How compassionate! In a very short period, "Edith" mourned the deaths of her younger sister and brother-in-law; was left at the altar by a coward; lost the love of her life, who was murdered by Nazis; has lived under the shadow of a shrewish older sister; and has to watch her child being raised by a ball-busting…

On what basis do you challenge my statement? Provide your email address and I'll be glad to send you reams of documentation that show your assertion is false. And what proves the "Mrs. Drewe" character to be emotionally stable? That she can hang a handkerchief neatly? The woman is paranoid (believing "Edith" is…

Uh, you're welcome. I wasn't being sarcastic.

If only! Aside: I'm surprised that in 2015, the participants on this thread aren't more sympathetic to the "Edith" character as a first mother. Some of you seem to want "Downton" to become "The Handmaid's Tale", but in reverse.

Of course, and why not? By the way, thank you for taking the time to leave comments on this thread. I like your ideas!

I'm an adoptee from the infamous "Baby Scoop" era, so likely know a lot more about what's best for an adoptee, even a fictional character, than you probably do. The "Marigold" character is Edith's legal daughter. A wedding ring and a pussy-whipped husband do not a mother make.

A child's best interests are defined first and foremost by being a part of her own family and with her own mother, especially when that mother has the resources to care for her, including money and position. It's obvious that Marigold's first family treated her like a commodity (they found another baby to adopt) and…

Brava!