Downton Abbey (S5 E5)

 http://www.flickr.com/photos/chi_bellami/6268722278/

I didn't really know he had it in him. Way to go, Lord Grantham! I have wanted you to get rid of Mr. Bricker for simply ages and I hope he stays well away from the Abbey. A real free-for-all, it was, and terribly entertaining. The SconeLady always did like a good brawl on national television and I have now had two in a row (yesterday's Super Bowl melee). 

If you haven't seen the episode, I hope there aren't too many spoilers here to invade your space. Episode 5 was absolutely packed with plot points and set pieces, leaving me nearly dizzy trying to sort them all through. And make them make sense. Only they didn't. Not yet.

But in the meantime, we loved the Dowager Countess! However confusing everything else may be, at least she is not. Absolute clarity, nothing less. Someone mentioned a type of 'colony in Essex' where clothing is not greatly needed, and she (being shocked) said,

"Essex?! Isn't it terribly damp?" 

"Does that make a difference?" someone asked.

"Well yes, if you have no clothes on."


One particular plot point has me a little bit scared. It's about Anna and Bates and whether or not he/she/they had been in London or York on the Fateful Day. It has been so long now that I myself cannot be entirely sure. How can anyone remember? I know it involved a cricket match and a train ticket, but really. I just don't know.

Of special interest were the following:

• Mrs Patmore's good news, and her request for advice
• The intrigue between Lady Edith and just about everybody else on the show
• Our relief when the Bunting actually took off
• The fact that Thomas is experimenting with some kind of alternative treatments..
• The fact that Mrs Crawley is standing on a precipice and trying to decide which way to fall
• The continuance of the farmer's wife's fears and shouts and upsets
• The unexpected feeling of Molesley being indispensable
• The creepiness (again) of Thomas and his schemes (he's a very naughty boy)
• The Dowager Countess feeling that everything will be fine 'as long as you behave'
• The horrid shenanigans of that ingratiating Mr Bricker

AND, my personal favorite - the BRAWL. It was intensely satisfying. But - did you notice? Lord Grantham is now being horridly cold and rather mean to Cora! Like a statue. I mean, granted, he was upset that the ridiculous Bricker was in his wife's bedroom; and even though Cora told the Ridiculous to LEAVE, Grantham is now angry and blaming and sadly statue-like. And I did not like that one little bit.

But we have all been left on edge, waiting with baited breath for the resolution of all of these massive dramas. Given the number of wealthy, privileged people, it sure seems that few are actually, ever, happy.

If that is wealth, then let us be grateful for the middle class.

See you along the way!

the SconeLady

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chi_bellami/6268722278/">Chi Bellami</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">cc</a>