Is that really fair? I mean, at what point should Mary forgive Edith for nearly ruining her life over the Mr. Pamuk incident? The whole Mary-finding-out-about-Marigold plot development made me wonder if Mary has the opportunity at last to turn the tables on Edith and ruin Edith’s own chance at happiness with her new suitor. My guess is Mary may try, but it will backfire as I think Bertie Pelham has already figured it all out – and doesn’t care.
Agree that Molesley will be hired away and leave a space for Thomas, and that Thomas may well end as butler for Downton Abbey because of his relationship with the children. I don’t think Thomas will find happiness beyond that. Carson will feel bad for having misjudged him and appreciate that Thomas has taken to heart the advice of Lord Grantham to cultivate a more generous nature. Grudging respect to Thomas, finally.
I’m not sure if Lord Grantham has to croak for it to happen (though he might), but I imagine Bates and Anna will end up happily retiring with their new baby and to start living their dream. At last. (What else?)
I’m sure Mary is going to end up marrying Henry Talbot, but I’m far from sure she will end up happy. I think that ending is reserved for Edith.
I’ll be surprised if Daisy ends up on the farm. She’s too restless and irascible since her education through Miss Bunting and will set off to put it to good use. I see a happy ending for Mr. Mason, Mrs. Patmore and Andy, with Daisy visiting at weekends. I think she is intended to end as the face of the generic servant who benefited most from all the class changes occurring in this time period.
You’re laying that at Mary’s door? It was Robert who had the stern talk with Strellan, insisting that he keep away from Edith, and that then Strellan himself began having continuous serious doubts after that. I don’t recall Mary having had anything to do with the “jilted at the altar” thing at all.
Not the left at the altar guy, but the guy before the left at the altar guy.
Also, the incident with Mr. Pamuk (and all the fallout afterwards) happened 13 years ago in their time, during which time Edith has been unceremoniously dumped (due to Mary’s own machinations), been scammed by a soldier, jilted at the altar, and had the love of her life die in Germany. To the best of Mary’s knowledge, she’s lost several chances at happiness in very, very public humiliating fashions. So, yeah, between the passing of time and the knowledge that Edith hasn’t been living a life of serene bliss, Mary should be well over it by now.
In season two (aka the War Season), Mary and Edith appear to get on tolerably well. Edith is definitely on her way to becoming a nicer person — heck, Sybil even says as much — and Mary is too preoccupied with her own troubles (her estrangement from Matthew and her impending marriage to the oafish Ser Jorah) to bother fighting with Edith. Sybil’s courtship with Branson also ends up making the two de facto comrades. By all indications, they’ve moved beyond the Pamuk/garden party skirmishes by then.
Well to be fair Mary could keep her family fed, as long they’re happy to eat nothing but scrambled eggs for the rest of their lives.
It’s the same guy; back in series 1 (before he lost the use of his arm) Sir Anthony was on the verge of proposing to Edith when Mary told him that Edith had been mocking him behind his back for his age.
That was the same guy, Sir Anthony Strallan. Mary intentionally interfered in their romance in season one, convincing Sir Anthony that Edith thought he was a ridiculous old man. Edith patched things up with Sir Anthony after he returned from WWI and they eventually got engaged in season three, but he left her at the altar because he felt it was for her own good.
It’s possible he’d have done the same thing even if Mary had never meddled, given the large age difference between him and Edith. However, a bigger concern for him seemed to be the disability he’d suffered as a result of a war injury, so if Mary hadn’t delayed his courtship of Edith they might have married before Sir Anthony went away to war.
ETA: After posting I realize this was already addressed by alphaboi867, but I’ll leave it.
Does the fact that Tom calls Mary “my sister” and Mary calls Tom “my brother,” not dissuade you from that idea? That seems to firmly establish what each thinks of their relationship. It’s not like they’re dropping the “in-law” part in some coy manner, either.
I mean, yes, Matthew was a cousin and that sort of thing wasn’t too unusual, but they are specifically calling each other brother and sister (and acting as straight up brother and sister) even when other characters have called them in-laws. I like a story twist as much as the next person, but at this point, it would just seem unnecessarily squicky.
I don’t see anything remotely squicky about them winding up together. They’re calling each other brother/sister because they’re in massive denial about their true feelings. In fact, they’re calling each other that a little too much, as in, methinks they protest, etc. I mean, who even goes around saying stuff like that so pointedly?
Mary just said that she’s going to maintain the Downton way of life as much as possible when she and Georgie are in charge. Who’s going to be by her side, managing the place and caring as much as she does-- Henry Talbot? I don’t think so. Tom has said it feels like home to him. Can he meet and fall in live with an appropriate partner (and stepmother for Sybbie) in only two more episodes?
