# Downton Abbey S6 - spoiler-free until broadcast in the U.S. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 16, 2015, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966 "2015-08-16T02:06:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/181 "2016-02-01T13:45:09Z")
At the beginning, Tom was talking about where to locate the repair shop. Was he planning an automotive repair shop, or something else? ---
**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:** [February 1, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/182 "2016-02-01T14:10:32Z")
_Washington Post_ recap: > [@](#): > > … > Yes, Robert had been ill and there had been much speculation that it was something more serious than indigestion. But I don’t think anyone anticipated that terrifying and gruesome dinner table explosion near the end of this episode. I haven’t seen that much blood since the wood chipper scene in “Fargo.” > … > [MORE](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/01/31/downton-abbey-recap-a-shocking-and-disturbing-dinner-scene/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_downton-1210am%3Ahomepage%2Fstory) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/183 "2016-02-01T14:22:52Z")
Oh, and Mr. Carson? Realize pretty damn quick your lovely wife has been busy having a successful CAREER these past decades and may not have had time at the end of the day to play with her patty pans. I love you Carson, and Elsie better set you straight pretty quick. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/184 "2016-02-01T14:27:37Z")
When exactly would Mrs Hughes ever be preparing her own meals (or “playing with her patty pans” as he put it)? She’s lived at Downton Abbey for decades, where the meals are prepared for her. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/185 "2016-02-01T14:28:35Z")
Exactly. If he wanted a homecooked meal he should have married Mrs. Patmore. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/186 "2016-02-01T14:59:06Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > At the beginning, Tom was talking about where to locate the repair shop. Was he planning an automotive repair shop, or something else? I got the impression he wants to move the estate repair shop (the Abbey’s cars, farm equipment, etc.) closer to the main road so it can double as a repair business/service station and (in modern biz-speak) become a revenue source for Downton instead of a pure cost center. Plus he’d get to [del]play with[/del] work on cars again. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/187 "2016-02-01T15:10:20Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Poor Robert. Him telling Cora he loved her and she assuring him this wasn’t the end was heartbreaking. It truly shows what’s important to him. Alas, they don’t know ulcers aren’t caused by stress so he will continue to suffer. > > Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Mason, hmmmm? > > Do we think Andy is truly illiterate or is dyslexic? I know he said he goofed off in school, but surely that wasn’t the whole reason. > > Now Mary thinks there’s something up with Marigold. Hmmm. > > BAD HARVEST! I had an uncle who died from a stomach hemorrhage, like Robert’s – in this modern day and age. So that was no foolin around. Mary’s conversation with Tom at the end indicated that they knew the relationship between “worry” and ulcers. I think Andy is truly illiterate. And there does seem to be a blatantly obvious tie-up-all-loose ends and marry-everyone-off happening, but the sentimentalist in me approves. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/188 "2016-02-01T15:12:59Z")
I assume Robert’s condition will require some sort of care beyond what the local hospital is capable of, and that will resolve the conflict between the Dowager and Cora, et al. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/189 "2016-02-01T15:36:40Z")
Well that was… unexpected. I don’t think anyone would have ever predicted blood gushing out at the dinner table. I really did think that was going to be the end for Robert. Though I guess he’s not entirely out of the woods yet, as he’s still at the hospital and who knows what complications can result. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/190 "2016-02-01T15:39:56Z")
If Mary goes for the racecar driver she’ll be working on an ulcer of her own, given how her first husband died. Denker and Spratt’s scorpions-in-a-bottle scenes were fun. You can tell how much it grates on Spratt to have to save his hated rival’s job - with no guarantee that she won’t blackmail him again! The actor playing Neville Chamberlain looked quite a bit like the real thing c. 1925: [Neville Chamberlain - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain#/media/File:Neville_chamberlain1921.jpg) No reference here to the Piccadilly Circus excavation prank: [Neville Chamberlain - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain#Childhood_and_businessman) But here’s the HMS _Dreadnought_ hoax he referred to: [Dreadnought hoax - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadnought_hoax). Virginia Wolff was among the merry pranksters. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > _Downton Abbey_ meets _Alien_. Who’da thunk it? Yeah, that really stunned my wife and me. Pretty gruesome for PBS. > [@hajario](#): > > So the Baxter thing ended up being totally pointless except maybe that she’ll hook up with Mosely… Yes. I did notice this famous Ramsay portrait of George III on the courthouse waiting-room wall, too: [George III - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_III_of_the_United_Kingdom#/media/File:Allan_Ramsay_-_King_George_III_in_coronation_robes_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) > [@John\_Mace](#): > > I assume Robert’s condition will require some sort of care beyond what the local hospital is capable of, and that will resolve the conflict between the Dowager and Cora, et al. We predicted that, too. Nothing else would cause the Dowager to surrender. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/191 "2016-02-01T15:57:09Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > No reference here to the Piccadilly Circus excavation prank: [Neville Chamberlain - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neville_Chamberlain#Childhood_and_businessman) It is mentioned in Horace de Vere Cole’s Wikipedia page. (“On one occasion he directed a group of like minded friends dressed as workmen as they dug a trench across Piccadilly.”) And the recap in The New York Times mentions that he’s suspected of being responsible for the Piltdown Man hoax. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/192 "2016-02-01T16:02:48Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > Mary’s conversation with Tom at the end indicated that they knew the relationship between “worry” and ulcers. That was the common belief at the time (and well into late 20th century) but [worry doesn’t cause ulcers.](http://www.healthline.com/health/stomach-ulcer#Overview1) ---
**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:** [February 1, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/193 "2016-02-01T17:00:04Z")
Stress can aggravate ulcers, can’t it, even if it doesn’t cause them? > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It is mentioned in Horace de Vere Cole’s Wikipedia page. (“On one occasion he directed a group of like minded friends dressed as workmen as they dug a trench across Piccadilly.”) And the recap in The New York Times mentions that he’s suspected of being responsible for the Piltdown Man hoax. I meant, no mention of a young Chamberlain being involved in the Piccadilly dig, either in Chamberlain’s Wiki bio - or, I now see, in Cole’s: [Horace de Vere Cole - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_de_Vere_Cole). Here’s an NPR interview with DA’s Emmy-winning composer: ['Downton Abbey' Composer Explains Theme Choices : NPR](http://www.npr.org/2016/01/30/464961007/-downton-abbey-composer-explains-theme-choices) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/194 "2016-02-01T17:03:47Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Stress can aggravate ulcers, can’t it, even if it doesn’t cause them? I think that’s a fair bet. I don’t have an ulcer, but I can churn out a lot of acid if I’m stressed, and I can feel it. I can’t imagine how horrible it would feel to have it pour out onto an open sore in the stomach. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/195 "2016-02-01T17:35:53Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Alas, they don’t know ulcers aren’t caused by stress so he will continue to suffer. However they are cause, it’s fairly certain that they are cured by gastrectomy, though. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/196 "2016-02-01T17:43:20Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I had an uncle who died from a stomach hemorrhage, like Robert’s – in this modern day and age. So that was no foolin around. I thought the “…turn him on his side” was correct and a nice detail. My grandmother died in a similar way in 1966. She had recovered from pneumonia in a hospital but then had a violent cough and a blood vessel in one lung ruptured, basically drownng in her own blood. I didn’t explain this to my wife… ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/197 "2016-02-01T17:48:24Z")
I read something this morning (maybe on NPR) that said the blood splattering on Cora wasn’t in the plan – they didn’t think it would go that far across the table, so that shot of her is really a true reaction. Apparently it ruined the vintage costume she was wearing. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/198 "2016-02-01T17:52:53Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > I read something this morning (maybe on NPR) that said the blood splattering on Cora wasn’t in the plan – they didn’t think it would go that far across the table, so that shot of her is really a true reaction. Apparently it ruined the vintage costume she was wearing. Would you believe one of my first thoughts was, how would the laundry maids EVER get that tablecloth white again? ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/199 "2016-02-01T18:00:32Z")
One thing I was imagining that turned out not to be true: I guessed that Violet had told Denker to yell at Dr. Clarkson so she could then pretend to overract to his letter, fire Denker, and make Clarkson feel bad enough to come back to the fold (and then she would pretend to be persuaded, grudgingly, to rehire Denker by a pleading Dr. Clarkson who didn’t mean it all to go that far). “Plotting Granny” seemed to be a more likely cause of the scene than someone as self-preserving as Denker to actually do that. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/200 "2016-02-01T18:31:19Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > One thing I was imagining that turned out not to be true: I guessed that Violet had told Denker to yell at Dr. Clarkson so she could then pretend to overract to his letter, fire Denker, and make Clarkson feel bad enough to come back to the fold (and then she would pretend to be persuaded, grudgingly, to rehire Denker by a pleading Dr. Clarkson who didn’t mean it all to go that far). > > “Plotting Granny” seemed to be a more likely cause of the scene than someone as self-preserving as Denker to actually do that. Denker thought, incorrectly, that Violet would love her loyalty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966.md?page=11)