Downton Daisy
It is herein that we learn that everyone is getting ready to go up to London for Rose and Atticus's wedding. How much time has passed since they got engaged in the last episode? I HAVE NO IDEA. I can tell you, however, that Daisy and Mrs Patmore make a beautiful cake. I can also tell you that we learn that the Fictional Housekeeper at the Grantham London House no longer exists because of the CHANGING TIMES IN WHICH WE LIVE OH MY GOD JULIAN WE KNOW. In fact, let's take care of Daisy right here and now: She decides to quit and move to London so that she can have grand adventures and not be a scullery maid her entire life. Then she comes back to Downton after the wedding and decides she's going to stay there until she's finished her exams. THE END. I feel like, at this point, it's quite obvious that Daisy is going to quit and go make something of herself outside of service and that is GREAT -- I hope she turns into a brilliant career woman married to a very hot dude who is madly in love with her -- but let's just GET ON WITH IT.
Downton Trousseau
Meanwhile, Rose is showing off her trousseau to Violet, Isobel, Mary, and Cora -- all the married/widowed ladies in the house -- and Cora is like, "what a shame your mother is missing this," while Mary notes that she thinks Susan is terrible for not making it back from India earlier to help with wedding plans. The upshot is that Rose is very wonderful. She somehow doesn't remind everyone in the room that her mother is a scorching bitch, and instead she just talks about how she is very determined to have a blessing in a synagogue to make Lord Sinderby happy, because she only wants to make things easier for Atticus. (This blessing doesn't happen, for Reasons which are never totally explained, but which you think she'd have checked earlier than this point. Blessings have to be scheduled, Rose!) "Love can't conquer everything," Violet says when Rose explains that she's being so nice to Lord Sinderby because Atticus loves him, and she loves Atticus, "but it can conquer quite a lot." Which is a very optimistic commentary coming from her. Has the warmth of Prince Kuragin's love begun to melt Violet's heart?!? We shall revisit this question later.
Downton Library Hours
We don't really get the What's Everyone Up to This Week Breakfast Meeting in this episode, but this moment in the library is close enough. While everyone chats about the wedding, Lord G is very adorable with Sybbie, and also spends a lot of this scene eyeballing Edith, who is cuddling Marigold. We also learn that Tom is THINKING ABOUT GOING TO BOSTON, LIKE, WE KNOW, and that Lord Sinderby is not that into this forthcoming wedding, which we also know, and that Lady Sinderby is lovely, which we ALSO know. Sometimes I think this show believes we all are incapable of remembering ANYTHING. I mean, trust me, there are SOME shows that need more in-episode recaps (I had to give up on Pretty Little Liars because I had sincerely no idea at all what was happening) but Downton really likes to hammer things in without advancing the plot, which gets frustrating. Like, we KNOW from SEEING HER that Lady Sinderby is the best. You don't need to tell us that, also. (And she really is. I adore Lady Sinderby, and she is EXTRA The Best in this episode. I am delighted that finally Rose will have a mother who isn't the utter worst human alive.)
Downton Snoresville
In the category of Dull Real Estate Plotting That I Hope Proves To Be The Way to Keep Tom From Leaving The Show: They need to update the cottages in the village so they don't fall down on the villagers' heads and kill them (or something), but Lord G doesn't know how to find the money to fix said cottages. Let's just deal with this plotline now. To raise the cash, Robert ends up selling the painting that Mr Bricker: Cora Lover was so obsessed with, because it's ruined for him now. And when he announces this, Cora is like, "I HAVE RUINED YOUR BELOVED PAINTING," and Robert tells her that, actually, HE ruined the painting for himself by not trusting her and being such a dink about the entire thing, and that now whenever he looks at it, it reminds him of how badly he behaved. Cora sort of melts and honestly, so do I. OH ROBERT. Well done, you.
Downton Now I Want to Murder
In which Bates and Anna continue to be a-holes to Baxter FOR NO REASON, and we learn that ARGH SCOTLAND YARD IS COMING BACK TO TALK TO ANNA BECAUSE THIS PLOT WILL NEVER END.
So, yeah. Scotland Yard shows up and they've got a witness who says that whomever pushed Wretched Valet Mr. Green under the lorry was shorter than he was. We also learn that Scotland Yard has discovered that Green was a serial rapist and they totally have figured out that he more than likely attacked Anna as well. They are investigating this murder with so much ferocity you'd think it was a prince of the blood who got shoved under that truck. After they tell Anna she better come into London to talk to them further, and then leave, Bates advises Anna to keep her mouth shut, even though she wants to tell the truth about what Green did to her. And Anna apparently thinks Bates -- who served time for a murder he didn't commit (maybe) -- is totally the right person to advise her on what to do when accused of a capital crime and so she does. I am getting to the point where, as much as I love Joanne Froggett, I kind of want to smack them both.
Downton Breakfast Trays
So. This is the best. Violet is finishing up breakfast and the paper in bed -- I wish I could open each day with breakfast and the paper in bed, but I would have to get up and make the breakfast myself, so... -- when Denker pops in and tells her that Prince Kuragin is waiting for her in the drawing room. And Maggie Smith is so wonderful in this scene. She is clearly like, "oh SHIT, my crush is here and LOOK AT MY HAIR WHAT AM I GOING TO WEAR I AM NOT PREPARED FOR THIS."
Luckily, Denker is like, "hmm, I suspected you might want to wear your lavender day dress." And then they have this giggly little exchange about how it never hurts to look one's best when one's long-term Russian crush randomly pops up and decides to set up shop in your house.
While we're here, let's talk about Denker. We learn this week that she is sharp -- Spratt keeps trying to sabotage her, but she and Violet are generally one step ahead of him -- and I find her likeable. She's so lively and kind of a hoot. HOWEVER, she also runs a scam later on a Temp London Footman wherein she takes him to a gambling parlor and drinks free while the house fleeces him out of all of his cash. (This is all figured out by, and fixed by, Thomas, doing one of his Good Deeds for the Season, in grand fashion.) On one hand, I was sort of worried that Denker was, like, taking sexual advantage of the footman, and I am glad that's not the case. HOWEVER, given that she got drunk and also was in on some kind of gambling scam, I fear she is not to be trusted and perhaps Spratt is right about her. Whatever shall Violet do if she loses ANOTHER ladies' maid?
Downton Declarations Part Seven
Anyway, Prince Kuragin has once again come to Violet to implore her to run away with him. "I wish to spend my final years with you. As a friend. AS A LOVER. I don't see a scandal. Only love. The last years have been ugly. I don't want what remains to be ugly," he speechifies. "So...what do you say?" Violet says that she needs time to think. "I won't change," Kuragin tells her. "Don't proclaim your intransigence as if it were a virtue," Violet says. And I love this plot line, but isn't this the exact same scene we had last week, only this time in Violet's well-appointed rooms and not Kuragin's Dickensian Garret? Sometimes it's like this show just treads water until the Christmas Special, at which point EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT ONCE. Figure out your pacing better, show!
Downton Suspicions
In which everyone takes off for London and Lord G continues to stare thoughtfully at Marigold. "Edith is obsessed with that child," he notes to Cora, who, to her credit, does not promptly yelp, "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT." Not even when Robert says that something about Marigold reminds him of SOMETHING. Something he can't quite put his finger on.
Downton London House
London! I wish I were there. And Shrimpy and Susan have arrived and Susan is basically the Debbie Downer of the Century. She hates everyone and everything and has never said a nice thing nor done anything nice for anyone ever. She refuses to share a room with Shrimpy and is basically a TOTAL PILL. She and O'Brien truly were soulmates. (O'Brien has gotten another job in India, which is why she isn't here. I am sort of sad that we didn't get to hang out again with that wretched old battleax.) (Additionally: I hate this color on Cora so much.)
So after greeting everyone with great glumness and refusing to share a room with her husband, Debbie Downer Susan tromps up the stairs and is a total pill to Rose, all, "Well. This is quite a CHOICE YOU'VE MADE," re: Atticus, whose charming sweet face she has not even seen yet. She tells Rose that as long as she's sure about marrying Atticus, that's all she needs to hear, but Susan is a liar and she spends this entire episode trying to torpedo the marriage because she is THE WORST. She makes me want to murder.
Downton Debbie Downer
Everyone looks totally lovely at this dinner -- Cora's aqua lace-backed gown reminds me of my favorite Kate Middleton frock ever -- but it is, of course, a disaster, because every meal with this family has to end in tears. Susan spends a lot of time sniffing that she doesn't know why Lord Sinderby could possibly find anything to object to in ROSE, when THEY are the JEWS, etc, and everyone else basically tries to tell her to put a sock in it. She's also a total, unmitigated dick to Atticus for no reason. The truth is that Lord Sinderby is a complete crank, but he's so much more elegant about it than Susan. The Crawleys really need to be more thoughtful about the people they ask to dine with them.
Downton Headpieces
OMG. Also. I just realized that the actor who plays Lord Sinderby also played Creepy Uncle Geoffrey in Bridget Jones's Diary. Consider my mind blown. I don't recall Uncle Geoffrey having such a melodious voice.
Once everyone is at the table, Susan continues her reign of terror -- calling Atticus's "people" "nomads" (a line of questioning from which Violet rescues Rose by asking about honeymoon plans), and rudely if they have issues finding staff. "Not really," Lady Sinderby says, very slightly sharply but also extremely politely and cheerfully. "But we're Jewish. So we pay well." Atticus and Rose exchange small smiles at this, and Lady Sinderby, in fact, continues to be completely wonderful, inviting everyone to dinner (DON'T EVER INVITE ANY OF THESE PEOPLE TO DINNER!) and warmly telling Rose's parents that they're always welcome in their home. Even though Susan is the devil and clearly nurses prejudice in her heart. Because I can see a plotline wherein a loving mother would worry that her child entering into a union of mixed religion would cause trouble and pain for said child down the road wherein the mother didn't also come off like a COMPLETE TOOLSHED. This is not that plotline.
Unfortunately, then Lord Sinderby gives a big speech about what he considers The Evils of Divorce, and it's not at all subtle: "Divorcesignifies weakness. Degradation. Scandal. Failure," he announces, so prepare yourself for how excited he's going to be when he finds out about Susan and Shrimpy, even though he ought to be congratulating Shrimpy from escaping from Susan's evil clutches.
Downton Girltalk
In which we learn Lord Merton isn't coming to the wedding, and Isobel implies that their engagement is on the rocks. "I've been reminded recently that one is not given many chances in life, and if you miss them, they may not necessarily be repeated," Violet tells Isobel before going to bed. Isobel looks thoughtful. Later, she tells Violet that she's wondering if she can even marry Lord Merton knowing it will make his sons so unhappy. I have no idea how Violet doesn't tell her to let Larry and Daryl FRY IN HELL. Also: let Lord Merton decide that for himself.
Downton After Dinner Drinks
This was a nice scene. Tom and Mary and Edith and Rose talk about the children, about America, about Lord Sinderby, about their entire evening -- like real siblings downloading after an event -- and Mary suggests they all go for one last lunch together before Rose's wedding. "Even you, Edith," Mary says, but she's smiling, and Edith rolls her eyes, but she's clearly amused rather than hurt. I wish we could have seen more moments like this over the course of this season; it was lovely, and it reinforced a feeling of family that we don't always get from this group.
Downton Dressing Gown
This is my LEAST favorite of all the dressing gowns on the show. Anyway, while the kids are chatting downstairs, Cora and Robert agree that Lord Sinderby is going to be a challenge for Rose (spoiler: She wins him over by basically the end of the episode) and agree that Susan is THE WORST. I hate typing that because my own mother is named Susan and SHE is awesome. Atticus Aldridges of the world, I assure you, my mother would welcome you and your family with open arms! My mother would be DELIGHTED if I came home with an Atticus Aldridge. ATTICUS ALDRIDGE WHERE ARE YOU?
Downton Line-Ups
So. Anna ended up in a line-up of suspects in the Very Important Case of the Horrible Serial Rapist Who Got Pushed Under a Lorry. The Bateses have REALLY BAD LUCK with being murder-adjacent, no? Maybe this whole series will end with us finding out that they're actually hardened career criminals.
Downton Rose
Adding to the list of terrible things Susan does: She tells Shrimpy that Violet is HER "Aunt Violet," not his. The Dowager Countess belongs to all of us, you wretched woman. (I just used this photo of Rose to illustrate this moment because she looks so pretty here.)
Downton Stag Party
While Rose is looking pretty in her rose dress, and listening to her father be lovely and her mother be terrible, Atticus has his stag party at a hotel -- which he mentioned at dinner (which is important for plot purposes). He's sort of eyeballed by a prostitute on his way out and he very nicely tells her it's a no go. But she comes to his room and pushes her way inside, and he's like -- still very nicely, really -- "please leave, this is never going to happen," at which point she pulls down her shoulder straps, waits a moment, and then leaves, pulling up said straps as she goes and he watches her leave. This is SO OBVIOUSLY A SET-UP that I cannot BELIEVE Atticus didn't call Rose the next day and tell her, but he is drunk. And it was here that I became ENRAGED.
Downton Luncheon
Because Rose, of course, in this lovely dress (Mary also looks great) gets the incriminating photos in the mail and is obviously very upset by the idea that Atticus was getting all up close and personal with some other woman. All I know is, THANK GOD her believing that she was betrayed by Atticus didn't last long because it would have been SO FREAKING ANNOYING to have to sit through god knows how many episodes of them being estranged and unhappy when neither of them was untrue to the other and...just, I need Rose and Atticus to be happy, okay? IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
But the question is, of course, who set them up? And the answer, of course, is Susan. MOTHER OF THE YEAR, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. During this time of need -- and, indeed, this whole episode -- Tom is very nice and solid and full of good advice for everyone involved. Please don't leave us, Branson!
Downton Downstairs
Blah blah blah, there's more to the world than Downton, like art and museums and city parks. WE KNOW. In other news, Daisy continues her streak of wearing horrible hats, and I am quite sure that Molesley and Baxter are going to end up together, hopefully in a marriage of servants that has 100% fewer murders than the one currently inhabited by Anna and Bates. These three also see Atticus and Rose having a very emotional convo in the park, because obviously the discussion in which he assures her that he loves her and would never do her wrong isn't something we'd be interested in seeing.
Downton Atticus
Atticus, in fact, wonders if his father is behind The Photos. Lord Sinderby admits that he IS against the marriage -- because Rose is not Jewish, and therefore nor shall Atticus and Rose's children be Jewish. Unless, as Atticus points out, they decide to be. "Or are you implacably opposed to giving anyone a free choice?" Lord Sinderby retorts that his family has worked hard to become leaders in their community, and now Atticus wants to throw it all away,"for that little shiksa." (He literally says this with a menorah on the shelf behind his head; it's very subtle.) Atticus does not take this well at all, but he seems to believe his father when he says he isn't behind the photos. "Don't you know me at all?" Lord Sinderby asks, as he leaves, disappointed. I know he's a tough nut to crack, but he comes across VERY dignified and controlled, especially compared to That Bitch Susan.
Downton Headbands
Finally, Rose believes Atticus, and I believe in Rose's headpiece. We have arrived at the dinner Lord and Lady Sinderby are having for Atticus and Rose, where Mary and Tom have a rather amusing conversation wherein she says she can't believe he's leaving her alone with Edith. "When you read in the paper that I am on trial for murder, it will be your fault," she cracks. PLEASE NO. NOT ANOTHER MURDER TRIAL.
Downton Dowager
During after-dinner drinks -- by some miracle, no one has a raging fight at this meal -- Mary asks Violet if she thinks Lord Sinderby would do anything to stop the wedding, and the two of them have a good heart to heart, Violet wisely telling Mary that "love is a far more dangerous motive than dislike." That's a good line, but really I just included this shot because this color is so fantastic on Maggie Smith.
Downton STFU SUSAN
After talking to her Granny, Mary (wisely) tells Shrimpy all about the Palavar of the Photos, and he goes up to talk to Susan, who hits him with a total wave of anti-Semitism. In response, Shrimpy basically lays out that he KNOWS she is behind the photos and if she doesn't behave herself, he'll tell Rose and it will ruin their relationship. I hope Shrimpy finds a very nice, extremely kind second wife and that Susan wiles away the rest of her days in the Downton well. She wails that they have lost everything, and she just doesn't want Rose to be "an outcast," but come on. She's behaving like this because she's terrible, and a bigot, not because she is worried about Rose.
Downton Mary.
This was another lovely moment. (This episode had a lot of good emotional moments around Tom, actually.) Tom tells Mary that he's going to stay through Christmas, and then return to America, and Mary tells him that his leaving is "a dagger in her heart," and they reminisce about Sybil a bit. Mary, in fact, almost cries. She is kind of uncurling a bit this week.
Downton Registry
The next day? A few days later? Whatever, EVENTUALLY, everyone's at the registry office for the wedding. (Violet tells a story of how she attended the wedding of Lord Roseberry and Hannah Rothschild at a registry office once) and Mary is wearing this horrible, horrible outfit that I hate.
Downton SHUT UP SUSAN JUST SHUT UP
And then freaking Susan and her hideous dress literally tries to ruin everything. She say she has AN ANNOUNCEMENT and she HAS to make it, or she'll be unable to live with herself. Violet tries to throw herself in front of this train -- "Susan! This is not your day," she says -- but to no avail. Susan announces that she and Shrimpy are divorcing. "I'm afraid it's going to be all over the papers. And as it stands, it must involve you, and your family," she tells the Alridges. Lord Sinderby is about to blow when Lady S -- the most wonderful woman alive, possibly -- ever so kindly thanks Susan for letting them know. "We are forewarned, and so now we shall be forearmed," she says. And then she turns to Lord S and hisses that if he does anything to stop this marriage, anything at all, she will LEAVE HIM. "And then you'll have a scandal worthy of the name," she finishes. And with that, this week's Golden Mic Drop Award goes to Lady Sinderby, who is the best human alive and now I'm terrified Julian Fellows will have her catch smallpox or something. Susan can't believe that she just got served, that she played her final hand and it didn't even work. "Am I just expected to be a good loser?" she asks Violet as they all sit down. "It's too late for that, my dear," Violet says. "Far too late." I hope she punctuated that with a good, hard pinch.
Downton Wedding Bliss
And so the marriage goes on, THANK GOD. As they make their way into the registry office, Shrimpy assures Rose that the person behind the photos is unknown to her, and that Atticus is indeed blameless (which she had already believed), so that the moment she walks down the aisle and is united in marriage with the person she loves isn't marred with certain knowledge that her mother SUCKS.
Downton Top Hats
Time for the reception, where we learn that these two are getting married in December. Save the date!
Downton Wedding Gowns
Rose's post-registry dress is SO LOVELY. And, thank god, Lord Sinderby is basically like, "well. You're married now. Let's just hope for the best." Lord and Lady S then overhear Rose telling Atticus that she never thought that the Orchestrator of the Photos was his father. "That's not his style," she says, and as they go past, Lady S points out that Rose already knows Lord S better than Atticus does. Knock on wood, but I feel like these two will be just fine.
But speaking of relationships that will not perhaps last the night, Rose also talks to her mother. She doesn't know about the photos, but of course she knows about the 11th Hour Hail Mary Divorce Announcement. (I like to think that while they were signing the license, Atticus was like, "oh my god, poppet, your mum totally LOST IT before you showed up.") Susan swears that everything she did was out of love, but Rose notes they must have different definitions of the word. Yeah. Don't try to torpedo a love match, people. (Not to mention that Lord Sinderby is loaded, and Rose's parents have lost all their money, so it's also financially a good match for her.)
Downton Doubtful
This is the face Edith makes when her father looks over at Mary talking to Tony Gillingham -- they're agreeing that everything worked out for the best; he's totally being patronizing about it -- and notes that he really thought it was going to work out with those two. Edith essentially tells him to give it up. She really IS happier now that she's not moping about the crazy Pig Farmers raising her baby.
Downton Delightful
And this was a great moment where this old biddy is trying to commiserate with Cora and Lord G about how hard it must be for them to watch Rose marry (GASP) a Jew, and Cara says, SO VERY PERKILY, "I think perhaps you've forgotten that my father was Jewish," and the old biddy basically chokes on her champers before squawking, "how interesting," and running away. Lord G can barely keep himself from bursting out laughing.
Downton Buck Up Little Camper
In which Carson basically tells Mary that Gillingham wasn't good enough for her, but that one day her prince will come, even though I think what Mary is really sad about is the combination of Tom and Rose both growing up and leaving her.
Downton and Order
And then of course the police come and arrest Anna and there's nothing any of them can do about it. Mary is beside herself, never more than when she informs Scotland Yard that she's not "Miss," as he keeps calling her, she's LADY MARY CRAWLEY and THIS SHALL NOT STAND and he announces that he couldn't care less. OUTRAGE! But in all seriousness, Mary and Lord G are both very worked up about this, and honestly, how many employees can you have get arrested for murder before you start wondering about your hiring practices?
Downton Tearjerker
Remember the whole palaver about Mrs Patmore's nephew Archie not being on the Downton War Memorial? Lord G made him his own memorial. Yes, he got the idea when he was buying a gravestone for the dog, BUT the fact that he went and did it was really, really nice of him, and he gave a whole speech about Archie to the villagers and it was lovely and Mrs Patmore cried and I also cried. (Lord G also talked her into coming to the unveiling of the memorial, very nicely. Robert was back in old Season One Wonderful Lord G form this week, which was great. I hope he sticks around.)
Downton Walks
And on the walk back to the house after the unveiling of the memorial, everything discusses what's going down in their lives. Mary and Bates agree that Anna totally won't go to jail, and I don't think either one of them actually believes this. JUST STOP GETTING ARRESTED FOR MURDERS, BATESES!
Downton Girl Talk 2
Violet encourages Isobel to fight for Lord Merton, and Isobel wonders if Violet will do the same for Prince Kuragin. Violet notes that she has the added problem of the fact that Princess Kuragin is alive. Well. Half of the servants at Downton could very easily help you with that. The answer, quite obviously, is MURDER. (Although I think Violet would be smart enough not to get caught.)
Downton Advice
Edith tells Tom that she's going to miss him terribly when he goes, and he advises her to go up to London and get to work running her publishing empire. "You're clever, and a good writer," he says. "They'd be lucky to have you." Oh, Tom. You are the best.
Downton Buck Up Little Camper 2
Mrs Hughes is pretty worked up about the fact that everyone who works for her keeps getting arrested for murder, but Carson tells her she has to keep hope alive. This seems to comfort her, but I don't know that she has any choice but to be comforted. Maybe Lord G is almost at the point where he can get a Frequent User Discount at his criminal lawyer's firm. Some super savings might perk everyone up.
Downton FINALLY
And then Robert turns to Cora and says that he's finally figured out who Marigold reminds him of: Michael Gregson. And this whole thing unfurls in a very lovely way, actually. He doesn't get enraged that no one told him, and he agrees to keep the secret -- he in fact is pleased to finally be in on a secret, any secret -- and when Cora asks if he thinks he can love his new granddaughter, he tells her quite firmly that, to his own surprise, he knows that he will. I am SO RELIEVED that we're not going to see Robert berate Edith for any of this. (Although if it turns out Gregson, like, faked his death to infiltrate the Nazis for a story or something, he may well deck HIM.) Robert was a DELIGHT this episode and I hope this version of Lord G sticks around.
Downton Crane Shot
As ever, this setting just looks simply intolerable. All that hideousness, and it keeps eating Gutenberg Bibles like so many Skittles. How can anyone stand it?