Downton Abbey Discussion continued...

[ErikNorseman]

Here!

The titles thing is v. confusing even for the servants. When Anna becomes a lady's maid will she be Mrs Bates, seeing as O'Brien is Miss O'Brien.

Is there a Debretts smiley?

Yes I think so. And Mrs Patmore and Mrs Hughes are "Mrs" by courtesy regardless of marital status.

I thought Miss O'Brien was Miss O'Brien cos she was too scary to have a first name. I can't imagine Mary calling Anna Mrs Bates.

Things that are annoying me about Branston

1. He's so single minded about his country yet he married an English woman (and an English Lady to boot)
2. What the feck is he thinking that his child should be born in Dublin? Surely it's not THAT important when the mother is from another country

Everytime I look at Bates I can't stop thinking how he is so wrong for that role..he should be handsome!! irks me everytime..

I'd imagine Branson is after founding a great political dynasty - and is thinking that a child born outside Ireland would be barred from great office or something along those lines? Think Obama birth certificate kerfuffle.

OK DH has just informed me on my point 1) that this actaully did happen (I'm sorry to inform that brain went into it's usual "lalalala" when he start telling me more hsitory than it can cope with so facts are vague) the example he gave were a lady that Yates fancied like mad who married someone else, and a Lady who married a polish man left him and shacked up with an IRA man. Both were mentioned by Lady G apparently.

He didn't shed any light on 2) other than saying seeing Pickles would be hanged as a traitor if he returned to Ireland so he's going to have to relax on some of his principles

tribpot not sure how involved in the politics Pickles is, I get the feeling he's more an IRA action/decision man

He was a chauffeur, a servant and that was considered lower class. The classes rarely married one another.

Found you. Wow I did enjoy that. But now to pull it to bits.
Glad Bates and Anna are sorted but FGS can they end the prison storyline. Snore. The interesting bit is Anna sleuthing away on her afternoon off.
Mary-still obnoxious. Her blue dress was hideous. Red dinner party dress was v. Nice though.
Matthew seemed in danger of becoming an old fogey but sorting the estate should wake him up a bit.
Huzzah for Edith! Excellent.
Sybil and Tom should go to America. That bit of plot was a bit tortuous. I'm not sure it quite hung together.
Cried a bit over Ethel.

Pickle is def off to New York (I hope). Bates is def guilty (I hope). He may also be needed in a Larkrise to Candleford spinoff as he left about 6 months ago now to do some stone mason work in Oxford and someone must be missing him. I do wish Mrs Hughes would wake up next to Carson one morning!

Moln - Maude Gonne and Constance Markievicz.

The War of Independence is going to be over very soon so Branson can go back (but there is still the Irish Civil War to come immediately following that).

I think JF planned to have Branson/Sybil all end in tears. In fact I bet he didn't even plan for them to get married. Remember he's a massive Tory in real life, I don't think he actually wants a marriage between a socialist and a feminist to thrive. BUT the US audiences in particular just ate up the whole 'love across the class divide' thing and so they went with it.

I really want them to work out and be happy but I don't think it will happen. I think Branson is going to be more and more of an arse and Sybil is going to be made look like a silly fool for ever having gone near him.

Hi all,

So my tuppence:

Ethel - why did Isobel not offer to take her and Charlie in, it was staring them all in the face. Charlie will be back....
Isobel and Mary both looked quite cold in their skimpy little dresses.
Mary - does she ever lighten the F up?
Tension building between lazy incompetent Lord G and Matty, there shall be a falling out and know it all Mary will side with Daddy and Carson and they will grow to resent Matty. Mary will not be able to produce a child and alll the tension will kill their sex life.
Edith will agree with Mattys new ideas for Downton. Edith and Matty seem to be getting on like a house on fire (much to pickles delight!).

Pickle - turning a bit brutish and the whole running off to Downton and leaving Sybil in his wake, what was that about, surely he could have hung out in Dover (or wherever) and waited for Sybil, hoping she was just a day behind him. Can Sybil continue to love an active terrorist? The Branson storyline is ridiculous, he was no sooner back in Ireland after holidaying with the in-laws, dining and smoking with them, than he turned around and attacked their ilk. It just doesnt ring true. I think Branson will be over and back to Ireland like a blue arsed fly, he wont be killed off as he is the only Irish connection. I think ultimately Sybil will become more Irish than the Irish themselves and her views and attitudes will be more and more difficult for Mary to swallow.

Why did Edith stand up for Albert? Maybe just because she is rightous.

Thomas - what a brilliant Actor, his falling in love face was gorgeous. I lauged out loud when poo faced O'Brien trudged along the corridor after Thomas had passed a few words with the new guy. She is like the grim reaper.

Who amd why is Bates being stitched up, why were the letters held back? Does anyone care, I really dislike his character, I like Anna. I would like Bates killed off and for Anna to get a nice jaunty young man, or else and affair with Lord moany fatty bum bum.

Posh Granny Grantham will develop a soft spot for the new guy, much to Carson's disdain, she will call him Jimmy and have a laugh with him.

The Irish thing might be massively played up and if the Americans are being plaumaused (irish word for licked up to), Branson will be portrayed as a hero. 40 % of the Americans are Oirish.

Little boy actor Charlie was soooo cute (but his bastard grandad will send him off to some 'character building' public school before he's five...)
Ethel was fab.
Actress playing Sybil is gawjess.
Mary is moany, Matty is growing in stature (and will continue to do so when he has to have a few stiff words with Lord Fatty Bum Bum).

Oh yes and presumably the Crawleys are church of England. Pickles will insist on his child being baptized Catholic and Lord fatty bum bum will have a strop.

Jut watching it now. Had to take a break as Ethel's saying good bye to Charlie and I don't like it

I cheered at mention of Lady Gregory and Countess Marciewicz!!!! Lady Gregory's estate - that bastion of many a school tour when I was a kid. It's things like this that remind me that the (Irish) history I learned in school is quite different to what they learn in school over here.

Ah yes thank you tripot - I have actually heard of Constance Markievicz. But thatl's sort of where it ended bar the bit about her father sendiing everyone off to USA .

Yes visual to be married in a Catholic church then (the non R.C.) partner had to sign to say you were going to have any DCs bought up catholics. I don't remember or I missed their wedding anyone remember where they married?