Julian Fellowes has been know to write elaborate backstories for the characters. Perhaps Mrs. Drewe never had a daughter of her own or was left with fertility issues after a difficult birth?
My take is this: in a farming community, children grow up fast as they take on duties in the home and around the farm from a very young age. For a mother who once had a whole house full of young children depending on her, the moment when they've all gone off to school and/or start contributing can be very hard, and thus the special focus on a new baby who she can care for and who will love her in an uncomplicated way. Marigold might have been a miracle during a very difficult time for her, so losing her slams back the reality of all the kids who no longer need her in the same way, and having to redefine her value from mother to farmwife. I think there's a reason that it's not uncommon for families with a bunch of kids to have "one more" who is significantly younger than their siblings - I know several myself.
I also found it interesting that she didn't even comment when Robert was discussing where Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes marriage was to be held. Mary had a strong opinion, and stated it. I wondered why Edith just sat there.
Yesterday I was in a meeting with 4 other people and one of them sat there without saying a word the entire time. Everyone else outranked her, so I guess she figured she wasn't entitled to an opinion.
Or maybe Edith didn't want to get involved when her own life is already complicated. Sparring with Mary and her parents is something she's likely learned to avoid unless it really matters - pick your battles after all.
This is my impression of the 3 sisters during first few episodes in Season 1. Sybil is romantic and gentle. Mary is feisty and adventurous. Edith is a sulky mouse.
Of course, all 3 in the beginning of the series, are clearly products of the current society, and their social position, but they become very different from one another as they grow older, regardless of the fact that they live in IDENTICAL conditions and have IDENTICAL means at their disposal.
In theory, yes, but in practice, I'm not so sure. Even in season 1, Edith was portrayed as the less pretty less eligible sister, and I don't remember the exact quote, but I remember a conversation very early on with either Robert or Cora commenting that poor Edith doesn't have nearly the opportunities that Mary has.
Agree. They may have grown up in the same house, but the conditions would be very different for the eldest child vs the others, and very different for the "less pretty" as their prospects for a grand marriage would be seen as less likely - especially when the eldest child is a daughter and therefore any good marriage opportunities would go to her first.
However my understanding of attachment deficit disorder is that it happens when you don't receive any nurturing at all, and none of your parents bond with you (or vice versa). Marigold presumably had love from the Swiss parents, then the Drewes, and now Edith, so while there could be some emotional confusion there she's not exactly suffering from lack of affection or nurturing. (Well, other than the whole raised-by-nannies thing but that's a whole other issue.)
And yet if anyone suffers from lack of attention or nurturing, it would likely be George, who is receiving the most traditional upbringing of the time. As I understand it, children in those times were regularly given to the care of others - nannies, governesses, boarding schools - as much as possible. It was also common for children to go live with relations or others for extended periods at all class levels - my MIL had a helluva time sorting out her Scottish family tree based on censuses alone because so many children of big families went off to live with relations, and so many "boarders" turned out to be cousins, etc.
I'm sure there will be angst scripted for Mary about that (already she has stated her disinterest and view that automobiles are just for getting from one place to another).
I thought her statement about cars being about getting from point A to B said it all. In a world where one is not supposed to show emotions, slotting things into boxes that you can deal with - or not - would be as common as it is for many people today. By reducing cars to nothing more than getting from point A to B, she doesn't have to think about the horrible circumstances of Matthew's death or live through guilt and regret scenarios for the rest of her life. He died, it happened, it's done.
And then if anything, being confronted with fast cars and someone who loves to drive might be a kind of personal therapy. "I will not let this get the better of me - I will maintain my poise, and I will triumph." I know a woman whose mother died of lung cancer when she was a teen, and while she is a non-smoker, she has also worked at a tobacco company for the past 25 years. Go figure.
... for a number of reasons. The one without a spoiler is this: the script writers probably knew of the UK law and social complications of such marriage.
