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shallownessDownton series 5.1
Stuff happened! And not just that we saw the legendary Madge’s back! Let’s not get too carried away, many of the show’s inherent faults were still there, but there was some forward momentum.
I’m so relieved that we moved forward on Thomas blackmailing Baxter, because that felt neverending last year. And yeah, while he can be heroic and I’m meant to feel some sympathy for his plight, I really dislike Thomas. But Baxter/Molesley is in the pro column for this show, because I love how, in the midst of his bumbling and the way his scrabbling after status seems more pathetic than from anyone else in the show, he’s so chivalrous and it makes her brave. And it’s nice to have a ship I can get behind (see below).
I didn’t even mind the mentions of The Valet that Bates Killed, although I mostly think it would be better if we never mentioned it again, but it made sense with Gillingham around and if they’re going for Anna/Bates childlessness angst. Not that I’m much enthused about Anna/Bates angst. Still, if we could get back to dealing with Anna’s response to the rape and not making it all about Bates...
I saw the hint of progression with Edith’s storyline – I suppose the farmer’s plan is for her to adopt her own daughter or something along those lines – but we had her failing to control her emotions, which is typical. I lost sympathy with her for not grasping that what her relationship with the farmer looks like to his wife is putting undue pressure on his marriage or how big a deal that is for him. Starting a fire by accident is such an Edith thing to do.
Mrs Hughes should know everything. In the case of Edith, she doesn’t, and she’s going to misconstrue it until she sees Edith around the child (I think her name’s Marigold). The juxtaposition of Sybbie (Donk <3!) and George, embraced decorously in the bosom of the family, with secret, illegitimate Marigold, down to the stuffed toy, was about as subtle as bricks, but I will give them props for handling the politics better than usual. Not that the references to Ramsay Macdonald and what everyone thought about it were subtle, but there was a bit more balance – Fellowes can’t have written this episode. I really liked Sarah Bunting totally standing up to Robert (even if I thought she was generally abrasive and tone-deaf to the situations she was in) because, as ever, he was shutting down debate with ‘BECAUSE I SAID SO.’
Isabel would love the fact that 16 and 17 year olds got to vote in the Scottish independence referendum, wouldn’t she?
There were lots of fun quips.
On to the ships, seeing as another big thing in this episode was matchmaking or anti-matchmaking. Basically, I would like Isabel and Mary and, to a lesser degree Tom (we saw his office!) to stop dithering. Isabel didn’t want the doctor, she didn’t seem to want Lord Merton, although I think it’s cute that he’s chasing after her, but now Violet is meddling, she seems to be becoming as bad as Mary quite Contrary. Although I would like to see Isobel really take on Harriet Walter’s Lady Shackleton, as that could be delicious. Tom doesn’t seem to be interested in Sarah That Way (although the fact she’s so short is in her favour), but he doesn’t know what he wants to do in life. And then Mary – I couldn’t take the ‘let’s be test-run lovers’ for a week scene seriously, especially since the fire was clearly coming and the ghost of Pamouk was haunting me – I still think Blake is the anointed one after last season, although I don’t remember how things were left off between them.
EXCEPT if she picks either Gillingham or Blake, it would mean leaving Downton, which is the big no-no for everyone, but specially Mary as a pivotal character, and within the show, as the mother of the heir. (With Jimmy seeming like he’s getting the boot, we’re close to the limit of how many characters can leave in a series.) This is why Matthew dying off was such a blow, because very few men are going to be in a position where it would be reasonable for them to set up home at Downton (and what about Anna?)
BUT anyway, though I suppose it’s in deference to the passion of first love and the depth of feeling of the ships, these new love interests aren’t lighting up any bonfires. Even though she calls herself cold, Mary doesn’t seem to be that bothered by Gillingham or Branson by Sarah (not as much as she fancies him). In fact, a lot of Mary’s emotional energy goes towards dealing with her father. Admittedly, I could be won over by Mary/Branson, but the show doesn’t seem to be going there. Rather, it seems to be going in a cul-de-sac.
[Although I’m seeing all the reviews claiming that this episode was all about sex, and I can see why. But I still felt a lot of ‘meh’ about the ships.]
And it’s been a cul-de-sac the show has visited pretty much always. Going away would long have been the healthiest thing for Edith, to somewhere where she could be truly valued. She chose to live by her society’s rules, except for that one time she had sex with Surely He’s Dead Now Michael, and because of them, has to keep her child a secret. Daisy should long have gone away to th’farm, and I could go on about what would have been the most natural developments in life for many other characters. I probably have done, from the second series onwards. But they have to stay, going through the same issues, which gets dull – and you could tell that Mary and Edith were bored sick of their lives at certain points in this episode.
Meanwhile Cora had some awesome moments, and some less awesome moments, and apart from the toast, Robert didn’t appreciate that. (I will talk about the casting coup of next week’s episode next week, probably.)
Stuff happened! And not just that we saw the legendary Madge’s back! Let’s not get too carried away, many of the show’s inherent faults were still there, but there was some forward momentum.
I’m so relieved that we moved forward on Thomas blackmailing Baxter, because that felt neverending last year. And yeah, while he can be heroic and I’m meant to feel some sympathy for his plight, I really dislike Thomas. But Baxter/Molesley is in the pro column for this show, because I love how, in the midst of his bumbling and the way his scrabbling after status seems more pathetic than from anyone else in the show, he’s so chivalrous and it makes her brave. And it’s nice to have a ship I can get behind (see below).
I didn’t even mind the mentions of The Valet that Bates Killed, although I mostly think it would be better if we never mentioned it again, but it made sense with Gillingham around and if they’re going for Anna/Bates childlessness angst. Not that I’m much enthused about Anna/Bates angst. Still, if we could get back to dealing with Anna’s response to the rape and not making it all about Bates...
I saw the hint of progression with Edith’s storyline – I suppose the farmer’s plan is for her to adopt her own daughter or something along those lines – but we had her failing to control her emotions, which is typical. I lost sympathy with her for not grasping that what her relationship with the farmer looks like to his wife is putting undue pressure on his marriage or how big a deal that is for him. Starting a fire by accident is such an Edith thing to do.
Mrs Hughes should know everything. In the case of Edith, she doesn’t, and she’s going to misconstrue it until she sees Edith around the child (I think her name’s Marigold). The juxtaposition of Sybbie (Donk <3!) and George, embraced decorously in the bosom of the family, with secret, illegitimate Marigold, down to the stuffed toy, was about as subtle as bricks, but I will give them props for handling the politics better than usual. Not that the references to Ramsay Macdonald and what everyone thought about it were subtle, but there was a bit more balance – Fellowes can’t have written this episode. I really liked Sarah Bunting totally standing up to Robert (even if I thought she was generally abrasive and tone-deaf to the situations she was in) because, as ever, he was shutting down debate with ‘BECAUSE I SAID SO.’
Isabel would love the fact that 16 and 17 year olds got to vote in the Scottish independence referendum, wouldn’t she?
There were lots of fun quips.
On to the ships, seeing as another big thing in this episode was matchmaking or anti-matchmaking. Basically, I would like Isabel and Mary and, to a lesser degree Tom (we saw his office!) to stop dithering. Isabel didn’t want the doctor, she didn’t seem to want Lord Merton, although I think it’s cute that he’s chasing after her, but now Violet is meddling, she seems to be becoming as bad as Mary quite Contrary. Although I would like to see Isobel really take on Harriet Walter’s Lady Shackleton, as that could be delicious. Tom doesn’t seem to be interested in Sarah That Way (although the fact she’s so short is in her favour), but he doesn’t know what he wants to do in life. And then Mary – I couldn’t take the ‘let’s be test-run lovers’ for a week scene seriously, especially since the fire was clearly coming and the ghost of Pamouk was haunting me – I still think Blake is the anointed one after last season, although I don’t remember how things were left off between them.
EXCEPT if she picks either Gillingham or Blake, it would mean leaving Downton, which is the big no-no for everyone, but specially Mary as a pivotal character, and within the show, as the mother of the heir. (With Jimmy seeming like he’s getting the boot, we’re close to the limit of how many characters can leave in a series.) This is why Matthew dying off was such a blow, because very few men are going to be in a position where it would be reasonable for them to set up home at Downton (and what about Anna?)
BUT anyway, though I suppose it’s in deference to the passion of first love and the depth of feeling of the ships, these new love interests aren’t lighting up any bonfires. Even though she calls herself cold, Mary doesn’t seem to be that bothered by Gillingham or Branson by Sarah (not as much as she fancies him). In fact, a lot of Mary’s emotional energy goes towards dealing with her father. Admittedly, I could be won over by Mary/Branson, but the show doesn’t seem to be going there. Rather, it seems to be going in a cul-de-sac.
[Although I’m seeing all the reviews claiming that this episode was all about sex, and I can see why. But I still felt a lot of ‘meh’ about the ships.]
And it’s been a cul-de-sac the show has visited pretty much always. Going away would long have been the healthiest thing for Edith, to somewhere where she could be truly valued. She chose to live by her society’s rules, except for that one time she had sex with Surely He’s Dead Now Michael, and because of them, has to keep her child a secret. Daisy should long have gone away to th’farm, and I could go on about what would have been the most natural developments in life for many other characters. I probably have done, from the second series onwards. But they have to stay, going through the same issues, which gets dull – and you could tell that Mary and Edith were bored sick of their lives at certain points in this episode.
Meanwhile Cora had some awesome moments, and some less awesome moments, and apart from the toast, Robert didn’t appreciate that. (I will talk about the casting coup of next week’s episode next week, probably.)
