Downton Abbey Season 6 - PBS broadcast

manhn said:
We never see Edith's maid, like we do with Mary/Anna.
Click to expand...

It was said a while back that Edith doesn't have a lady's maid (on the show amidst discussing cuts to staff). IIRC she did have one at some point, I remember a name being mentioned once in passing.
 
vesperholly said:
It was said a while back that Edith doesn't have a lady's maid (on the show amidst discussing cuts to staff). IIRC she did have one at some point, I remember a name being mentioned once in passing.
Click to expand...

Edith is not married so would not have a "lady's maid" per se. Normal practice was for housemaids to "do" for unmarried young women, as Anna did for all 3 girls before Mary was married. There were a couple of scenes last season of one of the housemaids taking care of the clothes for both Edith and Rose -- it was one of the maids who actually had a name and even a line or two, but her name escapes me right now. (Carson mentioned her last night when he was talking to Robert -- one was getting married, the other [pause] "getting a job in a shop!")

ETA: Just read kedrin's post: Madge, that's her. But she primarily was a housemaid, not "Edith's maid."
 
Anyone else tired of Denker? I know we need at least one nasty/snipey downstairs character now that O'Brian is gone and Thomas is a mostly reformed character, but I don't find her interesting at all.

Oh, and the idiosyncrasy of giving the honorific "Mrs" to housekeepers and cooks was really underscored last night when "Mrs" Hughes and "Mrs" Patmore were discussing the mysteries of married life ... :lol:
 
kedrin said:
Straight out of season one! When Carson's former vaudeville (?) partner tried to blackmail him.
Click to expand...

Yep, and Robert shut that one down right quick! Also while he didn't find out right away or deal with it personally, he knew Mary's newspaperman-boyfriend in Season Two blackmailed her into their engagement, and when he did find out, including the reason, he straight off told Mary if she didn't really want to marry him, then tell him take a hike and damn the consequences, they'd deal with it when it happened. Robert may not like scandal, but he clearly does not have any tolerance for blackmailers.
 
I enjoyed the episode. Finally a resolution to Bates/Anna/Mr. Green storyline.

Dame Maggie Smith is EVERYTHING.

Also, I enjoyed Edith correcting Mary..

Mary: You mean Mr Gregon's flat
Edith: No, I am MY flat.

OTOH, I wanted to the slap the face of the blackmailer. Who the hell barges into someone's home? Also, I hope Mary warns Tony because I have not doubt that skank would attempt to extort money from him.
 
manhn said:
I'm wondering if one of the Help will go to London with Edith. Maybe Thomas? The writers made it known that Thomas is favoured by the two children.
Click to expand...

I could see Thomas as a butler-plus in London, but making him full-time nursemaid seems a bit of a stretch. If Edith does go off to London and doesn't bring Marigold with her, it would be incredibly inconsistent, given her hoopla to get Marigold back last season.

The other logical choice would be Daisy: we know Sybil learned to cook and even Mary can scramble an egg, but although Edith is very practical in many ways we've never seen her in the kitchen.

My goodness, the writers enjoy making Anna miserable.
Click to expand...

Fellowes is not completely heartless, I have a strong feeling that the season will end with a baby for the Bateses.
 
topaz said:
I enjoyed the episode. Finally a resolution to Bates/Anna/Mr. Green storyline.
Click to expand...

That SL has been stretched way too long already, so I'm glad it was wrapped up in ep 1.

OTOH, I wanted to the slap the face of the blackmailer. Who the hell barges into someone's home? Also, I hope Mary warns Tony because I have not doubt that skank would attempt to extort money from him.
Click to expand...

Agree, but I also think it was another "times they are a'changing" moment - showing both how forward women were becoming, and how the old structure that protected the aristocracy was crumbling down.

Artemis@BC said:
I could see Thomas as a butler-plus in London, but making him full-time nursemaid seems a bit of a stretch. If Edith does go off to London and doesn't bring Marigold with her, it would be incredibly inconsistent, given her hoopla to get Marigold back last season.

The other logical choice would be Daisy: we know Sybil learned to cook and even Mary can scramble an egg, but although Edith is very practical in many ways we've never seen her in the kitchen.

Fellowes is not completely heartless, I have a strong feeling that the season will end with a baby for the Bateses.
Click to expand...

re Thomas - maybe so, but they also made a point of showing him playing with the children, which I don't recall seeing before. Daisy also makes sense - less staff, smaller family, fewer parties means a big kitchen isn't as necessary, and it would give Daisy some independence, which has been her SL from the beginning.

Agree that's the likely ending, and a good one, for the long-suffering Bateses. I did like Anna kicking butt with the blackmailer though :)
 
So this is twice now that Robert has become aware or had strong suspicions that Mary has done scandalous things. Both times, he was super pragmatic and not at all moralistic. Is his reaction just a plot device, or was it common for upper class people of this time always have their daughter's back so long as she made a credible attempt at adhering to public mores?
 
Whatever the reasons, I applaud him for being cool about it. :respec:
 
topaz said:
OTOH, I wanted to the slap the face of the blackmailer. Who the hell barges into someone's home? Also, I hope Mary warns Tony because I have not doubt that skank would attempt to extort money from him.
Click to expand...

I thought it was kind of odd to introduce the blackmail storyline, then wrap it up neatly in the same episode. What was the point, or was it really just a way for Robert to find out about Mary's indiscretion? Or maybe blackmailer woman WILL go to Tony too, and we haven't really seen the last of her.
 
So I'm not the only one who wants Molesley and Baxter to get together, right? I expected them to be engaged by now. But maybe I'm just being greedy now that the Bateses are finally okay and Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes are finally engaged.
 
sk8girl said:
So I'm not the only one who wants Molesley and Baxter to get together, right? I expected them to be engaged by now. But maybe I'm just being greedy now that the Bateses are finally okay and Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes are finally engaged.
Click to expand...

They better get together! :drama: Their relationship has been growing, and it'd be a shame if they didn't ultimately get together.
 
It would make sense for Daisy and Thomas to go to London with Edith, as cook and butler. She would probably need to hire both a maid and a nanny? I doubt a man would ever be a nanny or in a governess position in 1925?

I really still wish for Thomas redemption to come full circle and see him happy. I think London would be good for him, and I would love for him to have a (healthy) love interest. I would assume than even illegal there would be some sort of gay community in a larger city?

I also really want to see Edith running her own life and being assertive.

Edit: HEADBANDS! yeah!
 
I'm so glad Edith has a career and a new beau, and has moved on from missing her ex and moping over Marigold!

So far, it looks to me like the producers are struggling with story-lines this last season.

And I think the return of Branson foretells a Branson/Mary marriage, which would be the logical cap to the final Christmas episode.
 
Japanfan said:
And I think the return of Branson foretells a Branson/Mary marriage, which would be the logical cap to the final Christmas episode.
Click to expand...

No no no, a thousand times no. Branson and Mary are great friends with tremendous respect for each other, but marriage? Absolutely not. They're simply not compatible in that way, and if there was even the tiniest spark between them we would have seen it already.

Besides, Mary's love-interest is already laid out: the Matthew Goode character they introduced at the end of last season (Henry Talbot). I'm absolutely certain that's where the writers are going. Though, you'd think after losing her first husband to a car accident, Mary would be just a teensy bit leery about someone whose main passion is fast cars!

And if they don't use Matthew Goode in a good (!) way I'll be extra angry, as then there would have been no reason for him to leave The Good Wife.
 
Coco said:
So this is twice now that Robert has become aware or had strong suspicions that Mary has done scandalous things. Both times, he was super pragmatic and not at all moralistic. Is his reaction just a plot device, or was it common for upper class people of this time always have their daughter's back so long as she made a credible attempt at adhering to public mores?
Click to expand...

I think it's just to show that Robert, for all he's quite traditional, is always going to have his family's back. It's not just Mary--if anything, Edith's got the biggest secret and most destructive, but he figured that out without being told and was basically like "So we won't say anything because it makes Edith happy", he came around to Sybil marrying Branson (especially after offering Branson money to go away and having it refused as an insult--part genuine pay-the-problem attempt, part secret test of character?) And he still warned Branson if he hurt Sybil Robert would have him "torn to pieces by wild dogs". Heck, even with the STAFF--just this one, he didn't want to fire Daisy, he hates ANY notion of letting staff go mostly because he seems to see it as failing people he's responsible for, even confronted with Thomas's sexuality he's ambivalent and doesn't want to hurt him for something he can't help-about the only one he doesn't care leaves is O'Brien and he's correct there! At the end of the day, a bit old-fashioned or not, if you're one of 'his' people (literal family or employees and tenants he feels responsible for) Robert will NOT throw you to the wolves unless you really, really, REALLY try to make him.
 
kedrin said:
Return of Branson?

If that's a spoiler, please be aware that some of us would like to NOT be spoiled in this thread?
Click to expand...

Many apologies! I didn't stop to think that we are watching ahead of the broadcast, as the series is also airing on TV as well (have alternative access to the series).

ETA: I later thought I'd go back and delete my post, but it was too late.
 
Last edited:
No problem. I did that last year- binge watched from an alternate source, then had to bite my tongue as I waited for the thread to catch up! :)
 
I do not like the women's hair styles this season. Especially the downstairs women. I don't recall from photos that hair was worn long and close to the head in that era. Mrs Hughes and Anna are particular victims of the hairstylist.
 
I thought it was a bit of a slow start.... Not enough twists and puzzles to come. So GLAD that Sir Robert did not take on a new Dog, or i would be worried what happens to the Dog in these new troubled times, some blackmailer or disgruntled proletarian poisoning him or dog napping.
 
Tinami Amori said:
I thought it was a bit of a slow start.... Not enough twists and puzzles to come. So GLAD that Sir Robert did not take on a new Dog, or i would be worried what happens to the Dog in these new troubled times, some blackmailer or disgruntled proletarian poisoning him or dog napping.
Click to expand...
I know poisoning your neighbor's dog was all the rage in the old country. Maybe it still is. But I don't recall that being a practice in England.
 
IceAlisa said:
I know poisoning your neighbor's dog was all the rage in the old country. Maybe it still is. But I don't recall that being a practice in England.
Click to expand...

Thomas the Butler in previous season once already stole and hid the dog from Sir Robert.

As to dog poisoning practice in England, here is an update to your reading and theater list perhaps………

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Incident_of_the_Dog_in_the_Night-Time

….. and maybe few news stories….. here is one…

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...ghbours-dog-as-it-would-not-stop-barking.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/man-axed-neighbours-dog-death-5348635

…… and maybe few legal notes….

“A farmer is allowed to kill your dog if it's worrying their livestock”

https://www.gov.uk/control-dog-public/overview
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

AliasJohnDoe
Fall 2024-Summer 2025 New/Returning/Streaming/TV Shows
11 12 13
Replies
376
Views
36K
skategal
skategal
E
KB Financial Group Korea Figure Skating Championships 2025 (January 2-5)
2
Replies
42
Views
2K
Dobre
D
Sylvia
2024 Spring/Summer Club Ice Shows & Benefits
2 3 4
Replies
106
Views
22K
YukiNieve
YukiNieve
Sylvia
2023 World University Games Figure Skating, Jan. 13-16 in Lake Placid, NY
2 3 4
Replies
90
Views
3K
Sylvia
Sylvia
Sylvia
U.S. Figure Skating announces 2023-24 National Qualifying Series (NQS) competitions + Series Finals dates/locations
2 3 4
Replies
101
Views
29K
Sylvia
Sylvia
Back
Top
Do Not Sell My Personal Information