re: preview for next week appeared to show Lord Grantham's sister chewing out Edith for aligning herself with the newspaper guy (unless that was a red herring, and she was talking to someone else). Either way, just as Lord Grantham shouldn't be allowed access to any cash, auntie has lost her credibility as an…

They've also kind of milked the fish-out-of-water Branson plotline. I think if Tom Branson was a real person, he would be over the class thing by now: as in, it would annoy and frustrate him, but he wouldn't be seriously tempted to gtfo just because some Duchess makes him feel awkward. I guess his dismay is an "in"…

I dunno — I thought the Bates on Trial for Murder thing was very well-known. Anna was going to resign based on the fear of making the family notorious.
And yes — though in truth Downton Abbey IS a soap opera, it seems like that element is only something you derive when you think about the show, or talk about it with…

Haha — good call with Young Mentalist. :)

My own random thoughts:

Glad you called the show on the, yes, completely tacky blending of screams and beautiful music. It's a cliche, and it only worked the first time. Just very contrived and lazy.

I wish people who have seen the whole season would stop posting here about the current season! You drop hints without meaning to. Also, I'm jealous. :)

Oh my gosh, YES, please! (btw, I am thinking Sherlock would have solved the Gosford Park mystery in about 2 seconds. He would have ruined the movie, I guess)

And he actually wasn't correct! Things just worked out for him. Sort of. I mean, he won the battle but lost the war: nanny fired, but not through his manipulation… although I suppose Cora wouldn't have been snooping around without Thomas's prompting.
Hmmm… maybe Thomas is an unintentional hero of sorts?

"These automobiles are simply a passing fancy. Grass and hay are renewable resources, after all: unlike fossil fuels." Wait. Scratch that last bit.

lol!

ack! spoiler-ish!!

Most of us would collapse into a puddle. And faster than Maggie Smith, no doubt.

I missed the very first part of the show — and only just saw Rose go into the shop to tack up the notice for a lady's maid — but why would she take it upon herself to find one for Lady Grantham? And why wouldn't Lady Grantham say, um, no thanks, Rose. Your judgement is sterling, but I am going to err on the side of……

Isn't Mrs. Patmore supposed to be wearing glasses?

I think it's somehow Edith's facial expressions and the stuff she does/says (or did) that made her seem unappealing. I mean, writing that letter to the Turkish Embassy about her older sister's tryst with the Turkish ambassador was pretty low. And as I formulated that last sentence, I realized what a soap opera this…

Hopefully not. Probably not. I am thinking he'll reappear at a convenient time… as someone else hinted at here, after she realizes that going after Alfred is just a waste of time.

I got a sneaking suspicion that the naughty James might go after Lady Rose? Anyone?

Or maybe Julian Fellowes is a closet Puritan. Good thing Lord Grantham and the widowed housemaid didn't make it past first base, or that little boy of hers would have been toast.

Totally. I got the impression, at the end of the episode when he's laughing with Edna, he had made a joke about Mr. Bates.
I said it elsewhere on this board, but I hope the kindness that Mr. Bates did him at the end of last season ("THE SOAP"!!) will be acknowledged by Thomas. Because Thomas is such a bastard, it's…