The worst thing about Mary’s bitchiness is not the bitchiness itself, it’s the fact that she never suffers any consequences for it. Anna and Carson still adore her. Cora, Rosamund and Violet cluck their tongues but never do anything. And her adoring fiancee never says “Wait — you did what to your sister?”
Agreed. It makes no sense and it’s just infuriating.
Presumably Edith and Bertie will work things out, so the fact that she’ll “outrank” Mary will mean she has the last laugh or something?
Maybe rank means something to Julian Fellowes, but to an American in 2016 who doesn’t know a marquess from a hall boy, it seems insufficient payback.
Now if Henry had dumped her pathetic ass, that would have been something. Or if nobody went to her wedding. Hell, I’d have even settled for the new puppy peeing on her shoe. But this whole “oh yes Mary, we forgive you. We understand that you only did it because you’re just so desperately unhappy” schtick is just ridiculous.
Well, here’s hoping that the pesky photographer gets a picture of Henry Talbot, Tom Branson, and Thomas Barrow having a hot three-way at Mrs. Patmore’s House of Ill Repute. I think it would look splendid on the cover of Edith’s magazine.
As much as I think Mary is a Grade A Bitch, Edith deserved what she got by egging her on. What a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to do.
And did I call the suicide attempt by Barrow or what? 
Mary knew what she was doing before Edith ever opened her mouth. She’s frozen in place until Edith tells Bertie not to reveal their engagement. She (Mary) then immediately sends Carson out of the room — she’s about to destroy her sister’s reputation and she can’t do it in front of the help.
Please explain… So you’re saying, if you do something “stupid,” you deserve to have your happy future pulled out from under you and stomped to death before your very eyes?
And anyway what precisely did Edith do to egg Mary on? She was quite sheepish when she told the family about Bertie’s title. She didn’t Lord-and-Lady it over anyone. It was the fact of Edith’s new rank that provoked Mary, and I think she would have outed Marigold once she found that out, whether it was from Edith or someone else.
And it’s not like Edith went after a title. Two minutes before it was, “Poor Edith picked a nobody loser who works for a living.”
What Mary did was cruel, selfish, intentional destruction motivated by jealousy and sheer cussedness. Edith did not deserve that.
And Carson didn’t think Barrow had a heart?? Easy to see why Carson and Mary are soulmates. They haven’t got a decent ventricle between the two of them.
I was surprised that Edith showed up to Mary’s wedding. She would have been within her rights to stay away.
But I think that shows that Edith is the better person. Mary destroyed her relationship, and Edith is the one who came back. I think Mary should have been on the next train to London BEFORE she got married to make things up (and perhaps, send a quick note around to Lord Hexam, inviting him) but instead, Edith is the one who makes the first move at reconciliation.
So Lady Bitch Mary may have her happy ending, but I’m rooting for Edith.
Glad to see so much dislike for Mary - hoped my wife and I weren’t alone in that.
What bothered me the most was having Edith NOT tell her beau. Aside from some understandable sisterly friction early on, they’ve consistently painted her as intelligent and kind. Yes, I recognize the stress that must have been involved in her situation, but it really disappointed me that she didn’t give Bertie the respect he deserved. Not to do so, only set the stage for her to have him come back in the next episode. And instead of portraying her as a strong woman responsible for her situation, it just reinforces her as weak and tumbling fortunately into flowers through no intentional actions of her own.
Man, they are painting Carson out to be an asshole. My wife was hoping he’d drop dead, and Barrow would assume his position.
So - what is the scullery maid going to do now that she’s passed her exams?
Here’s a question - if the Earl’s wife dropped dead and he remarried, if they had a son wouldn’t he inherit instead of Mary’s son?
Edith still should have already told Bertie at that point, but Fellowes fudged the ethical issue by having Bertie doing the “I’ll take that as a yes” thing, and them not having formally announced anything or moved ahead with planning. It left Edith with a teeny tiny sliver of gray area to perch on. Not okay, but not quite as bad as it could have been.
Anybody notice that Mary was wearing an uncharacteristically hideous dress in that scene?*
Meanwhile. Spratt as the Agony Aunt was fantastic. It was obvious it would turn out to be somebody we knew, but I was NOT expecting that!!
(I actually thought it would be Bertie and they’d have a tearful make-up session. Glad it didn’t happen that way.)
- did Michelle Dockery piss off Julian Fellowes or something? He’s really doing a number on her character. We all know what happened to the last guy to piss him off.
What they are showing is that Carson is more conservative and snobby than those he serves. I can buy that.
As for Daisy, I think the next step is that she enrolls at Hillcroft College, the women’s college in Yorkshire introduced a few episodes back.
It seemed quite unfair that Mrs. Patmore’s B&B is blamed for people conducting an adulterous affair. What could she have done to prevent that?
BTW, someone asked if Edith had a lady’s maid and it appears not. She was packing for herself to go to London. Mary would have just told Anna to get something together.
Lord Hexam will be back. They spent too much time talking about his mother for us not to get to see anything come of it.
Daisy isn’t the “scullery maid”–she was a cook’s assistant & is now almost a cook in her own right. (Why was she tending the fireplaces when Pamuk was carried by? Plot contrivance.) We never met that subset of servants–actors need to be paid & they need dialog. Which isn’t Lord Fellowes’ strong point. Anyway, I hope we’ll see what’s ahead for her in the “Christmas” show.
Mary’s son is the Heir Presumptive–as was his father before him. If the Earl remarried & fathered a son, he would be the Heir Apparent.
I agree. And I hope there will be tons and tons of occasions when everyone has to show up wearing their ermines or whatever… and every damn time Mary will be WAYYYY back behind Edith. Hah!
Actually, the only really satisfying resolution would be for Mary’s whole point in life to be destroyed, which means her finally failing to continue the sacred line of Earl of Whosies. Unfortunately the only way I can see it is by offing George, and he’s apparently a quite nice little boy.
Daisy started out as the scullery maid but then she moved up in the household. Nobody stays a scullery maid for life.
I don’t remember every detail, but Edith kept going on and on about how Mary was pissed that she (Edith) was happy and Mary was not. That she (Edith) was getting married and Mary was not. That Mary’s relationship with Driver-guy had fallen apart. She knows Mary better than anyone, so if you poke a wounded animal, don’t be surprised when the animal attacks viciously
[quote=“Bridget_Burke, post:391, topic:727966”]
Daisy isn’t the “scullery maid”–QUOTE]
Thanks. While writing that post, I was shocked at how few of the characters’ names I knew. I had to scroll prior posts to come up with Bertie, and even Carson required a little thinking. Shows how little I am invested in this show I’ve watched for several years. :rolleyes:
As much as I agree, what really can they do to her? She’s not a child, they can’t send her to bed without supper or take away her pet pony. They can make cutting remarks more often, maybe, but it’s not like she’s a servant who can be fired. She in control (I think) of at least the money her husband brought into the firm from his fiancée and in control of George, for that matter.
Most of all, she’s family (and I bet we all know what it’s like dealing with family members we’d never give the time of day to otherwise.) And it’s not like she’s some insignificant third cousin twice removed who you only have to see at weddings and funerals.
What really should rein in her behavior is the larger circle of society – her acquaintances and friends, people who would not be inclined to let her get away with her bitchiness without comment or repercussions.
Unfortunately she doesn’t have any friends. I’d say that showed she was already being avoided, except it’s true of Edith and Cora and every single other upper class lead on this show. NO ONE has any friends. Well, maybe Edith and the editor a tiny bit.
Sprats’ bit was funny
Had they set that up much? I recall a mention in a previous show about adding an advice columnist, but much more than that? I didn’t recall Spratt scribbling away. And he seemed upset at not getting to gallivant around southern France w/ Danker and the old biddy. Any other indication that he had been preparing himself for an alternative career/supplemental income?
The only hint was that Violet said Spratt was gone when she came home. Presumably he had “gone” to London for the interview.
Not just that, but that Carson is even MORE resistant to change than the upstairs group.
And then run for Parliament and become the first woman Prime Minister? Ok, maybe not.
They kept saying that Mrs. P’s B&B was a “house of ill-repute,” which to me implied that her business plan was to provide a venue for adulterous couples. Although house of ill repute usually refers to an actual brothel, with service providers on the premises. And it would be Madame Patmore to you!
My bold.
Surprised? By all means, but you said in your quote that Edith deserved it.
Edith was stupid to poke the rabid bitch with a stick, but she didn’t **deserve **the nuclear option.