Well, Edith (Laura Carmichael) is most definitely pregnant. But Gregson (Charles Roberts) is still nowhere to be found, so Edith prepares to take drastic measures. She arranges an illegal abortion in London. Fortunately, she has a somewhat unexpected ally in her aunt Rosamund (Samantha Bond). Her aunt is so supportive she even attends the doctor's office where the abortion will occur. It is not a back alley place, but actually a rather nice office. Edith is actually upset about the whole thing and doesn't want to have the abortion because she loves Gregson and loves the unborn baby. This certainly surprised me. I had no idea she had any feelings whatsoever toward her baby. I knew that this would break her heart but she is unmarried and is in the upper class of British society and it is the 1920s. Fortunately, she backs out at the last minute, but her future is still up in the air. Full disclosure: I was raised Catholic and thus am pro-life, and I am truly grateful that Edith didn't go through with the abortion. Not just because she chose life but because this will add something interesting to the show. I wonder what she will do. The preview did mention something about a tenant farmer and I was wondering if she would consider marrying him or tell people that he raped her and thus she was pregnant. My mother thought that she would give him the baby and care for it from afar.
Now, to the other plot lines. Robert (Hugh Bonneville) is off to America to help Cora's (Elizabeth McGovern's) brother. Lame, but whatever. Violet (Maggie Smith) is very ill but Isobel (Penelope Wilton) cares for her, spending every minute with her for days. Violet recovers. Rose (Lily James) is still secretly seeing Jack (Gary Ross), but I no longer care about that relationship. Tom (Allen Leech) attends a political rally, trying to get back into that sort of thing. Anna (Joanne Frogatt) needs to face her abuser again as Lord Gillingham (Tom Cullen) returns for a visit.
Mary (Michelle Dockery) has a fairly interesting plot line, though parts are improbable. She and Blake (Julian Ovenden) take a walk after dinner to see the pigs, but they are dehydrated because they tipped the water over. Thus, Mary and Blake get down and dirty (literally) to save the pigs. Mary looks truly disgusting but Blake actually starts to like her because of her actions. When they finally return to the mansion, Mary whips up some scrambled eggs in the kitchen. Since when does she know how to cook anything? Before Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) had some cooking lessons so she could become a nurse during the war, she didn't even know how to fill a teapot with water. And Mary never journeys down into the kitchen so how and when did she learn to cook? The moment didn't work as well as the writers wanted it to.
Still, it's nice seeing Mary doing something new.
I still feel that this show is certainly missing something. There are no longer any couples you are rooting for to end up together. Everyone wanted Matthew (Dan Stevens) and Mary to get together as well as Tom and Sybil, but now, thanks to Julian Fellows, Matthew and Sybil are dead. The couples fall apart. Will anyone on this show ever end up happy? I doubt it, which is just sort of sad. Grade: B
About your last point: it's not "thanks to Julian Fellowes" that Sybil and Matthew are dead. He did not write them off the show, both actors decided to leave.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we aren't really rooting for any couples this season. I'm more frustrated waiting around for Mary to indicate SOME sort of opinion toward either Blake or Gillingham (although I think I'm team Blake too!)
I know that both actors decided to leave, but he didn't have to kill off the characters, especially both of them. I wish Mary would just make up her mind about the men. I really like Blake. Edith also now needs another love interest.
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