Following hot on the heels (ha) of the last ep Jimmy (Ed Speleers) says his goodbyes to Thomas (Rob James-Collier) after being fired for his night with Lady Anstruther. He's sad to be leaving cos they made headway as friends and he can't believe that he could be friends with someone like Thomas. Thomas tells him to write, but he's not much into that. You can feel sorry for Thomas here, losing his one and only friend, but that won't last long since he'll be up to his antics in no time. As he later shows with Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) once again, when he says she'll get hers. With Molesley (Kevin Doyle) coming to her rescue once more. Later Thomas even tells Mosley that she's a thief, which changes things for him about her. But he says what I did last ep review, that he believes there's more to her story than just outright theft. She also tells Moseley this and the same to Cora (Elizabeth McGovern). But she's not having any of it. Cora's keeping her on but she doesn't know why.
Lady Rose (Lily James) asks Robert (Hugh Bonneville) if he'll get a wireless for Downton, but he's reluctant. Also there's talk of an art expert, Simon Bricker (Richard E Grant) coming to visit them here as he wants to see some painting they have. He will be touring with Charles Blake (Julian Ovenden) and Cora thinks she should invite Charles too, as he'll know how to control him. Mary (Michelle Dockery) says if she needs her then she'll be here but only until Tuesday. As we know she has a week's rendezvous planned with Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen). For which she enlists Anna's (Joanne Froggatt) help in buying her female contraceptives. She's been reading up on it in Maria Stopes's book and Anna is reluctant to be her partner in crime. Well that's okay if Anna gets recognized, she is after all married. Once again, we get Anna being a part of her cover ups, so to speak, first it was Pemouk in series 1 and now it's her dalliances with Gillingham. Makes you wonder what the wealthy got up to with some much time on their hands. I digress, of course.
Anna does feel self conscious and ashamed when she's at the store and the woman shopkeeper judging her by saying, well if it's for health reasons, but that's fine then. But the show trying to reinforce that a woman should have the right to choose what she wants to do, or needs to do, without being judged and most of all by men. Though Anna changes her mind about this when she says the same, whether she has eight children or not, she shouldn't be treated like this. There's Mary traipsing off for a week and leaving her son here without his mother. Not that she takes an active interest in him as a mother either. But those were the days, as they say.
Daisy (Sophie McShera) is frustrated at not getting anywhere with her study and Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) gets the idea to get Cry Baby Bunting (Daisy Lewis) to help her out and teach her. Much to our chagrin and Robert's too. Especially when he finds out she's here and Rose thinks she should invite her to dinner. Luckily Bunting refuses otherwise there'd be more hell to pay. However dinner with Bricker doesn't go as planned as Branson (Allen Leech) and Robert manage to bicker over the Russian royal family being assassinated and how Branson doesn't agree with his views when he brings up Charles I being killed. Robert didn't kill Charles and Branson says he didn't kill the Russian royal family either.
Bricker manages to talk to Cora about his "escapades" only just (was that as the Pimpernel? Cos this was a Scarlet Pimpernel reunion for Richard E Grant and Elizabeth McGovern.) He looks at the painting and lo and behold they even talk about the French revolution! I rest my case, ha. All the while he's flirting with Cora, which Robert doesn't notice. Infact later in bed when they're arguing over Branson and how bunting is changing him and he's going back to his old ways, he mentions Simon Bricker was flirting with Isis, the dog, but didn't even notice anything with Cora! Robert adding that if Branson moves away, Sibby will be staying here since he's not losing their eldest grandchild.
What about the one they don't even know about, Marigold. Tim (Andrew Scarborough) attempted to get Edith (Laura Carmichael) to visit with her more and maybe she could become godmother to her. Which she agrees with, but there's stark dissension from his wife who wants Marigold to herself claiming she's part of the family now and not a foundling. Edith discusses with Robert and Cora how she'd like to care for her and provide for her using the money from her articles and also from her trust. Slowly finding some way to being her to Downton. Even suggesting she can play with George and Sibby. Of course it seems his wife thinks the baby might be his and Edith's. Even so, you know the truth will out eventually.
The Dowager (Maggie Smith) still trying to get Isabel (Penelope Wilton) and Merton (Douglas Reith) away from her altogether. Well this is a silly storyline cos last ep she was adamant that she should stop seeing him and this ep she tells Isabel he's invited them to his house. Dr Clarkson (David Robb) thinking a tour of the garden is a good thing, but in the Summer. Oh and insulin has been discovered too, so there'll be less deaths from diabetes. Merton it appears is lost without a woman and a woman's touch when they talk about the room at his house and how it was decorated by his mother. He wants to pick Isabel's brains about medicine. At one point Isabel even suggests that Merton is vying for the Dowager's affections and not hers. Yet it appears the Dowager is an expert in knowing when a man is after her!
Anna tries to be friendly with Thomas cos she knows he's missing Jimmy which sours when Bates (Brendan Coyle) walks in. Bates having told him earlier that he's not interested in anything he has to say. The Committee would like to plant the War memorial in the cricket ground and Robert is against that. Carson (Jim Carter) is all for it, but Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) tells him she'd prefer somewhere in the town where people can look at it and pay their respects everyday. Carson disagrees but he doesn't like it when he and Mrs Hughes aren't on the same page. During a visit to the village with Robert, Carson changes his mind when they meet a woman whose husband died in the War and she brings her son to his grave so that he doesn't forget him. Well that got Carson and Mrs Hughes back in agreement then.
A policeman turns up and Thomas brings him in with Carson adding his scaremongering didn't work. He's here to find out about Green and a witness has come forward about the incident. Of course, Mrs Hughes had to be there to listen in. Mary and Gillingham meet for their rendezvous and she thinks they should use assumed names. He doesn't agree as they won't have to lie about the truth. Mary doesn't even want Gillingham, it's so plain to see. Even if her reason for the rendezvous is so she can find a husband and marry without ever getting divorced.
Oh and Robert gets the wireless when Rose tells him the King will be making a speech when he opens the Empire exhibit.
I think they have gone as far as they can with the storylines in this show, no really, it's all about how the times they are a changing, but Robert and Carson are set in their ways and on't want that. Whereas the women are more open to it, such as Mrs Hughes, Cora, Rose and obviously Mary with her tryst. Yet it's apparent they will come down to earth and reality with a massive thump, especially whee news of Mary gets out and also of Edith and her baby.
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