Fellow Lady of the Snow Kathleen,

Bit of a sulky episode last night, ay? Lord. G’s yelling at the dinner table (much to downstairs’ delight); Mrs. Patmore’s a teary-eyed grump; Barrow looks like hell and is moodier than ever; and Edith is even more sullen than usual. Meanwhile, Cora’s getting steadily less amused with her husband’s sniping at Mr. Bricker; Shrimpy’s getting a divorce; and Tony won’t let Mary break up with him.

Speaking of those two, I’ve decided to throw my support back behind Charles Blake. He’s adorable and seems ever so much more worldly than sweet Sir Tony. What do you suppose he meant when he said Mary had one way to “soften the blow” available to her?

Melancholy,

M.

***

Dear Miss M,

I’m so busy worrying about the Storm of the Century hitting us and the fact I may get lost in a white-out walking from driveway to the front door, I haven’t had time to think much about "Downton," where the grass is always green, the silver is always polished (even if it’s left to First Footman Molesley), and the dinner table talk is oh, so polite, until a rude school teacher shows up. I happened to love Robert’s outburst. For goodnessake, she’s a guest. Behave Miss Bunting!

But things are not as sweet as they seem … There’s something wrong with Mr. Barrow. Is he sick or a drug addict? Downton is looking at its first, gasp, subdividion; Mrs. Crawley may become a Mrs. Lord Merton and therefore able to spar on an even social standing with the Dowager. The Dowager admits the Russian prince wanted her to run away with him — another gasp. And Mary, Mary, quite contrary, discovers she cannot toy with other’s emotions, as Lord Tony so indelicately told her in front of the statue of Peter Pan.

I think Charles Blake knows about Mary’s tryst with Lord Tony and was being funny (and maybe crude) when he said she could (ahem, perhaps more personally) “soften the blow.” I don’t care who she ends up with. I think Charles and Tony are so interchangeable. They look too much alike to me. When they’re not together I can’t tell one from the other.

My favorite part — Daisy’s not afraid to protest the establishment’s rules. Yeah, Daisy!

Off to face the elements...

Your fellow snow queen,

Kathleen 

***

Your Majesty of the Snows,

OK, I’ve looked into the Barrow situation. That advert re: “Following your path” prompted his phone call about a few episodes ago — right before he went to see his “sick father.” That was the ad Baxter was looking at when Mrs. Hughes found the magazine in which it was printed in the hall. If there’s anything Barrow is extra secretive about it’s his sexual orientation, so I presumed the advert had something to do with that. Since we couldn’t read the stupid type on the ad, I Googled the scene, and, indeed, it would appear Barrow is testing some sort of medication to “cure” his homosexuality. Because apparently that was a thing. Not like now. Oh wait … And it would appear heaping doses of medical-grade BS are not digesting well with the poor man. What’s also interesting is that Baxter swooped in a few times to comfort him and/or wave off Molesley from pestering him. Why is she suddenly so supportive?

Also, I’ve sincerely had it with Miss. Bunting. Were she any sort of good friend to Tom, she would’ve granted his request that she “be nice” for once during dinner. She couldn’t even do that for him. I did love it when Mary chimed in and tried to shut her down before Lord G. exploded — and then supplied a “Happy now?” after he did. I’d love it if Mary directed more of her vitriol at Ms. B (vs Edith) in the future. And how about the Dowager following up with an inquiry after Edith’s latest column? What’s it about, Granny? Oh, just how things are always changing. Point: Edith!

Speaking of whom, how close do you think she is to telling her family about wee Marigold? Can you take a child back from its fosters?

Chilled,

M. 

***

Dear Miss Queen of the Chill,

You can take a foster child back but if that family adopted Little Miss Marigold, then she is theirs. Then again, I think the Lord of the Manor, and by default his daughter, can do whatever they want.

For all that cleverness that Mary thinks she possesses, why hasn’t she figured out Edith has a child? Why hasn’t anyone figured it out? I think she’s going to get that kid back and she will end up being the happiest of them all. But what do I know?

Feeling sorry for Barrow these days. For all his faults, he shouldn’t be suffering just because he’s gay. But those were the times.

Couple other points: Mrs. Patmore’s nephew is the first identified victim of what we now call PTSD. How very astute of Mrs. Patmore to identify him as suffering from a psychological wound from the war.

Bricker is getting on my nerves. He’s so very forward with the Mrs. Not sure I like that. But did love the fashion show. They worked that in just right, I think. You got a glimpse of some fabulous dresses, but they didn’t dwell on it. And did you catch little Sibby wearing an Irish knit sweater? Fab-u-lous.

Also, Hugh Bonneville plays a pirate in “Galavant” — a rather good pirate. A refreshing change, for sure.

I see the snow blowing off the roof of The Day building. I’m making my way home now. Tata!

K.

***

Empress of the Snowflakes,

This weather calls to mind the plight of the “Downton” Russians, processed in curious ways by the gentry. While Rose is moved to help feed and console them, Lord G. dubs Prince Kuragin Violet’s “old beau, Prince Thingamajig” — only first to be shut down by the Dowager herself (noting the exception the former Lord G. would have taken with such a distinction) and then again by Tom, who refuses to take the bait when Lord G presumes out loud that Tom has no sympathy for the aristocratic ex-pats. Even Mary notes Tom has proven the more “reasonable” party in the discussion.

And then there’s Violet and Isobel’s quest to find the missing princess. A kind thing to do, but not entirely altruistic on Violet’s part: she says she “owes it to her,” raising our and Isobel’s eyebrows. Exactly WHAT else did she get up to with the prince that she OWES his wife anything? Particularly some tricky diplomatic maneuvering. And let’s now forget her jibe as Shrimpy lists off the jobs many ex-pats have been forced to take abroad in Hong Kong: servants, taxi drivers, milliners ... prostitutes. Violet is certain which of those professions to which the princess is most suited and says as much without really saying it. So fabulous. I aspire to be as “neutral” as the Dowager claims to be!

Anyhoo, the snow rages on and I’m hearing discussion of bombogenesis, so I’m going to take that as my cue to hit that old dusty (and snowy) trail. We shall have plenty to discuss next week, I’m sure. Most certainly we’ll have to talk about Anna and her plainclothes tail in London. The heck? 

Luvies,

M.

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