I say is there no Downton thread? How awful!

[Moln]

I can't have been alone in my viewing!

what about some sophisticated, subtle old-money Americans who don't start slapping the Prince of Wales on the back etc etc

Like in Age Of Innocence - that film bored me to death but I bet it was accurate. There is no way those people would have done anything gauche.

Even Titanic made a better stab at portraying the American upper classes.

I was a bit perplexed at Mary, saying I don't care if the valet was a rapist, I can't possibly live with this on my conscience. Seems to me she didn't have as many qualms when she needed a dead body removing from her bedroom.
Also all the ticket stub proves is that Bates was in London, what is she going to do? Go to the police and say "i know that you are not classifying this death as murder but i just thought i'd let you know my dad's valet was in town." ? I mean London isn't exactly sparsely populated, it istn't really much proof to go on.

She burned the ticket stub at the end - so maybe she's not going to go to the police?

No, but if she said "my dad's valet was in town and he knew, as did several others, that the man who died had raped his wife and he lied and said he had been in York that day, oh and he did time for murdering his previous wife but got off on a technicality" then they might be more inclined to follow it up.

It was a bit unfair of her not tell Bates she'd burned the evidence.

I found it odd that she declared herself not averse to lying when it came to getting the Prince of Wales off the hook, and then suddenly developed a conscience about shopping a loyal below stairs type, but perhaps that's the snob in her. Still, she loves Anna, and was happy to loan her a bed for some nuptial rumpypumpy with Sweaty Bates. I'd have thought that if she could stomach that, she'd have been fine with knowing evil mini-Den had been pushed under a bus.

Pickle does indeed need to consult the wardrobe department for next season and see if they can't find something that flatters his form better. Either that or it's intention to show how he's gone soft since his revolutionary days in Dublin.

WhoKnows - thing is, the police know nothing about the rape. There's no evidence and the only witness would be totally invested in denying it. So now there's nothing but a ticket stub in a pocket (actually burnt) which may not even have been Bates' and a dead villain. Perhaps next series it will turn out there is a whole chain of evidence in London and Mary will end up doing time for conspiring to pervert the course of justice. That would be excellent.

MissBehiving, so you think Mrs D-W was talking to Pig Man? I think you're right - here is Charles Blake and here is Tony Gillingham. I think it is Blake. Was this to show how well-connected he is after all?

Mary will end up doing time for conspiring to pervert the course of justice. That would be excellent.

Brilliant idea. Given Uncle Julian's penchant for mixing fiction and fact, she could be in the dock with Rebekah Brooks in the New Year.

Innocent until proven guilty and all that, obviously.

It was a bit dull, I thought.

Mary's suitors all look the same to me.

The picnic scene looked ropey, the Albert Memorial looked badly superimposed.

And the Bates ticket issue was a bit far fetched. Would someone so meticulous really have left evidence in his pocket for months on end?

I loved it. It was exactly what I watch Downton for - pretty girls in lovely dresses, romantic entanglements, and no distressing deaths to ruin all the fun at the end.

I loved Daisy's line to the American valet:

"Aren't you excited?"
"I'm never excited."

I still don't get how Bates could possibly have done the murder. Trains between London and Yorkshire didn't exactly run frequently in the 1920s, and he'd also have had to get to and from York. He would then have had to bank on the valet conveniently coming out into the street just at the time he got to London ready to be pushed under a conveniently passing vehicle, with no able-bodied passers by being around to do anything about it. I suppose he might have used his forgery skills to entice evil valet out, but as soon as EV saw Bates surely he'd have walked rapidly in the opposite direction

Mind you, I don't know why I'm quibbling, this is the world in which the paralysed leap out of their wheelchairs totally cured and long-lost heirs turn up with no-one taking any interest (apart from the plain daughter) and conveniently disappear again.

There's trains all the time nennypops. Every time anyone even thinks of going to London there's a very convenient train - I think at least three parties of people went to and from London yesterday.

I cant understand why anyone is interested in lady mary and drivelling on about how much they love her. Terrible character, terrible actress. The only funny and entertaining lines came from maggie Smith as usual. Bloody boring last night I won't bother with the next series. it's so far fetched.

Yes, trains from York to London go every 5 mins and only take half an hour in Downton-land.

Of all the ludicrousness what struck me was lady Mary's attack of conscience over what she knew of bates - given her racy Turkish past and declarations that "she doesn't mind lying" you would not expect her to take the moral high ground over a rapists murder!

Popping to London all the time, yes.

I can't remember whether I asked here or on the other thread, but have they ever mentioned a London house before?

When the girls went to London, they stayed with Aunt Rosamund and I seem to remember Lord 6 once staying at his club.

Now they've rustled up some lavish fully-staffed mansion somewhere like Belgravia with Mary saying: 'Oh, yes. We were going to sell it when we were a bit strapped but it really wouldn't have made a dent in it.'

Was the story a bit daft? Absolutely but I enjoyed it with champagne and nibbles on the side.

I'd love an American series or a couple of episodes.

I think they've always decamped to London with the staff for "the season" but we haven't seen the house, I assume it's shut up for the rest of the year and they stay with Aunt Rosamund / at a club for short visits rather than open up the house.

There's always been a london house, often people talking about not going to all the effort to open it just for a couple of nights so LordG stays at his club or the woman go to their Aunt's house. But they did disappear in the first series for the season in London to the London house.

I think on a pervious thread we found out the trains from York to London were about the same journey time as now and there were a few a day. For common people it would be a big deal to go o London, but families like the Crawleys would be popping to London regularly.

Yes - I think I googled and found out journey times to London from York were about 4 hours. Bates had planned the day, he didn't just rock up at the station. And for all we know he arranged to meet the rapist rather than just stalked him round the streets in search of him. Among Bates' skills is planning a decent murder, which is why him leaving the ticket behind is such a plot hole.

If Mary is so obsessed with her loss of privilege and lifestyle, why doesn't she follow in her dad's footsteps and go and find some fabulously rich American to inject some much-needed cash into the estate?

She doesn't need to, she's loaded now as she inherited all the cash Matthew inherited from his drippy dead fiancée's dad.

But is that cash entirely tied up for little George, or whatever her invisible baby is called? Rather than hers to do what she likes with/spend on Downton/make her a prey to fortune hunters..?

It does occur to me thatEdith isn't actually seeing all that much less of her baby than Mary is of hers. Which is a bit much seeing as Edith's baby is in a foreign country...

When Mrs Bates "committed suicide" did she leave a note? Just wondering now that Bates seems to have become a master forger to his many talents. Cant remember anything about it although have watched it all.

How many people know about Edith's baby? I was surprised when Violet mentioned it, don't remember her finding out. Does Cora know? I don't always give it my full attention as I tend to crochet while I watch (or MN)

Violet guessed when Edith said she was going on holiday for 8 months. Cora is too dim to know what day it is. The only other person that knows is her aunt Rosamund, Rosalind ir whatever her name is.

I know the discussion has moved on a bit, but it was definitely Charles Blake who was conversing with the Prince's mistress about being 'faithful', and I also think he meant faithful to Lady Mary, as he was looking bootfaced due to her dancing with Tony Gillingham (who incidentally reminds me of Will from The Inbetweeners, minus the specs).

Mary couldn't have been more transparent, the grabby caaah: "Charles, why didn't you tell me you're filthy fucking rich about your Uncle's estate? ".

Cora's simpering is reaching Def-Con levels. And do we forsee an impending romance/companionship between Carson and Mrs. Hughes? Would they be allowed?