Love all your comments. Thanks so much for chiming in with all your theories. It always gives me such warmth to know I’m sharing DA with all my invisible friends.
I agree with all the groaning about the tedious and unbelievable plots. I think it would be far more realistic for Scotland Yard to spend almost NO time on a legitimate murder of the lower classes than spend years of man hours hunting for an accident victim’s maybe pusher, but no one really saw anything. Geesh already. Still, I love my Downton.
As a side note, I would love to see Edith in London and Tom in Boston and lots of other more believable outcomes, but the show is called Downton Abbey and Julian F is determined I believe to have the action center on the Abbey. There are also costs to consider and each additional set/location — done in the brilliant way of their set decorator/art director/production designer costs a packet. Some choices (like the abbreviated wedding party for Rose) strike me as we’re-over-budget and need to pinch pennies leading up to the grand Christmas spectacular.
As for the strained stories, I do think Fellowes has just been unwilling to share the writing/story duties with others. And what a shame. He created lovely characters in an updated (in production details) version of the old Upstairs/Downstairs. The series would have been the richer (imo) for some fresh creative blood. Ah well. I still watch every episode twice to look at those clothes.
Oh, and I’m alone I see in loving just how bitchy Mary can get. I see her in need of a good comeuppance and hope the new man (he’s so cute!) makes her jump through hoops. Or better, the new man gets a crush on Edith.
Maybe if she was stunning or extremely witty or something - I would like her ice cold bitch routine but as it is, she was only interesting when she had more than one facet and was oh maybe vulnerable. Lately she acts like Mean-Girls-Do-Eduardian.
I think that’s the point–mean girls rarely change. Mary softened a bit with Matthew but that was ages ago. The class system, title and money support her sense of superiority and privilege. Only the Scotland Yard copper gets away with telling her off.
I just think the writing of her character
this season is pretty flat and just shows her nastiness - when other seasons we did see her softer side - not just with Matthew but with everyone. It was a more interesting character.
Good point about keeping the action at Downton Abbey. This is certainly one of those shows where the setting itself is one of the best “characters” of all!
How about this: Edith finds a way to work from home! Probably nearly impossible in those days…and particularly in the publishing business…but maybe JF could do some research on the topic and come up with something…
I agree that Mary is awful to Edith but I understand it. Think about how hard it was for women to find there place. Mary is strong willed and stubborn and she has no patience for Edith who seems like a victim at every turn. I don’t dislike Edith but don’t you think Mary just wants to shake her and say “just stop all your brooding,”.
And living with adult siblings mean you carry childhood patterns. There is no escape. I love Mary’s character - I wish sometimes I could be so honest!
I think Tom will hang around Downton Abbey for part of the next season and move to America in time to tie into the later lives of characters who will be younger in Fellowes’ future show.
By the way, we are watching the HBO Rome show (from 2005-2007), and you see a whole lot more of Tom in that show. Definitely not Edwardian clothing (or lack thereof)…
Costumes from the show are currently on display at the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. I regret not going up to Winterthur to see them. I only did a quick search so I don’t know where they are going next.
Well, she has enough attitude for it. But they don’t seem very bright, which I think was also an issue with Tony Gillingham. Mary didn’t marry a stupid man the first time, and I doubt she intends to do so the second time.
The thing is…we know…and Mary knows…that she is capable of being a much better person. That’s part of what her conversation with Carson was about. I think Mary rejected Tony not only because he wasn’t the brightest bulb but also because at some level she realized that he doesn’t bring out the good side of her.
I don’t think she’ll marry Tom, but Tom too brings out the best in her.He, like Matthew, is a fundamentally decent person. In that sense, I think he’s a reminder that she wants a better person for a husband.
Mary would eat Lord Merton’s heirs for lunch.
I think she found Tony too stupid and boring so threw him back.
She likes Tom but he’s more of a brother figure. He’s her business partner and an equal in that way.
If we really want a twisted story–Baxter gets Anna out of jail somehow and Thomas saves Baxter who goes to jail (since he knew Greene too). Mr. Carson shakes his head and tells them all to be back by 10pm…
The Scotland yard detective dates Mrs. Denker whom he meets at a speak easy raid.
