# 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:** 17
**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 15, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/321 "2016-02-15T23:32:48Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I love how Robert doesn’t mind that the puppy isn’t house trained yet but he’ll take him upstairs anyway. Yes, he loves the new puppy so much that it doesn’t matter…and a servant will be along shortly to clean the shit out of the carpet. > [@alphaboi867](#): > > …I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to immediately think that. I was picturing the puppy peeing down the front of his suit. And of course, there’d be someone to clean that up immediately, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/322 "2016-02-16T02:02:22Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Meanwhile Moseley has risen nicely. One year, he lost his job at the Abbey (or was it at the Dowager Countess’s house?) and was reduced to working on a road crew. It’s nice to see good things happening for Moseley, after he was the butt of so many jokes on the show. Hopefully he and Baxter end up together. > [@](#): > > And was the real reason for Violet to take a long boat trip that Maggie Smith needed to be written out of the show? Perhaps she had a movie to shoot? I’m wondering if perhaps Violet isn’t actually on the boat trip, but doing some scheming about the whole hospital business–out of sight of Isobel and Cora. She doesn’t seem like one to accept defeat so easily–especially since she feels insulted. Though you could be right about it being a practical matter of scheduling for Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/323 "2016-02-16T02:33:18Z")
I was wondering if Barrow will be able to cling to a position at Downton Abbey as a valet now that Moseley is leaving to be a teacher. It would be a step down for him from the glorious position of underbutler, but since his job hunt has thus far been fruitless he might prefer that to leaving. ---
**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 16, 2016, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/324 "2016-02-16T06:07:19Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I was wondering if Barrow will be able to cling to a position at Downton Abbey as a valet now that Moseley is leaving to be a teacher. It would be a step down for him from the glorious position of underbutler, but since his job hunt has thus far been fruitless he might prefer that to leaving. I’m starting to think he might kill himself. The Dowager gets the benefit of easy, good writing. And I wonder if the lady editor is a dodge to throw us off form the ultimate scene when Mary and Tom finally hook up. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/325 "2016-02-16T12:20:10Z")
How common would it have been for a widower to marry his late wife’s sister? Seems a little…oogy. ---
**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 16, 2016, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/326 "2016-02-16T13:17:46Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > How common would it have been for a widower to marry his late wife’s sister? Seems a little…oogy. _Deja vu_ all over again…even to the use of the word “oogy” (though spelled differently). Posted Jan 18: > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Originally Posted by **StarvingButStrong** : > > … (Am I alone in thinking it’s a bit oogie that he used to be married to her sister?) > > …Actually, it’s [Biblical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levirate_marriage), which doesn’t mean it isn’t oogie. > > But it was not uncommon in that generation. Years ago I dated a man much older than me, and when his mom’s first husband died, she married her late husband’s brother. The second husband was my friend’s father. These people would have been born in the 1890’s. Also my late husband’s mother (born around 1915) was divorced from my husband’s father, and a few years later, her sister died, and she married her brother-in-law (my husband’s uncle). ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/327 "2016-02-16T13:52:51Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I do want something good to happen to Barrow. Yeah, they really are letting this drag on such that it is just becoming very unpleasant. And making Carson appear even more of a dick than he need be. I really want to see the actress who plays Mary in some other roles, to make up my mind whether I so dislike the actress or her character. During one of the earlier scenes they showed a man walking towards the house, and I thought to myself - “The earl needs a new dog!” I’m a freaking mindreader, I am! ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/328 "2016-02-16T15:19:38Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > _Deja vu_ all over again…even to the use of the word “oogy” (though spelled differently). Posted Jan 18: I shoulda read upthread! :smack: ---
**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 16, 2016, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/329 "2016-02-16T15:25:58Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I shoulda read upthread! :smack: No, no…the thread is so long. Unless you read every day, you’re sure to miss something. But why the word “oogy/oogie”? As opposed to creepy, gross, skeevy, etc. I thought that was an interesting coincidence. (But then, I am known for being easily amused.) ---
**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 16, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/330 "2016-02-16T15:46:15Z")
Well, I think I got it from The Addams Family theme song. Though really they had "ooky’ I believe, to rhyme with spooky and kooky. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/331 "2016-02-16T17:01:28Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > How common would it have been for a widower to marry his late wife’s sister? Seems a little…oogy. As came up in a previous DA thread, there was the relatively then relatively-recently-passed “[Deceased Wife’s Sister’s Marriage Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deceased_Wife%27s_Sister%27s_Marriage_Act_1907)” or 1907. So whether or not this was kosher was on people’s mind at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/332 "2016-02-16T17:38:37Z")
In Deadwood (obviously a different era and country) part of the plot was that it was somewhat expected of a sibling to marry his brother’s widow. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/333 "2016-02-16T17:51:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Barrow…I’m starting to think he might kill himself. I thought that was what the crying scene was leading up to but it hasn’t happened yet. But I’ve wondered if a final twist would be that Carson has a heart attack and Barrow becomes chief butler and is pretty much accepted by the family. Carson clearly hasn’t done any real work for years, in some scenes acts quite elderly, with the new stress (and drama 😉 ) of marriage who knows. ---
**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 16, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/334 "2016-02-16T17:54:52Z")
It’s about time they killed off another major character, though. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/335 "2016-02-16T18:06:35Z")
I was annoyed that Edith didn’t say yes to Bertie right away, but I was also annoyed that she didn’t tell him the truth about Marigold. So hopefully she’s waiting because doesn’t want to say “yes” without him knowing, but just wasn’t ready to tell the whole story right then and there. She tested the waters by asking if Marigold could live with them, and he was amenable to that, so that’s at least a good sign. How did adoption procedures work at the time? Could they legally adopt Marigold? That would mean Edith would be Mummy and things would be a lot simpler for everyone. ---
**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 16, 2016, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/336 "2016-02-16T20:04:14Z")
Yes, they would be able to adopt. Other than the farmer’s wife (if she even heard about it), there’d be no one to object, and the Earl’s family is, presumably, very well-connected and respected by the local domestic relations court (whatever it’s called). I agree that Tom and Lady Edith’s editor seem to be a possible item. Good for Molesley acing his exam! Glad to see a sad-sack catch a break, and on his merits, too. The car race was exciting - great to see so many old cars zooming along together. I liked that Mary, in their phone call that night, preemptively said she didn’t want the guy to stop racing for her sake; she knows how important it is to him. I loved giving Carson the responsibility, by a ruse, to do the cooking - and see just how hard it is. I thought Violet was unduly harsh on the young bride-to-be. Judging by the younger woman’s reaction, it looks like the Dowager probably guessed right as to her motives, but it was still a guess, and an insulting one, at that. My wife and I had the same thought re: Lord Grantham not minding that the dog wasn’t house-trained yet - it won’t be _his_ job to clean up any puddles! Was it a yellow Lab, like Isis? Looked more like a retriever of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/337 "2016-02-16T20:11:31Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > I was annoyed that Edith didn’t say yes to Bertie right away, but I was also annoyed that she didn’t tell him the truth about Marigold. So hopefully she’s waiting because doesn’t want to say “yes” without him knowing, but just wasn’t ready to tell the whole story right then and there. She tested the waters by asking if Marigold could live with them, and he was amenable to that, so that’s at least a good sign. I doubt that Bertie can not put two and two together. It’s only the aristocrats who are slow on the uptake. > [@](#): > > How did adoption procedures work at the time? Could they legally adopt Marigold? That would mean Edith would be Mummy and things would be a lot simpler for everyone. Edith has papers documenting that she is the mother which she whipped out when she was taking Marigold from Mrs. Drew. She doesn’t need to adopt – she just needs to openly acknowledge the truth that even the most perfunctory investigation would turn up. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/338 "2016-02-16T20:18:45Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Was it a yellow Lab, like Isis? Looked more like a retriever of some kind. Of course you realize what word follows Labrador… 😃 But I agree - I’m a golden partisan myself, and thought it looked more golden than lab. Good looking pup, whichever it was. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/339 "2016-02-16T20:41:18Z")
> [@leahcim](#): > > I doubt that Bertie can not put two and two together. It’s only the aristocrats who are slow on the uptake. It’s not okay to lie by ommission just because you assume that the other party probably has figured out what you are omitting. > [@](#): > > Edith has papers documenting that she is the mother which she whipped out when she was taking Marigold from Mrs. Drew. She doesn’t need to adopt – she just needs to openly acknowledge the truth that even the most perfunctory investigation would turn up. If it was that easy, she would have “openly acknowledged” it already. That’s not the point. ---
**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 16, 2016, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966/340 "2016-02-16T20:50:50Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Of course you realize what word follows Labrador… 😃 But I agree - I’m a golden partisan myself, and thought it looked more golden than lab. Good looking pup, whichever it was. Yes, that’s what I meant. Had kind of a narrow head, though - not as handsome as Isis. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/downton-abbey-s6-spoiler-free-until-broadcast-in-the-u-s/727966.md?page=18)