Jolly good day to you, Downtoners. There are only 9 episodes in this final season so we are more than halfway there. I will miss the show: it is historic, entertaining and the clothing and scenery are gorgeous.
Previously, Mary flirts with Henry Talbot in London, Anna and John Bates are expecting a baby, Thomas Barrow is being pushed out of Downton (barely under the guise of cutting down on staff, but mostly because he is not liked) and Daisy got father-in-law Mr. Mason into Yew Tree Farm as the new tenant.
Mary and brother-in-law Tom Branson discuss the new arrangement and how to fit Tom back into the fold.
Their office
It’s Mr. Mason’s moving day and (still kind of new) footman Andrew will join Mrs. Patmore and Daisy in helping him out. While there, Tom and Mary stop by and hint that Mr. Mason may need a farmhand since he isn’t young/strong enough to handle the physical aspects of the job. Andrew steps in to say he will help, while remaining a footman at Downton. Mrs. P, Mr. M, and Daisy all look at him with appreciation. Is there a romance blossoming between Mrs. Patmore and Mrs. Mason because I don’t know if I can handle another sex talk.
Edith gets a letter from Bertie Pelham, the cute “friend” who helped her edit the magazine. He will be in London and would like to see her.
The Dowager Countess (DC) announces that the Minister of Health, Mr. Chamberlain, is coming to inspect the hospital. She persuades him to dine at Downton since her father served with Mrs. Chamberlain’s father in an earlier war. Cousin Isobel has gotten Dr. Clarkson to join her side of the argument so he and Lord Merton will also be with dinner, and together with Robert and Cora they intend on preventing the DC from getting her hooks into Chamberlain.
Mrs. Hughes is having dinner with her new hubby in their cottage, but apparently the meal isn’t up to his standards. The plate is cold, his knife not sharp enough, and bubble and squeak shouldn’t be the vegetable to accompany lamb (the horror). Um, how about some kindness. She knows you are set in your ways and your marriage is brand new so talk about stuff, ya big dumdum. Happy wife = happy life.
Barrow offers to go to the village with Andrew but he rudely refuses. Show, stop making me have sympathy for Barrow. Seems Andrew has figured out that Barrow likes gentlemen and doesn’t want to give him any ideas.
Henry Talbot ask to see Mary so she and Branson go to the racetrack to watch him test out a car. She tells Branson she won’t “marry down” and he reminds her that even though everyone thought Sybil married down with him, they were equals in their marriage. Psst, Mary, the times, they are a changin’. Unsurprisingly, Mary disapproves of them driving so fast (oh, her late husband was killed in a car accident, so maybe she has her reasons. Plus, car racing is dangerous). After the race Branson plays matchmaker and invites Henry to join them for a drink.
An old-timey car race
In the village, the DC’s lady maid Denker gives an earful to Dr. Clarkson for switching sides in the hospital argument. He is outraged at being spoken to like that by a servant.
Mr. Mason wants Daisy to move in with him. She claims to need time to think but you can tell she isn’t too keen on the idea. Mrs. Patmore is fussing all over Mr. Mason, who gives Andrew some pig farming books. Maybe things are moving too fast for Daisy? Andrew said he’d love to live there, so maybe she’s scared they’d marry, and so would Mrs. P and Mr. M? And all 4 of them would live there together? Maybe she doesn’t like Andrew “that way” and already agreed to marry one guy, (Mr. Mason’s son William), against her heart’s wishes? Maybe?
Baxter has received word from Sergeant Willis that she is expected to testify as a character witness against Mr. Coyle (I thought we decided not to let Willis in the house anymore?) Oh, guess she isn’t needed after all since the culprit confessed. Snooze city.
Edith is interviewing Miss Edmonds for the editor position. They were both born in ’92 (that’s 1892 – 100 years before Little Lisa graduated high school) so are both “Victorian babies growing into modern women”, an idea Edith likes for the magazine (me too). I really like Edith these past few seasons. Hopefully she gets with Bertie and Marigold to live a glamorous life in London while occasionally going to see her stuck up sister and loving parents in the country.
“Donk” (Sybie’s nickname for Robert) and Cora have a cute moment with their grandkids. He is still having pains, which is 3 episodes in a row now. I am getting nervous as he’s become one of my favorites.
Allowed out of the nursery again?
The DC is beyond pissed at Denker for calling Dr. Clarkson a traitor, and in the street no less! Even though she was defending the DC, she is not to have an opinion about her Ladyship’s acquaintances. The DC quips she’d have an empty address book if she cut loose the “friends” who have gone against her. Denker is a goner but the DC is back!
It’s Mary’s first time in a bar and Branson cuts to the chase and tells her and Henry to stop making lame excuses and just get together already. Mary doesn’t even seem shaken by this. I like these 2.
Edith has Bertie over for a drink and mentions Michael, her baby daddy who bequeathed her the London flat and magazine. Interesting that she told him, seems like a good sign. An even better sign is when he pulls her in for a kiss and she is receptive. Yay and good for them!
Never without a headband
In front of Daisy, Mr. Carson tells Mrs. Patmore to help his wife brush up on her cooking skills. Super embarrassing but Mrs. Hughes agrees. Wow. Oh, and yup, Daisy doesn’t want to live with Mr. Mason and is adamant the man wants to be left alone.
Barrow finds out Andrew (Andy) can’t read. He is very kind about it and offers to help him without letting the others know. It’s a nice scene and finally Barrow has left cartoon-villain territory.
Denker blackmails Spratt into speaking to the DC about keeping her job. He does and says he never wants her to mention him assisting his jailbird nephew again. She says she might, if she needed to. She is the worst.
Dinner: the DC swaps out the seating arrangement and chats with the Minister about old times.
The old gal is positively giddy
Oh, and this is my cousin, Isobel (yuck)
I had a feeling something bad regarding Robert’s health would happen at this important dinner, but I expected him to fall over, not spew blood all over the table. Seriously, I had to turn away from my screen. A ruptured ulcer makes sense due to the stress he’s been dealing but I’m worried as this looks real bad. The Minister takes his leaves after Cora tells him to proceed with the merger. She tells the DC no more secrets and the DC says if you mean Marigold, she has apologized for that. Mary overhears so that cat is soon out of the bag. (The DC and Rosamund advised Edith send to send her baby to Switzerland and kept it from Cora.) The ambulance takes Robert to the hospital where he had an operation and should recover. PHEW.
The Minister tells Branson he only came to the dinner because the DC threatened to tell everyone that he was involved in a prank back in the day. The DC may fight hard but she admits to it and methinks there is some (more) love lost between Cora and her mother-in-law.
Back home, Mary tells Branson she wants the 2 of them to run the lands and keep stress off Robert. The episode ends with her asking Anna for info on Marigold and realizing what a crappy sister/auntie she is.
Again, phew on Robert. Anyone thinking Mrs. Patmore is crushing on Mr. Mason? Does anyone remember she bought a house as an investment? Will Mrs. Hughes tell off her hubby for embarrassing her in front of her friends? Have you ever attended a dinner where the seating chart was in the library pre-dinner?
Place me in the “Caesar spot”
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