Downton Abbey February 8, 2015 SPOILERS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mary isn't a sociopath -- don't you remember how self-negating she was about the whole Matthew thing? She's just a mean big sister -- there are plenty of those around.

I like Bates, but I remember him as Brendan the bar keeper from the Irish show on PBS. You have to look for the twinkle in his eye behind the stoicism. Anna sort of drives me nuts because she never does the reasonable thing, like just tell him about the Mary thing.

You can say no wrong about Isis the dog. I also hope for puppies. Oooh -- I just had the awful thought that Isis will also die in childbirth. That lets the show get rid of the awkward name, while mollifying all the dog fans with adorable little puppies.

And I think Edith will be just a fine mom once she gets her bearings. The poor thing has spent her whole life looking for someone to love. Plus, as someone pointed out, she really is quite resourceful, what with the driving and the writing and all.

I agree w this. Mary's the heir, dammit and she can do as we likes. LOVED bates as the bar keep. Unfortunately think they're going to kill the dog bc of name. Shame. Big things are coming and the show's back on track (except for this horrid bates/anna storyline, which is tedious.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:No, Mary is totally self-absorbed. She loves Carson b/c he is completely, blindly loyal, she loves Anna b/c she helped her cover up Pamuk dying in her bed, she loves Tom b/c Sybil loved him. Remember she was not thrilled at the prospect of Sybil marrying the chauffeur in the first place.

agree but it's not love. She doesn't love anybody; she's some sort of sociopath. Those three you mention she protects because she sees them as useful to her, and they don't cross her. She'd toss any of them out in a heartbeat if they went against whatever she wanted at the moment.

The sad fact for Mary, though, is that wherever she goes, she's with herself.

plot twist coming w/ mary and tom

No, there isn't.

Oh, really? So you've seen the christmas special?

Are you insinuating that Mary and Tom get involved with each other?

[Anonymous]

Somewhat off topic

If Bates killed his wife's rapist, what -- if anything -- do you think your DH would do to someone who raped you?

[Anonymous]

Mary isn't a sociopath. She's British and/or possibly on the spectrum. Remember her reaction season 1 to learning that Patrick had died on the Titanic? She wasn't sad, just relieved that she didn't have to go into full morning b/c the "engagement" wasn't official. Matthew only fell in love with her b/c of uptight, Edwardian lust.

Cora shows signs of lack of empathy/emotional range too. When Mathew had regained the use of his legs, Cora opined that he had "been lame." Lord G gave her an appropriate tongue lashing at how unfeeling she was.

P.S. I think Isis killed Greene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A PP asked who killed Greene if neither Mr. nor Mrs. Bates did. Here's my theory--it was Baxter. We never did learn (nor has she told anyone at DA) who the creep was who coerced her into stealing her employer's jewels. AND, someone overheard Greene, just before he was killed, say something like "what are YOU doing here?" Since Baxter was sentenced to 5 years but only served 3...maybe Greene was the guy who coerced Baxter to steal the jewels, and then was floored to find out she was out of jail early???

Oooh, you're good. There had to be a reason she was introduced into the storyline.

[Anonymous]

I don't really understand all the hatred for Edith. Yes, she whines a lot, but her life is absolutely horrible. She did the best she could. I think shes a pretty good actress, and I hope she and marigold can find some kind of life together.

Who tried to kiss Mary in the next week preview?

Wtf is with the dog?

The dowager / Russian story is lame.

Agree w pp that Baxter killed Greene. She doesn't have the conscience to say Bates did it to the cops but she doesn't want to be caught.

Effing Anna not telling Bates why Mary needed the contraceptives.

For a minute I thought Baxter was Thomas's mother. Are we ever going to find out their relationship?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really understand all the hatred for Edith. Yes, she whines a lot, but her life is absolutely horrible. She did the best she could. I think shes a pretty good actress, and I hope she and marigold can find some kind of life together.

Who tried to kiss Mary in the next week preview?

Wtf is with the dog?

The dowager / Russian story is lame.

Agree w pp that Baxter killed Greene. She doesn't have the conscience to say Bates did it to the cops but she doesn't want to be caught.

Effing Anna not telling Bates why Mary needed the contraceptives.

For a minute I thought Baxter was Thomas's mother. Are we ever going to find out their relationship?

Baxter said she was friends with Thomas's sister, and that's how they knew each other.
I don't think Baxter killed Greene - it's not in character at all.
Charles tries to kiss Mary, I believe.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to think that the Dowager SEEMS upset that Mrs. Crawley will rank above her, but is really upset at potentially losing her friend -- though she will never admit to missing Mrs. Crawley.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:No, Mary is totally self-absorbed. She loves Carson b/c he is completely, blindly loyal, she loves Anna b/c she helped her cover up Pamuk dying in her bed, she loves Tom b/c Sybil loved him. Remember she was not thrilled at the prospect of Sybil marrying the chauffeur in the first place.

agree but it's not love. She doesn't love anybody; she's some sort of sociopath. Those three you mention she protects because she sees them as useful to her, and they don't cross her. She'd toss any of them out in a heartbeat if they went against whatever she wanted at the moment.

The sad fact for Mary, though, is that wherever she goes, she's with herself.

plot twist coming w/ mary and tom

No, there isn't.

Oh, really? So you've seen the christmas special?

Are you insinuating that Mary and Tom get involved with each other?

Go start a UK spoiler thread.

NO FUCKING SPOILERS. Unless it's to say that Isis survives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really understand all the hatred for Edith. Yes, she whines a lot, but her life is absolutely horrible. She did the best she could. I think shes a pretty good actress, and I hope she and marigold can find some kind of life together.

*The dowager / Russian story is lame.

*Effing Anna not telling Bates why Mary needed the contraceptives.

*Completely agree.

Yes, Edith's life does suck. She loved Patrick who died on the Titanic, duped by fake Patrick, got dumped then jilted at the alter by Strallan, then her next love is murdered. She has an indifferent mother and is continually thwarted by a nasty mean sister. It was extremely selfish to take a kid away from two loving homes. An emotional cripple isn't the best for a kid. That's why people hate the character. (Not the actress.)

[Anonymous]

It's hilarious when Mary uses words like golly. Makes me think of the actress doing that comedy video bit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I know what Edith did was awful and I doubt it was the right choice, I have to say that for pure entertainment's sake (this is a television show, afterall, and not real life) i loved for mean Mrs. Drewe to get hers. Of course, Edith is a pretty bad person (shafted the first adoptive family, forced Mr. Drewe to keep her secret to the detriment of his marriage and family, etc.) but after Mrs. Drewe's awful behavior I wasn't terribly bummed for her.

Mrs. Drewe's awful behavior?? She was taking care of a child for years(?) that I think she suspected was her husband's love child with a Lady of the Manor. Mrs. D had to work (real work like baking bread & heating water for baths) probably every waking hour to take care of her family and Edith just wallows around sticking her nose in. ugh.

+100
While I didn't particularly like Mrs. Drewe, I admired her for taking such good care of Marigold and treating her like she was her very own daughter. And PP, you're absolutely right about all the very hard work Mrs. Drewe had to do, just to keep her own household going. And in waltzes Edith all the time, to have some fun time with Marigold with no household burdens attached. I would have been so resentful. My heart just broke for her when Edith took Marigold away. I can't even imagine the pain of having someone come and take your baby/toddler away. Even if the child wasn't biologically Mrs. Drewe's, she was still "her" child, for all intensive purposes. That was a wrenching scene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate edith. Stealing back that kid now from TWO families. She is a disaster. I can't imagien having to act that depressed week after week on this show. She should ask Julian Fellows to kill her off too.
And did Isobel actually say she was going to say to Merton.
Also, I thought it weird that Atticus' parents were at the race and the mom seemed awfully happy to get in with the Granthams and come to dinner. Any chance this is all just social climbing for them and atticus really isn't into Rose. And mary is a royal bitch.

I think Atticus is most definitely into Rose. They met purely by chance on the street, so it wasn't as if anything had been engineered. He was smitten with her from the moment he saw her. Also, his family is very high on the social ladder themselves, so no need for them to climb anything. In fact, I don't think Rose's family has any money, so this would actually be a big step up for her. I love the two of them together. So fun to see them gazing adoringly at each other!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why was Daisy so mean to Mosley when he 1) tried to engage her in what she was studying and then 2) when he tried to offer her a book to borrow? I don't get it at all. I know they smoothed it over with that third scene where he basically said, "it's too late for me but I'd like to do what I can to help you get out of here."

I don't thinking adding in another snippy character in the form of the DC's new maid (Danker?) is worthwhile at all. I just disliked her from the moment she came onto the scene. How was she not fired yet? Bizarre.

I also thought the dowager's new maid was a bit off-putting - she seemed far too overly familiar with the dowager. I think that will be a new storyline. Or maybe she'll bring a refreshing honesty and candor to conversations with the dowager. I truly dislike Violet's butler - such a prig.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few random thoughts:

1) I don't think Mary is a total bitch. She has a lot of compassion when it comes to Anna, or Carson, or Tom. She just has a total blind spot about Edith. It's like she never got over Edith being born or somethig. I think Edith should have snapped back with "well, I'm sorry I can't get forget the man I love in an instant like you've apparently forgotten matthew.". I think I think about Matthew and his darling blue eyes more than Mary does, at this point.

2) I'm generally surprised that people are so resistant to the idea that Edith's boyfriend was killed by the brown shirts. That seems to me EXACTLL what would happen to that guy. I see the thugs threatening someone and him stepping in and saying "now, see here, chap. There's no call for that sort of behavior...." and then getting his face bashed in with the German version of a baseball bat.

3) I hate it when they say things like "not my thing.". I think something like "I don't go in much for the horses." would be more historically accurate. Although an Irishman who didn't go in much for the horses would be itself a surprise. But maybe he's from a different part of Ireland.

3) love the DC, so much. The line about no one thinking before 1914 was priceless.

4) Also loved Mrs. Crawley's line about how at least Atticus wasn't Catholic, so she would t have to convert. Better a rich assimilationist Jew than a pesky papist, apparently. poor lord g -- he'll have one of each.

And I loved Violet's response to the news that Atticus and his family are Jewish - "There's always something, isn't there?" She gets (and delivers) the best lines.