Worst Downton Abbey storylines

[DressingGownofDoom]

I love Downton but there have been some really awful storylines. Like at least one per episode Think my least favourite is when the soldier guy turned up at Downton pretending to be cousin Patrick, who had survived the Titanic, got amnesia, and his memory returned to him suddenly in a blast in the war, and Edith actually believed him

The other thing about Fellowes' writing is, he has no patience, he's an actor and thinks entirely in terms of effective scenes, not storylines.

By the end of the series, both Mr Carson and Mrs Patmore have purchased houses for setting up businesses which apparently run themselves (yes, I know Mrs Patmore has a niece) the moment Fellowes loses interest. Thomas has blood poisoning in series 5 but is instantly cured when Dr Clarkson tells him to stop injecting himself with non-distilled water. Mr Carson had to retire because his hands were shaking and he spilled wine all over the place, but the next moment everybody is fine with him returning to serve the Royals.

Lady crawley and her annoying way of talking and drawwwwling!
Loved the whole lot though :)

Agree with PP who said Edith kissing the married farmer.

Obviously there was all the daft storylines between O'Brien and Thomas but I quite enjoyed those. I'm rewatching it now and agree Bates is very tiresome.

Pamuk was played by Theo James...

The ease and speed of a day return rail trip from York to London.

The demise of Pamuk was based on a true story!

Lots of the storylines bothered me, but one that's not been mentioned is Daisy's forced marriage to the dying soldier, and her adoption by his creepy father.

Pamuk was based on a real person!

Better link, sorry!

William? He was sweet! I was quite sad they killed him off, although I did like Jimmy as a replacement, with his "inappropriately informal" relationship with his previous employer.

I know somebody who had a one-night stand with somebody who had a heart attack (well, went into atrial fibrillation for the first time — it turned out he had a heart condition) while they were doing it. She went with him to A&E, and they ended up going out for four years after that!

@BitOfFun

The demise of Pamuk was based on a true story!

Lots of the storylines bothered me, but one that's not been mentioned is Daisy's forced marriage to the dying soldier, and her adoption by his creepy father.

I liked Daisys new dad he was one of few men in the show who wasn't either a stalker or a murderer

@Kittytheteapot

I re-watched the whole of Downton last year. I find it comforting and non demanding. But, reading this thread, I wonder about my judgement because you are all right, the whole thing is riddled with ludicrous storylines.

I rather liked the Pamouk storyline. It was so outrageous (never explained why a fit young man should suddenly die during a moment of passion) but i loved watching Mary, Anna and Lady G grappling with the body, and at least that story had ramifications all the way through the remaining series, unlike, say, the long lost cousin story which just died a death in one episode.

To add to all listed already, how about Lord G recovering from a burst ulcer (?) seemingly with ease, or, for that matter, Mary marrying a racing car driver, who one minute lives only for speed, and the next is content to open a small car sales room in Ripon.

Oh yes I forgot about him projectile vomiting blood all over the family

The alarming rate at which everyone recovered from ill health. The ulcer. Mathew walking again. Cora IIRC got the Spanish flu and was bouncing around the garden in the next Episode.

But the worst (aside from the is he/isn't he cousin turning up with bandages conveniently placed round his head) was when Lord G snogged the maid totally unnecessary and out of character.

Oh and the chamber maid blackmailing Lady Mary and threatening to tell everyone she's a great big slag.

What I found shit about the 'Patrick' story was that I couldn't work out at the end of it whether or not he was really Patrick. Did we ever find out for sure?

The embarrassing procedure Mary had?

Mary had the steaming and surgical rejuvenation of her downstairs. A pre cursor to goopiness if you will.

She gave Matthew a foofcandle to reel him in as well.

There was a whole episode about it.

Or not - but given some of the other mince they came out with, they probably could have got away with it

Sidenote - don't watch Bridgerton if you're looking for decent storylines! Wouldn't even know where to start with that

It was all brilliant. I miss it.
What happened to Melty Faced Patrick? I was hoping he was the heir. Lucky that Lavinia Swire got the Spanish flu and died surrounded by folk - but they never got it!!

I also liked Mary and Posh Bloke rescuing the pigs in their evening wear.
Also the family welcoming an Irish republican into their fold and putting him in charge of the estate.

Good point about Lord Grantham suddenly deciding to snog that maid. Then getting her son into Ripon Grammar School

There was an early story about Granny 'fixing' the results of the flower show wasn't there? Not that anybody directly accused her, but that was definitely the implication!

@PolkadotsAndMoonbeams

There was an early story about Granny 'fixing' the results of the flower show wasn't there? Not that anybody directly accused her, but that was definitely the implication!

I think it was that the panel always gave her the win and when Isobel challenged it the panel still gave Violet the win but when she announced it she announced Mr Molesley's name so she did actually do a good turn there.

Anna being arrested for murder. So repetitive.
Marigold must have serious attachment issues. Adopted as a baby, taken away from adoptive mum, raised by the Drew family and taken away from them. Then put in the nursery at downton. Then taken to Brancaster castle when Edith married.

Oh and the one where Robert almost sleeps with the maid. He's so in love with Cora it just wouldn't have happened.

YYY to the repetitiveness of the Anna/Bates story. I quite liked the characters at first and the acting is excellent, but it always riles me when an author makes a martyr of someone just because they're so pleased with their creation and want to force our sympathy.

The way Edith's career is superseded by her fiancé becoming a Marchioness- because we absolutely have to reward personal growth by marrying it off to rich posho. (I will admit that Bertie seems a very nice bloke, but why does he have to be a Marchioness?)

And for the same reason, Branson can't be allowed to just hook up with the editor he took a shine to at the end of series 6: we've got to find him a rich heiress because what other good endings can there be in life?

Also, what measures are Edith and Bertie actually taking to protect Marigold from gossip? She could have adopted her before she married Bertie, adoption had just been regularised in law, that way she would have had a mother but (fair enough) not been the heiress to Bertie's fortune. Nobody seemed to think about the legal angle at all.

Lady Sybil Crawley going off with the chauffeur to live in a Dublin slum. Absolute bollocks. Chauffeurs were exclusively chosen from senior members of the stable and groom staff. These would have been men in this 40’s plus , and she would have only known them ( there would have been more than one ) by their surnames and by the back of their heads. She wouldn’t talk to them other than to give them instructions. In the same way as she would have known the scullery or laundry staff. They were servants and there is quite a lot of documented evidence that their personal hygiene wasn’t the best.

@Housewife2010

When Mary was singing "If you were the only girl in the world" and a missing Matthew turned up and joined in!

This made me cry!! It was about 8 weeks after the birth of my LB though... I'm blaming hormones!