I think someone at PBS read our posts and reworked the speech amplification acoustics, because I could understand almost everything said tonight!
Meanwhile…quite an episode!
It was much easier to form an identity then. Edith can go to London, be the grieving widow, and it’s not like they can google her to find out her true identity.
I was thinking the same thing oldmom. She can reinvent herself. Now how does she take control of Lord Whats-his-names business and still remain anonymous? Good episode!
I did some quick research and learned that there was NO legal adoption in the UK until 1926!!! Until then, birth parents had an absolute right to reclaim a child. http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/806
Thomas is creeping me out
Bates is getting on my nerves
Why is Gillingham playing along with the set up with Mabel so easily? Last we saw him he was vowing to win Mary back, and now he’s happily hanging with Mabel and Blake is openly pairing with Mary.
I have to say I love love love the clothes this season. The dresses are just lovely and all look really good in them, especially Rose.
Not sure but I like it. I didn’t like all those threats from last time.
What Mary and her new haircut?
It’s stylin’!
Mary is reverting to her old, awful self. Mary, when your sister has just found out her boyfriend died, it’s not the time for sneering and insults. What an awful person Mary is. Also, for some reason her clothes this episode were ugly, especially that tan schmatta. Gorgeous hair though.
I was surprised Isobel accepted Lord Merton’s proposal.
Tough times for the Dowager Countess.
Oh, come on, Anna. Just tell Bates that Lady Mary was boinking Lord Gillingham.
Gillingham is shallow and needs money–which is why Mary dumped him. Blake likes her tons but is mainly playing.
Now Blates will not need to think Anna was trying to prevent a pg. He will think that she was so worried he would be hung that she did not want to be pg. And our honorable Anna will not tell on Mary.
As we saw in the preview, Cora becomes involved. I will be dissapointed if Marigold is just complacent. Too unrealistic and I hope she gives Edith a bunch of crying and such. Especially in a hotel!
I think it will be interesting to see how Isobel’s life unfolds.
Rose is going strong but something is going to happen regarding his Jewish religion and also Cora’s. Painful times.
Fellows is himself an aristocrat with a seat as a conservative member of the British House of Lords.
And while I agree the Russian aristocrats as a class did have it coming considering extremely tyrannical and woefully inept social and political system within Imperial Russia*, there were some sympathetic reasonable individuals and groups as represented to some extent by Prince Kuragin. Unfortunately, the latter were in a distinct minority and were never very influential before the February Revolution and certainly not after the October Bolshevik one.
- Mostly due to the overconcentration of authority and power within the hands of Czar Nicholas II who wasn't exactly well-suited to managing anything or choosing the right people around him....much less being an autocrat who must make and approve many decisions.
I was terrified that Edith was going to kill herself. When she told Tom they could get the car at the train station, I was sure she was going to jump in front of a train to do it. Thank goodness she finally knows the truth and has taken some action. I think she’s going to be able to carve out a decent life for herself. At least, I sure hope so.
I thought the actress who played Mrs. Drewe played her scene saying goodby to Marigold extremely well. ETA: The actress is Emma Lowndes.
I wonder if Violet and the Prince will have an affair. That would be a hoot!!
I too am eager to see Isobel’s new life as a Lady, or Countess, or whatever she will be.
I haven’t liked Bates for a long time. There is an evil, vindictive undercurrent to him that he barely keeps suppressed. I have no idea how a sweet person like Anna can have fallen for him.
Yes!
It would have been much more realistic if Marigold had screamed and cried for Mrs Drewes (the only mum she has known).
I still think Anna should just tell Bates that she is hiding things for Mary.
Well, Anna didn’t have a lot to select from…Thomas?, Mosley? Carson? I don’t think she gets to town much.
Not easy to get a kid that young to act!
Finally all caught up on DA. We were away for a couple weeks, staying in FL with my BIL & SIL who don’t watch the show. Anyway, I don’t have a lot to add in the way of “new” comments.
Very glad to see Miss Bunting gone – if, in fact, she’s really gone? On this show you never know.
Yes, what about the threats Gillingham was making to Mary? All just dropped?
Of course Bates was going to find the birth control stuff; that was a given.
When Cora gave Robert her ultimatum about returning to her bed, my first thought was his tete-a-tetes with that maid, or whoever it was several seasons ago. Nothing really happened there, either, but if they had been found together …
How on earth could Mary be in a steeple race sitting side-saddle? It seems it would be hard enough to just ride a horse that way!
Agree with other posts about Edith needing to get it together, the question of Greene’s death dragging on FAR too long, and being a little surprised about Isobel agreeing to marry.
As a general comment – it seems as if I’m noticing more “throw away” lines in the last few episodes. I’m not sure how to describe it, exactly, but there are, IMO, too many 1 or 2 sentence exchanges between characters that do nothing to advance the story or even relate to anything else. Almost like having the characters talk about the weather instead of anything relevant. Does that make any sense?
Well Edith wasn’t a total stranger, what with all that visiting at the farm. I was just wondering if Edith even knew the first thing about caring for a young child! Marigold could still be in diapers - do aristocrats change diapers?
It was a good night - I found Baxter’s kindness to Thomas particularly classy.
I thought Mary’s new “do” looked good in the front, but was awful in the back. Maybe that was how it was done, though. I loved everything about Violet in this episode. She is such a tough nut, but I think her rushed exit from the Abbey and to the farm was out of concern about Edith and not about appearances.
The servant interactions with Violet were a hoot and the best was when Isobel was up and ready to leave, but then sat back down so she could see the “show” that was unfolding between Spratt and the new maid.