If Barrow has been “trying” to mend his evil ways he wasn’t trying very hard. Just a few episodes ago, for no particular reason, he sought to humiliate Gwen in front of the Crawleys by outing her as a former servant in the house. Lord Grantham sharply berated him for it too. And just a few months later in Downton time all is forgotten and he’s being hired as butler - the boss of all the other servants. If I were one of the other servants I’d be polishing up my resume. It’s only a matter of time before Barrow’s true nature bubbles back up to the surface - this time with real power behind it.
I’m watching again. I do agree with the poisoning thread. I like the comments by the nurses and MDs about pernicious anemia. Me, I need a B12 shot monthly. I did not know anything about Anna’s pregnancy and the removal from f the stitch. That’s for the rest no.
Not to mention Mary’s, although I do think she will be somewhat less snarky to Edith in future. Edith is a marchioness, after all.
There’s a cute cartoon in the new issue of the New Yorker…“Please explain why Downton Abbey is the only place in England where it never rains.”
I liked the finale but that sure was a fake baby Anna had. They needed some of the puppets they use in “Call The Midwife.”
I wish they had shown the new puppy more.
Or maybe they will be Atonement! 
In all of the write ups, nobody mentioned my favorite line from the episode----Spratt telling Denker that she miscalculated in telling the Dowager about his column because “She never likes to be predictable.”
Bookworm–sublingual B12 tabs are an alternative to the injection if you don’t like shots
Now back to our daily DA discourse…
My favorite line was Robert’s after Bertie’s mother’s rant about the dead gay cousin: “Golly.”
The Tom&Lorenzo commentary that @Joblue posted up-thread (#4906) is pretty funny, and the comments are great - I love this one:
“On a sad note…on New Year’s Day Scotland Yard arrived to question the Bates Baby on a recent homicide.”
Jumping in after finally watching yesterday. I loved it. Loved loved loved it. And my favorite line was the one about the English are the way they are because of the weather. I spent a year there in college and the weather blows let me tell you.
Did anyone find themselves going Noooooo when the final shot of the castle came on screen?
I thought at first that Bertie’s awful mother was played by the same woman who played Charlotte’s (brief) MIL Bunny in Sex and the City. That voice! That long, disapproving face!
Maybe she can go off and live with the even more awful Larry and Amelia.
I love Dickie and his tweeds. I wish we had a brief scene of happy romance between him and Isobel. Just sitting there smiling after they get the happy news wasn’t enough for me.
“Did anyone find themselves going Noooooo when the final shot of the castle came on screen?”
Yes! Twice! I rewatched again with my daughter yesterday - so satisfying! And I did notice Patricia Hodges, but we first saw her in the sitcom “Miranda,” playing the mother of Miranda Hart, Chummy from “Call the Midwife”. What a hoot! Cringingly awkward and hysterical - you can watch on Hulu.
I rewatched last night and liked it even more the second time around.
I agree! I rewatched it this afternoon. I think it was wonderful. Yes, things got wrapped up very neatly, but I came away happy that it all ended well for so many of my favorite characters. I was also sad that it came to an end. I hope that they can do a movie in a year or so.
^^^ @operadivasmom, I missed Call the Midwife’s Chummy! Who did she play in the finale?
Add me to the list of those who loved the finale. I loved that everything was tied up in a neat bow! I will miss this show!
^Chummy was not in DA. Patricia Hodge, who played Bertie’s mother, also played the role of the mother of the title character Miranda in the sitcom of the same name. And the role of Miranda was played by the same actress who also played Chummy.
The DA/Chummy connection is a little complex.
Yes, sorry for the confusion! But if you love Chummy, collage1, you should check out Miranda. You might have to do some searching if you don’t have Hulu.
Thanks for the clarification, Scipio. I’ll look around for Miranda; I do not have Hulu, operadivasmom. I appreciate the suggestion.
I just looked this up as I was curious. How does Edith, now a Marcioness outrank her father the Earl? They rank above an Earl but below a duke. In the past, nobility that had their lands bordering the country…called Marshes, we’re held in higher esteem than nobility that held theirs not bordering it…called the county…i.e. count or countess. The Marchionne was considered to have more what it took to defend the country. Dukes were royalty but also bestowed the title to those they considered deserving
Very interesting. I don’t care if they showed it or not, Mary is still bristling.
The British aristocracy is so obsessed with hierarchy that there is even a specified hierarchy within each of those ranks. So, for example, a quick look at Wikipedia shows the Marquess of Winchester outranks the Marquess of Huntley, for example, because the former is an “older” title. And, at formal dinners, they line up by rank and the higher rank gets to go into the dining room first. So strange to us, the Americans!
Bertie’s castle looked pretty old, so I’d say he is probably pretty high up there in the Marquess rankings! Edith will likely be first in for dinner at most events for the rest of her life.