Downton Abbey

[harrietthespook]

Ladies....as we were?

(it is summerbird here under a new guise - how do you like my new name )

leBoF i thought the same thing about Ethel's marvellous gestational period. I also wonder would the baby not have been taken from her by 'the authorities' or would she not have been taken to an institution for unmarried mothers. I know sadly this still happened back then.

I am so thick - i hadnt realised that William died at the end of the episode, will dash off to watch it again tonight (i thought he was just sleeping )

Oh no, it's all getting a bit too OTT. I do hope the new heir is an imposter.

BTW
(whispers. . am I the only one who thinks Thomas is gorgeous?)

hangs head in shame

ooo and scatterchasse dont get me wrong - i love Heartbeat too - and I too watch it whilst ironing on a Friday when DS is napping

May I crash in and ask if the first series was much better than this one? I've been watching, but missed all of the first series because Scottish TV decided that we'd all rather watch the 653rd series of Taggart instead . They've got wise this year. Anyhooo, I must say I'm a bit underwhelmed. The first series had such rave reviews that I was expecting something really special and it just seems a bit like any other Sunday night Lark Rise/Upstairs Downstairs/Cranford drama. The 'ishoos' all seem terribly clunky.

Or is it just me? Are you all smitten?

Midnight I do agree with the 'clunkiness!' (Although I am still smitten much to DH's disgust!)
Just seems this series that there is so much happening that we are going through everything at breakneck speed making it difficult to understand - well for me anyway (but then I'm no Einstein!!!:) )

oooh it had me in tears about 4 times; poor old william.

dh said the explosion dragged all the air out of his lungs and ripped all the vessels - it was a common injury

thomas and obrien were horrid talking about the wedding/deathbed werent they?

Daisy looked like an old fashioned picture, beautiful.

vicar was a horrid old sod wasnt he, loved violet blackmailing him

He was quite perky and talkative though, wasn't he? I found it a bit hard to believe.

Midnight- the first series was about 734 times better than this.

was he whistling a bit as he breathed, or was that dh?

satsuma I agree about Daisy - looked very beautiful in an oldy-fashionedy sort of way!
In the trailer for next week the gorgeous Matthew had perfect creamy delicious skin again, so looks like some of the injuries at least are superficial.... He played a gay man in The Line of Beauty some time back - that's when I fell in love

BoF i really thought he wouldnt be able to talk at all - my nana has more trouble talking than he did yep satsuma i thought he was whistling too which was rather more realistic.

I agree - the first series was much more gripping

pickle nearly scored a kiss off Sybil, didnt he.

Lord G is def going to boff that maid. and she'll get ideas above her station and Obrien will have apoplexy at the sheer front of her

cora will be the furious woman scorned, may have a fling of her own...with scottish dour doctor army guy

loved isobel's chic hat and return complimenting mary on her nursing skills

also interesting o'brien still feels v protective of cora, regrets summoning crazy mrs bates; think there'll be a mrs bates vs o brien showdown

this thread is maximising my enjoyment 10-fold.
agree 1st series was awesome, loved mary and edith bitching each other off

also thought violet and edith quite coldly discussing best way to break the news to his father/ how to move him etc spoke about the strength of wartime women, and again the gulf betwixt upstairs and down

and thomas is a one isnt he - Im a working class boy just like him, we always get stuffed
next breath - make me a brew serving wench and make it hot etc

he's a great character.
very vampiric though

right off to lidl

psychicsatsuma i too was sooo proud when Isobel complimented Mary's nursing skills 'it is the complete opposite of nothing' or something

Sooooo Lord G is gonna have it away with Samantha Morton, she bears a boy heir and so the lineage is safe, no? Pah Cora will get over it (although if she was on a mumsnet 'fred she would be told to 'leave the fucker')

I dint think illegitimate children could inherit, but maybe Lord and Lady G will pass the baby off as theirs? Or even Matthew and Mary's?

No, they couldn´t-also adopted couldn´t.

Presumably as they weren´t "blood" related?

In which case, would the Grantham´s want to pass off a maid´s baby as theirs or Matthew´s?

Sorry, was thinking of Ethel´s baby, not Lord G with the new maid.

hmm maybe, so they lock Cora away for a few months and she myseriously appears with said bambino (as long as its a boy..)

That actor who plays William's dad crops up in everything, he is quite a good actor though. Not surprised they have shoehorned him into this one

Violet was BRILLIANT! I love Maggie Smith!

Violet was absolutely fantastic. There should be a spin off show, with all the dialogue her trying to speak on the telephone.

I am desperate to be her when I grow up. Complete with savage walking stick.

I just can't wait to find out how she smokes out that imposter. I reckon former valet is just about right.

Lord G might get a snog in but I don't think they'll go all the way - he'll be ridden with guilt and blubbing...Cora Cora.

Re this series generally.

The first two episodes got it off to a bad start. The last few episodes I've enjoyed and I think are up to last season's standard generally. With JF there is always going to be some bizarre thread that isn't followed up/properly explored or some angle where you're like: "huh?" But I think maybe people are forgetting how many of those there were last season.

I adore Violet - she is just like my nana, i am so making notes as to how to behave in 50 years time! Note how the 3 sisters interact with her - they think she is fab too - i love it!

I want to know what happened to Evelyn Napier. He was supposed to be coming to Downton to recuperate so where is he?!