Downton Abbey 3

[mothwing]

Love the use of singing in this series so far, I must say. 

• 00:29 - "Tired" - Oh, Carson. ♥

• 10:51 - As nice as it is of Cora to let a loyal servant stay on and care for her even though she's sick the dependency of the servants on their superiors really kills me. 

• 13:40 - Oh look, free money! Now, that is a conveniant solution if ever I saw one. I had assumed that that burnt Patrick would be making a return to save Downton and snatch Edith away under Anthony's nose. I'd much prefer it if this letter turned out to be a forgery, though I doubt that anyone would be capable of that. 

• 18:20 - I'll readily admit that I am not the most cautious TV watcher these days so I may have missed it, but how does Mr Carson knows about that lump in Mrs Hughes breast? Are we ever told? No? I'll entertain my own, private thoughts on that, shall I?

• 19:39 - How can Matthew still not know who Daisy is? He's been at that house for how long? It's not as though there's that many servants. 

• 20:36 - I totally forgot about that baby. How long has she been pregnant? It doesn't show at all. Feels long, but then, the break between seasons probably made it feel longer. 

• 20:38 - "Waiting for a beating from the headmaster" indeed. Don't put thoughts into my head, voice of Dame Maggie Smith.

• 22:30 - Oh, come now Anthony, that is the moment you choose to break up? Fine, Edith talked him into it and he's never really seemed into her rather than fairly bemused at her infatuation, but why not say anything sooner? Violet seems pleased, though, which makes me wonder if she knows more about his backstory than we do. Also, writers, would anyone that horribly worried about her position in all of this really let things go so far as to leave her at he altar? 

• 31:31 - I'm trying to feel sorry for Edith, I really am, but moaning about how you are a to be youthful spinster in your twenties to your housemaid whose husband is in jail doesn't particularly endear her to me, even though it's not likely that she knows any better. Be glad, you dodged a bullet! Either you'd have been a young widow, or your man of choice has some more *cough* personal reasons not to be interested in very pretty, sensible young women and you were even more lucky. 

• 32:32 - Mrs Patmore/Mrs Hughes forever. Maybe with Mr Carson thrown in to form a Love Triangle of Awesome.

• 34:40 - Oh, Carson. ♥  Rewatched this nearly as often as that other song. Perfect.

Comments

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's frightening to think how uncertain life was for servants. No matter how good their "place," they're always just an illness or injury away from homeless poverty.

I'm sorry to dash your private hopes /g/, but Mr. Carson doesn't actually know about the lump in the breast. All he knows is that Mrs. H might be ill -- because he overhears Mrs. Patmore and Mrs. Hughes talking about whether Mrs H has had any news and how long it might be before the doctor calls. That's why he contrives to meet the doctor in the street in town to ask, obliquely, how Mrs. H is and if there is anything he can do. He manages to give the impression that he knows all about the situation, so even though the doctor doesn't give any specific details, he does confirm that Mrs H has a problem and that it might be serious. That's when Carson gets crafty with Mrs Patmore and again pretends that he knows more than he actually does. So Mrs P, thinking he *does* know about it, confirms his guess (though she doesn't know he's just guessing) that cancer is the issue. But he never knows where the cancer might be.

Re: Daisy and Matthew. He could very well not know who she is. She's kitchen staff, which means that she rarely comes upstairs, and if she does, it's to make up the fires/clean the grates, which is always supposed to be done when no upstairs person will see the servant.

I agree -- there's GOT to be more to the Dowager's objections to Sir A than just his age. After all, they were willing to let him marry Edith or Mary before the war, and though he was younger then, so was Edith. So the age gap was the same. Why didn't they howl about it then?

And you're right that for Edith to complain in front of Anna is bad form, but I'm willing to cut Edith some slack here (for a couple of days, anyway). The pain *is* awfully fresh and raw, and as you say, the training/upbringing of both Edith and Anna would train both of them to keep the servant's personal life out of the family's view.

Love the songs!

[bronnyelsp.livejournal.com]

After all, they were willing to let him marry Edith or Mary before the war, and though he was younger then, so was Edith. So the age gap was the same. Why didn't they howl about it then?

Exactly! The whole female part of the family was flinging Mary at his head till she made it patently obvious she wasn't interested and Edith jumped in, and then they were all conniving at Edith doing it. And where do Sir Anthony's concerns come from? He pretty much told her in Season 1 he was going to propose to her. She told Lady Cora who looked delighted and said "You must think very carefully about what your answer will be!" And the only reason he didn't go through with it was because of Mary's interference. If I was Edith, I would be reacting the same way -- WTF are you all on all of a sudden?!

The only objection to the marriage I didn't see as completely out of the blue was Lord Grantham's, because when it was very first raised in Season 1 that Sir Anthony be dangled before Mary (by Lady Cora), his first reaction was to scoff and say that Sir Anthony was a quarter of a century too old and as dull as paint. So Lord Grantham has been consistent. (And actually, I think Lady Cora has too, as I don't recall her ever objecting.) The rest of them -- Sir Anthony most of all -- are baffling.

Edited because can't stop ranting. What is with Sir Anthony?! He's clearly ass over teakettle in love with her, and his giving her up is supposed to be some noble act for her own good. But if she's in love with him too, in what possible way is it "throwing herself away" to marry him? They're all going on as if she'll have to be is nursemaid, but he looks pretty healthy at the moment and likely to stay that way for the time being. So what if he's going to be old and infirm before she is? They're rich. They'll have servants. She'll never have to look after him! And if he dies ages before she does, she'll be a rich widow instead of a rich spinster. Identical in their chances of finding a further spouse; but much better to be the former from society's POV. In fact, she'll undoubtedly at least be materially better off for marrying because she'll have her own settlement and her husband's wealth to fall back on -- leaving out the possibility of children which she clearly wants to have and can't if she's a spinster but can if she marries, even her husband is 50-odd. Sir Anthony's behaviour makes no sense on any level whatsoever and it's bugging me.

[kellychambliss.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they're all acting as if he's 80 and in the last stages of TB or something. But as you say, even if he does die long before she does, she'll be well-off and well-positioned. And if he gets ill, yes...they're rich!

Sir Anthony's behaviour makes no sense on any level whatsoever

Yes, this! I don't believe that if he really loves her (and can tell she loves him), he would go though all this "noble sacrifice" silliness. People just don't act like that outside of soap operas -- which makes me wonder if he really *does* care for her. He seemed to in Season One, but lately, he's had this sort of panicky, deer-in-the-headlights look every time she talks to him, as if he's feeling sort of backed into a corner. Or maybe we'll find out that he's lost his money: I can believe that he'd think it was noble to step aside then -- i.e., he wouldn't want to offer himself as both old AND poor.

[cranky--crocus.livejournal.com]

32:32 - Mrs Patmore/Mrs Hughes forever. Maybe with Mr Carson thrown in to form a Love Triangle of Awesome.

Yes.