Dishing on Downton, Week 6

As usual a spoiler alert: If you haven't seen this week's episode, don't read this! 

There was some real good emotion last night, wasn't there?  I mean the whole episode with Thomas, revealing him as a vulnerable person. But I thought it was all sewn up rather nicely with his lordship smoothing things over, and Carson making him under butler. In fact I felt it was a whole night of easy solutions--the writer is tiring of his subject, methinks.

The tiresomely noble Bates comes home, thank God. I couldn't have stood one more week of him in prison looking noble and woebegone. But Rats--now I'll have to discard my FREE BATES T shirt! And is given a cottage, which is really a stupid idea because a valet has to be on hand to dress and undress his master at all hours and so does Anna. Now they'll have to walk across the estate in the dark and rain at midnight after a dinner party! I grew up in England. I know how often it rains..

And Tom is made land agent, and starts to prove his worth, which we all guessed. And it seemed there was a little something wrong with Mary--a mere tweak needed--so that she can get pregnant. And Ethel is conveniently re-situated where she can see her child.

They had to introduce the really naughty Rose to bring some life into what is now, on the whole, a dreary plot. She was fun but oh so predictable. And poor Edith, now falling for a man who has a wife in an asylum. What's the betting the wife will conveniently die before too long so they can marry after all?

But nothing else matters really because there was a bloody good game of cricket and that's what counts!

So do you also feel it's losing it's sparkle, it's emotional appeal?  Of course I can't stop watching, but....

Dishing on Downton, Week 4

Okay, who cried last night? I did. My daughter did. I suspect my son-in-law did although he didn't admit to it.

I've watched 3 seasons of Downton. I've felt sad when William died, when Lavinia died--although both were awfully convenient, weren't they? I did feel a few tears when Matthew proposed to Mary but this is the first time that the story really touched me. I suspected that the story for Sibyl and Tom couldn't end happily but I suspected that Tom would die in some kind of Irish uprising and Sibyl would come home.

But I really didn't think that sweet, adorable Sibyl would die thanks to a stupid doctor and a stubborn father. My daughter and I both said instantly "She's got pre-eclampsia" when they mentioned swollen ankles and confusion. They should have listened to us.

So now there are only two Crawley sisters and a hint that Matthew may indeed be sterile. Is there going to be no heir to Downton? I can't stand it!

On a lighter note, I'm enjoying the downstairs love triangle/quadrangle and evil O'Brien up to her tricks again. But what a lot of holier-than-thou pricks when it comes to Ethel. Would one of them let tbeir child starve? Would they have behaved as nobly by finally giving him up? Good for Mrs. Crawley.

But please--Bates and Anna have gone on long enough. Either kill him off or set him free.

What do you think is going to happen? I think Edith is going to make a name for herself. I hope Mary's going to get pregnant.

Can't wait for next week. Buying more tissues, just in case.