Upstairs Downstairs Episode 7

Martha: Well, Mary is finally pregnant. It seems it wasn't Matthew's problem after all. Carson is being overly protective and doesn't believe she should take the trip to Scotland.

Jill: Tom still is not one of the family completely. He is not invited and left behind when the rest of the family goes to Scotland. The dowager says, "He'll have some freedom, but we can't let it go to his head." So Tom is left at at home with the new mail, Edna.  Edna is relentless in her pursuit of him.

Martha: Another relationship is being forged; Dr. Clarkson shows his interest in Mrs. Crawley, however, he is rebuffed in a not so subtle way.

Jill: One more relationship that we see is Mrs. Patmore and the delivery man. Mrs. Patmore acts like a giddy school girl. The delivery man loves Mrs. Patmore's cooking and "he loves to be in love". Mrs. Hughes finally points out the issues with the delivery man to Mrs. Patmore.

Martha: Thomas follows the drunk Jimmy but ends up having to save Jimmy from some ruffians. Thomas protects him and gets beaten up himself.

Jill: We have the relationship between Shrimpy and his wife Susan. They obviously married for reasons other than love. Susan is quite unhappy and makes everyone else, especially her daughter Rose, unhappy.

Martha: In Scotland, the old ways or traditions are being maintained, i.e., the playing of  the bagpipes. Shrimpy confides that the castle will be lost and Robert appears to see the writing on the wall, change with the times or lose Downton. So empire provided a way to maintain a certain type of life for those aristocrats who were losing estates/

Jill: As Mrs. Hughes stated, "When the cats away, the mouse will play". All kinds of shenanigans were happening at Downton. Edna was very obviously flirting with Tom and wouldn't stand when Tom entered the servants hall. Jimmy gets bold and sits in the chair in the family's rooms; Alfred usually the good kid, decides to join him in the fun. It feels like the young Downstairs is taking a vacation themselves.

Martha: When Carson hears the baby, little Sybil cry, he goes in and picks her up. He seems to be more willing to show his softer side. When the master is out, he feels he can be a little more soft, not as rigid. But I suggest that he would only perform this act of gentleness for a baby belonging to the
Upstairs.

Jill: Mary has done her duty for Downton; she has produced a male heir. This birth is just in the nick of time, just before Matthew dies.

OUR PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT SEASON:

Now that Mary has done her duty and produced a male heir for Downton, she now has more power to do what she wants. She is now a titled widow which will give her more power. With that power, she will take a lover or lovers but will not be looked down upon. She will possibly not marry again and enjoy this new power.

Another romantic possibility is that Mary will connect with Tom and together they will bring up Mary's son and little Sybil. Interesting huh?

The new baby's name will be Robert Matthew.

Tom will have more responsibility for the estate with Matthew's death and Mrs. Crawley will be able to have more say.

Mrs. Crawley, however, might just marry Dr. Clarkson., which would also be an interesting twist of events.

Edith will still keep up the relationship with Michael; although they cannot marry, she will choose happiness over social mores of the time.

What would happen if Anna becomes pregnant?

Daisy will eventually go to work on the farm.

And, hopefully even Thomas will find true love!

Downton Abbey will become more streamlined and business savvy. But who will take over his role at Downton Abbey.

Downton Abbey Episode 6

Jill: Bates is released! When he returns, Lord Grantham essentially gives him a vacation, tells him to take it easy, read books. The Downstairs is wondering how they should treat Mr. Bates after his return.

Martha: Mr. Bates get two very different receptions; Thomas is rather cool toward Bates, saying that he now is Mr. Barrow. Lord Grantham on the other hand, treats Bates with great respect, I believe because of their common military experience.

Jill: Edith gets invited to write again, another example of the great time of change that is approaching. It is doubtful that Edith, a lady, would have written for a newspaper before the war. Edith wants to change with the times; her grandmother tells her to do something but she means more "lady-like" pursuits like running a charity or painting with watercolors. The big change coming to house is that Matthew wants to change the way that Downton is run if it is to survive.

Martha:But Downstairs! Poor Thomas, can you imagine the humiliation he must have felt! O'Brien was up to her very nasty tricks suggesting to Thomas that Jimmy had a crush on him. She essentially sets Thomas up. Before he enters Jimmy's room, he is wrestling with whether to go into the room or not. When he leans over and kisses Jimmy, Jimmy awakens, shocked, disgusted, and angry.  Thomas innocently still believes that Jimmy has feelings for him.

Jill: I know that in the past, I have been a little harsh on Mary, thinking that she is cold-hearted, selfish and controlling, but I did see a glimmer of her humanity. When Tom tells her that his brother is coming and he is a bit of diamond in the rough. Mary replies " I'm very fond of diamonds", so maybe I will look at Mary in a different light. And indeed, his brother is a diamond in the rough, maybe  " lump of coal". He is like Tom was in the past, but maybe Tom on steroids, anti-English.

Martha: Well, the baptism of little Sybil takes place, and she is baptized a Catholic. The entire family attended included Robert and the Lady Dowager. When the photographer puts the priest between the Dowager and Lord Grantham, each looks quite uncomfortable. Cora lightens the mood a little by smartly saying, " What's the matter Robert? You think you are going to be converted?"

Jill: The Dowager takes it upon herself without asking Mrs. Crawley to find job offers for Ethel.
She desires new employment for Ethel because according to the Dowager, "she brings a miasma of scandal to this house". We know that the Dowager is doing this for selfish reasons, she is doing this for the family, not Ethel, but when she sees Ethel crying, for a moment she appears to something for Ethel's plight.

Martha: Kudos for Bates! Even though he and Thomas have been at odds. He comes to Thomas's aid. Bates suspects O'Brien of being the instigator . Bates goes to Thomas and asks why he doesn't fight for himself; Thomas says he's beaten and Bates gets from him the weapon to use against O'Brien. The weapon is "her ladyship's soap" and only Thomas and O'Brien know the true meaning of those three words.

Jill: With all the angst in this episode, it ends nicely. Ethel gets a new job and will be near her son Charlie. Thomas's indiscretion is handled by Lord Grantham and results in Thomas being the under-butler and Jimmy being first footman. At the end of the cricket game, Tom, Matthew, and Lord Grantham come together. Perhaps, this foreshadows  what the future holds for Downton, the three men working together to ensure the success of  Downton and the Crawley family.

Downton Abbey Season 3 Episode 5

Jill: Cora is blaming Lord Grantham's snobbery for Sybil's death. She has separated herself emotionally and physically from Lord Grantham.

Martha: But the Lady Dowager introduces her own brand of marriage counseling. This crisis again shows the importance of appearances to the aristocratic class. According to Violet, "People like us are never unhappily married.".  The Dowager talks to Dr. Clarkson and suggests that he has created a division between Robert and Cora; her intervention involves Dr. Clarkson essentially lying about the consequences of failing to act when he recognized Sybil's serious condition.

Jill: Ethel asks Mrs. Pattmore for help to prepare a luncheon for the Downton ladies. This flies directly in the face of Mr. Carson's directive to go to Crawley house or have anything related to the "fallen woman". Mr. Carson sees her leaving the house and proceeds to tell Lord Grantham about he invitation. It is his duty to ensure that the family's good name is not dragged through the mire.

Martha: When Lord Grantham slams in and demands that the women leave, Cora, choosing to stay as part of her passive-aggressive behavior in regards to Sybil's death  failed to budge and even Violet suggested "that they must not waste a good pudding."

Jill: There seems to be a tribal war going on at this point. Lord Grantham says " that a Crawley has not been a left-footer since the Reformation". Lord Grantham says that the baby must be baptized into his "tribe", meaning she must be Protestant". Tom says "no she'll be baptized in my tribe, I 'm her father, I'm Catholic and she will be Catholic". Mary steps into the fray and supports Tom by saying" Sybil wished the baby to be Catholic". This defuses Lord Grantham's argument immediately, then and there.

Martha: We are starting to see changes in the attitude of the Downstairs When. Mrs. Pattmore admonishes Ivy for wearing make-up, Ivy replies in a smart way, "It's not like the old days, all the girls do it now."Earlier, when Carson complained that mothers used to train servants how to act, Mrs. Hughes suggested that "perhaps their mothers don't want them [their children] in service". To which the very class conscious Carson replies, "What are they supposed to do? Become bankers and lawyers" Mrs. Hughes volleys back,"maybe so, what's wrong with that?" Carson is a traditionalist and Mrs. Hughes a realist. Carson  believes in the old and finds change unnecessary. Mrs. Hughes sees times are changing and so they too must change.

Jill: The changes Upstairs include Matthew and Tom's belief that Downton has been badly managed. Lord Grantham is threatened by the changes that must take place. Mary steps up to bat for Matthew by basically dressing down Lord Grantham. "You are always upset when the world is not going your way."

Season Three, Episode Four: A Birth and a Death

Jill:  "Class warfare" is evident as Sybil's labor progresses. The aristocratic Sir Phillip, "the childbirth expert"

       does not take lightly to his authority being questioned by the middle-class Dr.      Clarkson. LordGrantham cannot look past the class of the doctors and takes the side of Sir Phillip. This does not bode well for Sybil; after the birth of the baby she succumbs  to pre-eclampsia.  This "medical class warfare" ultimately leads to a major conflict between Cora and Richard.

Martha: Richard admits fault to some extent, but I have to wonder if he aware that his belief in the superiority of his class has impacted his thinking and decision-making. If Cora has not been so upset, would  Richard to have come to any level of taking responsibility. Cora's "American-ness" comes through as she only wants what is practical and expedient to be done rather than following the strict rules of class.

Jill: Class aside, Cora says we can't forge Tom, he is married to Sybil and his input must be considered as well. The Dowager says" yes, the decision lies with the chauffeur". Cora sees things as they are rather than through the rose-colored glasses of class.

Martha: The class issue concerning Tom and the baby are evident in the snobbery of Carson as well.

Carson inquires of Mrs. Hughes, "What will we do about Branson now?" To which Mrs. Hughes replies, " We will show him we are kind people".  Thomas takes Sybil's death very hard however. He and Sybil worked together at the hospital. He says Sybil was the only one who showed me kindness.

Jill: Mrs. Crawley takes it upon herself to bring Ethel into her house as an employee. This of course causes Mrs. Byrd to quit. Those at Downton Abbey are told that they cannot go to Mrs. Crawley's house for fear that Ethel's lifestyle will bring shame upon the ladies of the house.

Martha: Mrs. Crawley seems to feel that she is immune to the actions that she has taken with Ethel. In her mind, she feels superior to the upper class with their rules and regulations.

Jill: Edith is trying to recover from being jilted at the altar. However, when she is asked to write more, my writing is appreciated, her father disapproves and she feels that nothing she does is right. It seems that in the family's eyes, Edith is doomed to be a failure. Even though those outside the family don't perceive her that way.

Downton Abbey Season 3 Episode 3

Jill: I felt this episode was all about change and it foreshadowed that bigger changes were coming. We have a change for Anna and Bates; they are getting mail and soon they will be able to see each other again. We have new, handsome footman, James Kent. The seemingly innocent electric toaster is a big change, Carson does not care for it in the least bit. Edith gets a letter published in the newspaper about women's rights.

Martha: I feel much the same way. With the revolution occurring in Ireland, major changes will occur in the British Empire. This of course has a major impact upon Tom, Sybil and the rest of the family. The larger social changes that are occurring after the Great War are starting to make cracks in the traditional British society. The attitudes of working class men who fought in the Great War as well as the rising sentiment of women that they must experience more freedom are evidence of this change.

Jill: With the Irish issue moldering, Lord Grantham talks of Irish Catholics as there being something "Johnny foreigner" about them. Tom then has three strikes against him in Lord Grantham's eyes; he is a chauffeur, Irish, and a Catholic. When the deal to save Tom is cut, he strips Tom of his homeland. To me, this will be a point of friction between Tom and Lord Grantham until something bigger brings them together.

Martha: Related to the Irish situation, Lord Grantham says "what a harsh world you live in". To which Tom replies, "we all live in a harsh world, but at least I know I do". In finding that Tom was implicated in the fire of the Anglo-Irish castle, Mary could not fathom that Tom would be involved in doing something of a violent nature to " a family like ours".  The family went on about the beautiful castle that was burned; Tom suggested that while the "castle" meant  one thing to them, it meant something very different to him.This episode brought out how very  different the views of the world are of the dominant class and those who feel oppressed by it. ( Except for the Dowager who said, " that is the best thing that could happen to that place, it was hideous.")

Jill: I think this episode is just the beginning of many changes that will be coming to Downtown Abbey as well as the United Kingdom.

Downton Abbey Season Three: Episode Two

Upstairs:

Martha:  So Matthew has given in to Mary's wishes and will save Downton. At least he was true to his own moral compass. It was only after hearing the contents of Lavina's letter and knowing that she had actually written it that he made the decision. In Episode 1 of Season 3, I was quite annoyed with the selfishness of Mary. She was of course concerned about losing her home; but her concern was motivated by the humiliation that the family was suffer as a result.

Jill: I was not surprised by Matthew's final decision about the money, like you, I was happy to see he was true to his moral compass. Mary has gotten her way, but at what price to her personal growth and self-awareness?

Jill: Although I applaud Matthew's decision based on his morals, I wonder if he was thinking of the impact on the servants of Downton Abbey in regards to having to sell and relocate the family to the smaller country house (to be called Downton Place) and displace the majority servants of Downton Abbey. Lord Grantham states that they could "get by with 8 servants" when they moved to the smaller house.

Martha: Well, in Matthew's defense, this is a new reality for him. I'm sure he has never had to make these decisions before. On the other hand, he may take the moral high ground in that he may believe that he is morally superior to  the other Upstairs crowd.

Jill: Now that Matthew is co-owner of Downton Abbey, he will begin to experience first-hand what the Grantham legacy means.

Jill: Poor Edith. Left at the altar. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride. The family seems to be taking this on the chin and keeping a stiff upper lip. Edith, being the middle child, will hopefully weather this chapter in her life and move on. Keep calm and carrying on.

Martha: Somehow to me Edith appears to be that "outside" child who receives less emotional support than Mary or Sybil. She is not as pretty as Mary nor as feisty as Sybil; and as a result is treated differently by her family. I believe that she is neglected emotionally by the family.

Jill: The Dowager steps onto the altar and forces Sir Anthony's hand. Unmarried daughters are a financial burden who need support all their lives, so why was the marriage to a wealthy lord so discouraged? Is it possibly because Lord Anthony was Edith's choice and not Lord Grantham's or the Dowager's?

Downstairs:

Jill: We have Thomas vs. O'Brien and we will have to keep an eye on those shenanigans. The biggest happening currently is Mrs. Hughes' illness. The butler is the head of all servants but Mr. Carson's concern seems much more personal than that of "Downstairs Boss". He sings a little happy tune upon learning that Mrs. Hughes does not have cancer. We will have to keep and eye on their personal relationship to see where it takes them.

Martha: Well, Anna's visit certainly did not provide the definitive answer that she was seeking. Mr. Bates does however, seem to a guardian angel. He was saved from who knows what awful consequences could have occurred if the contraband was found under his bunk. What is the motivation of this cellmate to cause Mr. Bates such grief?

Martha: In regards to Mrs. Hughes's illness, when Cora finds out, being the "benevolent mistress", tells Mrs. Hughes that she will be taken care of  for the rest of her life.

Addicted To Downton Abbey?

Are you one of the millions of Americans who tuned in to Season 3 of Downton Abbey? Some of us are just downright "addicted" to this lavish historical series. What is it that makes it so appealing to American audiences? What makes the "toffs" or the upstairs tick? And of course, what goes through the minds of those downstairs?

 Masters and servants lived under one roof, but each group with different expectations and experiences. Upstairs and downstairs functioned in a symbiotic relationship; neither class could exist without the other. In this blog, we will explore the time, place, and conditions that created the "great age of servants". We will analyze the mindset of both the upstairs and downstairs and explore the dynamics of the master/servant relationship. Join us weekly as we examine the psychology of the upstairs and downstairs.

Martha and Jill



(picture taken from the Internet)