# Downton Abbey S5 - spoiler-free until broadcast in the U.S. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 28, 2014, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244 "2014-07-28T15:03:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 29
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/561 "2015-03-04T05:47:45Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > There seemed to be a sort of softening in Mary during the Sybil remembrance; she reached for Edith’s hand. I hope it’s a sign that they realize we’ve had enough of the nastiness. I don’t mean this as a nitpick, but it was clearly Edith who reached for Mary’s hand. Mary kind of gave her a look like she wasn’t expecting Edith to do that. I only point that out because it seemed very much in character for both of them- Edith isn’t a stranger to demonstrating a willingness to leave the nastiness behind them, whereas for Mary, it’s a given they will always be nasty. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/562 "2015-03-04T16:54:54Z")
What exactly is the basis for Mary’s nastiness toward Edith-- or is there any specific basis apart from Mary being a bitch? I’ve seen the whole series and I don’t remember anything that happened (but then there have been so many Events and People, I can barely remember them from one episode to the next). As I recall, Mary wasn’t that fond of Sybil either. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/563 "2015-03-04T17:20:28Z")
Mary is just nasty. Yes, Edith pulled the letter trick on her early in the series, but she did it as revenge for the way Mary treated her. The letter was over the top, but Mary’s nastiness came first. I don’t know if there is any “first” there. Some siblings just never get along. It doesn’t help that Edith is an eternal victim and Mary is a bully. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/564 "2015-03-04T17:28:19Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Typical Fellowes’ besotment with Mary: some guy is invited to go shooting, and accepts. Mary sets out to make him feel as bad as possible over his disruption of whosie’s chance to go shooting that day. Pointlessly, of course: when Some Guy (I have trouble w/names, sorry) apologizes and wants to get out of the way she says he can’t for assorted reasons. So now Some Guy knows she’s an asshole who likes to make people feel bad over things that A) aren’t their fault and B) which they cannot do anything to remedy. > > His reaction: why, of course he immediately falls for her. :smack: Yes, he looooves Mary and shits all over the Bates at every opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/565 "2015-03-04T17:35:27Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > There seemed to be a sort of softening in Mary during the Sybil remembrance; she reached for Edith’s hand. I hope it’s a sign that they realize we’ve had enough of the nastiness. Small point, but it’s actually Edith who reaches for Mary’s hand, and Mary is momentarily taken aback by it. I read one reviewer who opined that the whole “let’s think of Sybil” moment was engineered by Tom as a means of bringing the two sisters back together (that and the spontaneous musical number he throws them into when Robert is about to make an ass of himself). Interesting idea, but probably giving JF too much credit. ---
**Author:** ![jayrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/47e85d/32.png) [@jayrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayrey)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/566 "2015-03-04T21:34:27Z")
I wholeheartedly agree with **lavenderblue** that the Bates’ should move somewhere else and never be heard from again. I enjoyed them both so much in the beginning but now they are just wooden and boring. Henry Talbot didn’t do a thing for me and I can’t quite fathom what Mary would see in him. There wasn’t any chemistry that I could see. Maybe he likes women who treat him shabbily? Charles was a much better option for her. Why didn’t Mary go with him, again? I thought the broth story line was just plain silly. Like someone else said upthread, it’s not souffle. Someone should have drowned Princess Kuragin on her way to Yorkshire. It would have been a win-win for everyone concerned! And Isobel should have married Dickie and to hell with his spoiled brat sons! I am tickled for Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson but I think JF will be playing with our hearts and theirs in the next season. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/567 "2015-03-05T02:33:05Z")
I’d just like to point out that it’s about to get a lot easier for Lord Merton to screw over his sons in his [will](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Property_Act_1925) if he so desires. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/568 "2015-03-05T03:21:55Z")
The engagement of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes was nice! She is such a sweet lady, she tugs a little at the heartstrings. I hope they live happily ever after. Now, this engagement hearkens back to the end of ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ where Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Bridges also agree to get married when they leave service and open up a boarding house. I can’t help but wonder, as someone here mentioned, it could be an amicable business arrangement. (For both couples.) Or…could these marriages have been more than that, and actually consummated? I can’t picture it in either case. Not because they aren’t young n’ hot, but they’ve been working together for years and years and years. It would be like marrying a co-worker at the office after 20 years… ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/569 "2015-03-05T06:14:54Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I’d just like to point out that it’s about to get a lot easier for Lord Merton to screw over his sons in his [will](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Property_Act_1925) if he so desires. It must also be pointed out that the same Act abolished fee tails - meaning that after the law goes into effect, the need for a male heir for Robert is rendered moot (the property can pass directly to Mary, or equally to Mary and Edith). ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/570 "2015-03-05T21:34:18Z")
I grew up in ABQ, just one block from the Alpine lady’s house. A school friend lived in the house growing up and I actually played there when I was a kid. Also, Jimmy driving and hitting the skate board twins was filmed just one block further away from the Alpine lady’s house. ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/571 "2015-03-05T21:42:28Z")
Woops, sorry, wrong thread! ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/572 "2015-03-05T22:08:02Z")
I got so tired of the most recent murder plot that I may have missed something in the past few episodes. We were wondering before why the police would both to keep investigating the seemingly accidental death of a servant, and it eventually came out that they were aware that Mr. Green was a serial rapist and that they suspected Anna had been one of his victims. But do we know if this was something that they learned while investigating Green’s death, or is it WHY they were investigating Green’s death? It seemed like the former to me, but the latter would make somewhat more sense in that the police would at least have reason to believe that there were people who’d be happy to see Mr. Green dead. On the other hand, I’m not sure the police would really be eager to spend a lot of time and energy investigating the seemingly accidental death of a servant _and rapist_ instead of focusing on known murders and/or more sympathetic victims. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/573 "2015-03-05T23:43:31Z")
I think it’s ambiguous from what we’ve seen on the show, but I also presumed the former. ---
**Author:** ![Nom\_de\_Plume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85f322/32.png) [@Nom\_de\_Plume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nom_de_Plume)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/574 "2015-03-06T02:34:37Z")
Was I the only one who thought Mrs Hughes made up the story of the sister, Becky, to get out of the deal with Carson? I got the impression that a few things he said while house hunting made her feel they could never be equal partners in the business, because he was carrying over their roles from the household. Having no money to invest might be a clean way to get out without confronting the issue of control. When he proposed, I was wondering if she’d 'fess up. Since she didn’t, well, I guess I read too much into it. She had manipulated him earlier on behalf of Mrs. Padmore. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/575 "2015-03-06T03:16:31Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > It must also be pointed out that the same Act abolished fee tails - meaning that after the law goes into effect, the need for a male heir for Robert is rendered moot (the property can pass directly to Mary, or equally to Mary and Edith). Except the entail on the estate has already been voided, or else it would’ve been impossible for Matthew’s share of the estate to pass to Mary instead of George. There’s no way Matthew would’ve agreed to an entail like Cora did when he put his fortune into the estate. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/576 "2015-03-11T14:45:20Z")
Judi Dench says she’s open to a guest spot on DA: [http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/dame-judi-dench-downton-abbey-5286870](http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/dame-judi-dench-downton-abbey-5286870) ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/577 "2015-03-11T15:52:42Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Except the entail on the estate has already been voided, or else it would’ve been impossible for Matthew’s share of the estate to pass to Mary instead of George. There’s no way Matthew would’ve agreed to an entail like Cora did when he put his fortune into the estate. I was under the impression that it does pass to George and Mary is basically acting for George until he comes of age . And assumed that it had been mentioned a time or two. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/578 "2015-03-11T15:55:14Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > I was under the impression that it does pass to George and Mary is basically acting for George until he comes of age . And assumed that it had been mentioned a time or two. I think you’re right, but then, I’m not sure what was meant by all that malarkey in season four where they find the letter where he says Mary is his sole heir. Presumably if he hadn’t, George’s share in the estate would have gone to a trust until he came of age? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/579 "2015-03-11T16:01:42Z")
Or perhaps, it’s simply that George is heir to Robert’s part of the estate and Mary is heir to Matthew’s part? And when the fee tail gets abolished in 1925, Mary becomes heir to both parts? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244/580 "2015-03-12T17:36:53Z")
The Duchess of Cambridge visits the DA set: [http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222\_20907409,00.html](http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20907409,00.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244.md?page=28) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s5-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/694244.md?page=30)