US Downton Abbey Season 6 Recap: Episode 1

~ ADMIN ~ Leave a comment

Between the Mr. Green murder resolution and the Carson/Hughes/Patmore game of sexual telephone, I couldn’t help but wonder if Fellowes was trying too hard to appease the masses. The Green saga has been frequently singled out as the show’s worst storyline and fans have been clamoring for a Carson/Hughes romance for years now. I can’t say I’m disappointed that Fellowes has decided to give the people what they want, but his writing left a lot to be desired.

The celebration over the revelation of Green’s killer felt like it was more for the audience than the characters themselves. Did that news really call for a party? Wasn’t Anna in the clear already? A woman’s arrest seemed like an inappropriate thing to celebrate, but then again this did mark the end of an “error.”

I’m not completely surprised that someone like Mrs. Hughes would be uncomfortable discussing coitus with a man, even if it was her future husband, but Fellowes took it too far by actually having Mrs. Patmore talk to Carson. The whole thing went from an awkward joke to an equally clumsy attempt at sincerity. It felt sort of like an excuse to give Patmore something to do as involving her felt both forced and ridiculous and it robbed the story of much of its emotional impact.12037880_10207693413522917_1481630557_o

Unsurprisingly, much of the episode revolved around change. Barrow’s plotline was my second favorite of the night. He’s in a pretty rough position. He’s not old enough to retire like Carson and not exactly young enough to completely switch professions either like Andy. As an under butler, he would also be at a disadvantage competing for job opportunities against trained butlers who might find themselves in the situation Spratt almost believed he was in.

I liked how Thomas didn’t immediately resort to malicious scheming after he learned his job was in jeopardy. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen in the next few episodes, but it’s nice to see Barrow evolving as a character. He certainly deserves more after all these years.

Speaking of Andy, his introduction is mildly puzzling. Given the shortage of background servants, it makes sense that they introduced him if for any other reason than to occupy space. I don’t really care that he wasn’t given much to do. I didn’t love the “don’t trust Thomas” retread, but it wasn’t a major plot point either.Downton Abbey | Series Six We return to the sumptuous setting of Downton Abbey for the sixth and final season of this internationally acclaimed hit drama series. As our time with the Crawleys begins to draw to a close, we see what will finally become of them all. The family and the servants, who work for them, remain inseparably interlinked as they face new challenges and begin forging different paths in a rapidly changing world. Photographer: Nick Briggs MICHELLE DOCKERY as Lady Mary Crawley with HUGH BONNEVILLE as Robert, Earl of Grantham

Downsizing is inevitable, though I’m glad it’s not doing it under the pretense of “Downton is failing.” The Dowager was also right to bring up the issue of people losing their livelihoods, especially considering how the characters justified the necessity for Downton’s survival as a place of employment back in series three. It’s a case where you see both sides of the equation.

My favorite storyline belongs to one of my least favorite characters. I thought Edith’s scenes were all perfectly done and I like the direction they’re going in with her character. Her romantic storylines have been far less interesting than her professional ones and it does make sense that she should move on from Downton, unless they want to replace Isis with 100 cats.

I wasn’t too impressed with the Violet/Isobel hospital feud. It’s already been done before and with an episode that heavily dealt with change already, I found it hard to care. Very little of it felt organic.

Which is explained by the scene where the Dowager lays down the law with Denker in front of Isobel. The hospital fight felt very reminiscent of series one. Even though the two have always been on opposite ends of the change spectrum, it still felt like a weird fight for them to have.

The Daisy storyline was mostly good, though I wish they didn’t waste any time trying to get anyone to believe that Daisy would actually get fired. I suspect she will leave by the end of the series, but it seemed out of character for Carson to strongly suggest that she’d committed a “dismissible offense.” Carson may be a stickler, but he’s never fired anyone. The two who have been fired from Downton, Ethel and Jimmy, were sacked by Mrs. Hughes and Lord Grantham respectively (he did advocate for Thomas’ firing in series one, though he and his Lordship were on the same page. Edna technically left on her own accord).

The blackmail was a bit of a shock. Mary’s affair with Lord Gillingham wasn’t exactly something I expected to see surface again, but it was handled well. I was disappointed not to see Matthew Goode’s Henry Talbot in the episode. I suspect that Mary’s romantic endeavors will take a backseat to her managing the estate for the next few episodes.

What to say about Molesley, the greatest character of them all? He wasn’t given much to do. I wonder how much he gets paid. He wasn’t mentioned as being a luxury when Lord Grantham mentioned Barrow’s position, which suggests that he’s paid like a footman. That’s pretty messed up given his age, training, and tenure in service to the Crawley’s.

I’m really tired of the “Molesley as footman” joke. I understand that it’s necessary to keep him at Downton, but it’s not entertaining to watch how Carson treats him. He’s a grown man working a job meant for teenagers. The humor in that wore off a long time ago.

Tom and Lady Rose’s absences were felt. Rose had plenty of crap storylines and Branson’s departure was a bit drawn out, but the house feels empty without them and the kitchen maids, even if the children are allowed downstairs now. We didn’t even see the single hall boy!

All in all, I didn’t love this episode. It did what it needed to do, but the dialogue was a little rough around the edges and some of the storylines didn’t click as well as they should have. I do think it’s headed in the right direction, which is what really matters.

Advertisement

A Note For the American Recaps

~ ADMIN ~ Leave a comment

While Downton’s finale has come and gone for much of the world, the fun is just beginning in America. Since Downton World has followed the British schedule, we’ve done all our recaps for series six already. After careful consideration, we’ve figured out the best way to provide our American fans with a spoiler free recap experience.downton401b

For the duration of Downton’s American run, past recaps will be labeled as “UK Recaps” and can be found in their entirety in their own section at the top of the page. Each week, a recap will be added to the section “American Recaps,” which can be found of the main page. These recaps are the same as the British ones, but as they were done week to week, there will be no spoilers other than what had already aired up to that point.

Note: The “Articles” section is also free of series six spoilers for the duration of the American run. The series six review can be found in “UK Recaps.”

Downton Abbey Delivers A Perfect Finale

~ ADMIN ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but yesterday sure didn’t feel like the end of Downton. Maybe that’s because it was Christmas Day, a time where tears are usually reserved for children who didn’t get a Tickle Me Elmo. Or maybe it’s because the introduction of Henry Talbot as a Downton resident has the series feeling rather fresh on the day of its finale. Perhaps it’s because of all the movie talk. Regardless, it’s generally a good sign when a series hasn’t outworn its welcome.

This episode managed to pull off the seemingly impossible task of providing closure for the entire cast, something that I wasn’t expecting. After all, Fellowes said that not everyone would get a happy ending. It’s hard to say that the audience didn’t get everything it could possibly want out of a ninety-minute finale.

The Edith/Bertie plotline was the dominant storyline, but it didn’t take over the entire episode. Their breakup last episode was a little clumsy and I was happy to see that there wasn’t much of struggle in bringing them together here. “Edith must suffer” has been one of the mantras of the show, but it was time to put that to rest, though I wouldn’t have necessarily objected to a late episode cameo from Sir Anthony Strallan during the “does anyone have any objections” portion of the wedding.3366 (1)

Brancaster Castle was also well incorporated into the story. The past three Christmas Specials have served as “field trips” of sorts with the main characters venturing off to other magnificient estates. Since this was the finale, it would have felt odd to spend so much time away from Downton. A few scenes at Brancaster was just the right amount.

With Lily James’ busy schedule, I wasn’t expecting much more than a cameo from Lady Rose. Instead, she was reinserted back into the narrative as if she’d never left. Having her help Donk understand Cora’s role in the hospital was a great way to put her right back into the action and shows us just how valuable her character was to the show. I’ve said in the past that I don’t think series six necessarily needed her, but having Lily James is always better than not having Lily James.

It was also nice to see Shrimpie, though I’m not sure why he gave the toast at Edith’s reception. Maybe Fellowes wanted to give him more lines? Since he wisely chose not to reintroduce the horrible Susan MacClare into the mix, I won’t hold it against him.

Speaking of insufferable, we got to see Larry Grey again! As much as I hate him, he’s a wonderful villain and gave the Dowager a few opportunities to deliver some final zingers. It would have been nice to see him ruin another dinner, but he made the most of his limited screen time.

The show was wise not to dedicate too much time to the Isobel/Dickie romance as it’s been kind of dragged along this series. Lord Merton is a fairly likable character and it gave proper resolution to Isobel’s story. The whole misdiagnosis bit is more than stale by now, but I suppose that’s okay.

I complained about the Dowager’s plotlines for most of series six, but she was used perfectly in every capacity in this finale. Nearly every line she spoke was a gem and reminds us all of just how important Dame Maggie Smith was to the success of the show. If only she hadn’t been tied up in the silly hospital plot for nearly the whole series. I liked that she made up with Cora at the end, but I’m also glad that their feud wasn’t at the center of the episode.

The Spratt/Denker spat was hilarious right up to its resolution. From his introduction as a saboteur to Molesley right up to his moonlighting as Miss Cassandra Jones, Spratt has been a highlight of the show’s second half. I only wish he’d been in more episodes this series.

Though I wish Molesley had received more screen time (that’s true of every episode), I liked his resolution. We didn’t need to see a Molesley/Baxter romance in this episode. Leaving the door open to one was enough. I’m sure he’ll make a wonderful teacher.

I wasn’t expecting to love Barrow’s resolution and was very pleased that I got my series long wish that he’d become the Downton butler. We’ve seen variations of “Barrow must leave” in four of the six series of the show, yet seeing Master George wish his friend farewell was still as heartfelt as could be. I like that he actually did leave Downton for a bit before returning as well, solidifying the notion that it was truly where he belonged.

This episode deserve a lot of credit for successfully maneuvering around the downstairs situation. Here’s a look at what needed to happen chronologically:

  • Barrow needed to have a job in place before Molesley could accept his position as teacher.
  • Barrow also needed to depart before Carson’s tremors became unmanageable so that he wouldn’t merely be asked to stay on, possibly creating an awkward underbutler/butler dynamic.
  • Tears needed to be shed when Master George said, “goodbye Mr. Barrow.”
  • Molesley needed to decided to take the teacher position before he could be considered for the butler position (not that the show has ever cared about Molesley’s professional status). Molesley himself mentioned that he didn’t think he’d ever make butler last episode to Baxter.
  • Enough time within a single episode needed to pass before it was clear that Carson had to retire.

I suppose Fellowes was referring to Carson when he said that not everyone would have a happy ending. Problem is, Carson has been insufferable all series. Who cares that he needs to retire? He’s been mean-spirited toward just about everyone besides Donk and Lady Mary for far too long.

Allen Leech has reportedly been unhappy with Tom’s resolution, but I think it was fitting. Branson hasn’t been given much to do this series besides serve as the third wheel in Mary and Henry’s romance. There wasn’t enough time for a romance with Laura Edmunds and that’s okay. I felt the same way about the Daisy/Andy and Mason/Patmore plotlines as well. We had enough romance for one episode.

I do wish that Mary had married Henry earlier in the series, especially since he didn’t appear in the first three episodes. Seeing him in Downton was very enjoyable. I sort of see why it played out this way, but it’s hard to argue that an earlier upstairs shakeup wouldn’t have been an improvement and that spreading out the weddings a little more wouldn’t have been a good thing.

Obligatory Bates mention. I’m happy they got their happy ending. Somewhat disappointed that Bates didn’t kill anyone this series though. Oh well.

I am glad that no one died. While the show went from tons of deaths early on to none at all. A death would’ve taken a lot of screen time and that wouldn’t have been a great note to go out on, unless Larry Grey came to the wedding and started spitting up blood. Can’t have everything.

This episode will likely leave many thinking that the show could have gone on. That’s because it could have. Should it have? Absolutely not.

The best finales leave the audience wanting more. Few shows improve into their seventh series and I doubt Downton would have been the exception. Having an end goal in sight gave focus to series six and this episode gave as much resolution as it could reasonably fit into ninety minutes. I didn’t give letter grades to these episodes, but this finale would’ve been a solid ten out of ten. If that’s not a good note to end on, I don’t know what is.

So we say goodbye to Downton, for now. With all the remakes/follow ups floating around TV these days, I doubt we’ve seen the last of some of these characters. Thank you for following along with me. Just like the Abbey itself, Downton World will go on with recaps of past episodes, memes, and features. We don’t know what the future will hold, but we will face it together!

Downton Abbey Series 6 in Review

~ ADMIN ~ Leave a comment

The holdup for my review of series 6 as a whole can mostly be blamed on one difficulty I’ve had with Downton’s past eight episodes (plus grad school). I wanted to do a separate article on the series 6 “MVP,” but I had trouble coming up with one who fit the bill, which isn’t to say that everyone was terrible or that the series was bad. This conflict actually summarizes my thoughts on this series as a whole quite well.

The “MVP” candidate field was compromised of four candidates: Edith, Tom, Barrow, and Molesley. The latter two can (sadly) be eliminated simply because they weren’t given enough to do (more on this later). I’d pick Edith if I absolutely had to, but I can’t after what happened in the finale.dowton-abbey-0-1024

Edith’s storylines are defined by tragedy. With her magazine, Edith finally found an environment she could thrive in. For a character I’ve despised since Downton began, I was pleasantly surprised by how Edith carried the show in the first few episodes. Then of course, she had to get sucked into another horrible love plotline.

I can see how the Marigold dilemma made it tempting for Fellowes to want to give her another suitor. She didn’t need one. Most characters this series only had one major storyline and she already had the magazine. This isn’t to say that Bertie Pelham had to be a detriment, but he was. By making Bertie a Marquis and then leaving Edith in a rather hasty manner, Fellowes took the least interesting aspects of Sir Anthony Swire and Charles Blake’s arcs and tossed them right back in the audience’s face. No thanks.

I never bought into the Mary’s malice toward Edith either. Yes, Mary is often jealous and unhappy, but two of them haven’t really taken action against each other since the first series. We’ve seen plenty of sarcastic comments, but that’s about it.

Edith was fun to watch this series, which is rare for her. I almost always skip her scenes when I re-watch the show. I can’t call her the “MVP” when she ended the series in such a typical predictable Edith like fashion. Yes, we need some plot for the Christmas Special, but it didn’t need to be that.

Which takes us to Tom, who shined with every opportunity he was given. Problem was, he wasn’t given many of them. Whereas Edith received two plotlines, Tom had none. I can’t call him the “MVP” either when he didn’t do anything besides remind Mary that she doesn’t need to be unhappy for the rest of her life.

Series 6 had a split that we haven’t really seen Downton implement since series 3. Essentially, this series can be divided into pre-Tom (1-3) and post-Tom (4-8), which isn’t dissimilar from the series 2 World War I split or the Downton is bankrupt spell in series 3. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Shifting the tone a bit helps keep the series fresh. The question we need to ask is whether or not this series needed that at all.

I’ve said it in previous recaps and I’ll say it again. Tom leaving was a mistake. It accomplished nothing and forced the show into a bizarre holding pattern until he returned. If Fellowes absolutely had to have Tom leave to reassure his loyalty to the Crawleys, fine, but he could have come back after the first episode, especially since the Carson/Hughes wedding was drawn out longer than it needed to be. Three was a waste.

But wait! You may be wondering, didn’t I say that episode 2 might be best episode of the post Matthew era? I still think that’s true, but I think the first few episodes created a strain on the rest of the series that ultimately proved problematic with a certain plotline we all wanted to see.

There was one man everyone wanted to see since his appearance in the series 5 Christmas special. Why did it take until the fourth episode to give us Henry Talbot? I’ve speculated that Matthew Goode’s busy schedule may have been to blame, but he didn’t really have a lot going on in 2015 for that to have been a problem.

The romance felt rushed when it didn’t have to be. Tom played a useful role in the courtship process, which also shows why he shouldn’t have left in the first place. Five episodes wasn’t really enough time for them to become reacquainted, fall in love, and then marry when you think about how stretched out her relationships with Matthew and Tony/Charles (counting them as one) were. I get that maybe Fellowes didn’t want the final series to just be about Mary’s love life, but what alternative did he really put forth?

The hospital plotline was pretty underwhelming. There haven’t been many storylines that have involved the majority of the cast and there’s a reason for that. Downton is a show that thrives when its plotlines are diversified, which allows it to endure a few stinkers. I wouldn’t necessarily call the whole plotline a stinker, but it went on for far too long.

Beyond that, who looked good coming out of the hospital resolution? Cora was as unlikable as ever going behind the Dowager’s back, but even Lady Violet looked pretty petty refusing to give up control just because she hates change. Donk’s projectile blood spurting didn’t even really play a role in it at all in its resolution. The story shouldn’t have gone on longer than two or three episodes.

I don’t think there was a moment that fans looked forward to more than the Carson/Hughes wedding. Unfortunately, Carson decided to turn into the most unlikable character on the whole show, behaving nastily to just about everyone he interacts with. I loved the way Mrs. Hughes handled him, but the actual romance was sorely lacking throughout the series. I constantly found myself wondering why they were even together beyond the canned “it’s what the fans want.”

Oh Barrow. I mostly loved him this series, aside from his nastiness with Gwen, which seemed out of character by this point in the show. I dreaded the inevitable suicide, but felt that it was handled with grace by all the characters. Barrow’s hesitance to leave Downton shows the struggle that many in service had to endure, forced out of places that were their homes in every way except for the physical deed to the property. My only problem was that it was a little drawn out and prevented him from doing anything else this series. He could have done more with Master George!

The Mr. Mason storyline served as a nice contrast to Barrow’s struggles. I loved how he was integrated into this series after pretty much only making cameo appearances in previous series. He shows that while that way of life changes, it does so gradually and that there are happy endings.

The Mr. Mason farm dilemma also allowed Daisy to really come into her own. Her interactions with Cora were among my favorite of the series as they put Lady Grantham in her place and allowed Downton to do the right thing by one of its own. I didn’t care for her outburst at Mrs. Patmore, but the three of them plus Andy and Molesley have formed a refreshing dynamic in the show that I wasn’t expecting.

The Bates weren’t terrible, but it would have been nice to have them involved in something that wasn’t pure misery. Oh well. At least there wasn’t another murder.

I wish we’d seen more Molesley, especially while Barrow was looking for other employment. The show oddly ignored the elephant of the room of the 50 year old footman at a time, though Kevin Doyle shined with whatever he was given. Seeing him come into his own as a teacher was my favorite moment of the series.

Regarding Molesley and Baxter, I think Fellowes made the right decision not forcing a romantic pairing. I like that they’re “friends” in a way that doesn’t necessarily preclude them from taking it further. We’ll see what happens with the Special, but I won’t be disappointed if the two don’t get together.

Spratt and Denker have quietly become two of the best supporting characters in the series and I was disappointed to see their frequent absences. Denker only appeared in half the episodes and Spratt only did her one better. Considering how delightful their scenes were, this was a shame, especially when the insufferable Lady Rosamund bested her series high by two episodes (making the safe assumption that she appears in the finale).

The best part of the series is perhaps the fact that Downton isn’t closing. We know what’s coming for big houses, but we don’t need to see the end in 1925 just because the show is ending. The series lacked the depressing tone that I was worried about after watching that sad trailer back in August.

I could go on for another thousand words, but ultimately I did enjoy series 6 immensely. Having a clear end goal in sight helped focus the show and this has clearly been the best series of the post-Matthew era. The pacing problems prevented it from being the best series, which I genuinely think it could have been, but this has been a very satisfying conclusion to the show.

Downton Abbey Series 6 Recap: Episode 8

~ ADMIN ~ 4 Comments

This episode had an unusual job to play. Past penultimate Downton episodes have wrapped up their series quite well as the Christmas Special tends to have more of a “field trip” type setting. Tasked with wrapping up the entire show, this episode had to figure out the balance between story and finale, knowing that the special wouldn’t be able to wrap it all up.

While the resolution to the Mary/Henry romance was overshadowed by her cruelty with Edith, the episode navigated through that mess admirably. The Mary/Edith feud has been trivial since series one, popping up sporadically to remind the viewers that the two still dislike each other, even though they continue to live under the same roof. I never cared much about Mary learning about Marigold’s past and don’t think it was completely necessary here.stream_img

Did Bertie need to be a Marquis? If the Marigold nonsense had been settled already and it was merely the cherry on the top of Edith and Lord Hexam, I’d be okay with it. We’ve seen the “I’m actually nobility” card played already with Charles Blake and a similar twist with Matthew inheriting the Swire fortune. Here, it seemed kind of unnecessary.

As did Mary’s involvement in their falling out. It was almost anti-climatic after Donk, Cora, and Rosamund all argued about whether or not she should tell for several scenes. She should have just told him herself and been done with it.

Edith’s plotlines have (surprisingly) been among the best of the show this year and it does make some sense that her resolution would be held over until the Christmas Special. If the show is committed to weddings for both Mary and Edith, it makes sense that they’re in separate episodes. Edith’s wedding would take her away from Downton itself while Mary’s would not. It wouldn’t make much sense for the finale of Downton not to primarily take place at Downton.

Initially, I was annoyed that the show was spending time with Edith’s magazine since so few characters have ever had two major plots progress in the same episode, but Spratt was priceless. Or should I say, Miss Cassandra Jones. Spratt hasn’t received much screen time this season, but Jeremy Swift has made the most of every opportunity he’s been given.

I see why Mary is Carson’s favorite. They’re the two most selfish people on the whole show. Why on earth would Carson give Molesley a hard time about trying out teaching or object to Donk, Cora, and Rosamund wanting to bail out poor Mrs. Patmore? Doesn’t he realize that these people have futures to look out for and won’t be his to boss around for the rest of eternity? Carson has easily become the least likable character on the show.

Barrow lives! His suicide attempt was way too predictable to carry much of an emotional impact, but the scene with him, Mary, and Master George was one of the highlights of the whole series. Mary and Barrow have always lived by similar philosophies toward others and it’s a shame that they haven’t had more scenes together.

Given what Mary had done in the episode, it might be easy to agree with Donk in saying that her criticisms of him getting rid of Barrow were below the belt, but she was completely on point. It’s important that Donk and Carson felt remorse over their handling of the situation as it reaffirms the value of Downton to everyone who lives there, not just the upstairs residents. The show has to address the changing world, but it doesn’t have to send Barrow away before the show ends. I still hope he takes over for Carson as butler though it seems possible that he’ll go work for either the Dowager or the Marquis of Hexam

Mr. Molesley the teacher was perfect. Beyond that, it was dignified. Unlike Carson, most of us want to see Molesley live up to his full potential. For once, Bates said something I agree with. Molesley is a kind man indeed.

The Patmore and the “house of ill repute” saga was mostly well handled. I hated how much the characters laughed about it for the first half of the episode as the situation was one that could ruin Patmore’s entire retirement, but it all worked out in the end. Beryl’s House of Ill Repute has a nice ring to it!

Not enough Dowager this episode. While her presence would’ve naturally affected the Edith/Bertie situation, sending her away until the final part of the show wasn’t a great solution. She’s too good of a character and too important to Downton as a show to leave her out of so much of the penultimate episode.

I’m not sure I’d ever complain about not having enough Isobel in this episode, but her scenes were all excellent. The show has done a great job dealing with the potential awkwardness between Isobel and Mary and their meeting in the graveyard was a great way to honor Matthew and solidify the case for Henry. I’ll be very upset if Larry Grey isn’t in the Christmas Special.

It’s hard to argue that there was too much Rosamund in this particular episode since she had a role to play, but there’s been too much of her this series in general. Assuming she’s in the Special, Rosamund will have been in six episodes this series. Her episode breakdown for the other five is one, three, one, four, and three episodes. She isn’t a terrible character, but this has been too much of a fairly okay thing.

Tom might be the MVP of this episode. He’s shined this series despite being given little to do. I’m glad the show chose to acknowledge that Tom was the best man at both of Mary’s weddings as that was exactly what I was thinking when he stepped inside the car. I was also glad he acknowledged how much he’d meddled in the Mary/Henry romance. Transparency is certainly rare at Downton.

This was a pretty good episode that mixed story and finale quite well.  I am excited to see Rose in the Special and to see how it all wraps up!

Just a programming note for the site, I will post a review of series 6 as a whole and some character analysis articles in the coming weeks. Thanks for reading! Just as a side note, my books Five College Dialogues and Five More College Dialogues are still .99 cents on amazon if you’d like to check them out here.

Downton Abbey Series 6 Recap: Episode 7

~ ADMIN ~ 2 Comments

Assuming that next week’s episode follows past trends and runs over an hour, we’ve just had our final “regular” sized episode of Downton Abbey. Feels like just yesterday we were wondering how Tom and Sybbie were getting on in Boston. Time flies, especially with change in the air.

Rather than jump into the main plotline, I’d like to start with Molesley. Downton’s finest first footman hasn’t had much to do this series and there’s been little need for comic relief, but Kevin Doyle has quietly shined with the material he’s been given. As the show starts to wrap up some if its storylines tonight, it was great to see Molesley given his moment of triumph.5207

The Dowager’s interactions with Lady Cruikshank were vintage Violet. It was hard to fully appreciate her zingers during the hospital storyline since she was so clearly in the wrong, but watching her pick apart Larry Grey’s fiancé almost made up for his absence in the episode. I do hope we’ll be treated to one more Larry Grey Downton dinner before the series is over.

I do think it’s possible that The Dowager is lying about her whereabouts so she can be with Prince Kuragin. I hope not. Separating the Dowager from Downton this late in the series feels like a mistake. He wasn’t that interesting of a character either. Who really wants to see him back?

I’ve felt the same way about the Isobel/Dickie romance, but it’s less of an issue. Lord Merton’s presence doesn’t really take away from the rest of the show. I don’t really care if the two of them end up together, but it hasn’t really dragged on at all.

The Mary/Henry breakup was a big miss. It’s understandable that Mary should have cold feet after witnessing a horrific accident, but it’s too predictable. I’ve said this before, but I really wish their courtship had begun earlier since it’s been far too rushed. I understand the need to have some tension in the relationship, but there’s only two more episodes.

I’m fairly undecided as to whether or not they’ll get married. I hope they do since I’m a big Matthew Goode fan and it makes sense for Mary to want to settle down. The Talbot/Downton dynamic seems a bit odd, but at least Donk approves of the relationship.

The drama in Edith’s relationship with Bertie is also fairly predictable. It looked like he wouldn’t care since he didn’t object to her having Marigold live with them, but that initial lack of concern could also be the reason why he might when she reveals the truth. Fellowes does enjoy making Edith suffer.

Tom continues to play a supporting role, but he’s been quite entertaining. His role in the Mary/Henry relationship has been surprisingly well executed. Allen Leech recently gave an interview criticizing Tom’s resolution, which makes me wonder what’s going to happen to everyone’s favorite upstairs chauffeur.

Why was Donk so rude to Rosamund? Does anyone care? I don’t. I wish he’d spit up more blood at that dinner, which felt like a funeral already.

Baxter’s absence was understandable given the needs of the other storylines, but it did feel a bit odd not to have her there with Molesley when he received his big news. The two haven’t really had a “romance,” but their relationship has been a consistent high point over the past few series. I don’t think they’ll get married, but I hope I’m wrong.

As inevitable as it was, the whole Carson telling Barrow to get a move on moving on feels so tired. They’ve had the same exchange twice before in series two and three only to have him stick around. Barrow’s heart to heart with Mrs. Hughes/Carson was nice and all, but we get it. He doesn’t want to leave. We the audience can feel for Barrow since many of us like him, but it hasn’t made for very interesting television.

While it may be a little unnecessary to point out, I’ve found it odd that both Lady Rosamund and Lord Merton employ footmen. Footmen were becoming increasingly rare by 1925 and it undermines Downton’s supposed need to downsize, especially when Lord Merton is supposed to be a fairly simple man. If Lady Rosamund can have a footman, why can’t Downton have an under butler?

Molesley’s departure also complicates the Barrow situation. It’s natural to assume that Barrow could be allowed to stay, but it seems like an anti-climatic way to wrap up a major plotline. I do suspect there will be more to it than that.

Andy’s revelation was awkward, though I’ve mostly liked him as a character this year. I’m not sure why Patmore didn’t tell Carson that she’d been mistaken about what she saw with Andy and Barrow, though the two didn’t interact for the rest of the episode. It will be interesting to see if that factors in to the Barrow employment situation.

Obligatory Bates mention. They weren’t miserable, though they didn’t seem too happy either. I’m not sure why Anna felt it necessary to try to go down to the wreck.

Carson finally gets put in his place! Good riddance. I hope he got many blisters washing the dishes. Why does he even care about eating in the cottage anyway? Is he suddenly too good for the servant’s hall?

I was very critical of the Daisy outbursts at Mrs. Patmore last week. This episode did little to persuade me that they were necessary. Daisy appeared in several scenes before the matter was even addressed and when it was, it felt like nearly every other Daisy/Patmore fight we’ve seen in quite some time. Completely pointless.

As was the man outside Beryl’s B&B. Why do we need more policemen? Downton Abbey is not a detective show!

Great use of Spratt this episode. I’m surprised he didn’t request an additional puppy for Dowager House. Denker could feed it with some of her delicious broth. His Donkship may want to move his dressing room downstairs since he seems to love going in the servant’s hall this series.

That’s all for this week. A decent episode, though a bit somber. Let’s have a moment of silence for Charlie Rogers.