I thought so for a moment, but then realized it was going to be Matthew murdering Sir Rick. Almost gave me whiplash when nobody slew anyone.
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Starting in the spring, for about three months – originally (from maybe mid-18th century) centered about Parliament’s sittings. Court presentations of debutantes and newly-married women were added to give the ladies something to do.
As the 19th century progressed, a large array of ceremonial, sporting, cultural, and social occasions accreted onto the calendar, plus private teas, dinners, balls, etc, associated with the events.
By Downton Abbey’s time, it would have stretched from the opening of the Royal Academy (of Art)'s summer exhibition (beginning of May) to the Cowes yacht races (beginning of August), and been followed by events in Dublin and Scotland, taking the participants up to September.
There’s an extensive literature, including by Julian Fellowes …
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And the girls should have been working it like the rent was due, because that was where you found suitable husbands.
Upper-class husbands, that is. While some events (horse races, for instance) were open to all, THE Season was a sort of Olympics of aristocratic activities.
Many of the events are still on the calendar today, although the general frenziedness had dropped off considerably since court presentations ended in 1958.
Sir Richard complained about Mary not setting a wedding date. I think that’s what he meant about Mary stringing him along.
I’m hoping now that everyones “will they, won’t they” romantic plots seemed to have resolved, part of the focus of next season will be “who killed Vera Bates” and we can see our heroes investigate the murder/suicide. All the dialogue about the next step being to prove Bates innocent seems to point in that direction, and I can’t imagine the show will just leave him in prison.
I’m guessing Sir Richard had her done in because she decided to renege on her contract. But she seems like someone that would have a pretty long list of enemies, so maybe its someone we haven’t met yet.
I’m hoping Daisy gets a sous chef job in London. Or maybe she’ll end up as the head cook at Downton.
I dunno: they dropped the “Crispy Crawley: Is He Is Or Is He Ain’t?” subplot quickly enough. We may never find out who killed Vera. Perhaps she ate some of Thomas’ black-market food.
Any guesses about the living arrangements next season? After Mary and Matthew are married (hopefully sooner rather than later to avoid any more developments), will they live in the house he now shares with his mother, until Lord G dies? What happens to the rest of the family when that happens? Is it up to Matthew whether the any unwed sisters (I’m looking at Edith here) can continue to live there, perhaps helping with future children? Violet could be gone by then - would Cora then move to her house? Or is it a nicer house and that is where Isobel would live - it was asked before and I forgot the answer: when Matthew is earl, will she have a title?
That was my very favorite bit. Maybe even from any Downton episode. Just thinking about it still makes me laugh. Please don’t anyone talk about the Dowager Countess dying off. She’s fantastic.
I think they made it pretty clear Crispy wasn’t the real deal. He asks Edith what they’ll do if they find out he was part of the same regiment Crawley’s friend was in. That seemed to indicate pretty heavily that that is what they would in fact find out if they inquired, and thus that he was a fake.
Plus Bates is stuck in prison until they prove him innocent. Unless they’re going to drop the character or intend to give the audience an extended look at the London prison system in the twenties, presumably the next season will have them prove Vera was killed by someone else.
I wonder which servants would have accompanied them. Carson apparently did not in the series, while O’Brien and Anna probably IIRC did. I wonder if Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore and the footman would have stayed behind.
[QUOTE=FeAudrey]
There’s an extensive literature, including by Julian Fellowes …
[/QUOTE]
Not to nitpick, but I believe the form of address is His Grace Lord Admiral Julian Fellowes, Archbishop of North Isabella Street, 19th Baronet Wiggles.
- *ha! **
Did anyone else find the Servants’ Ball hugely embarrassing and condescending? It was also a plot point in a Duchess of Duke Street episode, in which some of the servants grumbled about “aping their betters” and how both the upstairs and downstairs found it uncomfortable. I guess it was a regular feature of most of the large houses (and I wonder how many housemaids had to take leave several months later?).
Well, considering I still see Thomas as a suspect in the Mr. Pamouk death (he did have motive and opportunity to poison him) I’m putting 6 DoperPounds on Thomas killing Mrs. Bates, too. After all, who had the most to gain if Bates was out of the picture? Thomas, the Lord’s new valet.
Isobel would not go live in the Dower House. She is not, nor ever will be the Dowager Countess. Once Robert dies, Cora becomes Dowager Countess. I imagine Isobel will stay in her current house, or move into the big house with her son when he becomes Earl.
I don’t see Mary ever leaving the comforts and grandeur of Downton, so I guess Matthew would move in with her.
Is anyone else concerned about Carson? He has had some periods of illness and taken to his bed in both seasons. I hope it isn’t a foreshadowing of something happening to him later.
It was kind of sweet when Mary explained the whole Turk mess to her father, and he said it wasn’t the first secret/scandal in the family, something like that. I wonder if he was thinking of his near dalliance with the maid, or was that somewhat of a common thing between Master/Maid back then that it wouldn’t have been a big deal? Or just a general allusion to other things that have happened, not a part of this story?
Now that Mary doesn’t need to run away to America (although she and/or Matthew could still go for a visit), I wonder if Cora’s mother will make her appearance at Downton? How else will she have scenes with Violet? She could be portrayed much younger than Violet, and still be a mother-in-law, as Cora may be quite a bit younger than her husband, who may have been the youngest in his family.
That was my second favorite comic bit of the episode. My first was the Dowager Countess’s statement to Lord Grantham after speaking with Daisy.
“She was lighting the fire. And suffering.”
I want to be Maggie Smith when I grow up. And then I want to mother poor, sweet Daisy. I hope they find another husband for her in the next season. The Christmas special was the best episode they’ve done yet. It almost makes up for some of the dumber plotlines like the Canadian twin and Saint Lavinia.
Yes, Matthew & Mary would be living in Crawley House until her father dies and Matthew becomes the Earl of Grantham. I guess they’ll either Isobel will live with them or she’ll move into a flat in London to concentrate on her work with refugees.
Cora would move into the Dower House when her husband dies, not Isobel. This assumes Violet is dead as well.
I’m not sure what the protocol was when there were 2 (or more) dowagers alive at the same time, but I assume that Violet would get to keep the house since she’s the senior dowager. Also until Violet dies Cora wouldn’t get to be “The Dowager Countess of Grantham”, she’d only be “Cora, Countess of Grantham” unill then. Crawley House would be available since Matthew’s son & heir wouldn’t be moving into until he married, but Isobel would probally keep living there. And no, Isobel does not get a title of any kind; she remains “Mrs Reginald Crawley”.
I assume that if Edith is still unmarried when her father dies she’ll just follow Cora to wherever she lives. I think Edith will get a husband in or by the 3rd series though. Sybil already has a husband & baby, but she married beneath her and that could (& will in TV dramaland) lead to a rocky marriage. Now that Matthew & Mary are getting married their relationship is going to need a new curveball; I’m guessing it’s infertility. Edith will end up in a boring, socially accepted marriage with children.
I really don’t see Thomas actually killing somebody. He’s not that evil, & in any event I dobt he’d have the stomach. Plus he seemed pretty shocked then he discovered Pamouk’s body.
I can see how that would be really awkward for everyone involved. I always the the upstairs family was only supposed to make a perfunctory appearance at the begining then leave to let the servants enjoy themselves. And if you want to talk about condescending you should’ve seen the Servants’ Ball on Upstairs, Downstairs that Sarah & Thomas crashed. It was a fancy dress (ie costume) party where rich people dressed up like servants (one older women was dress as a maid, but wearing jewels & a tiara) while mocking their accents. Sarah got high praise because she didn’t a great “Common”. Oddly there were real servants waiting on the guests too, and I’m not sure how the guests were supposed to tell them apart. 
Mrs Patmore would’ve certainly gone with them. They would’ve done alot of entertaining in London; why would they leave their cook behind to cook for the skeleton staff they left at the estate. Mrs Hughes probally would’ve gone as well. It’s actually odd that Carson didn’t; usually all of the senior servants went. There wouldn’t be anything for him to do at Downton without the family there.
Fo’ shizzle. How on earth could you run your house in town during the Season without your butler?
My only guess is that Carson was in fact in London with them for most of the Season but came back to Downton a few days early to get things shipshape before the family returned.
Ooh, I forgot to mention my dream last night. I dreamt that Sybil had her baby and was coming to visit her parents. BUT…when she got there, she just had a bunch of Dachshund puppies with her instead of a human baby. Weird.
Well, Shirley Maclaine is 7 months older than Maggie Smith.