PBS

[sumire]

I felt bad for Edith, but I laughed at the parents speculating that Edith would care for them in their old age, and the father going, "What a horrible thought." Poor, un-loved Edith. Hee hee.

Like kostgard upthread, I was expecting Edith to be hoist on her own petard, that Lord Tractor of Boring would hear the gossip about Mary and decide he simply couldn't have ties to such a scandalous family. But I suppose it's more in keeping with Mary's character to take active revenge against her sister--she's matured a bit, but she's a far from perfect person.

If Thomas becomes a medic, I'll bet he'll be robbing the corpses blind.

From the look on O'Brien's face at the end, I was expecting her to walk back to her room and hang herself.

Is it just me, or did they make Daisy's bosom visibly grow over the course of the series? (After all, it was supposed to take place over two years, right?)

Dying, dying, dying for the next season.

ETA: Our hand-me-Downtons: Why those costumes weren't quite as lavish as they looked on screen
The tone of the article makes me want to kick the Daily Mail in the balls (OH NOEZ! AND THEY DIDN'T BUILD THE CASTLE FOR THE SERIES, EITHER, THEY JUST RENTED IT!), but I enjoyed seeing the side-by-side photos.

[tabby]

If Thomas becomes a medic, I'll bet he'll be robbing the corpses blind.

And seducing the patients. But I doubt he's going to go through the war unscathed, as a medic he'll witness some pretty horrible stuff.

Carson and the telephone were hilarious. And so was Lord Grantham's reaction when the doctor was explaining various aspects of female physiology ("I know enough about that!").

[satellite]

Jan 31, 2011 3:56:10 GMT -4 sumire said:

IFrom the look on O'Brien's face at the end, I was expecting her to walk back to her room and hang herself.

I had hoped so. Ugh! What is her damage? I'd really like to see some backstory there. I wonder how she'll fare with Thomas gone? How did she even get that position with such a nasty personality? I could see if maybe the countess had brought her over from America, but I got the impression she had worked/schemed her way up through the ranks.

[Deleted]

Jan 31, 2011 3:56:10 GMT -4 sumire said:

If Thomas becomes a medic, I'll bet he'll be robbing the corpses blind.

Hee hee! My husband said the same thing!

Mary's takedown of Edith's proposal was awesomely evil. Considering that Edith effectively destroyed her chances of marrying anyone in England, Mary's actions were restrained.

[Carolina]

Feb 1, 2011 0:36:44 GMT -4 @dguzpy said:

Mary's takedown of Edith's proposal was awesomely evil. Considering that Edith effectively destroyed her chances of marrying anyone in England, Mary's actions were restrained.

Edith may have tried to destroy Mary's chances of marrying anyone, but she was unsuccessful. Matthew, who Mary claimed to love, knew nothing and still proposed. Mary chose not to accept him. She left him hanging for months. Both Mary and Edith could have both been happily engaged at the end of the episode, but neither was, all due to Mary's actions and choices.

Edith tattled* on Mary, but she didn't lie. Mary knew damn well the possible repercussions of her actions. She knew if it got out, however it got out, it would be devastating not only to her but to her whole family. Mary straight up fabricated lies about Edith, lies which were incredibly hurtful to Sir Anthony, who, though maybe dull, was never anything but kind to her and her family, but hey, it's par for the course for her since she treated Matthew and Evelyn Napier exceedingly shabbily as well.

*Has Edith behaved appallingly? Hell yes. Envy is not an attractive quality. The Affair of the Turk getting out could have ruined (and could still ruin) things for the whole family including Edith, not just Mary. Poor Sibyl has been shown to bear the brunt of Edith's displacement. Edith stupidly tries to compete with Mary. She repeatedly cuts off her nose to spite her face. But, in my mind, there's no reason to doubt that the root of this all lies with Mary, and to a lesser degree, Lord & Lady Grantham and the Dowager Countess, for playing favorites. Mary has been a horrid bitch to Edith (and I can easily see this being this situation since their childhood), seemingly hellbent on cruelly rubbing Edith's nose in the fact that she's not as beautiful, charming, or witty as her. Edith clearly yearns for love and attention, something Mary has plenty of and is completely unwilling to share. I just can't blame Edith for not wanting to constantly have to act thankful for being permitted to breathe the same air as Mary.

[Deleted]

Feb 1, 2011 15:50:37 GMT -4 Carolina said:

Feb 1, 2011 0:36:44 GMT -4 @dguzpy said:

Mary's takedown of Edith's proposal was awesomely evil. Considering that Edith effectively destroyed her chances of marrying anyone in England, Mary's actions were restrained.

Edith may have tried to destroy Mary's chances of marrying anyone, but she was unsuccessful. Matthew, who Mary claimed to love, knew nothing and still proposed. Mary chose not to accept him. She left him hanging for months. Both Mary and Edith could have both been happily engaged at the end of the episode, but neither was, all due to Mary's actions and choices.

True. I rewrote my post and forgot to put back in that Edith destroyed Mary's chances of marrying anyone in their upper-crust social circle. Cousin Matthew was always her second (or 99th) choice because before she death-humped the Turk, she would have been prime for a much better candidate. Once that was off the table, she should have been upfront with Matthew, but you're right, she was awful. It was very well acted, though, how she always seemed to be looking over his shoulder to see if something better was coming along. (By the way, I lost track, how close cousins are those two? First? Second?)

[kostgard]

I both despise and feel sorry for Mary and Edith.

Mary has been doted on as the favorite, but I can see also how she is under a lot of pressure and a lot of the favoritism comes with a lot of expectations. As the eldest, she has to marry well, and she has to support her family in the process. She has to either marry someone wealthy or marry someone who will take her family's estate so it stays "within the family" and doesn't just go to some dude who will kick everyone out the minute Lord Grantham kicks the bucket. She probably feels like a brood mare, and sees that she won't be allowed to live the life she wants, and she (stupidly) rebels and lashes out at people.

Edith has the worst case of Jan Brady Syndrome I've ever seen. But in many ways, I can't blame her. Even her parents don't believe she'll marry well, and will be the spinster who cares for them when they are old. Really, if Mary fails it should go to Edith, to save the family, but she doesn't have Mary's looks and charm, and no one believes she can do it. So she's just allowed herself to soak in bitterness. I'm sorry that she lost her chance at happiness with Lord Tractor of Boring (that is the best name ever) but if she hadn't been so wrapped up in Mary's crap, she wouldn't have brought it upon herself.

Sybil is the most likable of the bunch, but she's also under the least amount of pressure. She's not close enough in age with her sister to compete with them, and with two sisters ahead of her, she doesn't have nearly the pressure to marry well. She just has to marry someone respectable (if she gets married at all - if her sisters marry well, she'll have the financial support to do whatever she wants). And as the baby, I'm sure she's been indulged a bit. And her shenanigans only get a worried sigh or eye roll, while the reaction would probably be much stronger if her older sisters were doing the same thing.

[Carolina]

Feb 1, 2011 17:02:07 GMT -4 @dguzpy said:

(By the way, I lost track, how close cousins are those two? First? Second?)

I think Matthew is Lord Grantham's third cousin, which would make him Mary's third cousin once removed (?), so I doubt the combining of their DNA would be catastrophic or anything.

[sumire]

Matthew, who Mary claimed to love, knew nothing and still proposed.

Hey, that reminds me, didn't they introduce the wrinkle that Mary wanted to confess to Matthew about the Pamouk affair? And then they never showed whether her mother/grandmother convinced her not to, or she decided not to, or she told him and he didn't care.

But on reflection, even if she _was_ going to tell him, once her mother got pregnant, maybe the question of whether or not she even _wanted_ to marry him if he might not be rich took precedence in her mind.

I rewrote my post and forgot to put back in that Edith destroyed Mary's chances of marrying anyone in their upper-crust social circle.

Never fear! One can usually find an Italian who is not too picky!

[magazinewhore]

I'm pissed that Thomas basically gets to walk away with no comeuppance. Dammit, I wanted unpleasantness! At least O'Brien had the grace to feel bad, but...damn lady. Awful.

I'm assuming he's going to meet a grisly end in the war. And he'll deserve it.