Stephanie: Hi Catherine! This week’s episode moved several characters’ plots forward AND we finally saw actor Matthew Goode as Mary’s new love interest! More on that, but first, I was glad to see Daisy find peace in securing Mr. Mason at the recently-vacated farm on Downton property. Sometimes the conflicts on this show feel shallow, but Daisy’s never did for me. She’s put years into service at the estate, has few (any?) family, and for God’s sake she married a dying man! Her persistent caring for Mr. Mason has given her purpose beyond mixing puddings in the kitchen day in and day out, but his future is also a burden to her. She can’t move on if Mr. Mason isn’t settled. What was a business decision for the family in whether to let [rent] the farm was a very real game-changer for Daisy. I could see her leaving service if the farm was not granted to Mr. Mason. Maybe that would have been good for Daisy, but she’d probably be care taking for Mr. Mason, and we all want Daisy to go off to school and rule England, right? For now, any decisions on her future are hers to make for herself and not based out of anger or fear. I loved Daisy and Mr. Mason’s parting shot looking over the farm.
Catherine: I was glad there was resolution for both Daisy and Mason earlier on in the season instead of dragging it out to the very end. And did you notice that Daisy and Andy had a teeny moment of exchanged (maybe meaningful?) glances when Andy said he was determined to live in the country forever? Downton’s favorite ending for everyone is marriage so maybe a Daisy/Andy thing will happen and they’ll move in with Mr. Mason at Yew Tree Farm and all proceed to live happily ever after. Lady Cora lucked out when Grantham breezed in and blithely announced to Daisy that Mason got his Yew Tree Farm. There was Daisy-berserker moment about to be rained down on Cora’s head and she realized she dodged that bullet due to her husband. And that’s been Grantham’s role lately- he saves everyone from unpleasant moments, be it blackmail or angry kitchen maids. He’s a true British Hero.
Thomas has been continuing to dominate the plotlines with his resentful mopiness and angling. This time, Gwen Harding, a former maid, got caught in the crosshairs but did well for herself by invoking the ghost of dear departed Sybill. After she finished her reminiscences of Sybil’s goodness, I’m fairly certain the family could have fallen to her feet, weeping and stricken over Sibyl’s goodness and how they each fall short of the superb example she set them.
Stephanie: Thomas Barrow: oh how he suffers. Just as we were being shown a more sympathetic side to the scheming under butler, he’s back to his old ways calling out the former maid who had the gall to move beyond service. It was great for the show to bring back an earlier character in the now Mrs. Harding. She demonstrated the very American idea of looking beyond her station, applying for a new a job and moving up, plus she acted as the catalyst for nostalgic Sybil conversation. Mary appeared emotional at hearing stories of her younger sister, as if she only now realized the better sister is the one no longer with them. For a moment at least, Mary questioned her own kindness. Because I love a good dig on Mary, how awesome was it when Edith asked Mary what she’d be doing now that Tom returned to the estate? Put her on the defensive, Edith! There you go! Their verbal sparring means apparently there was no sister bonding happening on the train ride back from London mentioned in the last episode. Additionally, Edith wants to hire a female editor for the magazine because, “after all, it is a women’s magazine.” Oh, the novelty of actual women working for a women’s magazine!
Catherine: And let’s not forget that one precious moment where Mary defended Edith’s decision on a female editor from Granny’s tut-tutting. Of course, Mary said something nasty about it right after to Aunt Rosamund but still! it happened. It may be everyone’s mission in this final season to defend everyone else from Granny. Poor Violet. She’s getting nowhere with her desire to keep the village hospital in the hands of the…village. But wait, is it the hands of the village or the hands of Granny? She made a fine argument about the government taking over institutions whereby then the people have less control but unfortunately, those currently in control of the hospital aren’t really “the people” but the landed gentry and the wealthy.
It was a sad dinner time when Granny’s reinforcements (aka Lady Shackleton) crossed to the dark side in Granny’s hour of need. The Dowager argued bravely but towards the end, even she laid down her eating utensils and made indignant and sad sputtering noises. The end of the village hospital is nigh. And anyway, we all know that Lady Shackleton isn’t there to help Granny but to help Mary (because the world centers on Mary. Clearly) by bringing her a hot love interest. Enter Henry Talbot, Lady Shackleton’s nephew and a not-too-wealthy, race car driving flirt. And let me hasten to add that he’s an A+ flirt.
Stephanie: Yes! Henry Talbot is a total flirt. He offered to Mary “to have lunch, a drink, or something.” Mary is either really sharp at playing coy, or she truly isn’t that interested in him. As pious as Mary can be, she is clearly enjoying her role as estate agent. Sure, she gets a bit drunk on power like when she tried to control the Carson/Hughes wedding, but given her earlier spicy comment that her education consisted of “French, prejudice, and dance steps,” she seems all-in with running the estate. She is doing worthwhile work that requires skill. Looking back, she did everything expected of her before, and look where it got her-widowed at a young age. Mary understands more now that she doesn’t need to marry herself off. Though, wouldn’t a dashing race car driver be a nice match to keep Mary on her toes?
I’m grateful Anna finally, finally told Bates she is pregnant with you know, their shared baby. I have hated this whole secrecy between them going back to Anna’s assault. Times were different, sure, but Bates shows over and over he is patient and supportive to his wife. He’s not cold to her. He is not careless. And yet she continues to hide very important things from Bates in some perverse attempt at protecting his feelings. (It may come as no surprise, but I have zero patience for people who do shenanigans like this in real life.) There’s still a rough road ahead for Anna’s pregnancy, but I’m confident we’ll see a healthy baby at the end of this.
Catherine: One of the best lines came from Granny on Talbot: “A handsome smile and a hand on the gear stick…I know more than you think.” Sounds like just the right sort of guy for Mary. Want to place bets that she’ll be racing cars in the last episode? And no doubt Branson will be her mechanic. He wants to do more than fiddle around on the estate and he was a chauffeur at one time. He’s leaning towards being a mechanic. It’s a natural fit for him and it’d be nice to see another character find meaningful work of his own.
I’ve also had limited patience with Anna’s obstinacy of keeping her husband outside of the reproduction rollercoaster but when his face lit up with the news of Anna’s pregnancy, I felt a tiny bit better. She only wants to give him happy news and bear the burden of the bad alone buuuut she tends to forget he’s a human too with fears and worries and she’s worrying the hell out of him. And he keeps insisting that he wants to share the burdens of life too. Oh, Anna! just take him at his word. However, this is a drama so things must keep drama-ing. And speaking of dramas, Baxter got flung into one after hanging out in the plot sidelines for more than a few episodes. Peter Coyle, the man involved with her crime in stealing jewelry from a former employer, has popped up in the court system and the police want Baxter to testify against him. It’s clear that Coyle terrifies her to death but Molesley can’t or won’t see that and pushes her to testify against him despite her apparent trauma. It was a hard moment to watch. While I’m curious to see Coyle, I feel dreadful for Baxter. That man clearly did a job on her. We know barely anything about how he seduced and/or coerced her into stealing but it’s clear it was a traumatic relationship.
Stephanie: Life is definitely moving forward downstairs. Though one not-actual-conflict had a moment: the conundrum of calling Mrs. Hughes as Mrs. Carson now that she’s married. I can see the point of occasional embarrassment at early blunders, but seriously, how hard is it to remember a changed name when the new name is the same as the butler! I was unclear if it was Mrs. Hughes’ idea to keep her name in the household, or if it was decided because poor Old Lord Grantham couldn’t be bothered with remembering. Talk about resistant to change! Though the queen of resistance, the Dowager, is becoming more prickly by the hour. Her remark how she hadn’t been downstairs in twenty years was baffling. TWENTY YEARS. At least the younger generations view their help as people with their own lives. Mary is even willing to pay Anna’s medical costs. A few big, waving plot signs signaled this episode that the Dowager may need to succumb to this societal shift, with letting go of the hospital in particular: either Anna’s fragile pregnancy or Lord Grantham’s ulcer will land one of them in that cottage hospital in need of urgent care. Will the Dowager finally see the wonders of medical advancements once a mishap is managed, or will tragedy occur? Here is the true tension at Downton. Until next week!
Catherine Eaton 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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