Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 14:46     Subject: Re:Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Anonymous wrote:I thought at the end of last season that it should just end there (or a moment before the deadly crash, if you prefer) and it would have been a wonderful 3 season series. I keep it on DVR now and watch while I do laundry or something, but it's nothing compared to seasons 1-3 for me. Oh well.


All shows peak at some point. This show clearly peaked last season.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 14:41     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty sure that I'm done with Downton Abbey. I agree with the rest of you all that the writing has gotten incredibly lazy. First killing Matthew off on the day, Mary gives birth, then having O'Brien sneaking off out of nowhere, bringing Braithwaite back for tension with Tom and to be basically O'Brien v2.0 and Rose continuing to be Annoyingly Stupid Replacement Sybil were all bad enough. But the whole rape bullshit really turned me off. It's like they realized that happily married couples are boring but didn't want to do anything that would require too much effort on their part to shake the Bateses up.
And don't get me started on the snooze fest that's the love square between the Flower Kitchen Maids and the Interchangable Footmen.


Agree, but it's such an unfortunate miscalculation by Fellowes. After everything they went through-- and how long and drawn out that drama was-- I would have really enjoyed at least a season or two watching lots of touching small moments of ordinary happiness, like watching them getting dressed for work together in the morning, pillow talk about the staff and family, planning a family, maybe a visit to Anna's relatives and some interplay between Bates and her parents or sisters or something. It would have even been interesting to see them deal with the ordinary annoyances that crop in marriage after the intensity of first love evaporates, especially given how extraordinary their love must have seemed to them in the face of all those hurdles. That kind of story line would have been a nice contrast to more dramatic plot lines going on with other characters. It could serve as the stable earth under the feet of others' tumult.


wow. PP you are right. And neither of them seek drama, so it would be a bit more realistic to give them a breather.

Now on another note: I wish instead of some of the other stories, we could watch more of the cook, Daisy, the doctor, Matthew's mother, and the dowager. And watch Cora do something else, maybe have a story of her own (not related to wife or mother). I'd love to see her character developed, to see her go on a horseback ride or her have a fun girlfriend--her to do something else but be the background fixture. I mean, does Cora have any hobbies? That kind of thing. Like Anna--one interesting thing about Anna in this last episode is how much fun she was having playing cards, it was sort of another side of her; she's had to be so serious/intense all the time, even when in love, it's not light at all.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 14:21     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Anonymous wrote:I'm pretty sure that I'm done with Downton Abbey. I agree with the rest of you all that the writing has gotten incredibly lazy. First killing Matthew off on the day, Mary gives birth, then having O'Brien sneaking off out of nowhere, bringing Braithwaite back for tension with Tom and to be basically O'Brien v2.0 and Rose continuing to be Annoyingly Stupid Replacement Sybil were all bad enough. But the whole rape bullshit really turned me off. It's like they realized that happily married couples are boring but didn't want to do anything that would require too much effort on their part to shake the Bateses up.
And don't get me started on the snooze fest that's the love square between the Flower Kitchen Maids and the Interchangable Footmen.


Agree, but it's such an unfortunate miscalculation by Fellowes. After everything they went through-- and how long and drawn out that drama was-- I would have really enjoyed at least a season or two watching lots of touching small moments of ordinary happiness, like watching them getting dressed for work together in the morning, pillow talk about the staff and family, planning a family, maybe a visit to Anna's relatives and some interplay between Bates and her parents or sisters or something. It would have even been interesting to see them deal with the ordinary annoyances that crop in marriage after the intensity of first love evaporates, especially given how extraordinary their love must have seemed to them in the face of all those hurdles. That kind of story line would have been a nice contrast to more dramatic plot lines going on with other characters. It could serve as the stable earth under the feet of others' tumult.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 14:14     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:When Matthew died, the baby wasn't born yet, so I don't think there could have technically been an entail that involved baby George. Whether there was some other remote relative (perhaps a, gasp!, shopkeeper somewhere!) I have no idea.

Edith's clothes are AMAZING this season.


The baby was born.


Guess I need to go back and watch with more attention!


Yes, Mary was holding the baby as he kissed her good-bye.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 14:10     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:When Matthew died, the baby wasn't born yet, so I don't think there could have technically been an entail that involved baby George. Whether there was some other remote relative (perhaps a, gasp!, shopkeeper somewhere!) I have no idea.

Edith's clothes are AMAZING this season.


The baby was born.


Guess I need to go back and watch with more attention!
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 13:28     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Anonymous wrote:When Matthew died, the baby wasn't born yet, so I don't think there could have technically been an entail that involved baby George. Whether there was some other remote relative (perhaps a, gasp!, shopkeeper somewhere!) I have no idea.

Edith's clothes are AMAZING this season.


The baby was born.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 13:07     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
I watched the Golden Globes after DA and thought mant of the DA dresses were better particularly those Efith has been wearing with the jeweled straps and slit skirts
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 13:01     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
When Matthew died, the baby wasn't born yet, so I don't think there could have technically been an entail that involved baby George. Whether there was some other remote relative (perhaps a, gasp!, shopkeeper somewhere!) I have no idea.

Edith's clothes are AMAZING this season.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 13:00     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Anonymous wrote:Can someone clarify the estate/entail law of the time? How was Matthew able to will the estate to Mary instead of it automatically going to baby George, but Lord Grantham wasn't able to will the estate to Cora when they were all clearly dismayed initially that a distant cousin they didn't know (Matthew) was the male heir? Or was Lord Grantham just accepting a sexist convention of male inheritance that wasn't legally mandated?


I think that while the $$ (which was later lost) could have been passed from Lord Grantham to Cora, but the earldom could not be passed, since Lord Grantham had no sons. They were unwilling to upend tradition and probably break up Downtown as a result.

I think Matthew could have willed the $$ to Mary and the title would pass on to George. But, Mary being the mother (and presumably guardian) of the future earl, would be able to keep everything within the immediate family which would be more tenable than titled but broke Matthew and moneybags Cora.

Matthew had to be removed as the actor didn't want to stay on the show. Ditto for O'Brien.

Rose is meant to be a connection to the "Jazz Age" stuff but I'm with most of you, I don't care much for it.

Surprised Daisy hasn't gotten some interest from outside the Abbey, what with her on the way to having a decent-sized farm.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 12:18     Subject: Re:Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
I thought at the end of last season that it should just end there (or a moment before the deadly crash, if you prefer) and it would have been a wonderful 3 season series. I keep it on DVR now and watch while I do laundry or something, but it's nothing compared to seasons 1-3 for me. Oh well.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 12:08     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
I'm pretty sure that I'm done with Downton Abbey. I agree with the rest of you all that the writing has gotten incredibly lazy. First killing Matthew off on the day, Mary gives birth, then having O'Brien sneaking off out of nowhere, bringing Braithwaite back for tension with Tom and to be basically O'Brien v2.0 and Rose continuing to be Annoyingly Stupid Replacement Sybil were all bad enough. But the whole rape bullshit really turned me off. It's like they realized that happily married couples are boring but didn't want to do anything that would require too much effort on their part to shake the Bateses up.
And don't get me started on the snooze fest that's the love square between the Flower Kitchen Maids and the Interchangable Footmen.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 11:34     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Anonymous wrote:Lord Grantham could have broken the entail, but it wasn't convenient for the writer, was it?


Ah, thanks. After the last couple of episodes, though, I kind of think that his choice not to break the entail is actually consistent with his view of women's place in society.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 11:32     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
I love the doctor too! And am really liking Edith this season.
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 10:58     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Lord Grantham could have broken the entail, but it wasn't convenient for the writer, was it?
Anonymous
Post 01/14/2014 10:36     Subject: Downton Abbey: Season 4, Ep 2 *SPOILER ALERT!!!*
Can someone clarify the estate/entail law of the time? How was Matthew able to will the estate to Mary instead of it automatically going to baby George, but Lord Grantham wasn't able to will the estate to Cora when they were all clearly dismayed initially that a distant cousin they didn't know (Matthew) was the male heir? Or was Lord Grantham just accepting a sexist convention of male inheritance that wasn't legally mandated?