Tell Him. MUSICA

(Attention: I’m about to give away everything from season 6, episode 8 of Downty. If you haven’t seen it, run from this space!)

“Tell him!” Cora said to Edith  who was wearing lovely blue lace gloves and sporting a coat with interesting looking trim on the sleeves.

“Tell him,” said Rosamund, who had overdone it a bit with the curling iron and the hair style all the rage called the Marcelle. “Tell him,” I said, and Joe said.  We begged her, but nooooo, Edith’s fatal flaw stays strong, she can’t tell him, she just can’t. Too scandalous to say out loud.

She didn’t trust Bertie. Why, I will never know.

He is such a doll. Cried when Cora was kind to him. Devoted to his cousin. Doesn’t even want to be the Marquess, although he is willing, because he is honorable and believes in duty. And he hopes to use “Edith’s courage” to help himself through it. But Edith has zero courage to share and procrastinates.  It’s clear that someone has to tell him.  Marrying in a lie is not the way to start a life together.  I know, let’s let Mary do it!

She’s in the village with Tom, wearing my very favorite coat when she first hears

. . . that the owner of Brancaster Castle has died, and “worries” that Bertie might be out of his job as agent. “Poor Edith,” she says, smiling.

Later finding out, that NO, in fact Bertie is now the new Marquess. Which makes Mary insta-jealous. Add it to the list of miseries for Mary. (Robert is thrilled when he realizes Edith will be marrying a Marquess and says, “Golly Gum Drops” to show his delight.)

So now it’s time for lunch, Henry has recently stormily departed due to Mary’s edict, and according to Tom, whom Mary tricked into providing confirmation about Marigold, Mary is a bully and “like all bullies, she’s a coward” which makes her the perfect person to drop the bombshell. “You are very forgiving” she says to poor unsuspecting Bertie, “Not everyone would accept Edith’s past.” (GASP! Did you just gasp? I thought I could hear the entire country gasp.) She couldn’t help it, everyone was  having more fun than her, plus Edith would outrank her if she married Bertie. (“Absurd!” she says when she hears), so she decides to destroy her sister’s life over breakfast. Note: Mary did it when her father and mother and granny were not in the room.  She could have just as easily done it at dinner the night before, but she waited.

Poor Edith. Or, as her father would say, “Poor old Edith couldn’t even make her dolls do what she wanted them to.” I don’t see how anyone with that skin wouldn’t be a little bit braver in life.

And off Bertie goes, hurt and dismayed . . . I hope you are satisfied, Mary. But we could see it in her face, she had even shocked herself at this disgusting thing.

So out we go for terrible goodbye forever’s in front of lovely Abbey.

Bertie feels tricked. “Would you have married me in a lie?” He asks. He is such a down-to-earth, elegant man. And she was such an idiot. Because this was real love, not based on money or position, he wasn’t just some “social-climbing banker.” (Although I did have a bit of a worry the way he talked about his mother and thought if I were Edith I might not like living with her.)

And Edith said (showing off the complicated trim on the back of her dress that mirrored the trim on the Abbey), “I doubt we’ll meet again . . . so, good luck.” Proper and mannerly. Just like we knew this would be, right?

Now it is time for everyone to yell at Mary. “Bully! Coward! You finally got what you wanted!  DON’T LIE!”  all from Tom. Eeek, I’m saying to myself. Guess these two won’t be getting married.

“You nasty, jealous, scheming,” dare I say it? “Bitch.” And once was not enough, Edith said it again. “Ubbidy, ubbidy,” Mary tried to lie her way out of it. “STOP,” said Edith, “Don’t demean yourself by trying to justify your venom.”

Bada-Boom!

And I said, you go girl.  Because what Mary did was unforgivable. Even though I love her.

So she went to her gorgeous bedroom and felt sorry for herself. She’s beat Henry back to the point that he’s now called her a gold digger and “abandoned” her, Tom’s disgusted, everyone hates her.

She puts on her black widow spider outfit and feels misunderstood and alone and has no idea why.

And the Dowager comes to the rescue, all the way from France, kind of mad because her butler Spratt isn’t waiting at home to greet her. But it was a good thing she came, because there is no one like a Grandma when times are tough.

And Granny believes in love.

“Oh Granny, can’t you find me some Duke? Mary cries, she just “can’t be a Crash Widow again.” First thing,” Granny says, “make peace with your sister, and second thing, make peace with yourself.”

Awwwww.

We love Mary. We love Granny. People. We get ourselves into such messes.

Mas MUSICA

So she goes to the graveyard, choking with tears, and tells Matthew she loves Henry and says she wants to marry him and wishes for his blessing. (Why am I crying while I’m writing this?) And then she sends for Henry.

You whistled, I came, so what do you want? Not taking any guff.

This. She wants this. And so, because everyone carries a marriage license in their pocket, we are going to a wedding right now.

Everyone is getting ready for the wedding, and you can see that Anna has a baby on board. And who surprises everyone by showing up in supreme truth and light?

Edith, luminescent with forgiveness. Above and beyond the call of duty, and yet . . . she let’s Mary apologize.  Edith takes it as a matter of course and says, “I assumed you’d be sorry unless you actually are insane.” And gives a lovely speech about how important family is, how someday they will be the only ones to remember Sybil and Matthew, and their parents, and all the souls that “peopled our youth.” So right. For the moment, peace reigns, although how Mary can be happy with her sister having lost the love of her life, I don’t know.

And so Tom becomes the Best Man at Mary’s second wedding.

And I have accepted that my wished-for marriage for Tom and Mary will not be happening. And you are so right, he probably deserves a less foundationally retaliatory kind of person.  And she and Henry are very beautiful together.

And the throwing of the flower petals was just heaven.

But this is where I was finally won over.  It was a wonderful kiss that Henry gave Mary, well done! I predict a very nice first year of marriage!

Although, the hat . . . . .

And off they go!  Where?  Back to Downton? To her room?  Where are they going?

“A New couple in a New World,” says Robert. Bittersweet. Our people are growing up, going away from us.

I had to show the drama and excitement between Mary and Edith ~ we’d waited so long for it! But one of my favorite parts of this episode were the lovely scenes showing the charms of the English Countryside. Like this one of Cora and Edith in the wildflower meadow.

(Thought I’d throw this one in just for excitement. You can find this all over England in the spring!)

And the umbrellas, they were fun too. I’ve always hoped they would come back into style! Gloves too. I thought perhaps this germier, sunnier world we live in would require it, but so far, it’s just a wish.

And this scene with the Cruel Miss, boring Lord Merton’s son, Larry’s hideous wife, Miss Amelia Crookshank, having tea with the wonderful Isobel Crawley. Hat, tea, house, grounds, umbrella:

And Isobel tells Amelia that “unless I hear, ‘welcome to the family’ from Larry himself, I’m not joining up!” I do not notice any attraction at all between Lord Merton and Isobel, other than a little hovering on his part every so often. Do you?

This was one of the scenes, I’m not sure where it was, but I would like to go live there for a year or so.

And this pretty scene of Tom and Mary agenting in the woods while he tries to tell her to grow up and quit being afraid and marry Henry.

Now for Mrs. Patmore … this is her reaction when Sergeant Willis tells her that the man in the bushes with the camera in the last episode is a detective, and that the first customers to her B & B were ADULTERERS, that she may have to testify against them in a high profile trial, and that her B & B is now considered a House of Ill Repute!!!! Mrs. Patmore is about to faint.

‘Course her best friend is there for her . . . trying hard not to laugh.

Anna and Mary go into a laughing fit about the whole idea of it.

 You can’t say as much for Carson who doesn’t seem to know from laughter and says he never thought the whole B & B idea was any good from the beginning. He’s upset because  the family is being dragged into a tawdry local brew-ha-ha, and is being a total curmudgeon in every way possible.  “Yes,” Mrs. Hughes says, “But you’re MY curmudgeon.” I don’t know Mrs. Hughes. Except for sturdiness, this guy seems to have very few redeeming qualities. I would like to see him do something silly please. Twirl her, dance with her, get some lemon curd on his coat and lick it off, play a tiny joke, drop your tea bag on your eyeglasses, something!

All Mrs. Patmore’s bookings at the B & B are cancelled, she’s ruined! But the family comes to the rescue, they’re going to tea at the House of Ill Repute to give it good repute and avert further scandal. And Mrs. Patmore is so happy, she’s making the tea . . . I just love the kitchen shots.

And that egg holder. I can just picture someone who works on Downton Abbey running down to Waitrose and picking up 3 dozen eggs in two colors.

And here is Mrs. Patmore’s wonderful tea at the B & B. This is why tea parties are so much fun. They are delicious and pretty to look at!

And the cute people in the neighborhood and photographers buy right into it . . . gathering to see and take photos of the Lord and his family.

Who have saved the day  . . .

Because, essentially, this a very kind family.

And Julian gives us the shot in black and white, as it would have been in the day.

More charm . . . the school house with heart-on-his-sleeve Mr. Moseley learning to teach, wishing to give these kids the chance that he never had.

Daisy, in some pretty good eye make up, listens in, and later tells Moseley in front of everyone in the servants dining room that he’s “a natural” and “the children were spellbound.” Another very sweet kind moment. Everyone clapped and I did too. How about Mr. Moseley and Daisy as a couple?  No?

Then good Baxter saves Barrow’s life with a premonition . . . and finds him in a bathtub with slit wrists, JUST in time, he is so white we almost can’t tell where the bathtub leaves off and he begins . . . “The suicidal footman in the attic,” cruel Carson calls him.

But we would like to see him happy. Poor lonely guy.Mary visits and brings her son to give Barrow an orange and brighten his day, they commiserate about loneliness and doing bad things, and we are left with hope for his future. Even the curmudgeon decides they shouldn’t fire Barrow right this moment because maybe he does have a heart after all.

Oh, here he is, the missing Butler turns out to be in London for tea because Spratt is actually Miss Cassandra Jones, the Lonely Hearts columnist for Edith’s magazine! How perfect is this!!? He’s probably been stealing lines from Granny for years!

This second to last episode ends with Edith standing at Sybil’s grave smiling ruefully (first time in my life I ever used that word!) as she watches her darling Marigold . . .

run and play and giving us the idea she has come to acceptance, that she is saying to herself, at least I have my child. OH, Bertie, Bertie, Bertie, come back to us. We need you!♥

And that is it, for this week. Apparently the Academy Awards are on next Sunday so, the very last episode (wah!) of Downton will come on March 6, just in time to welcome Spring.  But I’ll be back on the Blog before that!

You are probably tired and worn out from this recap, but before I go I had to share a bit of Jack with you this morning . . .

Yes, I know, but he is so precious.

All ready for his morning nap . . . And I’m off to work on the calendars some more . . . I showed some watercoloring in the last blog post (which I did just yesterday) in case you want to scroll down and see it.  Joe just came into the Studio to tell me our New Hope, PA “Afternoon Tea” on our Book Tour has sold out!!! How wonderful, I’m so excited! A whole room of kindred spirits!  Most of our events don’t require tickets, but some do, so be sure to get yours before they’re gone, because I’m going to LOVE seeing you. (There has been a little change to the map at the Event in Kansas City, but it is correct in the listing.)

Alright, off I go! Have a wonderful day Girlfriends! XOXO