But she’s not her “friend,” she’s her servant!
Gobear, you just want to devour the staff, I can tell . . .
Well, I’d start with Rob the 2nd footman and Kenny the hall boy.
And is it just me, or is there something really wrong with lusting after someone less than half my age; Kenny is 18, I’m 41–to quote Chris Rock, “that ain’t right!”
Of course, he could be Jane Eyre and I could be Mr. Rochester, “'Scuse me, Mr. Benny, but my crazy wife done set fire to the house!”
Thanks, Gobear, you just ruined* Jane Eyre* for me. “Oh, Jane, will you start up the Maxwell?”
They said in the beginning that the lady’s maid was also her confidante. I took that to mean she’s been “hired” to be her friend.
I wonder, do the Lord and Lady have a say in who the staff is, or do they hire the butler and the housekeeper and let them handle the rest of the hiring?
I thought it was rude of the second scullery maid to quit while the dinner party was going on. She could have at least quit AFTER the dishes were done.
In the old aristocractic society, the lady probably wouldn’t have spent hours and hours poring over books trying to figure out if a foreign baron outranked a lord. However the couple depicted were supposed to represent the noveau riche – or the industrial barons. So it made sense that she wouldn’t have known a lot about that society. And it made sense that the man would have made a social gaffe by wearing a black vest.
Edith Wharton wrote a book that reminded me of this: The Buccaneers. It wasn’t finished but it was about American women who married into the British aristrocracy and tried to get accepted into “the system.”
Now that’s funny! 
In real life, the lady of the house would have hired the upper servants: lady’s maid, butler, cook; and approved the butler’s choice of upper house parlormaid and valet. The lower servants would have been hired solely by the butler (except the kitchen staff, who would be interviewed by cook). The master of the house would never be bothered by servants’ problems.
Eve, do you think they need some more servants? It’s huge house for just what, 7-8 servants?
Well, if it’s any consolation, he looks a good bit older than 18. I don’t think any of the 18 year olds I went to school with looked so handsome.
I like the groom/coachman myself. Alas, he’s also about 18.
Stupid Manor House and it’s tempting jail bait. I can’t fathom why the spinster sister is locked in her room upstairs when that dishy coachmen is giving free riding lessons.
Must remember to watch it tonight
BTW, 46% snob and either living alone or a secretary.
Well, I no longer like the Lady’s Maid, and the Master is plucking my last nerve . . .
Kenny the Hall Boy is adorable: “I want the new maids to spend the day pleasuring me in rude ways!”
No kidding! If I were the spinster sister, I’d be all about “oh YOO–HOO, little stable boy!” and then the horses would make the Frau Blücher noise.
By the end of the second episode, I was very glad that Spinster Sister had Lord John’s number. He’s a goofball. I loved how the servants stuck it to him by serving the pig’s head after he complained about not being Edwardian enough. Then later, I was practically crying when he gave Mr. Edgar the hairy eyeball. Stop picking on Mr. Edgar!
I’m 80% snob. I’m stunned, actually.
delphica made me come here to be all googly over the footmen, but that’s not why I’m enjoying the show. The house, the clothing, everything has me drawn in.
Okay, I’m just going to have to reply on this thread & not read everyone’s posts first, because episode no. 4 was so infuriating & poignant.
First of all, I doubt PBS could have cast the “Master of the House” any better. Is anyone else wanting to give Sir Smug-Entitled a good hard kick in the ass? I don’t care if he’s perfect for the part. He’s more than a bit too self-satisfied. He is entirely at home with his head up his ass. He waited until more staff was hired on & then laid down the rules & got a shooting party together. Smart timing. Asshole.
Secondly, Lady “It’s Magical” Olliff-Cooper is the perfect compliment cough enabler to him. As she should be, I know. She did have some wonderfully insightful comments about how all of this has affected her Spoiled-Brat son.
She should have taken a tour of the entire house when she arrived, including the downstairs quarters, but, I’m sure she was trying to follow the rules.
I felt sooooooooo bad for Mr. Edgar tonight. He has made every effort for that family. When everything is going well with the kitchen staff, his relationship with his employer is peachy. When the staff don’t bow to Sir Smug’s every desire, he gets blamed. Affection is withheld & he is publically derided. Such is life.
: ( Poor Mr. Edgar. He is not completely downstairs or upstairs. When he said, “It won’t be the same. [The lord mistrusting him] happened once, it can happen again.” I was nodding my head the while.
It’s been really educational to see how these close-quarter-relationships have evolved. Not unlike the cubicle world of today at all.
And Miss Anson’s reaction to her role had Truth-Is-More-Telling-Than-Fiction written all over it. I would told her to take up reading & embroidery, but taking a break is no doubt more healthy than engaging in short bouts of escapism. She sure had her brother-in-law’s number, though.
And where’s the housekeeper in all these squabbles? I thought she was supposed to be the butler’s consort? We’ve hardly heard a peep from her.
Mr. Edgar is taking his role way too personally by letting the smallest details affect his emotions. His maudlin self-pity is getting on my nerves as much as Sir John’s selfish, smug sense of entitlement is.
I’m a little suprised that the unmarried sister has so little to do in the household and lives so completely on Sir John’s sufferance. Surely back in the day she would have inherited a small income of her own that would give her some degree of freedom.
I was glad when the socialists showed up, I will never look at a period novel or movie in the same way again. What do you mean you want time off to see your family be happy I allow you to work for me. If Rush Limbaugh watched the series he would sympathize with Sir John, good help is hard to find.
The Socialists crashing the Garden Party was a nice touch. And that barely-concealed look of disdain on Sir John’s face was hysterical. I think Sir John is enjoying his role a little too much and I also think that seeing as how he didn’t have all that much difficulty slipping into the role of an Edwardian high-class snob, that he’s probably not that nice a guy IRL either.
Poor Edgar!! I just wanted to give him a hug when Sir John called him out in front of the whole dining room. And did anyone else notice that he didn’t have any family visit him at the Garden Party? I can see Edgar having a pretty good future playing butlers in period movies though. He’s completely nailed the part.
The show is simply amazing. Everyone seems to have completely immersed themselves in their roles. I wasn’t even surprised to hear Lady Oliff-Cooper confess that she was worried about her son’s attitude towards the servants affecting his future ability to become the Lord of the manor. Then she remembered that they would be returning to real life in three months and were all just acting.
The backstory on the family is that Oliff-Cooper is a successful businessman who recently received his title, and we haven’t been told much about the origins of the family. The women didn’t come from a titled family either, hence Lady Whatsit having to learn all the rules of seating. While I think it’s entirely possible that the sisters might have inherited a pension from their father, it’s also possible that their father might not have had money, let’s say they’re the daughters of a vicar, or a country doctor (both of whom would have had some level of prestige and moderately educated daughters, yet not much money to speak of). Or a small businessman whose investments went bottom up shortly before his death.
I’m telling y’all, this is becoming more and more like the Stanford Prison Experiment as the days go by.
Lady Oliff-Cooper “forgetting” that her son won’t inherit the property and lifestyle? Mental!
Miss Anson having a breakdown and taking a holiday to calm her nerves? So tragic.
Sir John warming zestfully to his role of lord of all he surveys? Worth an eyebrow-raise or two, I daresay.