Downton Abbey S4 Ep-6

Oh Downton, sweet Downton…this is the stuff we love you for- the modern world throwing the Abbey in disarray, Lady Edith sulking, hearts broken, Grandmamas up in arms over trivial affairs of great importance, Carson confronting the challenges of the new world; a black man…it was all jolly well good and jolly well Downton.

The Abbey plays host to several guests this week; government type people and a surprise birthday bash that brings along a surprise of its own for everyone.

Mrs Crawley is back to her old self, crusading for the down trodden and ruffling the Dowagers prim and properly plucked feathers in the mystery of the missing paper knife…whodunit? Well Mrs Crawley had her suspicions and she was not going to let it go until she put her best detective cap on and got to the bottom of it. Eureka!! Stuffed in the chesterfield was the rogue paper knife.

Although The Dowager gets the last laugh by one upping Mrs Crawley after re hiring Pegg unbeknownst to her and took delight in bring Mrs Crawley down from her moral high horse. Game set match to the Dowager indeed.

Alfred is gone! Thank the Lord! I couldn’t bear watching him for one more moment. He is a boring character, has no fire and is sulky. Now that O’Brien is gone and Thomas has a new torture victim, he serves very little purpose and adds nothing to the story. There was no place for him, except being stuck in the middle of Daisy and Ivy’s love issues, even then he was always on the losing side of that; he likes a girl she doesn’t like him. A girl likes him he doesn’t like her and only when he is gone does Ivy know what a tit she’s made of herself, throwing herself at James all this time with Alfred just waiting for her to acknowledge him. His goodbye scene with Daisy was sweet enough but not enough that I should want him to return, but still sweet. Daisy had a few words for Ivy, because in Mrs Hughes’ words, she had it coming and that she definitely did. Oy such drama.

Jack Ross returns in this episode as the surprise for Lord Grantham’s semi surprise party, he already figured it out when he received a telephone call from guests to confirm attendance…honestly, haven’t these people learnt a thing or two from the modern world? Jack Ross takes the residents at Downton outside their comfort zone, it’s all very “odd” happenings at the Abbey, you know, having a black man on the hallowed grounds, which almost makes Carson pull a muscle. Lady Edith thinks it odd that “this singer” is here, in Downton, for their entertainment, playing this new age odd music aka Jazz. Lady Mary is startled to find this odd fellow making out with her cousin in the kitchen, where else would a black man be caught dead making out with a Caucasian woman in 18^th century England if not in the kitchen, where Mr Ross pointed out earlier on, was where they were meant to be, ironically. And where else will she think to look for him?

Fellowes plays this situation quite lightly, almost reserved and diplomatic when we know this is far, far from the truth of the matter in those days. I don’t know whether to applaud or be disappointed, maybe a little of both because on the one hand its civilised and inoffensive and well played, but on the other hand, it’s also an inaccurate representation, dishonest…in my opinion.

This is not the last we have seen of Mr Ross, and his presence will serve up controversy and scandal and it’ll be interesting to see how the prejudice unfold. He and Rose will get together and it’ll cause more than the stir caused by Tom, the chauffeur, Branson, and Lady Sybil when they got together and eloped…if you thought that was drama.

Well, well, well, Lady Edith is up the duff and her lover is on the run…maybe not but it sort of rhymed and I couldn’t help myself. But Edith is pregnant and her baby daddy has not been in touch with her since arriving in Germany. We all waited with bated breaths as she opened the letter only to, dum, dum, dum, read news of her exhibiting signs of first trimester pregnancy. Poor, poor Edith she has the worst of the luck.

Anna and Bates went out to dinner and encountered hostility from the maitre’d because they are not the kind to be served in such fine establishment; …the irony of a serviceman looking down on other service folk… But Lady Cora came to the rescue and in a snap they are being fussed over. The Bates are trying to move on from the dreadful few weeks they’ve had but its going to take more than a night out at a fancy eatery. Lady Cora couldn’t help noticing the tense moment between them and she confides in Mary whilst Baxter is being doing what Baxter should be doing. Despite being sworn to secrecy of course Baxter reports back to Tom though she’d rather not. Now I’m really keen to know what Tom has on her.

There is much we are curious to know at this state, so much more.

Winning scene for me was that between Tom, Mrs Crawley and Lady Mary, who were sat in the nursery waiting for the children. Three people who has suffered a loss of love but consider themselves lucky to have known it at all; loved and lost than not at all. It was such an affectionate scene.

Lady Mary knows she has to move on from Matthew’s death but she is not done loving him just yet, she is not ready to be happy without him and that’s understandable. However, there are many men in her future, Charles Blake the “traitor” who gets under her skin, Evelyn Napier they giddy friend and of course the newly wedded Lord Gillingham. My money is on Mr Blake, because if history served that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.

And who is this Uncle Harold?