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Post by kostgard on Feb 4, 2013 9:28:46 GMT -4
Thank god the Martyr Bates storyline is over. I don't think I could take it anymore. But I give him less than a month before he finds an excuse to fall on his sword again.
I'm almost disappointed that Violet got Clarkson to go along with her plan because it just let Robert off the hook. I was enjoying watching his pompous ass getting handed to him all night with the christening thing and the Ethel thing.
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Post by proper stranger on Feb 4, 2013 22:09:41 GMT -4
I love Violet, but I was pissed at her for the Clarkson thing. Robert deserved all the crap he was getting from everyone, and he still doesn't seem to get it. He was such an unbelievable ass to Branson about Baby Sybil's name and christening, going so far as to invite that jackhole vicar to dinner to insult Tom's faith. I go back and forth on Mary, but she was great when she basically told Robert to STFU about the baby.
Loved Branson saying that he would not be separated from his daughter. I was worried that this was all leading to Mary and Matthew raising the baby.
I can't believe that Thomas is falling for O'Brien's games.
Thank God the stupid Bates/prison storyline is over. I hope.
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Post by Ladybug on Feb 5, 2013 17:22:41 GMT -4
Mary was very sympathetic in the last ep. I usually don't care for her, but she was going out of her way to try to bring some comfort to Downton. From inviting Isobel to stay for dinner to asking Robert to share memories about Sybill with Cora, she was all about healing. And she's completely right about Robert, he is the only one not understanding that times are moving forward, not backward, and the paternalistic, aristocratic crap he was brought up with is modernizing.
I thought it was funny that it was mostly the men who had a problem with Ethel working for Mrs. Crawley. Matthew's valet, Carson, Robert, were all aghast at the idea, yet the women, Mrs. Hughes, Mrs. Patmore, even the Crawley women were like, "A prostitute! My, how shocking! Now bring us our fancy pudding, Ethel!"
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Post by Atreides on Feb 5, 2013 20:28:46 GMT -4
I think Robert and Carson are going to keel over if they ever see a black person come within ten yards.
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ladytrentham
Blueblood
Now tomorrow morning, I'll breakfast in bed, and then get straight up into the tweeds.
Posts: 1,882
Jul 18, 2008 18:30:09 GMT -4
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Post by ladytrentham on Feb 10, 2013 0:25:17 GMT -4
I may have misinterpreted the scene, but I thought Violet getting Clarkson to talk to Robert & Cora was more about Violet seeing how utterly miserable Cora was. YMMV
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Post by angelaudie on Feb 10, 2013 0:46:07 GMT -4
I may have misinterpreted the scene, but I thought Violet getting Clarkson to talk to Robert & Cora was more about Violet seeing how utterly miserable Cora was. YMMV I do think Violet had Cora's feelings in mind. She flat out stated she would not judge Cora for those feelings because hey the woman had just lost her daughter. I think Violet felt Cora needed Robert to overcome Sybil's death and vice versa. Also, Dr. Clarkson wasn't lying when he said a C-section probably wouldn't have saved Sybil. C-sections then were not like how they are now. But Clarkson should have followed up his statement with, "As it turns out I should have recommended administering magnesium sulfate. This could have helped prevent Lady Sybil's seizures. It's rather embarrassing I didn't know this since this has been a rather common practice since the early 1900's. Perhaps Mrs. Crawley is correct that I need to start reading up-to-date medical journals!"
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Post by kostgard on Feb 10, 2013 1:22:27 GMT -4
Yeah, I wondered about the magnesium sulfate myself.
I think Violet was trying to keep the marriage from falling apart and all the trouble that would follow. That alone is okay. But it still feels like Robert got off the hook here. True, there's a strong chance that Sybil wouldn't have survived the C-section, but it seems like it was a difference between a 10% survival chance and a 0% survival chance. Low, but her only chance to survive. And Clarkson was probably ultimately right that the fear and discomfort Sybil would have faced with the C-section may not have been worth the 10% chance of survival.
But the part that felt was so gross to me is that Clarkson was talked into going against what he believed (he still held his beliefs when Violet had her little chat with him) to repair this marriage. And it gets icky to have a middle class man put aside his beliefs like that to make a Lord feel better.
Eh, I don't know. It just feels like this is another one where Fellowes just wrapped something important up in a neat little bow after about 5 seconds (yet he'll let the boring as shit Bates stuff drag on forever).
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ladytrentham
Blueblood
Now tomorrow morning, I'll breakfast in bed, and then get straight up into the tweeds.
Posts: 1,882
Jul 18, 2008 18:30:09 GMT -4
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Post by ladytrentham on Feb 10, 2013 19:58:14 GMT -4
I'm probably over-thinking this, but would Clarkson necessarily have known about magnesium sulfate as an option??? To paraphrase another famous TV physician, he's just an old country doctor. Aside from the war (and assuming seizures didn't occur that often in recovering wounded soldiers [and I don't even know if that's a safe assumption]), he was a general practitioner in the sticks who mostly treated farmers. He was familiar with Sybil's health, so he could recognize that something was wrong and possibly put a name to it--but does that mean that he would know about magnesium sulphate? His experience probably consisted mostly of childhood ailments and accidental injuries. (The titled Harley Street doc has NO excuse!)
Remember, at that time in the series, the information network is still 20 years behind the early episodes of "All Creatures Great And Small." And in real life, as late as the 1960's, Lady Diana's mother Frances was sent to several Harley Street "specialists" to find out why she hadn't given birth to a boy yet--in spite of the knowledge that the sperm determines the sex having been around for some time. Granted, there will always be quacks.
I could be very wrong--my medical knowledge consists entirely of advanced first aid training and love of the old "Emergency!" series. At least Dr. Bracket would have given Sybil D5W and an IV of Ringers lactate...
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Post by kostgard on Feb 10, 2013 21:41:16 GMT -4
I could buy maybe Clarkson not knowing about it, but why didn't Dr. Fancypants know about it? Didn't Robert say he specialized in OB-GYN stuff? I could see a situation where he called for it, and Clarkson had to be all, "Uh, we don't have that stuff out here" and there wasn't a way to get some in time.
Meh. I don't know why I'm fact checking a show like this. Fellowes just wanted to slap the aristocracy on the wrist for something, then pulled back before he actually had to delve into anything.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 30, 2024 14:21:37 GMT -4
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Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2013 0:02:56 GMT -4
Jeez O. Pete, can't Edith ever have a normal boyfriend??
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