Downton Abbey recap: season four, episode seven
Lady Mary wants to make things right, Bates wants revenge, and Branson is having a political reawakening. All this plus some excellent shenanigans regarding valets
SPOILER ALERT: This blog is for people watching Downton Abbey series four. Don't read on if you haven't seen episode seven.
Click here for Viv's episode six blog
This was not a hateful penultimate episode for series four. Apart from Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the ill-defined tax inspector-estate-manager-suitor types. What is the point of them? If the last episode next week is all about them shutting down Downton because of their weird survey, I'll deprive a piglet of water.
Pleasingly, Shirley Maclaine (Cora's mother) put her foot down from across the Atlantic and this has proven a most excellent intervention, occasioning some lovely performances and excellent shenanigans regarding valets. And a pleasing setup between Thomas and Baxter, as he passed the Mantle of Evil to her in his absence.
This is quality Downton: when some people have information which others don't have. Now there's a really interesting situation going on where Lady Mary wants to make things right, Bates wants revenge, Anna wants the whole thing forgotten and Thomas wants to be on the inside of the secret. All we needed was the reappearance of Mr Green/Gillingham/Mini-Den and the whole thing would kick off. And, oh look, here he is ?
But, of course, that's not all. Far from it. There were 47 other things going on. Please help us, not a political subplot with some frantic Googling of Lloyd George and a speech at Ripon! Yes, Uncle Julian, we know you are aware of a lot of contemporary period detail. It gets shoe-horned in when you remember. Why do you burden us with this when we are already preoccupied with Mini-Den, Edith's pregnancy and the deathly pallor in Cousin Violet's face? Plus, this sub-plot turned into another sub-plot about a new love interest for Branson, as well as his political reawakening. Exhausting.
I was inordinately stressed during the Dame Maggie scenes, as there was plenty of humour but it felt ill-placed. I don't want jokes about Cousin Isobel when there could be a death at any moment. Despite the speedy recovery, I am still very worried that Dame Maggie will not survive this series. If this is the case, it really should be the death of Downton itself. But at least it was a false alarm for now. Goody-goody.
What else? Lady Edith has bad feelings. She has had a pretty bad life, to be fair. And it's not getting any better. Aunt Rosamund was wonderful, veering between genuine concern and inevitable judgment. But Edith is right. She can't have this baby. "How did you find it [the 'place']?" "There was a magazine in the ladies' waiting room at King's Cross ? " Oh dear. I can't see things turning out well in the abortion clinic, a place of darkness and copious weeping ? But, what's this? She's changed her mind and it was all a waste of time! Dear me, I'm so, so tired.
The scene between Mr Green/Gillingham/Mini-Den and Mrs Hughes was superb. As was the closing scene with the cauliflower cheese. The rest of this series can only hinge on this question. Lady Mary: "We still can't find out who he was?" Oh, but we can. I'm sure we can. And so can Bates.
Random subplot alert
Don't let Alfred into the house! Make him stay at the pub! Everyone pretend they've got flu! This was excellent. Lovely interplay between Mrs Patmore and Mrs Hughes. "Appearances can be deceptive ? " All the relationships here felt speculative and unclear. So we are supposed to think that Alfred might ask Ivy to marry him and then Daisy will be upset and Jimmy will be annoyed too? Just do it so we can see what happens next! Lots of narrative pussy-footing for little reward.
Surprise character development
Lady Mary's suitors all meld into one. And as for the dehydrated pig drama ? I give up. How and why would the ill-defined suitor know anything about pig husbandry? And what on Earth was that muddy, slippy-over, agricultural food fight business? Would this be likely to happen? "What do I look like?" Like someone stitched up by a pointless plot twist, Lady Mary. Plus, there is no way Carson would not (a) hear someone in the kitchen and (b) let Lady Mary cook.
Golden eyebrow award of the week
"It's not my secret to tell." "If you wish to enlist my help ? I must know the facts." Eyebrow Central between Mrs Hughes and Lady Mary. But Ivy wins this hands-down. Her face at the sight of the muddy aristos eating a breakfast they'd cooked themselves was a picture.
Excuse me, could you just repeat that awkward line of dialogue?
? "I hope we are good employers. But even we expect to get what we pay for." Lady Mary's calculating side is never far away.
? "You're quite a plotter when you want to be." I love it when Carson and Mrs Hughes flirt.
? "You seem so preoccup�e lately." Fabuleux. Uncle Julian has been at Google Translate.
? "It's a good idea for estates like this to maximise and diversify." No comment.
Next week
There is a large garden party! Rose is determined to be with the jazz man. Dame Maggie seems as if she might know about Edith's (phantom?) pregnancy. Not sure how it's all going to wrap up in one episode. I'm sure Uncle Julian has loads of ideas. And he will put them all in.
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