Am I the only person who liked the Downton Abbey season finale?
Many people seemed to think the episode went like this: boring boring boring boring ACK! Not me. I don't know what this says about me, but I was relieved that the catastrophe was what it was. I thought the house was going to burn down while they were all at the fair. Maybe it would be Branson's fault somehow, because he hasn't had enough in-law friction yet. Or pre-eclampsia has a genetic link, you know. Maybe we'd see more death throes, this time wiping out the heir too.
Aside from my preparatory (and misguided) flinching, I enjoyed the episode so much I didn't even knit while it was playing. And I always knit. I loved the preparations for the trip to Scotland-- imagine a life in which you might need your tiara on vacation! I loved the scene at the railway station, with the gleaming steam engine taking all of them (and their luggage! loved the luggage!) away to the north. Perhaps it's because I just read To Say Nothing Of The Dog, but I found the luggage especially evocative, a marker of how much the world has changed. How much would it cost you to travel with that much baggage these days? It'd be cheaper to take a black cab to Inverness, I bet.
Oh, Inverness! I loved watching the Crawleys on holiday. Part of it was the scenery-- the people like miniatures against the highland landscape, the towering clouds scudding in. Part of it was the interaction. We haven't seen much of the Crawleys relaxing with their friends, have we? Lots of upstairs-downstairs interaction, lots of hospitality extended to various acquaintances, but nothing quite like this, with people from the same milieu spending time together. I found the grass-is-always-greener moments effective, and Matthew's vindication (by way of Shrimpie's admission) especially satisfying.
Really, the plot could have consisted of "the Crawleys watch paint dry in the Highlands" and I would have gone along with it happily. There's nothing so glorious as a Scottish summer.
I wanted to know about Mary's labor, but no luck there. Was she as reserved as ever? Did she perhaps emit a tiny (but dignified) howl when the going got tough? How does a person come to have such tidy hair so soon after giving birth? My post-birth pictures all show clear evidence of my lack of a lady's maid.
Here's the thing about Matthew: what a way to go! Seeing his long-hoped-for son, brimming over with joy, returning to the estate he preserved from ruin despite significant opposition -- and boom. No lingering suffering, no long ugly illness peppered with false hope. He did good things with the time he had. He brought out the very best in a woman in whom it used to be hard to see much good, and what a valediction he gave her! Life is short and unpredictable, and we none of us know what lies around the next bend.
So do good work, and enjoy the sunshine, and be ready for the milk truck to strike! [she said cheerily] Can't wait for season 4.
I AGREE!! I loved the episode too. And I think that you're right regarding that it was a good moment to die, after the crowning event of you life.
Now... a cousin of mine was saying that the estate is secure now that the baby has been born, but... if Patrick were to reappear, the estate still would be his, no? Can we talk hypotheticals about next season? (I have a list)...
Posted by: Lilian | February 18, 2013 at 11:14 PM
I was devastated. Poor, poor Mary. She’ll never recover. And she won’t care for the child. The child is doomed. At least that’s my thought.
I was so happy for them to be a family. It’s just tragic.
It's getting a bit like a soap opera to me, but maybe that's the goal.
Rebecca
Posted by: Rebecca | February 19, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Yeah, I agree with Rebecca that the poor child would be doomed, were it not for the loving grandparents, maybe. But Mary will become the most unbearable creature in the world.
I hope Patrick comes back and marries poor Edith... but them, what will be of Mary & her son? Oh well, we'll see.
Posted by: Lilian | February 19, 2013 at 06:59 PM
Well, I knew from the start that he wanted off the show and when I saw him come home from his honeymoon in a racy convertible, I said out loud that the car would be the death of him. I kind of hated being right, though.
I agree, it was awesome to see that the Crawleys had counterparts, and wow was that house garish with its weapons and taxidermy. Downton is positively genteel in comparison.
I think Matthew's character had quite the story arc and his time really counted. I hope Mary can find someone else who gets her. I don't want her to turn her life over to pulling the wings off of poor Edith for perpetuity.
Posted by: Celeste | February 20, 2013 at 07:57 AM
I've always kind of liked Mary. She admitting being wrong way back when Bates caught her and that duke nosing around in the footmen's room. She never made excuses for herself regarding what happened with Pamuk. She stepped aside when Lavinia came into the picture. Mary doesn't forgive easily, herself or others (especially Edith). I'm really interested to see how parenting and parenting without Matthew change her. It may bring out the best in her.
Overall there were lots of things I liked about the episode (Scottland! Scenery!) and though I love the characters and I'm eager to find out what happens to them I do feel like Downton is losing its steam.
Posted by: Pippi | February 20, 2013 at 03:15 PM
I agree 100%. It was a beautiful episode to watch. Scotland was a feast for the eyes. I, too, love the details -- the conductor locking the carriage doors, the fishing reels, the bread being buttered.
Sadly, I caught a spoiler so I knew Mathew was on his way out. Hearing the Crawleys were on holiday in Scotland, I was sure Mathew was gong to take a slug to the back, and given Lord Grantham's many mis-steps this season, I was sure he going to be the idiot who misfired. My other fear was that there would be another Lavinia-style death scene. I was actually relieved at that way it all turned out. (If you can be relieved that a character that cute has left your favorite show).
Posted by: Kelly @ In the Sheepfold | February 22, 2013 at 09:28 AM
Like Kelly, I had Matthew's death spoiled-- what was I thinking going on Facebook on Sunday night? I was thinking my friends had more sense. When I saw they were going hunting I was sure that was how Matthew was going to get it. I have no idea what it would have been like to watch with no idea of what was coming.
I loved all the bits in Scotland. Agree about the luggage.
Posted by: MelanieB | February 22, 2013 at 11:13 PM