Stephanie: So we’re more than halfway into season 5, and I wish I could say some of the season’s plot points were further along! The sad saga of Edith and her secret baby is literally crawling forward. I was hopeful that Aunt Rosamund would provide much needed support to Edith, or at least some swift scheming. But alas, we are treated to yet another visit to the fostering family the Drewes, and yet another cold reaction from Mrs. Drewe, and a pointed plea from Mr. Drewe to stay away. Did Rosamund really need to see the child? It’s not as if she doesn’t believe Marigold exists. At dinner, Cora again questions whether things are OK with Edith, but with no follow up. The poor girl is in anguish! Finally, the Dowager and Rosamund pull Edith aside for a predicable move-they will send the child away to a boarding school of some such where Edith can occasionally visit, so long as she renounces her maternal relationship. From Edith’s reaction, it’s clear she wants to bring Marigold home and be her mother. Cora peeking in on their huddle gives me hope that she’ll finally crack open the truth. I’d like to think Cora would be an ally to Edith, and see beyond the scandal by requesting to bring the child to Downton. They could fabricate a story that Edith had married after all, but her husband went missing. They’ve got the Dowager on their side, they can spin this. Forge some documents to save their precious family name, whatever. In my fanfic Downton world, even Tom and Mary are of support to Edith, being parents themselves and having taken on shades of progressive thinking. Too wishful?

Catherine: Edith’s gotten the rough end of the stick since the beginning of Season 1 and at this point, we all want that poor girl to find some lasting happiness! It was a hopeful moment when Cora interrupted the meeting on “what to do with Marigold.” They didn’t tell her anything but in her gentle way Cora may be able to figure out what’s going on and be able to do something for Edith’s (and her child’s) best interest. I get the feeling that Rosamund and Granny just don’t want to be bothered so they’re keen to get the child sent off and out of the way. Which was likely how Rosamund was raised- under the care of a stranger, out of the way, and not bothering her relatives. Neither Rosumand or Granny are maternal in the least so all hope rests on Cora, who is a loving mother and grandmother. Talk about Cora leads to last night’s intrigue. I’ve been a fan of Bricker but last night when he walked uninvited into Cora’s bedroom? Oh no. Hell no! You don’t walk into a lady’s bedroom without permission and try to get it on with her- again, without her permission. I was on pins and needles what Bricker would try to do but nothing nasty happened, thank God. Grantham walked in at the the perfect moment and well…I didn’t expect Grantham and Bricker to be rolling around the ground, tangled up in manly combat, but there it was. Everyone needed to blow of some steam and it happened (shock and horror) in the bedroom.

Stephanie: Yes, Cora and Bricker and the standoff with Lord Grantham was definitely the most action the show has seen in a while. That and the fire a few episodes back. I’m glad they didn’t go the way of Bricker forcing himself physically on Cora, though him pressuring Cora toward indescretion, standing there in his robe, was enough of a shock. I’m sad for Cora that she’s losing what could have been a mature friendship because Bricker pushed for more. What a disappointment. Grantham punching the crap out of him is the most we’ve seen him stand by Cora in ages. A harsh wake-up call for him, so let’s hope he learns from it. Though Grantham spent the next scene freezing out Cora like a middle school friendship gone bad. Grantham’s pride has been damaged, and he’s too entitled to understand he needs to invest time in his marriage. I hope this opens up conversation between the two of them. After all, they’ll be bringing in that new grandchild of Edith’s so …. ha! My wishful thinking. Meanwhile, Rose has a rainy day meet-cute with Atticus Aldridge-who really does have a novel-worthy name-leading Rose down another path where she befriends an outcast and blunders through with her well-meaning ways. The variation is Atticus is Jewish and was essentially run out of Russia. Rose’s new Russian buddies are not fond of the situation when the truth comes out. I’m interested to see if Atticus returns, or if he’s truly off to London and off the show. It would be nice to see that relationship develop. As for Lady Mary, her dinner out with former suitor Blake and Gillingham’s previous girlfriend Mabel Lane Fox feels like a rehash of the fashion event. We already saw the two women exchange Very English Barbs, and Blake gloated. This wandering storyline with Mary’s suitors needs a conclusion.

Catherine: Mabel Lane Fox would make the perfect friend for Mary. They could make awful comments then smirk at the other, and love each other fiercely under all the snark. None of the Grantham women have female friendships with women of their own social situation and age and this is a grave oversight on the show and needs amending in a hurry. At least ONE female friend is all I’m asking for- but it needs to be friendship and not a rivalry like Mary and Mabel. If the show winds up with Mary and Mabel becoming bosom friends (to borrow Anne Shirley’s phrase) then this season will get a gold star from me no matter what heinous thing it does in the meanwhile. Speaking of heinous plot points…did you notice that preview for the next episode? Mary’s in a horse race and I’m placing bets that she’ll get thrown off and be paralyzed. Of course, she’ll walk two episodes later but still. It could happen. Shades of Matthew. I enjoyed Rose’s bumbling budding romance. For being so young, she’s left largely to her own devices and per the Grantham usual, doesn’t seem to have any friends her own age. And since everyone goes down and then up from London so regularly (despite the large distance), there’s a good chance she’ll still see Atticus. It’d be interesting to see Downton deal with a different religion and community and I hope we see Atticus introduce Rose to his world. Isobel’s romance continues to spin out despite all of the Duchess’ best scheming. Even the Doctor is on Lord Merton’s side. But I’m ready for that story line to resolve itself and for Isobel and Violet to have new adventures together. Now there’s a friendship with plenty of snark, smirk, and dare I say it, love.

Stephanie: Your point about Mary and the other girls not having female friendships is probably why this week’s scene with Mabel felt redundant; nothing new was brought into the situation at all. I wonder how much of this has to do with the Julian Fellows being the sole writer of the show. This is a bit of a departure from the plot, but I think it’s relevant. I knew Fellows was the creator of Downton Abbey, but until recently I didn’t realize he does not rotate among a writing staff. So despite many strong female characters, given one man is behind the creation and progression of every character in the show, it’s not that surprising to find limitations within the storytelling. This also might explain that rather one-note Miss Bunting who seemed to serve two basic purposes: introduce Daisy to a world beyond the kitchen, which is noteable, and to be a foil for Lord Grantham. I can’t say beyond that I really cared about her supposed relationship with Tom. Is anyone sad to see her go? Even her parting words for Tom this week were suspiciously cruel. She wondered, in bewilderment, why Tom didn’t despise every last one of them, even when Tom reminded her one of “them” used to be his wife, and one is currently his child. If she truly had any depth as a character, I can’t imagine she’d be THAT callous to not understand the distinction. Or maybe she was, and in that case, we’re all glad Tom dodged a bullet.

Catherine: Fellowes being the only writer is news to me. That’s mind-blowing and begs the question…why would anyone do that to themselves? Most writers work in groups or at least pairs and there’s a reason it’s done like that. It would be a breath of fresh air for the show if Fellowes teamed up with another good writer. And as Season 5 plods on, you gotta wonder how far away Fellowes is from burn out. Miss Bunting is a good case in point. She had loads of potential but ended up being one dimensional character who could only beat on her drum and further the plot for other characters. Oh well. She didn’t seem like a strong enough spark to send Branson into any sort of action. Branson is languishing and something needs to happen there. Another character languishing is Thomas. I could have sworn he was taking heroin but it looks like he’s been doing electric shock plus some sort of drug. Either way, I’d like to see him out of Downton and in a steady job with a partner. Or a string of partners. That part doesn’t matter- what does matter is that he accepts himself and finds others who know and accept him too. Baxter is trying but its weak sauce. Downton is such a closed world and Mrs. Hughes comments on this when Mrs. Patmore looks for advice on investing her small inheritance. Carson bristles at Downton being behind the times but it’s true. The only thing cosmopolitan about Downton are the women’s dresses and Edith having a job.

Stephanie: It seems Mrs. Patmore has forgiven Carson for not recommending her nephew for the war memorial since she’s now soliciting his advice. Mrs. Hughes’ suggestion to seek someone else more in the know on financial matters offends Carson as much as I would imagine Lord Grantham would take offense. Funny how Carson and Grantham, despite their different classes, have the same air of entitlement. Carson knows nothing of investing, but is determined to give advice nonetheless, and how telling is it that his scrap of knowledge comes from Grantham, who himself is not an expert (though he should be more wise on those matters than he is). I would like to think Thomas is smarter than to believe shock therapy will make his gay feelings subside, but this is a different era, and clearly he’s desperate. But that begs the question, why is he desperate, and why now? We’ve only seen Thomas’ problems on the surface this season. I’d like him to find an unlikely ally to confide in further. Or have something happen to force him to admit why he’s going to these lengths to fix himself. I feel like that’s missing-I don’t see the context. I’d love to see two or three characters focused on for an episode rather than the flitting around to all the different storylines with little plot progression. “Lost” did well with that method, when a character and their backstory were revealed in conjunction with another theme for the episode. This is where, again, the limits of one writer possibly come into play. By this point in a series, we expect to go deeper with characters. Even if the characters themselves make poor choices, we want to see why they’re making those choices. This approach is a bit uneven in the show.

Catherine: That’s a good point. An episode where one character is focused on plus a theme would be a great tactic. But let’s not forget that Lost had twenty-three episodes in one season and Downton has nine. Downton is getting flat and an overarching theme to keep things moving forward (something to alarm everyone and get them hopping) and/or a few characters focused on per episode could help. A new TV writer could also be a great help. Fellowes is a novel writer (he came out with a few before Downton) and a seasoned TV veteran could resuscitate life into this gasping show. But the next episode awaits and hope springs eternal so thanks for the chat and I’ll see you next week.

Catherine Eaton is a contributor to The Stake. Catherine is a writer living in a western suburb of Chicago. She blogs over at sparrowpost.com and enjoys foraging around the neighborhood in her spare time.

Stephanie Scott is a Young Adult writer living in the western Chicago suburbs. Library superfan, award-winning TV-binger, and she just might be your cat’s new best friend. She tweets at @StephScottYA.

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