Downton Abbey

Miss Lizzie Jones

Snoopy1 wrote: »

Hope Isis ( the dog that never ages) made it out ok!!
Can't stand the teacher woman, I'd give her a.good slap at my dinner table.

I would have asked her to leave.

_Whimsical_

I find the Thomas stuff really dull now. Pretty much every season he's needling at someone and then just about avoiding the sack in the end himself. They've done the "mean servant bullies other servant" bit to death at this stage.

I found that they made too much reference to past series this episode. I'm afraid I no longer have any idea why Thomas is blackmailing the new girl for info on the Bates's or why as the new person she'd be well placed to have any info.
I only remembered the teacher and that Edith had a baby from last season, for the rest I was lost.

SarahBM

They think Bates killed Mr Green after what he did to Anna.

Miss Lizzie Jones

SarahBM wrote: »

They think Bates killed Mr Green after what he did to Anna.

That is obvious!

W1ll1s

Think Lady Mary is the most stand-out character by far.
But each scene seems to start way to much like ...Everybody ready ~ Get set ~ GO... There is very little natural-flow!

Snoopy1

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

I find the Thomas stuff really dull now. Pretty much every season he's needling at someone and then just about avoiding the sack in the end himself. They've done the "mean servant bullies other servant" bit to death at this stage.

I found that they made too much reference to past series this episode. I'm afraid I no longer have any idea why Thomas is blackmailing the new girl for info on the Bates's or why as the new person she'd be well placed to have any info.
I only remembered the teacher and that Edith had a baby from last season, for the rest I was lost.

Apparantly he has quite a major storyline coming up about his sexuality

_Whimsical_

Snoopy1 wrote: »

Apparantly he has quite a major storyline coming up about his sexuality

I'll have to be a pain and say didn't we already have a major storyline about his sexuality?
He's a groundhog character, no matter what he goes through he comes back the same sly little weasel and does exactly what he always does.

I suppose there are lots of people in real life like that too though.

HeidiHeidi

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

I find the Thomas stuff really dull now. Pretty much every season he's needling at someone and then just about avoiding the sack in the end himself. They've done the "mean servant bullies other servant" bit to death at this stage.

I found that they made too much reference to past series this episode. I'm afraid I no longer have any idea why Thomas is blackmailing the new girl for info on the Bates's or why as the new person she'd be well placed to have any info.
I only remembered the teacher and that Edith had a baby from last season, for the rest I was lost.

I don't think we ever found out what he had on the new girl, just that he had something - until tonight?

And I agree that the Barrow Bad Guy story is getting a bit boring at this stage - enough already.

What I can't remember (memory of a gnat here) is who Edith had the baby with - thought it was the fella who died/disappeared (the grinning fool fella, was he a journalist?), but then she's all over the man, obviously a tenant farmer, who's now guardian of the baby.... how did the baby wind up there? And didn't she have a brief fling with a farmer at some point, is that anything to do with anything?

I need an idiot's guide to the series!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

^ Edith had a bit of a kiss with a farmer way back in S2 when she was helping out on a farm during the war.

She did have the baby with the guy that disappeared in Germany. This new farmer guy showed up last year, or maybe Christmas, and Edith talked him into taking her "friend's" baby in. Can't quite remember how she talked him into it though... he was looking for his lease to be renewed or something, maybe she put a word in. Can't quite remember.

NIMAN

As someone who watched the 1st 2 series, I have only watched the odd show since and I must say I now find the show as dull as dishwater. Anyone agree?

I think its run its course a long time ago. I watched last weeks episode and could not believe how dull it was. Also, that Irish guy in it, worst actor I have seen in a long time.

Its now style over substance for me. Won't be watching any more.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

NIMAN wrote: »

I think its run its course a long time ago. I watched last weeks episode and could not believe how dull it was. Also, that Irish guy in it, worst actor I have seen in a long time.

I don't remember him being quite so terrible in the early series though. Since Sybil died and he's been promoted to one of the family he's been terrible.

The dialogue this year even seems rubbish. Like I mentioned earlier it seems like they're trying to do way too much with way too many characters so all their conversations are rushed and extremely blunt in order to get through it all in 1 hour. Some of the dialogue in this most recent episode was awful, so clunky that it really takes you out of the show.

Curlysue76

I really think this will be the last series. Watched The Village on BBC1 and found it much better than Downton has been lately. Set in same time but has more from the working class side.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Curlysue76 wrote: »

I really think this will be the last series. Watched The Village on BBC1 and found it much better than Downton has been lately. Set in same time but has more from the working class side.

Second series of The Village wasn't as good as the first though. It suffered from the same problem as Downton, too much going on with too many characters.

Snoopy1

Id love edith to get together with they guy thats looking after her child

Snoopy1

Snoopy1 wrote: »

Id love edith to get together with they guy thats looking after her child

Ah, you old romantic, you!

Snoopy1

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Ah, you old romantic, you!

Ha ha
Just thought get rid of the wife ( kill her off) and give Edith someone decent for a change

SaveOurLyric

Made the mistake of watching the opening new episode. What gonk. The pretence of being a drama is long gone.

Mods, can you please move to the correct forum :
--> http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=539

Radio5

It seemed a bit rushed at times and trying to give everyone something to do.

Also some stories too neatly wrapped up , James and Lady whatever her name was and Baxter revealing her past to Lady Grantham.

How many people know about Edith's daughter , apart from her aunt ?

Miss Lizzie Jones

Radio5 wrote: »

How many people know about Edith's daughter , apart from her aunt ?

The Dowager Countess also knows.

Snoopy1

Miss Lizzie Jones wrote: »

The Dowager Countess also knows.

I forgot she knew. But then she knows everything.
Richard e grant comes in it this weekend.

FloatingVoter

I suppose Richard E Grant is going to discover the paintings are forgeries. And nobody ever had a dirty weekend in one of these things without getting pregnant.

Merkin

Not a great deal happened although I still feel affection for the programme. I really dislike that midget ginger teacher, what an awful character!

_Whimsical_

Lady Mary is going off the boil as a character for me. She was charmingly out of touch with reality with her "I need privacy to take off my hat" stuff but she's veering towards obnoxiously entitled now. Making Anna risk her reputation and feel uncomfortable by sending her off to the chemist was crass. Then she really annoyed me by lecturing her about how she needs to above the sexual mores of the time because,heaven forbid,she might end up living in mere country estate that did not boast an east wing and a west wing for her to escape her husband to.

Doesn't she know Anna lives in a tiny little cottage and works all day with her husband???
What a self consumed old wagon!

FloatingVoter

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Doesn't she know Anna lives in a tiny little cottage and works all day with her husband???
What a self consumed old wagon!

That's why she's riding (pun intended) for a fall. She'll be looking for lone parents allowance off the terrible Labour government before too long.
Going by next weeks trailer, we'll have the keystone kops chasing killers and (hopefully) a Maggie Smith storyline involving some old Russian prince.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I'm kind of enjoying it now in a "it's so bad it's hilarious" kind of way. It really is a soap now but if you accept that it's still quite enjoyable

spurious

Lady Mary's character is the one that stretches things most. As if anyone of her 'status', given that she has already killed the Turkish ambassador's son with her sexual shenanigans, would go off with a man for a naughty week - and take the humiliation of the hotel manager knowing what was afoot. Ludicrous carry on for an eldest daughter.

Mrs. Hughes is very quick on the uptake, as is Anna (apart from in contraceptive matters) so I'd say both of them have an idea about Edith and the little girl. Even amongst those classes, a sudden year long trip to Europe was unusual.

It's a soap in posh frocks is all it is really, but it's kind of addictive.

bren2001

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I'm kind of enjoying it now in a "it's so bad it's hilarious" kind of way. It really is a soap now but if you accept that it's still quite enjoyable

Only ever used to watch this because the gf made me. That's over but I had planned to close the show out. TICKLE_ME_ELMO, I find you posting on a lot of the shows I watch myself, if this is your comment on this series, I will give it a miss this year. Don't think I can handle watching a 1920/30's soap.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

bren2001 wrote: »

Only ever used to watch this because the gf made me. That's over but I had planned to close the show out. TICKLE_ME_ELMO, I find you posting on a lot of the shows I watch myself, if this is your comment on this series, I will give it a miss this year. Don't think I can handle watching a 1920/30's soap.

Well now, that's a lot of responsibility to put on me!

Honestly though my Mum still loves it and I watch it with her, I can't say for sure that I'd still be watching it if she wasn't tuning in every week. I didn't watch the first series "live" and had all the episodes sitting ready to watch and I found myself unable to switch it off, I think we watched the whole thing over 2 nights. Now I find myself waiting for the episode to really get going and then it's over. I couldn't even remember what happened last year.

Speaking of 1920's soaps... there's a brilliant Spanish show called Grand Hotel which is basically the same idea as Downton just in a hotel with rich upstairs owners and poor downstairs staff. It's brilliantly ridiculous but it has been that way since the start and it really works. The problem with Downton is that it started off as a really great drama and has descended into nonsense.

So yeah.... you should all watch Grand Hotel instead

bren2001

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Well now, that's a lot of responsibility to put on me!

Honestly though my Mum still loves it and I watch it with her, I can't say for sure that I'd still be watching it if she wasn't tuning in every week. I didn't watch the first series "live" and had all the episodes sitting ready to watch and I found myself unable to switch it off, I think we watched the whole thing over 2 nights. Now I find myself waiting for the episode to really get going and then it's over. I couldn't even remember what happened last year.

Speaking of 1920's soaps... there's a brilliant Spanish show called Grand Hotel which is basically the same idea as Downton just in a hotel with rich upstairs owners and poor downstairs staff. It's brilliantly ridiculous but it has been that way since the start and it really works. The problem with Downton is that it started off as a really great drama and has descended into nonsense.

So yeah.... you should all watch Grand Hotel instead

Pffft, there's more pressure than you think. I am waiting for your OUAT review to see if I should bother this season as well.

I did something similar myself. Season 1 had just finished and I started to watch it out of pure politeness, I was dreading it. Period drama's are not my cup of tea, are they any male 20 odd year old?. I think I watched them all over the space of 3 days. Thought season 2 was brilliant. Season 3 was a bit meh and I skipped over the Christmas episode, I was already given a scene by scene recap anywho. Season 4 was poor. Skipped Christmas again but was filled in. Think I'll leave it there for now. Uness your opinion on this season changes .

I'll give Grand Hotel a watch.

messy tessy

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

Lady Mary is going off the boil as a character for me. She was charmingly out of touch with reality with her "I need privacy to take off my hat" stuff but she's veering towards obnoxiously entitled now. Making Anna risk her reputation and feel uncomfortable by sending her off to the chemist was crass. Then she really annoyed me by lecturing her about how she needs to above the sexual mores of the time because,heaven forbid,she might end up living in mere country estate that did not boast an east wing and a west wing for her to escape her husband to.

Doesn't she know Anna lives in a tiny little cottage and works all day with her husband???
What a self consumed old wagon!

I disagree – I think it shows great strength of character to chose the guy she is most likely to have the best chance of happiness with, rather than the richest or the guy with the best title. She mentions the part about the wings in reference to the couple who lived separate lives and had little interaction, and if they had a disagreement they’d scarcely know it. She doesn’t want this for herself. After Matthew she wants the best possible choice for a husband (ok admittedly from among the rich and titled!!)

I agree with the comments about the teacher, she is beyond rude.

What does annoy me is the storyline about Bates being dragged up again – can’t they just leave it in the past and introduce some new storylines?