Hmm. Maybe they will get Livinia’s father’s diary where he explains his reasoning for leaving the money for Matthew and it’s one that fits with his principles.
Perhaps Matthew will give the money to his mother for her work with fallen women?
I am confused about the will.
If the father made the will while Lavinia was alive, why would he not have made Matthew and Lavinia the FIRST heirs? I think Lavinia was his only child. There wasn’t a title, so everything would have passed to her and not necessarily a man.
Did he make the will after Lavinia died? If that is the case, then he knows Matthew will be (obviously) marrying someone else and wanted him to have the money if the two preferred heirs could not be found.
Because there were a couple of people with whom he had a closer relationship, either by blood or otherwise? Matthew’s standing in his eyes doesn’t get determined in a void, even if he has the utmost esteem for him.
As some of you may know, I work for a PBS station, and we’ve been all about the Downton these past few weeks and months. I’m glad someone mentioned Reed, Shirley MacLaine’s maid. Here is a story I wrote for our magazine about Lucille Sharp, the girl who plays Miss Reed. While she was home for Christmas we taped some spots with her and a profile her for one of our magazine programs. I didn’t get to interview her because the deadline for the January issue was way back in early December. But anyway, fun times.
I have restrained myself from watching the series ahead, even though I possess a station preview DVD in my office. It’s more fun to watch along with everyone else.
My overriding thought at the conclusion of Part I is pique that we got NO wedding night/honeymoon scene with Matthew. Oh and Mary too :D. Matthew is my latest lust-boy.
Just saw the first episode of the new season, and really liked it. The new tall footman is a good character, and I like the American lady’s maid’s flirtation with him. Shirley M. was more good than bad, but she wasn’t as good as I’d hoped.
Nice to see Sybil and Tom happy together, but hated hated hated her hair.
Fun to see Matthew and Tom making common cause together, both now having married into the family.
I would’ve liked to see more of the wedding itself. That could’ve been an episode in itself, including the reactions of those in the congregation and at the reception afterwards. Oh, well.
I agree. Hope we’ll see the family’s London townhouse sometime but, as noted earlier, the Crawleys do seem happier at DA.
Y’know, I liked it a lot. Her father’s and Carson’s reaction matched my own.
Heh. He is a very good actor. Guess Mary’s talk with Sir Richard, just before he left DA, convinced him not to reveal the Mr. Pamuk episode and ruin her social standing.
I don’t think it’s been stated that the Earl has ever attended the House of Lords (although I’d be very interested to see that, too). Many nobles didn’t ever show up, due to apathy, the press of other business or inconvenience (and since 1999, many now can’t, at least not as voting members): House of Lords Act 1999 - Wikipedia
I agree with all this. (Of course you mean Thomas, Lady Sybil’s Irish husband, not Thomas the conniving valet).
I’m Elendil’s Heir and I approve this finale.
Heh. Love it!
Precisely.
All good points, and well said.
On to ep. 2!
I am so glad that they skipped over the wedding itself. The whole time leading up to it I was thinking “God, do I have to sit through another wedding scene? Hasn’t every TV show in history already done that?”
But… but… this was a Downton Abbey wedding! In 1920, dammit!
It’s exactly because there was such a buildup that it felt like it was over far too quickly.
I was relieved as well. Also fine with not seeing wedding night scenes or honeymoon scenes.
Bleargh. Weddings are pretty much all the same, except for minor variations in attire.
She’s the oldest which probably plays a role in her feeling the responsibility is hers, but you’re right, any of the girls could keep Downton in the family by marriage. And if she was selfish she’d point that out as she ran off with the driver, or gardener, or whatever the hell else she felt like doing on her own.
“One never meets and English heiress with a brother.”
I loved that line.
Actually this is greatly misunderstood. The Dowager Countess may indeed be completely out of touch with regular people, but she didn’t ask about a weekend because she’s never had a workweek in her life. Instead she actually didn’t know the word.
The first known usage of “weekend” was in 1901, and the Dowager Countess was speaking around 1912 - 1914 and probably wasn’t up on the most recent slang. She would have known Saturday-to-Monday instead as meaning “a weekly break for visits, leisure activities and church” and would have been aware working people looked forward to their day of rest on Sunday.
Do we plan to keep the entire series discussion in this thread, or are we going to have separate thread for each episode?
I’d like to propose we have new threads for each episode. I spend a lot of time watching old series and like to look up previous discussions. It is so disheartening to read a tiny bit ahead when you don’t like to see spoilers!
Also it will be easier for us to keep track of from week to week. Who’s with me?
Would we still be able to cite previous episodes?
Hmm, your link says the first use of weekend to mean " the period between the close of one work or school week and the start of the next" was 1638. Maybe it is more of a class thing.
Heh. Maggie Smith was in that too, also playing a noblewoman.
As the OP, I’d rather keep all of S3 in this thread. Just don’t read beyond the broadcast date of whichever episode(s) you haven’t seen yet.
Of course.
In the 2nd Christmas special it’s revealed that…
…the Dowager Countess is actually a vampire (& a former mistress of Henry VIII) and has been glamouring everyone into thinking she’s Robert’s mother.
The beginning of the spoiler can be seen in Tapatalk.