I think we are conflating two different break-ups in the Edith/Sir Anthony courtship. The first was in Season 1 and was definitely engineered by Mary. That’s the Garden Party one mentioned above in post #4439. The second was later after Sir Anthony comes back into the scene. For that one they were actually engaged and nearly married but he broke it off at the last minute. Mary did not have anything to do with that second break-up.
Ah. Got it. Thank you both.
So Mary didn’t cause Strallan to leave Edith at the altar.
But when Strallan was about to propose to Edith the first time, Mary lied to him to prevent him from proposing.
I’m not seeing the defense of Mary here. Deceiving a man who is about to propose to your sister into believing she doesn’t love him is poisonous, no matter whether he did eventually propose some time later.
Has this been posted before?
“The Real Downton Abbey” Servants: The True Story Of Life Below Stairs 1/3
(No spoilers; it’s about how servants lived.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h-sNcwUSHk
Oh it definitely wasn’t a nice thing to do at all although if he was really determined to propose, he would have at least talked to Edith who made a very obvious last ditch effort to get him back (didn’t work).
After the war and his injury, he really didn’t show more than a friendly interest in Edith. It was Edith who pretty much hounded him into proposing to her, much to her father and grandmother’s dismay. If anyone scuttled the wedding it was Robert and Violet, not Mary.
As far as poisonous goes, writing to the Turkish ambassador to destroy Mary trumps anything Mary said to Stratten at a garden party in spades, IMO. What ardent suitor would have been deterred by that? I don’t think Edith was ever even in love with him; she was simply desperate for a suitable husband and didn’t think she could get anyone else. It was no grand romance for sure.
Although we just observed Sibyl’s coming out, why do you think the girls were 0-3 in obtaining and accepting a marriage proposal after their coming out? Wasn’t that the purpose?
Easy–Sybil was a rebel, Edith was a PITA and Mary wouldn’t settle for anything but the best (which she’s still looking for).
Mary was promised to the cousin who was to inherit Downton (but wound up dying on the Titanic–was it?) and Edith was not likely the prettiest belle at her coming out balls, as it were, and was secretly in love with the cousin Mary was engaged to, leaving Sybil who preferred the chauffeur to any of those lords’ sons.
Scipio (post 4440), thank you. I was mixing up two of Edith’s suitors. Thanks for clarifying. I knew I remembered Mary ruining a relationship for Edith. In any case, both sisters have been very nasty to one another. Maybe old habits die hard but it’s hard to see Mary be so nasty to Edith at this point.
At least Edith seems to be gaining confidence and has been giving Mary snark for snark lately, and Mary is so stunned when it happens, as are most people who treat a person like crap when that person does the same to them.
Does anyone know how many episodes are left? Am headed out of the country for a while and don’t want to wait till I get back to catch up.
3 regular + Christmas special which is longer than the usual episodes. I checked earlier this week out of eager anticipation:)
Does anyone think the episodes are shorter this season? I loaned out my DVD’s, so I can’t check, but it seems prior seasons’ episodes ran closer to an hour, and these are running about 45 minutes. I feel a little cheated : (
“A private understanding”… to learn to read.
What is the age difference between Barrow and Andy anyway?
Did you catch last week that Spratt’s first name is Septimus? I wonder what Denker’s is.
And why do most of the servants go by the last name?
So what are they doing?
Will Barrow be held on I. Some role for the children?
There was a great Downton Abbey event this weekend that happened about 1 mile from my house. Sadly, you needed reservations at the hotel to sign up for the events and $500 per night was too rich for my blood. Mrs. Hughes wore flip flops! O’Brien wore faux fur! Molesley and Andy looked super cute!
Downton Abbey at Sea Island
edited to add: I tried to post a link but apparently facebook links are not allowed. If you would like to see the pictures you can go to the Sea Island Resorts facebook page.
Seeing Barrow crying at the end broke my heart. And his conversation with Carson. They made him likable this season and having bad things happen to him. We would have preferred bad things to happen to him when he was awful in prior seasons. So we are being set up for something.
They are really playing up how much the kids enjoy him horsing around with them.
Maybe he’ll get Molesley’s job when Molesley becomes a teacher.
Also, what is Carson doing firing Thomas when his boss, Mary, doesn’t want him fired?
When is Carson going to take over the cooking Chez Carson? He’s unbearable. I don’t know why Mrs. Hughes hasn’t hit him over the head with a frying pan yet.