PP here. Meant to say that whether Gregson returns or not, I'm predicting Edith winds up with Bertie. Go, Team Bertie!

I think Mary is mellower now, and I think she is going to react to the Marigold secret with a bit of compassion and also respect for Edith. Between Pamuk and her booty call weekend at the hotel, she has her own past. She sounded slightly kind when she said good night to Edith at the end, when they had returned from the hospital. Edith is moving out of Mary's reach, with having the magazine, having the London flat, and being less abject. When Mary puts it all together and realizes everything that Edith has been through, and come out the other side doing well, she will be a little chastened and treat her sister better. Not a Hallmark love fest, but it will be ok. Especially since their parents know and accept it.

BUT I fear the return of Gregson! Just as Edith is making progress with Bertie, Gregson turns up and complicates things! Whether that happens or not, Edith will tell Bertie about Marigold and he will be ok with it. (Btw, I hope people start naming their babies Marigold!)

Daisy and Andy get together. Mrs Patmore and Mr Mason get together. Thomas finds a place with Bertie's cousin Peter. I PRAY Tom and Mary do NOT wind up together, as some are predicting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what Mary will do once finds out the truth about Marigold?

What can she do? Her parents are okay with it, and it's not like she hasn't had plenty of scandal of her own. Edith is pulling away from Downton just as Mary is getting more involved.

I actually wondered whether her first assumption would be that Marigold is her father's, not Edith's. She may be putting it together with Edith's trip to Switzerland and her being sort of obsessed with Marigold, which Mary thought was weird. But, absent that, I would think that back then, when a "secret baby" shows up, the most natural assumption is that it's the male in the family that is responsible. (In fact, I think that was actually pretty common -- illegitimate kids of the pater familia being incorporated into the family in some second-tier sort of way.) Granny just said it was a secret after all, not anything about Edith.

I had the same thought.

As for the character of Cora, I think they're lighting more harshly now to show the passage of years and make people seem older.

Changing topic, remind me of why Barrow is being such a nice guy now? He was so horrid I can't see someone like this having such a change in personality.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what Mary will do once finds out the truth about Marigold?

Considering her own visit to the Grand Hotel with her not-husband, I think Mary will take it in stride. Her first reaction was damage control. She asked her lady's maid about what the servants think of Miss Marigold. She's the agent and somewhat of a modern woman. Discretion will guide her, and her desire to protect the family, of course.

BUT, considering the whole Pamuk situation, and Edith's role in exposing Mary with that letter to the Turkish Ambassador, I wouldn't put it past her to say something to Bertie (Edith's new interest).

Mary is a mean Mean Girl, after all.

I agree with the bolded part. I be Mary will find out about Marigold and just like she did with Edith's first fiancé she will tell Bertie right after he proposes to Edith or before their wedding or in some such dramatic way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what Mary will do once finds out the truth about Marigold?

What can she do? Her parents are okay with it, and it's not like she hasn't had plenty of scandal of her own. Edith is pulling away from Downton just as Mary is getting more involved.

I actually wondered whether her first assumption would be that Marigold is her father's, not Edith's. She may be putting it together with Edith's trip to Switzerland and her being sort of obsessed with Marigold, which Mary thought was weird. But, absent that, I would think that back then, when a "secret baby" shows up, the most natural assumption is that it's the male in the family that is responsible. (In fact, I think that was actually pretty common -- illegitimate kids of the pater familia being incorporated into the family in some second-tier sort of way.) Granny just said it was a secret after all, not anything about Edith.

Anonymous wrote:This is a little off topic but I can't help but comment on the actress who plays Cora. I remember he from the 80's....she was in that movie with Sean Penn: Racing with the Moon. She was so beautiful and luminous , I thought she'd be another Elizabeth Taylor. I am her age and she seems sooo old and matronly. Is it just the character ? It seems like it's her, as well. She's so skinny and stiff! Makes me feel old although I don't think I lol or act nearly as matronly as she.

It's the character. When you see her out of character she doesn't look matronly. Here she is with Sybil and Lady Mary out of character (with bonus Colin Firth!)

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2012/01/week-with-marilyn-colin-firth-downton-abbey-michelle-williams.html

This is a little off topic but I can't help but comment on the actress who plays Cora. I remember he from the 80's....she was in that movie with Sean Penn: Racing with the Moon. She was so beautiful and luminous , I thought she'd be another Elizabeth Taylor. I am her age and she seems sooo old and matronly. Is it just the character ? It seems like it's her, as well. She's so skinny and stiff! Makes me feel old although I don't think I lol or act nearly as matronly as she.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what Mary will do once finds out the truth about Marigold?

Considering her own visit to the Grand Hotel with her not-husband, I think Mary will take it in stride. Her first reaction was damage control. She asked her lady's maid about what the servants think of Miss Marigold. She's the agent and somewhat of a modern woman. Discretion will guide her, and her desire to protect the family, of course.

BUT, considering the whole Pamuk situation, and Edith's role in exposing Mary with that letter to the Turkish Ambassador, I wouldn't put it past her to say something to Bertie (Edith's new interest).

Mary is a mean Mean Girl, after all.

ITA. If Edith is smart, she'll sit down and have a talk with Bertie quite soon. After all, he already knows that she inherited the apartment from Gregson, right? Wasn't that implied in the last episode as he was walking around the apartment and admiring it? That will take the wind out of Mary's sails.

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what Mary will do once finds out the truth about Marigold?

Considering her own visit to the Grand Hotel with her not-husband, I think Mary will take it in stride. Her first reaction was damage control. She asked her lady's maid about what the servants think of Miss Marigold. She's the agent and somewhat of a modern woman. Discretion will guide her, and her desire to protect the family, of course.

BUT, considering the whole Pamuk situation, and Edith's role in exposing Mary with that letter to the Turkish Ambassador, I wouldn't put it past her to say something to Bertie (Edith's new interest).

Mary is a mean Mean Girl, after all.

I think that IRL Mary would never change her view of Edith, but since it's the last season, the writers probably want the two sisters to reconcile.

Just want to say that even with her husband bloody and looking like he's about to die (oh, btw, love his undying love comments to Cora), Cora doesn't look very…anything. Just same old Cora. If you think about it, both Cora and Violet should have been completely freaked out as one's husband and the other's son looks to be dying, rather than yapping about "secrets," and frankly, Mary and Edith should be freaked out--this is their DAD, for heaven's sake.

Carson was more upset than anyone, the way they filmed it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yuck!!! Can that really happen with bleeding ulcers?

I read an article recently about this scene- it was apparently well researched, down to the color of blood that comes up at first vs later. They practiced it at a staged set to get projectile distance right because the scene itself was filmed at Highclere Castle, with all the actual furnishings, and they didn't want to ruin carpets, etc. According to the article Cora's (actual vintage) dress was ruined during the cleanup process after that scene, and it had to be glued together to film the next scene, which was filmed out of sequence- the pre-dinner scene.

It didn't warrant putting vintage anything at risk even a dress. It may have been "realistic" but it was gross.

And since Mary is such a perpetual fishwife, I can't imagine anything changing her view toward Edith and/or Marigold. Sybil's death certainly didn't. In the beginning, the tit for tat nature of their relationship seemed more realistic, but for so long Edith has been the perpetual sad sack and Mary the perpetual snide bully. They're basically caricatures. Any sisterly overtures would be short lived and both will be relieved when Mary heads DA and Edith moves to London to attend to her magazine.

Anonymous wrote:What did Mary overhear about Marigold as Lord G was getting into the ambulance. Cora whispered something that Mary overheard, and then Mary asked Anna what she knew -- but I couldn't hear what Cora said.

It wasn't Cora. It was the Dowager Countess. Cora said something to the effect of there will be no more secrets; we've had enough of those. The Dowager Countess replied you mean, Marigold? That's settled (and then continued talking).

You guys. i had such a hard time with that scene. It was so jarring. But I can't decide which one was worse--Lord G or Lady Sybil...

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on what Mary will do once finds out the truth about Marigold?

What can she do? Her parents are okay with it, and it's not like she hasn't had plenty of scandal of her own. Edith is pulling away from Downton just as Mary is getting more involved.