Downton Abbey 3×05

Posted on February 4, 2013 by Evangeline Holland

Downton Abbey S3

I had a monster headache last night, so this episode was DVR’d! Leave your comments and reactions below so I can know what to anticipate. ;)

Related Posts with Thumbnails

About Evangeline Holland

Author of Edwardian/WWI historicals. Likes cooking, the smell and collecting of old books, various artsy hobbies, travel, classic cinema, period dramas, the fusty areas of history, and all things French (though is terrible with maintaining fluency in the language).
This entry was posted in TV and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.
  • http://somehowsublime.blogspot.com Gabbi

    As much as Ethel annoys me, everyone is way to harsh on her; Since when is Carson a jackass? I really don’t like the new kitchen maid, Robert is just an all around jerk, and thankfully next week will be the last week with scenes in murder prison……

    • http://evangelineholland.com Evangeline Holland

      @Gabbi: I agree! Yes, she was a little forward and got out of line, but Major Bryant knew what he was doing and knew the consequences of getting involved with Ethel. Carson has always been more interested in the dignity of the house over individuals, so his reaction was in character. Robert…the less said the better. And the less said the better about Bates in prison!

  • bette

    Good show ladies! Thank you for showing true christian compassion for Ethel inthe face of (largely) men. And that bishop and the all the anti-catholic hate about the christening. Why doesn’t Tom take the baby any and run?

  • Jordan

    Oh man. I was looking forward to your commentary b/c i thought this was the best episode. The acting was so good. I choked up several times. The raw ache everyone felt in mourning sybil was so aparent. I just love tom. And how he stands up for himself and baby sybil. I love what he said at dinner to mary when she said that yes sybil was okay with the baby being catholic. I’m kinda sick of the whole anna bates drama. And i think its so funny that thomas has no idea that o’brien is playing him. Oh man! I love how this episode is really showing how the world is moving on and away from all the social codes and how robert can’t seem to deal with it. I choked up at the forgivness and grace that all the ladies showed ethel. Beautiful. Okay this is all over the place and my spelling is terrible- forgive me but i wanted to commemt and all i have now is my phone.

    • http://evangelineholland.com Evangeline Holland

      @Jordan: I wanted to write my commentary! Blame the Super Bowl, LOL. But I’ll combine my thoughts on this episode with next weeks. :)

  • http://heidenkind.blogspot.com heidenkind

    The guys were major poopyheads to Ethel in this ep.

  • Mary P

    Isnt it ironic that the women seem to be more forward thinkers than the men..Carson & Robert are such pompous arsss..I didn’t care for Violet putting the pressure on the dr. to recant just for Robert’s marriage comfort…sick of prison story

  • Terri

    I was happy that Mary spoke up about Sybil’s wishes for the baby. Equally happy that the women stayed to finish the luncheon despite Roberts temper tantrum.

  • Lynn-Jane

    Sort of a “bridge episode”- getting the doctor’s opinion about Sybil ( true or untrue ) was a Lady Violet moment….and the lucncheon was lovely. The Anglo Irish issues are important but a little too “pat”….and did Sybil really say to Mary that she did not care about the baby being Catholic true, or was Mary doing a “great deed” for Tom and Sybil?

  • Lynn-Jane

    PS- regarding 1920s clothing- I think a pullover sweater ( in US ) is a jumper, the other is referred to as a cardigan……at least that is what I remember from my UK days- but then it was not in the 20s!

  • NJGill

    In the episode where Sybil dies, about 7 minutes in – while she is in labor – she and Mary have a conversation in which makes it cleat they have discussed this before, and Mary promises to stand up for Sybil’s wishes.

  • NJGill

    oops – “makes it clear” – no cleats until next week’s cricket match

  • Karen

    NJGill, thanks for clearing that up about Mary possibly making that up. I was very uncomfortable with the Dr being asked to fudge on the truth of the situation. However, he said he had done a lot of research on the matter and explained how she would have suffered more if they’d done the risky surgery. I felt that he was speaking the truth there. It as left vague what was real and what was fudged in order to comfort the living. I hated that Cora and Robert were at loggerheads and this did allow them to grieve together instead of the added burden of laying blame. I think the Dowager Duchess shines in this part because she can see where they are headed in their marriage if something isn’t done.