They had guests in the dining room, and dammit all, Mary is upper crust English.  Raising a scene that the archbishop might have overheard would have been the height of bad manners!

I've never really believed in Sybil and Branson's romance.  He was so pushy and Sybil seemed so desperate to change her life that it felt like she just gave in to his pressure instead of actually falling in love with him.  I seem to remember her saying something along the lines of "I want to do something with my life…

Yeah, Happiness of the Katakuris came to my mind first before I realized that technically that movie is a musical.  My favorite sequence from that is still the short musical reaction the family has to the discovery of the first body, although the other songs are hilarious as well.

Well, I disagree slightly about the "public service" part.  As long as they stay in Downton they can continue to ensure that the downstairs folk and all the tenants/servants/workers can remain employed.  Selling it would mean they could no longer ensure that.  Someone new could come in, fire all the employees, and…

I was sure she had too.  The scene - especially the letter - was contrived but I think it was worth it for the look of shock on Mary's face when Matthew accused her of forgery.  I wonder if this will come up in the future, because it does seem surprisingly cynical and even a bit hostile for Matthew to say something…

@avclub-d0cf409eb912cc0cc950b41b6d892d07:disqus They need to stop making the episode dates in the exact same font and size and location as the credits.  Nine times out of ten, I miss seeing the date at all because I just assume it is another name.  The first time I watched the first season, I was so confused because I…

But if his whole arm doesn't work, he can't go shooting and hunting with everyone else in High Society.  That automatically disqualifies him from being an acceptable suitor for any woman.

@avclub-f7f8eb12e0f61a9321597157c0d61791:disqus 
That has always bothered me and is probably one of the reasons I've grown to really dislike his character (one of the many reasons).  Bates is a convenient plot monkey.  His terrible limp which might have made it impossible for him to do his job ended up not being…

Our definitions of "natural" seem to be different, because I really doubt it would feel natural for two characters brought together under a timeline of six weeks to never mention the fact as the clock ticks down.  And sure, that discussion never built tension for the audience because we all knew they wouldn't end up…

You're absolutely right.  Holmes or Watson should have just looked straight into the camera and said, "Oh, who are we kidding?  She's sticking around, folks!"  Then they could have skipped all that character development crap and dramatic narrative b.s. and gone right into killing another hapless extra.

I don't know.  Maybe Vera became like that after having to deal with Bates for so long.

You know, I'm half-hoping that it turns out he actually did kill her.  I like Anna, but he is such an annoyingly masochistic self-imposed martyr that it would be great to find out he actually did it so he could be hanged and we can all move on.  What did Anna ever see in him?!  The writers try to make him seem noble,…

No, I think she was referring to Mary's room, because I seem to remember her mentioning feeling upset about cleaning the room because of Pamuk's death and another character asking "what does that have to do with Mary's room?" while O'Brien and Thomas share speculative looks.

You know, I don't find it that absurd.  None of those professions are particularly rare.  Lots of people are computer programmers, locksmiths, and electricians, and lots of those people serve on juries, even on the same jury at the same time.

You know, I don't find it that absurd.  None of those professions are particularly rare.  Lots of people are computer programmers, locksmiths, and electricians, and lots of those people serve on juries, even on the same jury at the same time.

I'm not sure I agree with you in the comparison between Elementary's and House's pilots.  To me Holmes comes across like a kind of human whirlwind in the pilot, someone who can sweep you along despite yourself.  I think House was firmly established in the dickish category, and even from the beginning I couldn't figure…

I'm not sure I agree with you in the comparison between Elementary's and House's pilots.  To me Holmes comes across like a kind of human whirlwind in the pilot, someone who can sweep you along despite yourself.  I think House was firmly established in the dickish category, and even from the beginning I couldn't figure…

@avclub-13d7df3c17502af69aafccc758195f96:disqus : No problem.  The recap was bothering me because I didn't remember him saying anything about her having no siblings, so I had to go back and rewatch it for my own peace of mind.

@avclub-13d7df3c17502af69aafccc758195f96:disqus : No problem.  The recap was bothering me because I didn't remember him saying anything about her having no siblings, so I had to go back and rewatch it for my own peace of mind.

I admit it was rather silly that a master thief was actually in a photograph so blatantly wearing the spoils of his thievery, yet no one could catch him.  I think I could have used a few more in-depth deductions from Sherlock to connect a few more dots…. just anything to make it less obvious that the guy was Le…