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Downton Abbey

990 replies

Vintagejazz · 17/09/2014 14:12

I believe it's back on Sunday. Hurray!

I really hope though that they focus more on Edith and less on Mary and her boring, all look the samey, suitors.

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tribpot · 24/09/2014 15:14

Yes, Bates does know. But Anna doesn't know he knows. The rapist basically taunted Bates with the info, he did well not to just stab him to death with his walking stick right there.

Good point about Matthew's money, but how did Lord 6 sell a share of the estate to a third party, even his heir? Surely in reality (I know, a dirty word where DA is concerned) Matthew would just have had to give Lord 6 the cash on the understanding he wasn't to piss it away before Matthew could inherit it back again.

diddl · 24/09/2014 15:18

Also, at first there was no will, but wasn't mary still due to inherit part of the estate & Robert was trying to put her off?

I'm sure I remember something about her owning a sixth?

but then a will was found & she owns half?

LittleBearPad · 24/09/2014 15:20

Yes there was some kind of possible intestacy trauma. Maybe George was going to get two-thirds of Matthew's half share and Mary one third.

Explored · 24/09/2014 15:31

I think it was that George would have inherited and Mary would have had some power/control as his guardian, but then the will was found and Matthew had left it to Mary.

qazxc · 24/09/2014 15:50

Why has Mary such a problem with Edith? She was being a right cow after the fire.
Can't stand the teacher either. She slags off the toffs but is happy enough to nose around the house and come round to dinner. She then is really rude at dinner. And to top it all off insists on that cringey and patronising visit downstairs, after being told that this is their (the servants) time off/dinner time.

limitedperiodonly · 24/09/2014 16:31

I understood Mary's problem with Edith in the first series. They were prickly. But then they were reconciled, so to have Mary blaming Edith for burning down the house is silly.

I never had a fireplace in my bedroom, btw, but I grew up in a house with a central fireplaces and vents leading off into the bedrooms to warm them.

There was always a guard round the central fire and it was was always carefully put out when the last person went to bed - long before with water and poking to make sure the last embers died.

Obviously common people still fall asleep pissed with the chip pan on but did people with servants really go to bed with a fire blazing merrily in the hearth, or didn't they just have an extra blanket and a hot water bottle and a footman?

petal2008 · 24/09/2014 16:39

Obviously common people still fall asleep pissed with the chip pan on Smile

petal2008 · 24/09/2014 16:39

Obviously common people still fall asleep pissed with the chip pan on Smile

limitedperiodonly · 24/09/2014 16:53

Actually, petal2008 the advent of take-aways and microwave chips is probably a major contribution to fire safety Smile

On the flip side, common people are now dying of obesity. But it's a slow burn. I think a study of the relative costs to the NHS as opposed to the Fire Brigade is in order Wink

OnlyLovers · 24/09/2014 16:55

Meant to say earlier – I don't think the teacher was that rude. Robert was WAY more unpleasant greeting her (admittedly provocative and possibly deliberately so) opinion with 'Well, you're wrong.' What a pompous arse.

EvansOvalPiesYumYum · 24/09/2014 17:13

I do wish Lady a Mary would stop drawling the ends of her words. It makes her sound more as if she's had a minor stroke than it makes her sound UC.

Yes, Rusticated - I did allude to this earlier on; (clearly I'm either not a worthy contributor to the Downton Clique Thread, or my opinions are worth nothing, as I'm far too common lower class) Grin

We had a guard around our fire (very handsome chap he was too). But those pesky footmen - Grrrr! More trouble than they were worth. Always loitering on the landings in a most disconcerting manner

Original poster
Vintagejazz · 24/09/2014 17:29

Sorry Explored I meant they don't live in the actual house/mansion/abbey/palace. So Anna would have somewhere to stay at home and rear her children, if they had any.

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BaronessBomburst · 24/09/2014 20:33

Lady Mary is actually from Romford. Or possibly Ilford or Chadwell Heath, but you get my drift....... Grin

Cariad007 · 24/09/2014 23:59

Lady Mary is from Romford. It's the Dowager Countess who is from Ilford!

MintyChops · 25/09/2014 13:12

OnlyLovers, totally agree that Robert is a pompous arse. Still think the teacher is a chippy toolbag though!

dustyanswer · 25/09/2014 16:22

Methinks that JF has been reading Winifred Holtby: viz outspoken female schoolteacher, forthright committee members unfazed by the aristocracy etc. He hasn't an original idea in his head - he even plagiarised himself with DA (Gosford Park).

And if you wonder why the teacher & other lower orders are chippy, you need to watch the far superior The Village (except it's not on iplayer anymore).

And WHY is Thomas so machiavellian? It makes no sense.

cheapskatemum · 25/09/2014 22:29

My thoughts exactly, dustyanswer, JF has read South Riding (or seen one of the adaptations on telly) and stolen the Headmistress character.

Thomas has a chip on his shoulder because he's gay it's not fair.

OnlyLovers · 26/09/2014 11:06

Minty, I might not be able to refrain from the odd chippy comment in her situation, but then again I am a bit of an old Trot at heart. Grin

I just think the so-called 'quality' should have better social graces than that. Even the height of rudeness should be met more graciously than he managed. And the Dowager's comment about them 'casting the net wide' when she saw the teacher come in was Shock. They were hostile to her from the beginning, IMO.

MintyChops · 26/09/2014 18:55

Yes, they were very rude, not classy at all to be so horrible to her. Still don't like her though!

millimat · 27/09/2014 21:40

Looking forward to tomorrow night!!

Merguez · 28/09/2014 10:48

I find Mary's primness about not sleeping with Gillingham a bit silly - after all she has been married, had a child, and was happy to jump into bed with that Russian count or whatever he was in series 1.

Merguez · 28/09/2014 11:00

Also I agree with OnlyLovers that the snobbery and rudeness to the teacher was something you might expect from new money, not old money.

It was (and is still) a fundamental aspect of good manners that you should not make others feel uncomfortable.

AbsintheMakesTheHeart · 28/09/2014 17:19

I'm watching the repeat just now and noticed that during her confession to Cora Baxter mentioned that she worked for Mrs Benton 'who lived with her husband' at whatever address. I'd say the jewellery was stolen to fund the upkeep of the child she conceived by Mr Benton...

diddl · 28/09/2014 17:22

I wondered if she was blackmailed into it by someone?

talking about manners, I've always thought that Violet was ridiculously rude.

tribpot · 28/09/2014 21:17

Can't believe Mary's had the cheek to ask Anna to procure a diaphragm for her - wot a nerve. You can't help but think this extended nooky plan would be more easily achieved by the two of them simply being in London at the same time, rather than travelling.