OK, Downton Lovers, time to cuddle in for the finale.   MUSICA  Sob. Sob at the beginning, sob at the end. Sob in the middle.

We are ready!  We are hunkered down in front of the TV for the finale of Downton Abbey, Season Five (Take this as fair warning, if you haven’t seen it, run away from here now!).  

I would like to take this moment to thank all of our darling British Girlfriends for being so careful and not giving anything away.  I love you for that!  It must have been hard! I have to tell you, it was worth waiting for!

Off we go for Grouse Hunting Season (love this scene) . . . something I for one, would never miss. How ’bout you?  Who doesn’t love a big plate of Grouse and plenty of catsup?  But if you go, fair warning,  bring along your own butler, because the one that comes with the house is a real problem child.

Stowell comes across immediately as worse than Dickie’s boys — mean to everyone and arrogant.  You would think he was an Earl instead of a Butler. He immediately demotes Barrow to footman of all things, and he has the nerve to call Tom a chauffeur ~ he has NO IDEA who he’s messing with. I pity him.

Perfectly lovely party in the most GORGEOUS green room . . . which Stowell ruins  . . . my grandmother used to have this saying, “there’s always a creep in the crowd.”  And around the folk of Downton Abbey, that seems to be true.  Can’t have a dinner without somebody doing something!

Because Stowell refuses to serve Tom.  Look at Mary’s face.  He doesn’t realize the Crawleys have a huge code of ethics when it comes to Tom:  Hurt Tom, hurt us, hurt you.  Right Mary?  Go get him Barrow.  Here is an opportunity for you to use your immense powers for good.

El Jefe is not pleased, calls Barrow a stupid fool in FRONT OF EVERYONE! Big Mistake. Triple jeopardy.

Hello?  Are we on time for the party?  Lord Sinderby’s mistress and out-of-wedlock child have arrived, courtesy of Barrow, via Stowell’s big mouth.  Stowell is his own worse enemy, “Loose Lips Sink Ships.”  What makes this scene really unfortunate is that everyone knows what high moral standards Lord Sinderby has. 

Closing your eyes won’t help, we know you’re in there.  Everyone has watched how nasty you’ve been to  Rose and her parents because they are getting a divorce.  Mary even tried to talk you out of it.  But Nooooo.  You weren’t having it.  Happy now?

Don’t cry, just tell me her name and I’ll save you. No need to look like a deer in the headlights, just tell me her name.

Oh Diana, I’m so glad you could make it . . . Let me introduce you, . . . Lady Sinderby?  I’d like to introduce my friend . . . 

MARY: What’s going on?

ROSE: Help me.

(This is that same wonderful dress Rose was wearing last week when her mother tried to sabotage her marriage.  No wonder she’s moving to New York.)

What’s your name little boy.  Daniel?  Fancy that.  That’s my husband’s name.

Lord Sinderby tells Rose he’s sorry,  thanks her for her quick thinking, makes her day with gramophone in the Library!  She loves gramophones!   Robert says to the hypocrite: “She’ll love you forever if you let her.” Lord Sinderby does not deserve Rose, or his wife. Or the mistress either, for that matter.

But say goodbye to Rose . . . she is taking her good influence, her steel-trap of a mind, and her lovely husband and moving to New York to be Cinderella . . . from now on Lord Sinderby, you will have to fend for yourself, no Rose to save you.  Yes, but how about US, how will we live without the picture of open-minded, flapper-girl youth that is Rose? Not to mention her adorable outfits? I don’t like thinking about it.

She’s been such a fun fashion plate to have around. Look at the trim on these two dresses!  The trim, the pleats, the collar on Mary, the fabric, the colors!

But we still have Mary  and she never lets us down . . . this coat is too wonderful for words . . . what a scene it made when she walked into the prison to see Anna. Poor Anna.

The front is as pretty as the back.  Anna on the other hand . ..

is a mess.  Though she did get out of prison due to her husband’s lying confession. These two!  Now he’s gone, she doesn’t know where, he’s alone and wanted for murder. She’s officially more morose than Edith on her worst day ~ too pitiful to even use the front door even when Lady Mary says it’s OK.  She’d rather sit around by herself staring at her wedding pictures.

Then the big surprise…Bates comes in and sneaks up on her . . .

For a big Christmas surprise, the best present she could ever get.

Hopefully all charges against both of them will be dropped by next fall and when we see them next January, they will have twins and their murdering days will be over. Do it for them.  Do it for us.

Other happy news, Robert forgave his daughter with all the aplomb and warmth a good daddy would have for his little daughter and her lot in life, including the added bonus of respect for Gregson, the absent father  . . . he even asked her to forgive him! (The bedtime hair-do and garb is wonderful, she should find somewhere to GO in this outfit.)

Edith is the happiest I’ve ever seen her.  Tom let her know he knows about Marigold by telling her that where he came from there were many Marigolds, so now the only person that doesn’t know is Mary.  Let’s save that for next year shall we?  Dee-licious!

Edith’s looking fabulous!  She should be, she’s had years of problems, and lately, most of them have gone away.

Look at this hat in the Beautiful English Countryside.  I don’t have a single complaint for any of the hats in this episode, love them all!

Isobel looks wonderful

and this one, I really like this one . . . want to see the back?

It looks cozy for foggy grouse hunting.  And who is that guy they paired Edith off with  . . . isn’t he sort of a farm manager or something? I didn’t get that part. He must be OK, or they wouldn’t give him a gun and let him take up precious space in the Grouse Season Wagon.  Look at all the trouble they made for Tom.  Just making sure this man has social standing enough for a Crawley? And isn’t it interesting how none of the women get to shoot?  They were, what?  Like dinner partners?  The entertainment?  I don’t know, but I’d rather be in front of the fireplace with a good book.

Wasn’t the ride on the train fun?

Mary looks about ten years old here. Nice hat.

 Cora’s nightgown!  Gorgeous.

 Then this.  The Drama of the “Restorative Broth.” Denker goes to the experts for help, which is where they all find out Denker is a terrible cook!

And Daisy’s secret fix, a bottle of her own homemade broth, goes awry . . . when Spratt finds it and pours it down the drain.  Spratt rhymes with Brat.  Is it possible he and Denker are attracted to each other?   Noooooo, too icky to contemplate. 

 No worries, Denker takes it quite well . . .

And the sweetheart that saves the day is our darling Violet.  Who was just the cat’s meow through this whole episode . . . 

She dresses up the Princess Eleana in her own clothes and says, go ahead and keep them.  The Princess is bitter.  Hasn’t got any luggage, hasn’t got the will to LIVE even ~ and the faces Isobel makes while listening to her are priceless.

Seems to blame it all on Prince Igor who looks very nice in the borrowed Theater Royale Tuxedo . . . maybe the hair isn’t dirty? Maybe it’s product?  He’s off to Paris now with Mrs. Happiness, I guess we’ll never know.

So, honorable Violet breaks up forever with the love of her life. “Never complain, never explain.” (Think I’ll use that 🙂 )  Luckily she has her BFF Isobel to hash it all over with . . . we’re reminded of Royal Wedding Balls and midnight ice skating in St. Petersburg all those years ago.  When Isobel asked, Violet wouldn’t say definitively if she ever strayed again after Igor, “Remember, WE were the Edwardians.”  Not many people can say that.

 “I will never again receive an immoral proposition from a man,” she says to Isobel, “was I wrong to savor it?”  NO Violet, you did it all perfectly!  Thank you for allowing us to be there for the savoring.  

And then this!  Two perfectly well-suited people, yearning for each other, kept apart by selfish children who should have a life of their own and get away from England.  But Oh well.  wah.  Very sad, this one.  I say, disinherit!

But these two make the best couple of all . . . Best Friends Forever.

And so much more,

Tom, our bridge, and his prayer to Sybil, that brings the two sisters together . . . these three, the ones that “should have grown old with her” . . . beautiful.

And this pretty picture of the future Lords and Ladies of Downton Abbey, Marigold, George and Sybbie.  I wonder how much trouble THEY’LL get into when it’s their turn?  How CAN Tom take Sybbie away.  I mean, poor Robert.  I’ll believe he’s going when I see he’s gone.

Well, what do we think about Mr. Henry Talbot, the “uninvited guest” that “fixed everything so that Atticus couldn’t join the shooting party?”  I thought he was nice.  He seemed sensitive, said, “Young widow.”  Was self-effacing.  But Mary?  Oh nooo.  Not that easy.

But then she thought better of the whole thing. Maybe she liked the way he danced. She came out and apologized just as he was leaving . . .

 In his very fast car. (I can’t help but think she would worry to see anyone zooming off in a fast car.) I would rather have Tom, but this guy looks OK.  He seems to be of her ilk.  Can give as good as he gets.  If that’s the way they want to live.

Through the whole show these two kept having private little wine tastings. 

Then he bought a house and put both their names on it . . .

Then he shocked everyone by saying the magic words “I DO want to be stuck with you.  Will you marry me?”

And despite the very obvious missing kisses (my whole self was saying KISS KISS KISS but it didn’t happen), we all cried, even our darling booby sweetheart Carson cried.  Did you know?  It’s Elsie and Charles. ♥ 

Please, please, please, can we PLEASE go to the wedding?  I would also like a tour of the new house and maybe just one little cup of tea and a biscuit with the newlyweds.

There is so much more that I didn’t even get to, but I think WordPress is going to kick me out if I make this much longer!  What a show, what a wonderful show.

And there they go!  Off away from us for another year.  My new prayer?  Downton Abbey, the movie.  In Juilan Fellowes’ spare time please.

And just so you know, when I’m not with you, I’m not dilly-dallying-doing-nothing, I am writing a romantic kind of book that I think might be just your cup of tea, a little history, a little creativity, a little love story.  And, it has come to my attention, that in order to fit everything I want into my new book ~ all the photos and watercolors and other fun things, and not have it be the size of War and Peace, I will have to make it two books!  What a relief to finally figure that out!  Which means, I am sending the first book off to the editor in about a week.  We are getting closer. 

The other thing, I have a special give-away for you, something I KNOW you will like . . . but it’ll have to go in the next post because this one is too crazy long. Love you Girls and Boys . . . Downton Abbey Forever! XOXO