just got sick but survived, what’s the big deal? Somebody will die of the Spanish flu, and it shouldn’t be Cora but someone younger.</p>
<p>And actually, I think older people were less likely to get the Spanish flu. It’s thought that the Spanish flu was similar to another, earlier flu that came through before the younger people were born. So Cora would have had the other flu and would have been immune to this one. It’s not that Spanish flu had a lethality that applied only to younger people, but that older people didn’t get it because they were immune. IIRC.</p>
<p>Looking around that scene towards the end last night, where they all gathered to commemorate the end of the war…what an unhappy bunch of people! I hope speculation is wrong and Lord Grantham (sp?) does not go astray with the new maid. Of course is Cora dies, their could be the source of yet another heir for him… But why bring in Cora’s mother next season if Cora is gone? The daughters are too old to need an American grandmother around.</p>
<p>Cora stood up to Isobel so beautifully a few episodes back and then didn’t last night. I found that to be somewhat disappointing, but it did set Maggie Smith up for a bit of manipulation which was fun.
Would there have been the possibility of plastic surgery to repair the facial burn damage for Peter/Patrick back then? If so, I think it’s possible we may see him again. If not, I hope not (and I know that may be insensitive, but I like my Sunday night guilty pleasure to be full of beautiful people which I know is not the real world version of things!). Lord Grantham seems to have an instinct that it is possible that it is Patrick based on the gesture he made while they were talking.</p>
<p>How did Isobel suddenly get so stupid? Cora and Violet’s manipulation of her wouldn’t have fooled a ten-year-old. Last year, Isobel was a reasonable character, if strong-willed, but this year she’s a power-mad imbecile.</p>
<p>Hiding under all the British accents, grand backdrops, castle, etc, it is after a soap opera and they have to invent a lot of “filler” story lines to make another season’s worth of episodes, which may not be the last if its popularity survives. I hope Julian Fellowes realizes his limitations and hires more talented writers instead of winging it himself.</p>
<p>OK, I didn’t read any of the above comments because…I missed last night’s episode of DA…arrggh. DH had the super bowl on and I just completely forgot it. Is there anywhere I can see it online? Was last night episode 5? I tried doing a “PBS DA episode 5” search but all that got me was links to previews…help!</p>
<p>Try this:</p>
<p>[Masterpiece</a> | Watch | PBS](<a href=“http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/index.html]Masterpiece”>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/index.html)</p>
<p>What i think least believable is the relationship between Isobel and Matthew at the moment. Her only son, her pride and joy, is a paraplegic (maybe!) and she is running off to take care of refugees? Has she even once commented that she is ‘sad’ about his injuries?</p>
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<p>I don’t get this–was the series not made for British tv?</p>
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<p>No, it’s not that odd at all that a woman in her 50s would get the Spanish flu. What was very unusual about that epidemic that it infected and killed so many previously-healthy people in the 20-40 year age range. About 50% of the cases fell in that range, which is astonishingly high compared to normal seasonal flu epidemics. However, the other 50% fell outside that range in older people (such as Cora) and the very young. </p>
<p>Also unusual for this epidemic was that he group affected the least was the very old (>65 years), with only 1% of cases occurring in that group. Still, even a 1% incidence rate is a lot more likely to happen than a case of amnesia, and we’ve already seen that malady strike the show. So scaring up a case of flu in a woman in her 50s should be no problem.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1088558/pdf/TB011829.pdf[/url]”>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1088558/pdf/TB011829.pdf</a></p>
<p>The PBS version has a few cuts, but Brits saw the imposter/amnesia plot too. And Isobel’s morph into a clown, and the lack of chemistry between Branson and Sybil. OK, it’s a soap opera, I accept that now. And I’ll still eagerly watch each episode.</p>
<p>Amesie - The series was made by a British production company for the network ITV in the UK. It has been edited slightly for PBS. I’ve seen the originally aired version but haven’t watched what has been airing on PBS. I really don’t think they needed to ‘dumb it down’ but I am not the head of programming at PBS.</p>
<p>Thanks for the correction, coureur. Seems like I had the age cutoff wrong. Cora is young enough to have gotten the Spanish flu, but Violet is too old. And… who else would be over 65? How old is Carson? Maybe Isobel (how old is Matthew)?</p>
<p>We haven’t seen amnesia. We’ve seen fake amnesia. Not sure what the incidence of that would be. Probably quite high in soap operas and pretty much nonexistent outside them.</p>
<p>Who killed Vera?
Seriously? Bates shows up with a cut face saying “it was worse than you can imagine,” Vera turns up dead amidst a pile of broken crockery, and nobody can figure out who had motive and opportunity to kill Vera? </p>
<p>I knew I was right about Bates. He’s both an idiot (gave Vera all his inheritance and received bupkiss in return) and he lies to Anna constantly. His saint act is so old.</p>
<p>Edith is a sad sack, what a mess. Clearly “Patrick” was an imposter and I’m grateful Mary and the Dowager piped up with the correct theory within minutes.</p>
<p>Interesting that Mary nodded in apparent agreement after Sir Richard read her the riot act.</p>
<p>You’re very cynical about Bates! I believe he has honor and integrity (sometimes too much to be believable, I’ll grant you), and truly loves Anna. And I don’t think he killed Vera.</p>
<p>And another thing about Cora: if she had the Spanish flu, even if she seemed to be dying, all the family would not be gathering around her, taking the risk of catching it themselves…if they have any sense at all!</p>
<p>I am so jealous! Our PBS station shows Downton Abbey on Monday, not Sunday night. I have to see posts, tweets and facebook comments for 24 hours until I can watch the episode…not fair ;)</p>