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Pickings are about as slim as the writers want them to be - this is a story - fictional - not real.
Many of the characters have made mention of the fact that many men Edith's and Mary's age are have been killed, but of course the writers could conjure up a respectable beau for Edith if they wanted to. I do like it that the writers are weaving in elements somewhat based in the reality of the times, however.
Although Mary seems to have no trouble attracting properly eligible bachelors. I guess now that she's an heiress and owns half of the estate in her own right ...
I'm sure Bates knows the reason why she's not saying, but I don't think it's going to make one bit of difference, the thought too of going back to jail won't make any difference to him either .
More and more people are figuring it out. Before long, enough people will know the truth that Bates won't even have to do anything. Once Carson starts putting 2 + 2 together, or puts Mrs. Hughes in the position of having to tell the truth, there will be more than enough people to take care of the rapist.
Last night everything jumped around too much for me. From the pig pen mess with Mary showing her silly side, to Edith trying to get an abortion and then giving it up, to Robert and Thomas (instead of Bates) going to America. And then, I thought Grandmama was going to die ! She was so sick, yet stayed at home with Mrs Crawley? Why no hospital? I just thought they crammed too much into an hour. Also lost the whole reason why Alfred had to stay in the Inn? Is DA going on hiatus soon? That's what I heard.
Last night everything jumped around too much for me. From the pig pen mess with Mary showing her silly side, to Edith trying to get an abortion and then giving it up, to Robert and Thomas (instead of Bates) going to America. And then, I thought Grandmama was going to die ! She was so sick, yet stayed at home with Mrs Crawley? Why no hospital? I just thought they crammed too much into an hour. Also lost the whole reason why Alfred had to stay in the Inn? Is DA going on hiatus soon? That's what I heard.
Alfred had to stay at the Inn because Mrs. Hughes was trying to keep him from Downton in order to keep Ivy and Daisy from fighting over him. I really dislike the hostility they are showing between those two. It seems to have come up all of a sudden. Silly plot in my opinion to have the two of them feuding and him saying maybe he would reconsider his career just because suddenly Ivy is showing interest in him. Just as silly as Daisy accusing Ivy of driving him away by rejecting him.
It's not only last night that was jam packed with disjointed stories. The whole series this season seems to be jumping around all over the place. Dramas of this genre do this all the time but the transitions are as a rule much more seamless and don't leave people confused and asking questions. There are supposed to be cliff hangers and intrigue and plot teasers to keep the viewers coming back for sure but when the basic story lines make the a good portion of the audience feel they are continually missing something, something isn't quite right. It makes the show difficult to watch. I love the characters but am not loving their stories.
This was a criticism of the British viewers from what I have been told as well as the American viewers.
Last night everything jumped around too much for me. From the pig pen mess with Mary showing her silly side, to Edith trying to get an abortion and then giving it up, to Robert and Thomas (instead of Bates) going to America. And then, I thought Grandmama was going to die ! She was so sick, yet stayed at home with Mrs Crawley? Why no hospital? I just thought they crammed too much into an hour. Also lost the whole reason why Alfred had to stay in the Inn? Is DA going on hiatus soon? That's what I heard.
Well, a lot did happen, true, but here's what I took from it: Mary is aware that she is being thought of as arrogant and entitled by the man who is there to observe the estate (the man in the pig muck with her). She told him that the pigs had just arrived that day and they walked down after dinner to have a look - and he found one of the pigs near death from dehydration. She pitched in to help him deliver water to the pigs - saving their lives and in the process winning him over that she is not a spoiled princess who feels entitled, but caring, not afraid to get down and dirty, and can even cook some eggs!! She was trying to impress him and I think she did. Edith went to London to her Aunt Rosamond's home (with Rose in tow) and confessed that she is pregnant and was going to get rid of the child. Her aunt accompanied her to the abortionist's office to support her - but Edith is very torn and emotional. When she heard another young woman sobbing afterwards - she decided she is making a mistake and left - and she will be going home to supposedly tell her mother and possibly her father the news. Cora's brother in America needs Lord Grantham to come to America to support his efforts and help him get out of some trouble he is in. He will obviously need his valet to accompany him. Mrs. Hughes told Mary about what happened to Anna - and that this is not a good time for Mr. Bates to leave Anna as she is still quite upset and needs his support. Mary got Anna to talk a bit about it so that she understands the situation and she told her father that Thomas should be the one going to America with her father - not Mr. Bates. Thomas was thrilled to go, Mr. Bates is happy to stay with Anna. Grandmama started feeling poorly - and it worsened as the day went on. She called for a car to drive her home. Mrs. Crawley decided to check in on her before she returned to her own home and found Violet in her bed - burning with fever. She immediately fetched the doctor who said she has bronchitis and they needed to keep her fever down to prevent pneumonia. Mrs. Crawley stayed at her side for 2 days and 2 nights nursing her around the clock and giving her medicine - Violet was near delirious with fever. I'm not sure there was a hospital nearby. She would probably have had to go into London for that - and the doctor was nearby and quite trusted.
Alfred had received a letter to go to the Ritz and had left already, but he was going to be in the area overnight to see some family and wanted to stop by the Abbey and say hello. Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patimore were dismayed because Ivy and Daisey are continually arguing over Alfred (mostly Daisey still upset over Ivey) and jealousy between the two, and it gets rather heated. They decided it best to avoid more drama by having Arthur not stop by. To facilitate that - Mr. Carson was going to meet the train and tell him that there was influenza in the house and they didn't want to expose him - and possibly cause him to get sick and lose time from his new position. Mr. Carson paid for him a night's lodging and a meal and had a drink with him, and left it at that. Next day Alfred showed up anyway - and the white lie was nearly unveiled. Mrs. Hughes hustled Mr. Carson out of the room and Alfred left soon after.
As for hiatus - I'm guessing it will be soon. It's always too soon for me.
]And then, I thought Grandmama was going to die ! She was so sick, yet stayed at home with Mrs Crawley? Why no hospital?
People didn't go to the hospital as frequently back then; they would have had a private nurse with the doctor popping in several times a day. I thought it was historically accurate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Minervah
Alfred had to stay at the Inn because Mrs. Hughes was trying to keep him from Downton in order to keep Ivy and Daisy from fighting over him. I really dislike the hostility they are showing between those two. It seems to have come up all of a sudden.
Not all of a sudden at all; Daisy has disliked Ivy since the day Ivy joined the staff. It goes this way:
Daisy is interested in Alfred
Alfred shows no interest in Daisy beyond friendship
Alfred shows immediate interest in Ivy the day he meets her
Ivy is not interested in Alfred
Ivy is interested in Jimmy
Ivy strings Alfred along to see if she can make Jimmy jealous
Jimmy is interested in Ivy, but only because he thinks he can seduce her
Watching soap operas for 40 years sure has been good practice in keeping this show's plots straight.
I thought "Grandmama" was going to die last night from bronchitis. I had heard that Maggie Smith wanted to leave the show because she wanted to go back to doing movies. I looked on the web to see if she is signed on for a 5th season, but couldn't find a definite answer to that. Does anyone know?
Alfred had to stay at the Inn because Mrs. Hughes was trying to keep him from Downton in order to keep Ivy and Daisy from fighting over him. I really dislike the hostility they are showing between those two. It seems to have come up all of a sudden. Silly plot in my opinion to have the two of them feuding and him saying maybe he would reconsider his career just because suddenly Ivy is showing interest in him. Just as silly as Daisy accusing Ivy of driving him away by rejecting him.
It's not only last night that was jam packed with disjointed stories. The whole series this season seems to be jumping around all over the place. Dramas of this genre do this all the time but the transitions are as a rule much more seamless and don't leave people confused and asking questions. There are supposed to be cliff hangers and intrigue and plot teasers to keep the viewers coming back for sure but when the basic story lines make the a good portion of the audience feel they are continually missing something, something isn't quite right. It makes the show difficult to watch. I love the characters but am not loving their stories.
This was a criticism of the British viewers from what I have been told as well as the American viewers.
I didn't really enjoy last night's Downton that much because there really was too much going on in that one little 50 minute show. I think if they just concentrated on a few interesting story lines and keep a leisurely pace, the viewers would enjoy it more. One minute we are in London, the next in a pig sty, then Alfred returning from London and Carson trying to keep him away from Downton, Edith in London contemplating abortion, and Lord Grantham leaving for America. The end of this episode was good though with Bate's realizing who the rapist was. The guy that plays Bate's is a really good actor - he didn't say a word, but he looked like he was going to kill someone.
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Lady Cora's maid
