DOWNTON ABBEY Season 3 Discussion Thread - SPOILERS WITHIN- Page 12

[Addison D.]

Posted: 1/30/13 at 10:08am

Happy Freakin' Birthday!

[madbrian]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 6:35am

"If I cried blue murder every time someone tried to kiss me at Eton, I would have been hoarse in a month,"

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 7:26am

He's his mother's son.

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 7:33am

Isobel: Were you a very involved mother with Robert and Rosamund?
Dowager: Does it surprise you?
Isobel: A bit. I'd imagined them surrounded by nannies and governesses, being starched and ironed to spend an hour with you after tea.
Dowager: Yes, but it was an hour EVERY day.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 8:13am

so many awesome lines last night!

[romantico]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 2:27pm

I'm loving this!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 3:17pm

Are we really believing that O'Brien is scared off by the phrase "Her ladyship's soap"? O'Brien is more clever than that. Why didn't she ask Bates what he meant by that?

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 3:28pm

I believe it. Lady Grantham is the only person in the whole house who doesn't think she's the Wicked Witch of Wessex. If the truth came out it would be the end of her.

What I find harder to believe is that she would have confided that to Thomas.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 3:34pm

Yeah, I didn't think that was weird at all. She'd have no reason to think that anyone else knew, so Bates simply saying should be (and was) enough to make her blood run cold.

I assume Thomas knew because it happened when he and O'Brien were tight. I feel like at some point he brought it to her before (but I can't remember when), so it wasn't a surprise to me that he knew.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 3:39pm

Isn't there much more to the secret than those words, her soap? I figured there's more to this than what we know.

Are Downton Abbey's seasons extremely short? Seems like just a few weeks ago this one started, and now it's over next week! How many episodes are there? oy.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 3:39pm

I agree, Phyllis. I didn't have trouble believing it, but when I stop to examine it, that's the only part that's iffy. It's hard to imagine O'Brien making herself vulnerable like that.

On the other hand, she seemed really upset; she may have had one of her few human urges and just needed to get it off her chest.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 3:46pm

Isn't there much more to the secret than those words, her soap? I figured there's more to this than what we know.

The audience knows more than Bates does. Thomas just told Bates to tell O'Brien "her ladyship's soap" because that would be all she needed to hear.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 3:51pm

And Lord Grantham's character is all over the place. He storms into Isobel's house and demands his wife, mother and daughters leave because Isobel employs a former prostitute, yet he harbors a homosexual under his roof knowing there were laws against homosexuals?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 3:56pm

I think the implication was the he didn't think Thomas has a choice in who he was, so he had some compassion. Being a prostitute is a choice, not to mention the whole view of women then, so I see it making sense that he'd still have more respect and understanding for a homosexual man than he would a female prostitute.

[romantico]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 4:04pm

Everyone in the house seems to know about Thomas. In today's society its no big deal but I would have thought most people back then would have reacted like Carson did. I've said it before and I'll say it again. We all need to have a friend like Mrs.Hughes in our life. She is one of my favorite characters.

Interesting to see how Thomas and Bates gets on next season. Bates really did help Thomas but Thomas is now his superior. Will he abuse his power or show some gratitude?

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 4:26pm

I think the guy who Thomas was trying to kiss (I forgot his name) is gay also.

[romantico]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 4:33pm

That would be a great twist of James/Jimmy was also gay. Thomas needs a companion. I think that's why he envy's Mr.Bates and Anna. They can show their feelings in public and be themselves where Thomas can't. He's very bitter because of it.Lord Grantham does not seem to have a problem with him and he was his personal valet there for a while.

Season 4 I think will be interesting. I just hope they wrap it and do one final season after this.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 4:41pm

I think the guy who Thomas was trying to kiss (I forgot his name) is gay also.

Gay? Or just British?

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 4:42pm

PJ - is there a difference? All Brits are Dandys!

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 5:45pm

oy, ignore everything I said about the show. I didn't realize it was 2 hours, so I only watched the first one. I'll watch the second hour tonight. oy

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 5:46pm

I can only imagine it will make Thomas even nastier.

Mrs. Hughes has become my favorite this season.

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 5:52pm

Oh never mind, I did watch 2 hours.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 5:56pm

The attitude of the other characters in last night's episode reminded me of that in small Southern towns 40 years ago: "Of course, we hate homosexuals in general, but we take care of our own."

This is my first season watching ABBEY on the air (I got a DVD of Seasons 1 and 2 for Christmas). Do you know when they say next week is the "season finale", does that include a "Christmas special"?

(I almost didn't watch the "Christmas special" of Season 2, assuming it was some sort of treacly holiday DVD extra. I had no idea it was a full-length movie!)

NOTE: ArtMan kindly answered my question on another thread. He says the American "season finale" will be the British "Christmas episode". Updated On: 2/11/13 at 05:56 PM

[Addison D.]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 8:53pm

1. So--who IS James in love with? We've been watching the Loveland Ballet of Daisy & Alfred & Violet & James & ???. I also wondered if maybe he was light in his livery. Or perhaps that was just wishful thinking. That complexion! Those lips!!

2. It can't be by accident that we weren't in the room when the Dr. gave Mrs. Hughes her prognosis. I've been holding my breath for 3 weeks now and it's getting to me.

3. ******Possible spoiler for people who are avoiding all media exposure to the storyline***********Dan Stevens hasn't signed on for S.4--are they going to pull a Dick York/Dick Sargent on us? Or is he going to run off with James at the end of next week? Or????

4. Poor Edith.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 2/11/13 at 9:39pm

I saw this season before it aired on PBS, so it all kind of runs together for me, but I do know that when they go the Highlands is the Christmas Special. So in the episode that's all about the Highlands, know that that's the finale. And like the previous one, it continues the plot.