Downton Abbey - No spoilers!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Edith's green dress with beaded tiara things may be one of my favorite Downton dresses ever. Soooo...pretty.

I loved Mary's dress in that scene too!

[Anonymous]

Can anyone remember from the first season when Lord G kissed a housemaid (weirdly out of character for him) and soon after that, she moved away the estate. Could this have been the same housemaid on last week's show that attended some classes and was aided by Sybill in finding better employment. Please help my aging brain.

[Anonymous]

No, not the same housemaid

[Anonymous]

No, it was not. That housemaid was kind of a skank--sort of pushing the married boss into it-- and Gwen (the one in the last episode) was totally lovely. I do find all the housemaids look very similar, except the one that got pregnant.

[Anonymous]

Ps--I have to say I'm glad Branson left Boston. I was feeling badly for him being in the car sales business with the depression about to hit. His cousin is going to lose his shirt, unless he's bootlegging on the side.

I've always thought it was funny how Branson the radical turned into Branson the country gentleman, though. I think he wasn't well cast as a radical. Or maybe he's like one of those people that take all the socialist classes in college but then get a middle managent job and a house in the suburbs....(which is sort of me, I admit).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, it was not. That housemaid was kind of a skank--sort of pushing the married boss into it-- and Gwen (the one in the last episode) was totally lovely. I do find all the housemaids look very similar, except the one that got pregnant.

And wasn't that skanky maid (the one who had the kiss w/Robert) also the one who chased after Tom after Sybill died? She kept getting all up in his face, trying to start something with him, and they were caught upstairs together (though nothing happened, I think)? She was awful.

As for the maid who got pregnant (Ethel?), one of the hardest scenes for me to watch was when she gave up her son to go live with his grandparents and was watching them drive away. It haunts me still... along with the whole Marigold/Mrs. Drewe storyline.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, that is was pretty awful. And it sort of puts the whole obsession with not having premarital sex in perspective. The consequences for those girls was just so dire--you can't blame a Mrs H for doing everything in her power to prevent it.
My grandmother's best friend got pregnant out of wedlock in the 1920's--the father was a good guy (actually a good friend of my grandfathers), and they got married, but both their parents disowned them. My grandfather went out on a limb and managed to get the guy a job in another state, and my grandmother basically went to friends and relatives to beg starter furniture and baby clothes for them (after trying to talk her friend's mom into forgiving her). The story had a basically happy ending, but it could have been not good.

If you read histories of orphanages in that time period, most of the kids were not orphans. They were just kids whose mothers couldn't keep them....and sometimes the moms would come back for them when they could, or not. Very sad, and everyone should remember that history when they complain about welfare. Welfare was designed to let those mothers keep their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, that is was pretty awful. And it sort of puts the whole obsession with not having premarital sex in perspective. The consequences for those girls was just so dire--you can't blame a Mrs H for doing everything in her power to prevent it.
My grandmother's best friend got pregnant out of wedlock in the 1920's--the father was a good guy (actually a good friend of my grandfathers), and they got married, but both their parents disowned them. My grandfather went out on a limb and managed to get the guy a job in another state, and my grandmother basically went to friends and relatives to beg starter furniture and baby clothes for them (after trying to talk her friend's mom into forgiving her). The story had a basically happy ending, but it could have been not good.

If you read histories of orphanages in that time period, most of the kids were not orphans. They were just kids whose mothers couldn't keep them....and sometimes the moms would come back for them when they could, or not. Very sad, and everyone should remember that history when they complain about welfare. Welfare was designed to let those mothers keep their kids.

I agree 100%. I feel that story line should be shown to everyone who wants to dismantle the social safety net.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Edith's green dress with beaded tiara things may be one of my favorite Downton dresses ever. Soooo...pretty.

Agreed. They give Edith the best clothes! Makes me wish I lived back then (and had money). They just don't make clothes and jewelry like that anymore--the best fashions in history IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the hospital drama is a lead up to some sort of calamity. PPs are saying Robert and his stomach problems, which turned out to be an ulcer before. It could be something with this, but I am wondering if there will be a serious issue with Anna's pregnancy. She had a cerclage done in London by a specialist, which they don't have anywhere near Downton. I just imagine her going into early labor and no one knows what to do. What a mess that could be.

I was thinking same, maybe they'll need a hospital for Robert and maybe Anna at some point.

[Anonymous]

How many episodes are in this final season? Are we half way?

[Anonymous]

Blackmail maid was the same girl as trap Tim into marriage girl, IIRC.

[Anonymous]

Time to play, "Name the Housemaid."

Gwen: left to be a secretary
Edna: blackmailer
Ethel: had an out of wedlock baby
Jane: kissed Lord G
http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Maids

DA uses a lot of wide eyed red heads, so it gets confusing.

[Anonymous]

and the other thing is they have that cap on and wear the same clothes. And Edna and Ethel? jeepers, no wonder we can't keep it straight.

What happened to Ethel and the baby--didn't Isobel get involved and rescue her?

Re the having a baby-yes, I think sex must have been really not fun--stressful, in fact--if you were always worried about getting pregnant, even if married. Which reminds me, a great series that I think DA lovers would like is with Steve Buscemi and called "Boardwalk Empire." Anyways one of the story lines was about a married woman, and how there was a class of people who are really poor but pregnant yet-again. Not only was there no contraception, but sex ed was not around, back then.

Upstairs/Downstairs fans might remember the maid who was raped by the (neighbor's lordship's son). These poor women end up in prostitution just trying to feed their kid, which of course creates another kid, ah, what a horrible cycle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, that is was pretty awful. And it sort of puts the whole obsession with not having premarital sex in perspective. The consequences for those girls was just so dire--you can't blame a Mrs H for doing everything in her power to prevent it.
My grandmother's best friend got pregnant out of wedlock in the 1920's--the father was a good guy (actually a good friend of my grandfathers), and they got married, but both their parents disowned them. My grandfather went out on a limb and managed to get the guy a job in another state, and my grandmother basically went to friends and relatives to beg starter furniture and baby clothes for them (after trying to talk her friend's mom into forgiving her). The story had a basically happy ending, but it could have been not good.

If you read histories of orphanages in that time period, most of the kids were not orphans. They were just kids whose mothers couldn't keep them....and sometimes the moms would come back for them when they could, or not. Very sad, and everyone should remember that history when they complain about welfare. Welfare was designed to let those mothers keep their kids.

I agree 100%. I feel that story line should be shown to everyone who wants to dismantle the social safety net.

I'm that PP...and, I'm sure no one cares, but just to correct the historical record. I remembered that, when my grandmother went to her friend's parents to try to plead with them to forgive her, one of the parents did take pity. I think it was the dad, but I might be remembering wrong. He gave my grandmother some money behind the other parent's back, so that they could get set up in the new city, and told my grandmother never to tell the other parent. I'm not sure if the parents every forgave her and met their grandchild (children -- I think they had another a few years later)... it always seemed so sad and dumb to me, and I was always proud of my super religious grandmother for not being a judgmental jerk about it.