<p>As far as Im aware, theres s been next to no discussion of who killed Mrs. Bates? on this side of the Atlantic, at least in comparison to the lively debate on whether Mary is still technically a virgin. I wouldnt dare repeat the gist of those arguments here but it was a hot topic on mainstream boards like mumsnet.</p>
<p>And the Christmas special so called because it was shown here on December 25th at 9 PM. It went head to-head with East Enders but lost …</p>
<p>Mdemvizi, I thought Homeland was a 12 episode series. You mentioned 22 yikes! But D and I are definitely in it for the long haul. The opening episode blew us away.<br>
Julian Fellowes has been quoted as saying when he wrote the first series, he was trying to emulate American shows like The Wire. I do think he lost the plot with the second series but hope its because he was rushed to churn it out and that the third series will see a return to form.</p>
<p>Samuck - It is definetly 12 episodes. Total miss-type there. I am trying up think of The Wire comparisons and season 1 was in my opinion a lot better. I am glad WW1 is over.</p>
<p>Re Edith and “Lord One ARm”: it was at the garden party, as was previously stated, where Mary said to him something to the effect of (in very proper aristocratic English of course), “Oh, Edith was laughing earlier because she is expecting a proposal today from some very boring old guy”. This was Mary’s revenge for the letter sent by Edith to the Turkish Ambassador.</p>
<p>Wow, the costume department must be pretty skilled with the alterations, because Uma Thurmnan stands about seven inches taller, and who knows how many pounds heavier, than Maggie Smith.</p>
<p>I love(d) both shows, but c’mon, Downton is a delicious confection of escapist drama. The Wire is something else entirely. Though turning on subtitles for each show does help with accents in places…</p>
<p>Finally had a chance to see Sunday night’s episode 7 (thanks for the link kathiep). Loved it, even though my computer had major glitches - kept scrolling and scrolling. What should have been a nearly two hour show took more than 3. UGH! Worse part was that sometimes it would stop mid-sentence, so I missed some of those good lines. Best part: getting a chance to really enjoy the costumes. I was so amazed at how Mary looked in that last scene: her skin was porcelain and I loved her dress.</p>
<p>Doubt they’ll bring DA to America. But then, wasn’t the Roaring Twenties much more “fun” in the States? And Prohibition?</p>
<p>Who killed Vera? I think it really was Bates. He didn’t think he’d ever be free of her. I also don’t think he deserves Anna. She’s too good for him.</p>
<p>On a different thought, when is Thomas going to get caught? I wanted someone to find out he hid the dog by linking his cigarette butts to the scene. but alas! DA isn’t a mystery; it’s a drama.</p>
<p>Right, but - it was never actually shown that Mary and Edith discussed what Mary said to him. So it was surprising that Edith told her former beau so nonchalantly, oh that was just something Mary said, it wasn’t true. - There was a sorting out of this quid pro quo offstage, at some point during the war most likely.</p>
<p>I haven’t seen this episode since last season, but didn’t Mary give Edith a knowing nod when she was jilted at the garden party, as if acknowledging responsibility (and gloating) over Sir Anthony’s departure?</p>
<p>Can’t wait for Season 3, and am seriously thinking about purchasing the UK versions of Seasons 1 & 2, although I think Season 1 is still available through Amazon Prime free streaming.</p>
<p>Yes, I recall Mary gave a none-too-subtle nod towards Edith when she learned OneArm left. She may not have told Edith what she said, but she made it clear that it was pay-back time for what Edith did to Mary. This was all done at the Garden Party.</p>
<p>If you have a US ITunes account you can’t buy from the British ITunes website- but I guess you could get the DVD’s to get the British version. I work with a woman who has a British ITunes… she has had to keep silent until this week!</p>
<p>I agree with whomever postulated that Anna killed Vera. She is very strident in declaring he did not do it, and I think she would do anything for him. </p>
<p>I loved this episode as it created so many possibilities for the next season. I can’t wait to hear what the Dowager Countess has to say about her son’s mother in law. She has the best zingers…</p>
<p>Been watching the old Upstairs, downstairs series (the "70s) from Netflix and Youtube. Downton Abbey has every plot line and character (they even look the same!). The plot lines of one daughter have been turned into the plot lines of 3 daughters. The servants are instantly recognizable (Thomas and Alberto are interchangeable as are Ann and Rose and some of the others). I like Downton Abbey but the original series is really wonderful!</p>
<p>Geez… I did it again. Discovered I accidentally missed an episode in season 1, too.</p>
<p>Did a marathon of season 1 on Wednesday with a friend of mine who had not seen any of DA. Got to episode 4 when the fair comes to town and Molesley has an allergic reaction and realized I had not seen this one! </p>
<p>Looking forward to setting up another time so we can do season 2!</p>
<p>Went back to PBS last night and watched episode 7, Season 2 that I struggled to watch the other day when my computer that kept scrolling. Oh my. It was wonderful!</p>
<p>I loved the lines, “Criecky!” and “Do you promise?”</p>
<p>Something else that I thought fascinating, since I saw this episode two ways: last night without computer glitches and the other night with a computer that stopped and scrolled, stopped and scrolled. I didn’t catch the subtly and coy remarks first time around, although I actually liked the slow-action version of Matthew flying into Mary for that last scene.</p>
<p>I’m convinced Thomas killed Vera. He has the motive and the personality. One problem with that one though: he keeps bumbling these things. When has his misdeeds come to fruition? Okay. With that in mind, maybe it was O’Brian. She is conniving, although she didn’t have the motive like some others.</p>
<p>Why would Thomas kill Vera? I don’t see a motive there. And it can’t be Anna! She is such a good person at heart. There is no way I can see that. I think it has to be a henchman of Sir Richard. Maybe Sir Richard will be caught somehow and convicted. That would get him out of the way of the Matthew-Mary marriage. </p>