My Dear Marisa,

Please hum along to the tune from “The Sound of Music” for me: How do we solve a problem like Lady Mary?

Okay, a little awkward, but you get the point. How so forward-thinking of Lady Mary to rendezvous in Liverpool with Lord Tony to test drive, so to speak, a future husband. So 20th-century of her. And so resourceful sending her maid out to obtain her contraception. I mean imagine, if someone recognized the good lady purchasing, what, a diaphragm? Good Lord, I didn’t know those thing were around back in the 1920s.

So there she was, all set up for the romantic tryst — and Tony ever resourceful himself obtaining adjoining rooms at the hotel, because then no one would notice if they were together ... when suddenly I got the feeling it was going to go all terribly wrong for Miss Mary. As smart as she thinks she is, I fear she is in for a scandal even bigger than having a foreign diplomat die in her bed, if that is possible.

What kind of vibe did you get?

Hoping for the best but fearing the worst,

Kathleen

***

Good Lady K,

I’m glad you brought up the contraception: I thought one had to be fitted for a diaphragm, so I was a little confused that Anna was able to fill that request for Miss Mary. Like Mary, I’ll have to delve into Dr. Stopes’ book for more answers on available birth control of the era.

But yes, indeed, I’m amazed at how “bohemian,” as Mr. Bates put it, Mary and Tony have turned out to be … at least for now. I loved Mary’s point that while she wants to marry again, she most certainly doesn’t want a divorce, hence the notion to test-drive Tony.

Now, I wasn’t nervous about their tryst until I read your note. It does seem they made a big show of congratulating themselves on how slick they were in registering at the hotel. Of course, my favorite part of that scene was when Tony was laying out the plan for the evening: after the romantic dinner, Tony says, “we’ll come back and …” and Mary blurts out, “make love?” Awwwwwkwarddddd…

Speaking of flirting, how about Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes, once again daring to show some affection for each other. He hates being on the opposite side of her, he says. I loved that and their dynamic: him so stodgy yet wise; her all wisdom and lots of sass.

Which, of course, quickly disappeared when the cop turned up to inquire further about Mr. Rapist. THOUGHTS???? Before which Mr. Carson uttered one of the best lines of the night. As Barrow smugly informs him that a policeman is there to see Carson, Carson notes, “Thank you Mr. Barrow. Your score-mongering has not succeeded.”

ZING!

Luv,

M. 

***

Dear M,

So much flirting going on Sunday night. Upstairs, downstairs and even, dare I say, with Cora and her “friend” the art dealer. Loved when Robert chastised Cora about Bricker paying too much attention to his dog Isis. “There’s nothing more ill bred than flirting with someone else’s dog,” Robert mutters as he gets into bed. Cora rolls over to turn out the light and says, “Okay , I’ll tell him to stop flirting.” I think something’s coming Cora’s way. Mr. Art Dealer is paying a lot of attention … Robert is clueless … there’s a lot of art on the walls in Downton and a lot of dark passages. Just saying, Cora may like the attention. She’s portrayed as such a ditz sometimes. But lest we forget, it is her money that saved the family.

And why has Cora not demanded more answers from Baxter over the jewelry stolen from a previous mistress? Molesley wants to know. Why doesn’t Cora want to know? She’s not THAT refined. She’s an American for goodnesssakes. I think someone else stole it and she took the rap. Maybe a sister? I don’t know. But that storyline better pay off I’ll be peeved.

Fun times, though – the wireless!!!

Love,

K 

***

Ms. K,

Well, Cora at least started the ball rolling in getting more details from Baxter, but she didn’t push hard at all. I’d have launched a third-degree inquiry straightaway. As Cora herself pointed out, it’s a little weird to have a jewel thief looking after one’s jewels. Although, a thief might be quite good at sniffing out OTHER thieves and probably very good at preventing theft, no?

As for Lord G., he really broke his own record last night for saying incredibly dumb things. That bit about Isis was so silly, I tried to force myself to think maybe he was being facetious; that maybe that was his way of telling Cora he’d noticed the flirting and wanted to diffuse an unpleasant topic with “humor.” But then, her reaction to it seems to suggest he was in earnest about the damn dog. Nearly as dumb as that was his declaration that radio is nothing but a fad; “It won’t last,” he said. And then we have his outright bitchiness about Ms. Bunting coming to dinner. That was a little much, even for him, and I can’t STAND her.

And yet, he relented on the wireless and the war memorial. And he wants to keep Tom around more than ever, if only to keep tabs on Sybil. He’s up, he’s down, he’s caught in a whirlwind of progress. I think he needs a little vacation.

Regarding the radio, or “wireless,” which, Daisy notes, is hardly devoid of wires, how adorable was it when the Dowager stood up when the king/royal family were introduced by the announcer? Loved that scene.

Cheers,

M. 

***

Dear M,

Yes, it was touching to have all of upstairs and downstairs gathered around the “wireless,” and I too loved how the Dowager stood when the king began to speak. The walls are cracking around the upper class, but there are still protocols — and standing when the king speaks is a must.

Robert is a bit on edge. Maybe he needs a vacation or maybe he needs a job. Really, the man needs a reason to get up in the a.m. Mary and Tom are taking over the agriculture, his butler is taking over caring for the townspeople and his dog is being wooed by a man with eyes on Cora. When the haze of the last century clears, I think Robert is going to be in for a rude awakening. What do you think he’ll do when he finds out Mary accepted such an indecent proposal? He might blow his top.

Meanwhile downstairs, is the truth about what happened to Tony’s valet going to come to light? Is Bates in trouble? Did Mrs. Hughes have something to do with the death? Will Daisy become a teacher or take over the farm? I love Daisy.

K.

***

K,

SUCH a great summary on Lord G’s situation. He’s got 99 problems, but a wireless in the house ain’t one. I’m not sure that he’ll find out about Mary’s little holiday with Tony. Maybe Cora will, and if that’s the case, I say she’ll be super cool about it. She is, after all, American.

What’s scarier to me are the ramifications of Edith’s secret getting blown. Mrs. Drewe is none too pleased about Edith’s “interest” in wee Marigold, and honestly, the mister might’ve given her a bit more heads up about the situation BEFORE Edith turned up for tea. And would it kill Edith to acknowledge the OTHER children sitting politely around the tea table? She busts in and goes right to Marigold, with nary a word for the other kidlets. Not nice. No wonder Mrs. D. is more than unamused with her husband’s plan. I think THAT one is a powder keg to watch. You?

As for the mystery of Mr. Green’s demise, Mrs. Hughes looked pretty distressed when the cop said a witness has turned up. Whether she was worried for her own skin or Anna’s or Mr. Bates’s, I can’t quite tell yet, but I think we need to add her to the list of suspects. And then there’s Baxter, who seems to have some trepidation around Mr. Bates, as noted by her arch-nemesis Barrow. Also, who is this witness? Is it Baxter?? Will the “witness” end up on Mr. Bates’s death list? Heh…

Like sands through the hourglass…

M.

*** 

M,

Must. Talk. About. Edith. She’s always getting short shrift (if that’s the correct saying), I think, but you’re right, can she at least pretend she has an interest in the other children at the table. Nothing good is going to come of her becoming godmother to Marigold. (I really hate that name.) And why aren’t Robert and Cora more suspicious of her sudden interest in a village waif? I think Edith might be her own worst enemy.

And what will happen to Mrs. Crawley? I think the Dowager said Mrs. Crawley had two men “sniffing around her skirts,” which was rather crude for the Dowager, any dowager, to say. Did you remember that?

Anyway, agree, these are the days of our lives.

But didn’t everyone look fabulous? There were several dresses I would die for and would don in a heartbeat. Not that I would have any place to wear them. But I love that whole 1920s, subdued flapper look!

’Til next week … ta ta

K

*** 

Lovey,

Yes, the clothes have been absolutely gorgeous; loved Rose’s gold number in this episode. Glittering but elegant-understated (same reason I loved Diane Kruger’s dress at the Golden Globes). The men look great, too. The suits are sharper, the hats more casual but still stylish. I forgot how adorable Charles Blake is, BTW. He certainly wears his suit well!

I thought the Dowager was only remarking on Lord Merton and HIS skirt-sniffing, but I could be mistaken.

Must note other random highlights for me: Barrow and James bid each other a very sincere farewell; Molesley gives Baxter loads of benefit of the doubt about her past; Mrs. Patmore pays for Daisy’s education; and Ms. Sarah turns out to be a darned good teacher. Oh, and Tom finally waking up and offering some debate to Lord G. re: the Russian refugees – a situation to which he is sadly accustomed.

Meanwhile, let’s not to forget to offer Joanne Froggatt our sincere congratulations for her big win at the 2015 Golden Globes awards. Watch her accept her award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama Series here. Her speech was lovely, and I confess I teared up a little during it as she acknowledged the fans and survivors of rape who reached out to her after Anna’s gut-wrenching storyline aired last season. Also beautiful were the camera pans to Ms. Edith herself, Laura Carmichael, who looked uber proud of her castmate.

So much to talk about and we’re only on episode two! How will we manage until next time?

Luv,

M.

We're on Twitter: @edgecombday and @TheMDesk