Downton Abbey

[harrietthespook]

Ladies....as we were?

ooooh, hope so. I think either Anna or masterbates are more likely to be in her firing line though. One of them is so going to end up deaded.

I'm not feeling the Bates/Anna love so much recently. Which is sad because they were genuinely moving at the end of the last series, and when he came back at the beginning of this one. Perhaps it's been decreed that we can only cope with one will they/won't they/lots of meaningful looks romance per series.

Would hate one of them to be offed, though.

oh no is next week the last one? i thought there were 8 episodes

I thought we just had episode 5 and there are 7 episodes + Christmas special?

Sorry - my confusion. For some reason I thought next week was the last one.

Just checked - there are eight episodes, plus the Christmas special. So plenty of time for 'flu to cause havoc

The Romanovs were shot in July of 1918, to give us an idea of where we are meant to be up to. The flu started in June, but was ordinary enough, I think, but with a much deadlier strain developing in the autumn.

My great grandfather died in it in 1918, in the US.

Another one who loves Violet, need a soundbite of all her best sayings to use. I think I need to cultivate a very cut glass accent

See, I find the whole Bates / Anna thing really unbelievable. I'm not really an Anna fan TBH, she is a bit drippy for my liking!

I quite like Anna but Bates is such a drip. Why does his overly-developed sense of ego honour always include making the woman he supposedly loves unhappy? "Oh, look at me, I'm such a decent chap and look how I suffer for you all." He's the kind of mug whose infuriated wife posts on AIBU about him spending his weekends putting up other people's kitchens for free and running their home like a guesthouse for dodgy relatives.

I was quite amused yesterday to see Mary asking the filthy-rich Sir R to tell her how much it would cost to buy Mrs Bates off, then getting home and shrugging when Bates (and/or Anna?) told her he's given them all his money.

given *her

BUT- she must believe that Sir Richard's ability to solve an ongoing problem for him has some sort of 'value'. Maybe at least he and Anna will get a second hand silver cruet with the family crest on it as well...

Or she could be thinking: he paid for his bit, she offered to 'pay' for hers and then remember Sir Richard goes: Wives are indebeted to their husbands. Which I kind of read at the time as: you'll be working your debt off to me in the sack/dining room/wherever I say.

Or am I just blinded by Mary's charms?

I think the new maid looks like a younger version of Cora - sorry of that has been said already - can't keep up with the thread !

Cora I think has been neglecting Lord G of late - last night she cancelled a dinner invite and Lord G was slightly pissed off in an Edwardian way

Poor Mary selling her soul to the devil in disguise - Sir R.

The imposter moment - not sure about someone coming back fropm the 'dead' had Dallas shower scene all over it - talking of Dallas that will be back on soon

The class boundaries are getting very blurred, aren´t they?

Also, has DA been requisitioned?

Just thinking of the difference when the Granthams wanted Evelyn Napier to stay & it was ultimately their decision, but then Violet had to sort things herself re William.

I think the thing with William is that he isn't an officer, and it is a rest home for officers only. That's why he was upstairs in a guest bedroom with Enid caring for him rather than downstairs in the official bit with "proper" nurses.

Maybe the badly burned officer is Evelyn Napier? Every other prediction I've made has been wrong so I'm unlikely to be right on this one.

Yes, but Lady Violet wanted him there-and I´ve no doubt that that would previously have been enough.

I think that Edith was great again.

I think Cora may succumb to flu leaving Robert distraught,to be comforted by new maid's widowly charms.
And new maid already has proved her childbearing ability,so in the post war class breakdown could become the next Countess?
Would love to see Violet's face!
O'Brien will refuse to serve the new Lady of course and will plot and plot....
The 'who's the heir' question will be resolved by new baby of Robert and maid-come-new-countess.

"Maybe the badly burned officer is Evelyn Napier?"

Well I would have thought that he´d already done his convalesing-or at least started it!

Actually killing off Cora would be brilliant for dramatic tension - is Lord G going to marry again? A new heir? V pissed off daughters and his mother scrutinising all candidates....oooh yes!

I thought the CHristmas episode was going to be all flu ridden? I'm hoping Lavinia gets the flu. Also maybe Pickle could come down with it and be nursed back to health by Lady Sybil? That might stop him being such a tosser.

Another vote for the Dowager here...I've always been a fan of hers.

Loved her as Prof McGonagoll in the HP series, she had some fab one- liners

in those as well!

they cant ditch cora - old mcgovern is a ratings winner

Just caught up with Sundays episode. I couldn't watch the opening sequence at the front.

how blubworthy was Daisy and William's wedding?

See, I found the singing last week more tear-jerking.

But it did have to wipe my eyes when Mary was looking after Matthew, gently lifting him and everything.