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I do believe that it did say that it was Christmas 1924 and that got me to thinking that in another twenty years the second world war will have started . I think maybe season 6 might open with the beginning of ww2 . who knows ? would be interesting to see what they will do for season 6 .
England entered WW II in 1939, 15 years after last night's finale. If they were to start next season jumping forward to 1939, then they would have to "age" the cast with makeup...and would it be credible that the older ladies would still be alive? That would also leave them with 15 years worth of backstories to fill in explaining who got married to whom, whose children have been born, who died, who left etc.
Also, DA has had as its central theme, the change from the era of aristocrats to more modern, egalitarian times. That change has always been gradual. If they vaulted forward 15 years, they would have to change an immense amount of the basic dynamics and we would not have gotten to see this taking place.
For the above reasons, I do not believe the show will, or should, jump forward to WW II.
They'd have to get a whole new cast. Violet would be dead; Isobel, Cora, Robert, Carson, and Mrs. Patmore may be as well by then. The toddlers would be teenagers, and I wouldn't want to see the younger cast members in middle-aged makeup.
Even though it's completely within her character, I do wish Isobel had fought for her relationship (or perhaps I wish Dickie had fought for her.) Maybe now she and Violet can be housemates, a la the Golden Girls.
Last edited by fleetiebelle; 03-02-2015 at 02:14 PM..
A lot of story resolutions, but enough left for Julian Fellowes to work on next season.
The prince fared poorly. Not only did Violet turn down his immoral proposition, but she reunited him with his shrew of a wife, who he's now stuck with. (When the princess talked about losing the will to live, I thought she might kill herself during the night, leaving the prince free, but such was not the case.) So both Violet and Isobel passed on romantic opportunities, which means that they're free to continue their friendship. They've stopped sniping at each other, which lessens their entertainment value, but Denker and Spratt provided that. It looks like the bickering servants will continue to be around. I doubt they'll become friends, though. We'll have to see if Isobel turns to the doctor as Violet predicts.
The police's lame case against Anna is still lame and unresolved. She's still their prime suspect but the evidence is weak. At least Bates has an alibi. One result was that Molesley and Baster proved their support for Bates and Anna. Maybe Bates and Anna will be friendlier to them in the future.
Anna's rape has been a big secret since it happened. We haven't heard that it's common knowledge now, but her arrest for murder doesn't make sense without that part, so it must be known. We haven't heard more about her shame or others' reaction to it.
Interesting how Thomas had been disrespectful to Tom in the past but he didn't appreciate Stowell doing it. I guess it's OK to have bad feelings within the house but you band together against outsiders. Mary certainly recognizes Thomas' talents, but maybe she'll be more careful in the future about turning him loose.
Thomas now has a new ally in Andy. We'll have to see how Thomas manages to use him for his plots. I thought Andy would show up again after last week's episode, but it is a puzzle why they hired him with no footman experience. He had been a hallboy before being hired for Rose's wedding parties, but Downton has plenty of hallboys that they should have been grooming to be footmen.
Odd that Lord Sinderby would retain a butler that disliked him so and was disliked back. Maybe neither could find anyone else that would put up with them.
The offshoot of the surprise visit from the mistress and son was that Lord Sinderby now knows that Rose will love him forever if he'll let her. We've probably seen the last of the Sinderby clan now that it looks like Rose and Atticus are moving to New York.
Mary maintains her aloof air in dealing with most people, but she let her guard down with Henry Talbot, similar to the way she did with Charles Blake. This clearly is a setup that will play out next season.
We also met Bertie Pelham, the agent at Brancaster Castle. It seems likely that he'll somehow wind up replacing Tom as the agent at Downton and also develop some relationship with Edith next season. It doesn't really make a lot of sense for Edith to hang around Downton, though. She's still the spinster aunt to George, who will inherit it some day. It would make more sense for her to move to London and run the publishing company, but that would remove her from the story, so she has to remain.
The other big secret was that Michael Gregson was married. His trip to Germany to become a German citizen and become elligible for a German divorce was a key part of the story. I wonder if Edith ever shared that with anyone. We only saw that Michael told Matthew about his wife. And now Edith is responsible for the wife. I wonder if she'll ever (or had ever) had any contact with Lizzie.
Baxter's secret seems to have faded away and is no longer relevant.
We learned that Mrs. Hughes is a pauper, but Carson will take care of her now. (I wonder if they'll also take care of her sister.)
Sorry to see Tom and Sybbie leave, but they haven't left, yet. (Daisy said she was leaving but didn't.)
Mrs. Patmore's relationship with Daisy has evolved over time similar to Violet and Isobel's. Daisy is like her daughter, and even merits having dinner with the senior staff on special occasions. Daisy is like Edith in that her future lies outside Downton, but that would take her out of the show.
It looks like most folks are getting along now. Can't wait to see how Julian Fellowes will bring in conflict and scandal next season.
I though this was one of the best seasons of DA, the series 5 finale was very satisfying. So much to wonder about for next year as well.
Loved the scene with Mrs. Hughes and Carson - such great actors.
I loved her last few words, considering how long it took him to say them. She couldn't come right out and suggest it to him but was trying. I guess men are dense sometimes, or don't get subtle. But I love the love between them. Too many 'love stories' you see today are mostly sexual attraction but you can see most of the rest is missing.
I had a dogastrify mid show as the dogs got in the kitchen and the found the pan I hadn't gotten to before the show started so I missed part of their early scene. But then it will be watched again and again until I've found all the neat little moments.
The other fantastic guest star was the house where they went for the party. Awesome is not quite enough. But what was really neat was it looked familiar, and then they showed the room with that couch. This estate was shown on the series of the great country estates which ran this summer/fall. I remember the current owners wife sitting on that couch, explaining how for many years, it had been the resting place of her grandmother's dogs, and then her mothers. When she and her husband set out to restore the house and furnature to its glory, they had a very hard time with the couch, given the dogs. But they managed to restore it without damage. Its a rare special made piece by a famous company.
The house reminded me of Hearst Castle. We didn't take the tour which went upstairs with the bedrooms, but the downstairs is beautiful and has all the extras. He admired English country houses. There is a lot of authentic heriloom stuff there, but its mixed between culture and age with modern stuff stuck in the middle. The house in the episode was awe inspiring, but also shows off an attempt to show off money since virtually every where there is 'stuff' displaying it. The family had restored it back to just how it looked in its prime when it was first built.
I thought this season was way better than last season. The engagement between Mrs. Hughes and Carson was so sweet. Love them as a couple! I'm glad the Duchess turned down the Prince. Poor guy is going to miserable for the rest of his life with the Princess, she was really a Debbie Downer!
I was hoping Mrs. Crawley would have married that guy, but maybe the doctor has a chance now. I am going to miss Tom and Rose, if she moves to America too.
And we still don't know who killed Mr. Greene. I hope they drop that boring storyline next season and let Anna and Bates be happy for once.
I would be perfectly happy if they left Mr. Green's demise with a question mark. The Bates shouldn't be bothered anymore. They have proof he was elsewhere, and their witness didn't know if she was who he saw or not. They aren't going to embarris themselves. Sometimes things are never solved, and maybe it was just karma that Mr. Green slipped.
I think the Dutchess was confronting having nobody around if Mrs Crawley married, and then started really considering if she should. Good decision on her part. And while the princess probably doesn't mind being rescued, she isn't thrilled with them all expecting her to be just like them. Maybe she and her long lost hubby can live seperately for each others sanity.
And yeah!!!!! for Mrs Crawley. If you know the family is a train wreck, and the sons are obnoxious, and they'll never be anything else, run away. I feel for their father, because any women he meets will also fail inspection. But you always should remember, you marry the family too.
I think Rose is going to love America until 1929 and the crash. I hope her husband doesn't over invest.
I'm planning a binge watch of all of it myself. Anyone else?
I enjoyed the finale, but was left perplexed by the Bates/Anna subplot. The police arrest someone for murder, incarcerate her, someone else confesses to the murder, so they release her. That confession turns out to be fraudulent, yet Anna is not re-arrested? The explanation was "They don't have enough to hold her"...but that was the case before they arrested her the first time. How could they have had enough to hold her, but following the fake confession, they no longer did?
This endless stretching of this one subplot, which has been full of logical holes all along, mars an otherwise wonderful season.
They wrapped things up happily for most everyone in this season ender, so I suspected that they would also throw in an announcement from Tom that he had decided to stay.....but no joy there.
I think the difference is their witness wasn't sure anymore. The rest is circumstantial and most of it rests on him. They know the lawyer will cross examine him if it comes to trial, and if he's not sure he won't hold up. Right now they undoubtedly still suspect, but without a firm identification they are not going to push things.
I suspect Tom will not stay away long, or maybe change his mind. However he got there, he is firmly a part of the family now. Sometimes the strongest ties are the ones you make yourself.
Wasn't it Thomas that orchestrated that so the butler would get blamed
If I am not mistaken Thomas wrote a note for the cook to have a specific type of food served to Rose's father-in-law wherein the father-in-law humiliates and scolds "his man" in front of all the guests. "His man" suspects Thomas and asks him to write something so he can compare the 'handwriting', wherein he decides it was not Thomas who was behind the note to the cook and having the 'wrong' food served to Rose's father-in-law.
"His man" then proceeds to brag to Thomas about ALL the secrets he knows about his "Lord & Master"...the following day (I believe it was) enter Diane and Daniel, who believe they have been invited to the house by Rose's father-in-law.
What a mess and if I have it all wrong someone in the know please correct me...please.
England entered WW II in 1939, 15 years after last night's finale. If they were to start next season jumping forward to 1939, then they would have to "age" the cast with makeup...and would it be credible that the older ladies would still be alive?
When the series started, it was 1912, right? I don't think anyone looks 10-12 years older.
I think Marigold is the unhappiest little girl I have ever seen. She has never spoken a word, nor does she ever smile. And why doesn't Edith put her down and let her walk. The kid is way too big to be carried around all the time. Just sayin....
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