I suppose after an episode like last week's, it's only natural to have a rather tepid follow-up. At least, for most of its run-time. I can't fairly say that Lord Grantham vomiting blood all over the dinner table, complete with his wife getting caught in the spray, is "tepid."
But the hospital squabble – whhhhhhy? Is someone going to die there? Is it some sort of Chekhov's Setting? For as someone said elsewhere, if you need a man hurling blood all over his family to make a storyline interesting, then it's time to get a new storyline.
I'm still enjoying the Mary/Tom relationship, and it's rather amusing that it has more depth and resonance to it than her new courtship with Matthew Goode (nope, still can't remember the character's name). Having thrown three suitors at her last season, it would seem that Fellowes is at a bit of a loss at how to proceed with her love-life, and I'm trying to ignore reports that Tom will eventually make a play for Mary.
Just...no. I suppose I can see the logic of it if I squint really hard, but what they have now is lovely just the way it is. He keeps her grounded, she respects his opinion as she does no one else. Just leave it Fellowes.
I enjoyed their little discussion about their late spouses, and Mary's frank admission that she would never marry down (like her or not, she's always honest). I often feel that poor Matthew is forgotten about more than Sybil, perhaps a result of Fellowes's annoyance at Dan Stevens for bailing on the show so unexpectedly, so I'm glad he got namedropped – even if it was just a lead-in to Tom waxing lyrically about Sybil.
Because I have an unpopular opinion when it comes to Tom/Sybil: they had an awful relationship. Seriously, I never found anything remotely romantic about it. Their courtship never seemed to leave the garage, he dissed her nursing, she described him as her ticket to get out of the estate, and I don't think I'll ever forget his "don't disappoint me" comment from season three. There was nothing about Tom/Sybil that appealed to me, so I have to confess a couple of eye rolls when Tom described their marriage as one of perfect equality.
***
The Bates' actually defend Thomas to Andrew, which is a bit surprising considering the crap he pulled on Gwen last week, but I suppose even they're feeling sorry for him at this point. The guy is more pitiful than powerful these days, even as he lords his position over them all. And it turns out Andy's coldness is him trying not to give Thomas the wrong idea, though he shrugs off his sexuality with the comment "we are what we are".
That's remarkably tolerant for its day, so there's hope for a friendship at least. I'm surprised though – I thought for sure his standoffishness was a Love Actually type situation where his rudeness is a defensive tactic to hide his crush, but this same episode took Andy from a potential beau for Thomas to one that's clearly designed for Daisy. Pity.
Let's just hope Thomas's offer to teach him to read won't lead to any misunderstandings (you've done this plot, Fellowes).
Elsewhere, Baxter turns up to court to testify against the man who nearly ruined her – and learns that he's changed his plea. Surely there's got to be more to this storyline than this. I can't fathom its point if there isn't, regardless of whether or not the characters themselves lampshade how anticlimactic it is.
And Denker really sticks her foot in it this time when she insults Doctor Useless on the street, and consequently gets fired from Lady Crawley's service. She wriggles her way out of it by going to Spratt for help, and it turns out she's not above a little blackmail in doing so. I could excuse this as a result of desperation, but that she continues to keep holding his escaped nephew hanging over his head? I'm sure her comeuppance is still on its way.
***
And then after all this relative tedium, we get to the dinner party and boom! Blood everywhere and Lord Grantham on the floor. His possible final words to Cora were quite touching, though honestly – the fact that he got the chance to utter them was a giveaway that he'd be just fine. For now at least.
And now the interesting stuff: Mary finally starts to catch up on the Marigold situation.
To backtrack a little, this season has been very kind to Edith. She's got her magazine, she's hiring a female editor, she has a charming suitor, she looks amazing – in many ways she's embraced the future while Mary has been left behind a little.
I've always felt that these two would get on MUCH better if there was only some distance between them, and yet it would appear that I've been getting that all along. The two sisters may live in the same house, but they spend little time together and don't really know each other that well. That's all very well for Edith, but that remark about Marigold (from Violet to Cora) obviously caught Mary by surprise. In Mary's mind, Edith has suddenly taken on a life of her own.
I liked this comment on Previously.TV:
When Mary overheard about Marigold, my impression, from how Dockery played it and seemed to be directed, was that she suspected the truth, and if she does, then Edith runs far deeper and is much stronger than Mary ever suspected, and it takes Mary aback. That's what I got from her. As well, Edith is off with her own life, not hanging round looking for validation. I think the respect her father is FINALLY showing her, that is genuine and consistent, is a terrific development.
So her reaction to the truth will be interesting, perhaps not so much that Edith has had an illegitimate child, but that nobody told her about it. And seriously, everyone else knows about this: her parents, her grandmother, her aunt, her brother-in-law, her maid – that's going to be a real slap in the face, but one that (hopefully) won't lead to outrage so much as introspection. Why didn't they tell her? Because deep down, Edith is afraid of her big sister, and I think that will cause some serious shockwaves in Mary's soul. After all, she was humbled last week at the news of how Sybil helped Gwen change her life.
And in that brief moment between the sisters in the hallway, did I detect my longed-for thawing between them?
 |
| I'm not sure if it was an accident, but I like that they just missed eye contact. |
To quote Tom: please don't disappoint me, Fellowes.
Miscellaneous Observations:
Oh good grief, is Mrs Patmore about to hook up with Mr Mason? Not EVERYONE needs to be paired up. But kudos to the lovely actor who plays Mr Mason, a man capable of asking a young woman to move in with him without the barest trace of creepiness or neediness.
We get to see the married Carsons, and lo and behold, he's already complaining about the food. Why am I not the least bit surprised? God, I love being single and not having to cook for anyone but myself.
I'm happy for Edith in her new love affair, but I really don't care that much about Bertie. At least he's her own age (and probably won't be that fussed about Marigold) but I'm much more interested in her forming a relationship with her new female editor. She suits the single, glamorous London lifestyle.
Oh lordy, is Evelyn Napier still around?
It was nice to see Violet and Isabel support each other after Lord Grantham's collapse. Hopefully this has put things in perspective for both of them, as I'd love this show to end on a note of their friendship together.
Hey, remember when Bates and Lord Grantham were the main bromance of this show? I can't remember the last time they interacted.
Mary's necklace was awesome; just a thin chain looped around her neck. Where can I get one?
In short, a good episode for Mary and Edith, and specifically the way they see themselves and their relationship with each other. Edith has cast off the shackles of jealousy and bitterness when it comes to Mary, whereas I found this shot of Mary (directly following Tom's "long live our Queen Mary,") rather striking:
She's gotten what she ostensibly wanted, but it's lonely at the top and there was a definite theme of isolation to her final scenes in this episode.
Okay, now I really gotta get back to my Polytech assignment...
No comments:
Post a Comment