Any other Downton Abbey fans?

[angus]

Sybil's death was really tragic.

good choice of words.  It was exactly tragic in the sense of the greek plays of antiquity.  There was a moment when Robert, out of stupidity, arrogance, or both, sealed her fate.  He was reduced to a mumbling fool, "How can this be?  She's only 24.  This cannot be."  I suppose you're right about his character being genuinely caring, at least as caring as an Englishman can be, and the actor does a fine job portraying it, but he's a dinosaur of a man.  An elitist holdover from the middle ages.  He's incompetent, foolish, and a poor manager who survives on the charity of others.  We also found out that he's a bigot, but then I don't think that his attitude was particularly uncommon among the those of his caste and place and time.  Although that fact mitigates his attitudes somewhat, I do find it very hard to like him.  I do like the show, however.  And my favorite character, Carson, seems to like him very much.  Almost the way a child admires a father or a pre-Classic mesoAmerican field worker admires the gods who bring them rain.

Thomas crying was sort of weird for me.  I don't know what to make of him.  He's too shrewd and opportunistic, but they show him having a soul from time to time.  He seems to have the hots for the new footman.  I'd like to see him get laid, because I think he'll be much less uptight if that happens, but I don't think the affection is mutual.  The footman strikes me as a ladies' man.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I haven't seen it, but who would've ever predicted that a show on PBS would become a hit with hipsters?

[angus]

I have learned that eclampsia occurs in about 1 out of every 3,000 pregnancies. The following increase a woman's chance for experiencing eclampsia:

    Being 35 or older

    Being of African descent

    History of diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney disease

    Multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, etc.)

    Teenage pregnancy

As far as I can tell, none of those conditions apply to Sybil. 

It seems a very unlikely conceit for the writers to have employed.  Moreover, I've been reading that even a hundred years ago, some treatment for seizures would have been utilized for such a patient.  Magnesium sulfate has been around since 1906 and has since been proven to be a superior medication.  It is cheap, cost-effective, relatively easy to administer, and something that almost any physician in 1920 would like have had on hand or could have delivered on short order.  Both of her physicians stood by, presumably powerless, while the many members of Sybil's family cried desperately for help.  By that point even the arrogant London physician understood the problem but all he said was something to effect of not being able to control nature.  It's quite a stretch.

That actress must have really pissed off some producer. 

[tmthforu94]

Could someone let me know if anyone in this thread has given any spoilers? I'm curious to see what others have said, but don't want the whole reason ruined as a result.

Sybil's death...was tragic. I was nearly in tears when it occurred - it was so unexpected. I always thought her acting abilities were one of the weakest, so in that sense, I'm not completely surprised. This season, thus far, has been the best. So much drama in ever episode - I can barely stand to wait another week! Especially curious to see what happens with MasterBates - I think they're going to get the statement to prove his innocence, but his cell-mate is going to frame in and he'll have to stay in regardless. More drama!

[angus]

...don't want the whole reason ruined as a result...

...I was nearly in tears when it occurred...

... I can barely stand to wait another week!

Dude, it's a TV show.  One that we like, but still just a show.  Get some perspective.  And a life.

[Frodo]

...don't want the whole reason ruined as a result...

...I was nearly in tears when it occurred...

... I can barely stand to wait another week!

Dude, it's a TV show.  One that we like, but still just a show.  Get some perspective.  And a life.

I think that was sarcasm.

[angus]

...don't want the whole reason ruined as a result...

...I was nearly in tears when it occurred...

... I can barely stand to wait another week!

Dude, it's a TV show.  One that we like, but still just a show.  Get some perspective.  And a life.

I think that was sarcasm.

ahahaha.  Yeah, I was sort of thinking that as well, and I was giving Tmthforu94 a chance to say something about being called black by a pot, or whatever.  Stategery. 

It was also a concise recap of the whole thread, tongue-in-cheek.  Excellent of him to post it. 

[Frodo]

Does anyone here think Ethel is going to last long as a maid in Isobel Crawley's house? 

[angus]

Does anyone here think Ethel is going to last long as a maid in Isobel Crawley's house?  

Isobel is very strange in that setting.  In modern times she would be "normal."  In 21st century USA terms, she's the stereotypical compulsive interfering Jewish mother.  Not afraid to say the word prostitute among polite company, and even hire one.  And definitely not afraid to let her boy know when he's being a wanker.  I didn't like her much at first, but she's grown on me.  I suppose such a character would have existed in any generation, but in a time and place when the world was meant to have been divided into servants and masters, a third way alternative, blissfully willful and unconcerned with the oppressive decorum that kept so many people in their places, seems a bit out of place.  Still, she livens things up a bit.

I don't know whether Ethel will last, but I'm sort of hoping Isobel does.

[memphis]

Isobel needs Ethel just as much as Ethel needs Isobel. Now that Matthew is married, Isobel desperately needs something to do. Ethel is just the sort of project she's been looking for. Not sure about in the UK, but at least here in the US, women from comfortable backgrounds who need something to do have been at the forefront of many reform movements, especially those concerned with the plight of the underclass. And not just Jewish women, but they've certainly been represented as well. Assuming this was true in the UK as well, there's nothing at all anachronistic about Isobel.

[angus]

Season finale tonight, boys and girls.  Two hours.  Rumor is that Mrs. Patmore is going to get laid.

[Frodo]

I've also heard rumors that Matthew Crawley is supposed to get killed in a car accident.  

[Simfan34]

NO SPOILERS FRODO!

[angus]

Matthew is the only one who can convince Robert to take his head out of his ass, so I doubt he'll die any time soon.  In the last episode, they introduced this insufferable bimbo from London who really gets on my nerves.  I'm hoping they kill her off soon.  Or get her pregnant and send her away.

Here, they're doing 4 hours starting at 7PM Eastern.  7-9 is last week's episode, then 9-11 is the new episode.  I'm tempted to watch last week's episode again, but if I do I'll be saturated by the time the new one comes on and may not be able to stand watching it.  There's only so much English accent I can take for one day.  Maybe I'll just wait till 9 to start watching.

I miss John Bates being in jail.  Well, I like the character and am pleased that he has been exonerated, but he's such a macho dude--besides Tom Branson, he's pretty much the only man on the show--and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him threaten other inmates with his shank.  

[Frodo]

NO SPOILERS FRODO!

It came from a Wiki article I read.  If everything that BRTD has said about Wiki's credibility is true, you have nothing to worry about.  

Matthew is the only one who can convince Robert to take his head out of his ass, so I doubt he'll die any time soon.

Well I certainly hope he doesn't die either, but I have some faith that his protege and partner, Tom Branson, will be able to bring Downton Abbey back to financial health if the worst happens.  

Or at least until the Great Depression hits, if this series goes on that long....   

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I watched the Christmas special (or bits of it) for a laugh and, yeah, some cardboard cutout man or other is killed in car crash at the end. I laughed a lot it was so badly done. Like really badly; 'this man does not know how to write', levels of badness. I don't know what the character was called. Young-ish. Think he was married to Michelle Dockery's character (who's name I don't know either) and they'd just had a bairn. That was what made it so funny; yes it was that crudely done.

There was also a tedious load of nonsense in Scotland (a very American idea of Scotland, I noted, so you people will be pleased), and some bizarre subplot involving a randy greengrocer or something phoned in by eternal Northern character actor John Henshaw.

Hope that helps.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The randy greengrocer subplot included a tug-of-war.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm looking forward to the inevitable Family Guy cut away parody of it. That's about all I care about it.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Actually this is also great: http://downtonabbeyhipster.tumblr.com/

[Simfan34]

This was legitimately funny:

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Downton Abbey would actually legitimately be a good name for an emoviolence/real emo band.

[Frodo]

Okay, why is Matthew being given all the lame cliche lines?  

'Oh, Mary, how much I love you!'

'Oh, Mary, I don't know what I will do without you!'

And on, and on... 

[Ban my account ffs!]

If 1921 had 2013 technology.

[Simfan34]

?

[angus]

I've also heard rumors that Matthew Crawley is supposed to get killed in a car accident.  

Wow, you were serious.  That became obvious at the very end of the episode.  It was all going along swimmingly then at the very end they show Matthew in a car.  At that point I thought about your post.  It was at the very end.  It was weird and cheesy, though, with none of the action we got the first time Matthew was killed.  One minute he's cruising along and the next he's in a ditch with blood streaming down his face.  And this time William wasn't there to throw himself in the way.  Why would they want to kill off Matthew?  Maybe it's their meme.  Every time a baby is born a grown-up must die.  Or maybe Matthew has simply served his purpose so his time is up.  Like a male black widow spider, life for him was focused and short.  His mother will be devastated.  Maybe she'll take up with the good doctor after all.

Well, at least Robert did finally get his head out of his ass, thanks to Matthew.  There was a moment when you could actually hear it--POP, like the plastic stopper coming out of cheap Catalonian bubbly--his head comes flying out of his ass, surprisingly clean, and he could see light and feel warmth all around him.  Cora was pleased, as she should be given that she hasn't any more funds with which to bail him out of debt.  

I looks as if the blonde bimbo cousin is here to stay.  I don't know whether she was more sympathetically portrayed than last time, or if I was just getting used to her, but she wasn't nearly as irksome as last time.  Actually, by comparison to her mother, she was very well adjusted, and as I recall from the previous episode, she was dancing lewdly to some very American music from an orchestra called The Louisiana Boys in the previous episode in a place that Matthew likened to Dante's "outer circle of inferno."  So maybe she's not all bad.

I was a little disappointed with Mrs. Patmore's affair.  Apparently all that bastard wanted was a hausfrau to cook for him and change his diapers.  

Oh, and Mister Thomas Barrow took a beating for Jimmy.  Wasn't that sweet?  He is starting to have a soul.  "I'm not foul Mr. Carson.  I'm not the same as you, but I'm not foul."  Apparently not.

Overall, there was lots of good character development in that episode, so I don't think it's over now.  Also, I did some googling and found that they are producing a fourth season of episodes.  Any new season must start with grief over Matthew's death, I'd guess, but the writers are sometimes cheeky so they may just skip all that and put us in the middle of something political.  The 20s were crazy times, and they could have fun with it.