Downton Abbey anyone

[CMP69]

Or am I just an old gimmer with a period drama fetish

I wonder if somebody actually will kill Mr Evil.

Mrs Hughes with the candlestick in the library???

On a serious note - even if she had gone to the police and then court the conversation would be just the same as it is now. She was seen getting on well with him. Her husband didn't like it. She left the company of everybody else DURING AN AUDIENCE WITH THE WORLD RENOWNED SINGER because of a headache? Remember Anna and Bates were known to be close before he was widowed. Her character and actions would be assaulted just as she has been.

Shades of Gosford Park, I thought. Poor, poor Anna.

The evil fiancé is just like my ex husband.

In fact a horrible wake up moment for me watching series two (which was before we split) was "Christ that Carlisle bloke is so like DH. Even looks like him."

True Northern. Although Mrs Hughes saw her just after and could vouch for her state?

I reckon Thomas could prove himself useful in all this. Don't know why I just have an inkling it could tie up and resolve the enmity with bates.

Agree Northern, and I'm sure that is background to her instinctive decision not to tell.

On the re-watch Northern there's very deliberate preparing of the headache medicine and then the rapist reappearing seen by Mrs H. plus state of Anna seen by Mrs H.

Chub oh cripes, that mustn't have been a good episode.

Yes Thomas always sniffs out trouble!

Right I've been thinking about this and there may be some redemption for making us endure tonight's horrible events. Bates will find out, but will not be the hothead that Anna thinks, instead he will exact a slow and satisfying revenge on Dirty Denny Snr. If he could take out Evil Edna while he's at it all shall be forgiven

Thomas is too busy tracking Evil Edna MinxMaid and Branston.

I'm with you chub I think Thomas will play a part in this in favour of bates, as he and Anna have been friendly in the past. She comforted him when Sybil died.

If Edna has assaulted Pickle I'm off

I really hope you're right runes!

Shocking

I think Thomas will initially get pally with Gillinghams valet, thinking it's a case of flirtation making bates cross and he will be up for riling his old enemy. And then cocky bastard will overplay his hand and Thomas will find out the truth and play some part in exposing him/ fitting him up for something.

Oh my goodness - that was shocking & I totally missed the warning at the start. Poor Anna.

WTF Dont normally watch this but just caught the last 15 mins while hanging up the washing. Thought this was suppossed to be a gentle Sunday night drama.
I reckon it will be a reflection of how victims were treated back then and there will be a lot of comparisons with now though victim blaming is still very prevelent today

I hope that blasted evil ladies' maid gets her
comeuppance- and dear Tom emerges from it all right. He deserves better than being tangled up with her Pickle by name etc

How's this:

Lady M is getting on well with Lord Gillingham but when Anna eventually confesses this horror to her - as she's bound to do - needing cash for termination or a long trip to the USA or whatever, Lady M demands Lord G sacks Evil Valet and Lord G shows himself to be total chauvinist and thus is dumped.

Last episode of series: Evil Valet dead, police arrive. People in frame: Lady M, Mrs H, Bates and Anna herself.

Christmas Day resolution: it's Moseley. Followed by hanging.

Gawd, I have just watched it as I was doing hideous French revision with ds1 earlier.

I was . Poor saintly Anna.

There's a very good review in The Guardian.

Starts off jokey but then says how can we care for anything trivial (like what to call a Duchess in an informal setting) when there is this issue to think about...

Evil valet will be seen to one way or another-probably by Thomas putting his cunning ways to good use . However I bet Anna is now pregnant and Bates will know it can't be his because he will have been keeping the fact that he can't have children a secret from her..Or the news he can't will be given by the nice doctor.
By the way Miss Minxmaid is played by the actress who was the brothel madam in Ripper Street earlier this year.

Really quite shaken after watching that. Well done yes, but her screaming and the corridor dark and empty...

I really can't let myself like Edith's man though, I'm positive something bad's going to happen.

Also, how long have Anna and Bates been married? I'm trying to work out if there's a reason (other than, clunk, he's infertile) they haven't had children yet.

How long did they have between being married/out of prison and Matthew dying? I can understand them trying not to when he'd just died because Anna's soft of Mary, but how long did they have when they could have TTC?