The Vampire Diaries 6.2 "Yellow Ledbetter" Review

                                                
Another Elena-centric ep again, as she now gets Alaric (Matt Davis) to compel Elena (Nina Dobrev) to make her forget Damon (Ian Somerhalder) catch being, the only way she can do this is if she recalls the exact moment she realized she loved him.  So enabling us to have flashbacks to their 'romance' when Damon was the one who fell for her, love at first sight for him and she fooled herself into thinking that she loved Stefan (Paul Wesley) well she did, but not as much as she thought. Especially since she admits she found Damon dangerous and attractive, as well as 'sexy' particularly after he took her to the school dance.  Recalling those moments but she still answers that Damon is her boyfriend and he died, everytime Alaric asks her.  Until he calls Caroline (Candace Accola) and she tells him how Elena fell in love with Damon when she as still with Stefan.  Thus Elena fooling herself, or rather being in denial that she was faithful to Stefan all this time.  She may have been faithful to him as far as that word entails emotions, but in her heart she knew she wanted Damon, so how faithful was that really?

Alaric makes her recall that, that she's lying to herself and even though Caroline tells Elena that they may still find Damon and things could be different, she doesn't want to believe that.  Is that to save herself the heartache of letting him go again, or just cos she didn't have such strong feelings for him, or the result of losing him.  Anyhoo, Alaric gets her to confront that true moment which was when Damon put the necklace Stefan gave her around her neck and she didn't think he was that bad of a person, or a monster.  Until she finally forgets he's her boyfriend and does recall the monster he is and how he killed Jeremy.

Speaking of Damon, well he' stuck in 1994 with Bonnie (Kat Graham) back in Mystic Falls, 10th May 1994 to be precise and the town's deserted and they're reliving the same day over and over as seen by the solar eclipse.  Damon thinking this is his hell and he's doomed to live it with Bonnie and she thinking it's hers with him.  She can't work out an answer in the crossword puzzle and finds the teddy bear she lost when she was 9 at her house.  As well as a Grimoire, so maybe she can learn magic again.  Damon also finding Elena's necklace and reliving the moment of when he put it round her neck. Guess that was meant to be a destiny, kind of parallel world kind of moment with them both remembering the same thing, but for different reasons, or maybe just deja vu would be easier. Bonnie also confirming they're not alone since someone's finished the crossword puzzle, as the answer is Yellow Ledbetter.  How could Bonnie think Damon would even be remotely interested in finishing her puzzle! Ha.  Or is even interested in crosswords.

Caroline is still searching for Stefan along with Enzo's (Michael Malarkey) help and they find him shacked up with the random, Ivy (Emily Chang) he met last ep.  Only he's a mechanic now and isn't doing his investigating anymore in searching for Damon which Enzo is peeved with and starts a fight over it. Stefan having to break his neck to stop it.  That's the point at which he finds out Elena loved Damon the same time she was still with Stefan and he wasn't meant to hear that but he does when Caroline tells Alaric that.  Caroline is angry and hurt that he didn't listen to his messages when she was breaking down and needed him, so she cries in the car and Enzo sticks up for her in a kind of twisted knight in shining jeans kind of way.  He tells Stefan he's a sorry excuse for a brother and recalls how Damon said he'd hurt him for an eternity, so he's going to do that now, not understanding what a brother could have done to hurt another brother and kills her to make Stefan understand the torment and what Damon would've done to him.  This one's for hurting Caroline.

Jeremy (Steven R McQueen) shacks up with Sarah (Gabrielle Walsh) and she's apparently stole her boss's car and is looking for her father, so is her father Trip (Colin Ferguson) who we find out was an offspring of the Mystic Falls founding fathers, the Fell family.  He's a hunter/killer, I guess, as he makes a bunch of vampires he's caught burn in sunlight.  Jeremy doesn't care what Matt (Zach Roerig) says about her, he's still hooking up with her and has paid Bonnie's phonebill so they can hear hear voice and her mother wanted that too, but he's angry she broke the news to him about her dying over the phone.

Well I'd love to spend the same day over and over with Damon! ha.  Also Damon making pancakes! But I'm glad Elena forgot her feelings for him, now let's hope we can move on from them being together.  Enzo is more like Damon's twin in terms of his evilness, just doing away with Sarah like that, like some sort of collateral damage.  He is right in terms of Stefan giving up on Damon though, just like Elena doing the same.  So in that respects they're both similar and should get back together.  It'll make sure they would get away from Damon pining for her still.   Of course we now have Trip in the picture and he's going to be the new bad guy in town.

Downton Abbey Series 5 Episode 8 Review

                                                 
The staff and family make arrangements for Rose's (Lily James) wedding taking place in London, as Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) and Daisy (Sophie McShera) make the three tier wedding cake.  Also Thomas (Robert James-Collier) passes the staff their inventory for the London trip.  Rose shows off her wedding dress, she'll be wed at the Registry Office and then later have a blessing.  Mentioning how her mother, Lady Susan Flintshire (Phoebe Nicholls) doesn't approve of Atticus (Matt Barber) and neither does Lord Sinderby (James Faulkner). The family discuss the wedding and also how they need to sort out the plans for building houses too, so whilst they're in London they can look into the matter of the costs, though Robert (Hugh Bonneville) is unsure as to how he is going to pay for it. Mary (Michelle Dockery) has another jibe at Edith (Laura Carmichael) and how she dotes on Marigold and Robert also notices too, when playing snakes and ladders with Sibbie, Mary referring to him as "Donk."

Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and Bates (Brendan Coyle) will check out the London house when they are there and Carson (Jim Carter) tells Mrs Hughes (Phyliss Logan) they'll need another footman too, so they'll hire one, just for the sake of appearances, since times are changing and yet another comment on this too.  Anna is told Inspector Vyner (Louis Hilyer) is here again and would like to see her.  He tells them about a witness who has come forward when Green was attacked and Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) says she will swear she saw the entire train ticket if it comes down to it.  They thought the whole business was over.  She will be in London so the Inspector tells Anna to come to Scotland Yard when she's there.

Kuragin (Rade Sherbedgia) visits the Dowager (Maggie Smith) who's just had breakfast and Denker (Sue Johnston) has laid out the violet dress for her, since it compliments her, talk about sucking up.  He tells her even when the Princess arrives he will leave her since he wants to spend his time with the Dowager, wanting to be her friend and lover, but she doesn't think that will be easy, now what will everyone think?  Spratt (Jeremy Swift) is still unhappy with Denker and with good reason tries to sabotage her job and hides one of the Dowager's cases under the bed, but the Dowager notices a case seems to be missing and asks him to retrieve it from its hiding place.  Yeah, one up for Denker, but not for long.

The War Memorial will be unveiled back at the village and Mrs Patmore decides she won't be there cos it's too painful and besides her nephew's name won't be on it, which Carson relays to Robert. Also wanting Daisy to inform Mr Mason (Paul Copley) to be there by letter when she writes to him for William.  Branson (Allen Leech) is determined to leave for Boston and they need people familiar with farm machinery, so he can make a good living out of it.  Mary doesn't want him to leave and neither does Edith.  But he knows she'll make a good run with the publishing business as she's a good writer.

At dinner with the two families, at the London house, they still talk of their religions.  The Dowager asking if Isabel has changed her mind about Lord Merton and whether he'll be at the wedding.  Rose's mother arrives and refuses to share a room with Shrimpy (Peter Egan) as well as threatening to make their divorce public, which Sinderby doesn't approve of.  But the family tries to steer the conversation towards other lines.  Atticus is staying at the Hornby which Mary adds is her favourite hotel (was that with or without Gillingham, ha.)  His mother, Lady Sinderby (Pennie Downie) says he's having his stag night there.  Shrimpy warns her not to tell anyone about the divorce until after the wedding and they discuss how they don't have any money left for any of the children.  She wants Rose to do better than Atticus.

Molesley (Kevin Doyle) decides he wants to see the galleries and museums and the Wallace Collection, and Baxter decides she wants to go with him, as does Daisy.  She's still working on the wedding cake, a joint effort with Mrs Patmore, but Baxter tells her she's good at creating things too.

At the stag party, Atticus calls it a night, but a woman gets too friendly with him and comes up to his room, even when he turns her down.  She pulls down her dress to her shoulders and then comes out, obviously she was posing with someone taking photos outside, just to disrupt the wedding in the hopes Rose will call it off.  Mary invites the four of them to lunch as a send off for Rose, that's Rose, Branson and also adds Edith can come too and calls it her treat, oh how charitable!  At lunch, Rose is sent the photos and thinks that Atticus has been fooling around, Mary calls it with some, "tart!"  Branson tells her to call Atticus and meet him to talk about it, telling Edith it's obviously some prank being played like they do at stag nights.  He agrees to meet int he park, where Baxter, Molesley and Daisy see them arguing.  Baxter says nothing's final until the ring's one her finger and Molesley asks her if she wants a ring on her finger too one day, which she does.  Daisy decides she doesn't like working in the kitchen anymore and feels like she was in coal mine and has come up for air, she doesn't want to go back now.  Molesley feels guilty that he's made things worse for her.

Denker tries to influence the new footman, Andy (Michael Fox) and wants to take him out on the town, with Mrs Patmore noticing she's trying to be a bad influence him and so does Thomas.  At the police station, Anna is placed in a line up where the witness looks at all the women and Bates tells the Inspector he knows she didn't do it, but he calls it routine after what Bates has been through he should know that.  Obviously it's not routine and especially not the way Anna was acting, she seemed nervous and was bound to look guilty, even if she is innocent.  The Inspector having said that some other women have come forward and accused Green of attacking them too, which means some other woman did it and so Anna is going to be accused now, just to make sure the Down Abbey Christmas Special has some excitement for the viewer!  More like repetition with the Bates killing his wife storyline.

Apparently Denker took Andy to a gambling den where he lost his savings and Thomas tells him next time she goes he's coming too, cos obviously he's going to get his money back.  Atticus confronts his father about the photos and he admits he isn't happy about the wedding cos their children won't be Jewish since Rose isn't and Atticus is vocal that their children will make their on choices.  He tells Atticus he didn't take the photos, well no, it had to be Susan, she comes across as more bitter anyway and we knew she's always been a troublemaker.  The family arrive for dinner at the Sinderby's which is one again fraught with tension.

Mary tells the Dowager about the photos and thinks it could be Sinderby and asks Shrimpy if they should confront him.  But Shrimpy knows better and tells Susan she did that to Rose, he checked the chequebook and saw the money was withdrawn.  He tells her if she mentions the divorce before the wedding then he'll tell Rose what she did and she'll never forgive her.  Which brings to mind the question of why Rose didn't bother to think it could have been her mother, especially since she's also so vehemently opposed to the wedding.

The wedding day arrives and Susan makes a speech saying she's divorcing Shrimpy to which Sinderby isn't pleased, but his wife says the wedding will go ahead, otherwise she'll leave him and that'll make an even bigger scandal.  Shrimpy obviously not being there so she doesn't know she's done this, but he's happy for Rose and that she found Atticus.  The Dowager tells Isabel (Penelope Wilton) she hopes she'll fight his sons and marry him since she's had a change of heart and other circumstances have led her to rethink her opposition tot he marriage. She'll have more of a fight on her hands since Merton doesn't have a wife but Kuragin does.

Daisy yells Mrs Patmore she's decided she wants to study in London and will hand in her notice, which upsets Mrs Patmore since she thinks Daisy a daughter, almost.  Thomas accompanies Denker and Andy to the gambling place and he plays cards and wins back money so he can pay off his debt, they'll talk about his paying him back later but has a score to settle with Denker, so he tells Basil Shute (Darren Machin) that she comes in here telling him she's brought people with him, but he came himself and has free drinks after saying she recommended people there.  He asks her to pay her bill before she leaves.

Edith wonders how they can leave their children alone with the nannies and Mary comments on how she's got the book on being a doting mother, also adding it'll be harder when she has one of her own. Rose wants to leave it all to the nannies too.  Edith wants to get home as soon as possible.  At the blessing, Sinderby invites Robert over to some gathering and he'll be pleased to go.  Also Gillingham (Tom Cullen) turns up with Mabel (Catherine Steadman) and they're engaged.  Mary telling him she needed him at the time and Edith tells Robert that he should give it up since he and Mary won't be together.  Carson telling Mary that Gillinghma wasn't right for her either, but she's upset how the family is breaking up and especially with Rose gone and now Branson will be leaving too, she'll be left alone with Edith, oh how positively ghastly for Mary!! Ha.  Robert notices there's something about Marigold but can't put his finger on it and sees how she dotes on her.

At the War Memorial Robert gives an added mention to Mrs Patmore and her nephew, Archie as he's had a separate memorial made for him which is on the wall which she's grateful for.  With Mason also agreeing.  He's sad but he also is proud of William and how he fought and died for his country. Mrs Patmore tells him Daisy will be leaving, but she's changed her mind.  Robert finally works out that Marigold has a lot of Micheal in her and Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) asks him not to tell Edith just yet cos it'll be her secret for a while longer since even Mary and Branson don't know.  Cora also asks if he could love his other grandchild as much as the other two and he believes he can.
Robert finding a way of financing the building of the houses by selling the painting, not cos of Bricker, but cos he gets angry when he thinks of how he didn't trust Cora.

This episode was timed to air on Remembrance Sunday, Lest We Forget, so the War Memorial was a fitting tribute for those who served, especially with it also being the centenary of the First World war.

Mrs Hughes mentioning how Anna is in prison but Carson doesn't think she will be convicted, she hates how they have such sadness and how they feel that way too when something like this happens. Seems they do have all the bad luck, especially with the same old storyline, first Bates was accused of being a killer and now it's Anna, as I said, saw this storyline coming last series.  Robert being happy that he can be at least party to one family secret.  yet there was no mention of the passing of Isis, which means next series and yes there will be a next series, that picture of him in the opening credits with said dog will be old and irrelevant.  You can see there's not much to add in terms of comments for this episode in that it speaks for itself and was just a warp up of the storylines for this series, except for the Anna one, which appears will be dragged to the gallow!

Doctor Who 8.12 "Death In Heaven"

                                                  
As it rains Cybermen, (er, thinking about it, there's no pun here, re the song!) Missy/the Master (Michelle Gomez) is approached by UNIT, as they handcuff her and the flying Cyberman becomes a dark cloud over St Paul's and all over the world.  Osgood (Ingrid Oliver) says she counted 91, which is one for every city in England.  Clara (Jenna Coleman) tries to escape from the Cyberman  by saying she's not really Clara Oswald, she's the Doctor and she's been fooling everyone all this time, she doesn't exist.

Kate (Jemma Redgrave) from UNIT tranquilizes the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Missy.  Later saying it was necessary as all protocols need to be followed when dealing with aliens and they've even managed to retrieve the TARDIS from St Paul's which is under lockdwon.

She wants his help but only his orders will be followed as he later learns why. The protocols have been put in place and all the world leaders have agreed he should be the President, so they must follow his orders. Once again the Doctor having to save the planet.  There are news broadcasts about it raining all over cemeteries but not in the places outside of them.  Seb (Chris Addison) tells Danny (Sam Anderson) what he's really becoming since the Nethersphere and the afterlife are just words they were using and as we go to a morgue, which is now waterlogged, we see that he's become a Cyberman, as he grabs the paper from the pad saying the 'Doctor' and 'Pink'.  Well he would become one wouldn't he, he's dead.

Clara tries to fool the three Cybermen into thinking she's the Doctor telling then who she is, where she's from but they're not convinced and think she's just stalling so she's not killed. Another Cyberman appears and says that she's not the Doctor, but he's not authorized to be here. She's the Doctor she insists and she's a good liar and as soon as she says that the Cyberman agrees, cos we know it's Danny, or at least you should've known and he shoots the other three.

Clara wakes in the cemetery and then finds the rest of the dead are waking up transformed into Cyberman cos of the rain which works on organic matter.  As the Doctor says, the Cyberman are pollinating the dead.  Missy tries to free herself of her cuffs and threatens Osgood, of course she had to go near her and didn't believe her when Missy told her she was going to kill her, really some geniuses don't think do they?  She finds Missy's cuffs in her pocket and Missy does exactly that, vapourizes her.  As Cybermen attack the plane, the Doctor realizes Missy is free.  She tells the Doctor she wants to be his friend and that she knows where Gallifrey is.  The TARDIS phone rings and Missy talks about Clara calling him cos she's got his number. She gave it to her, now donning a cockney accent, she tells him how she's the woman in the shop.  With flashbacks to Clara calling Doctor Eleven all the way back in The Bells of St John ep and Clara talking about the mysterious woman in the shop.  Kate comes down as the plane loses altitude and is sucked out of the plane.  The Doctor also goes next, as Missy vanishes, leaving the plane to explode midair.  He freefalls and finally slows down as his TARDIS reaches him, with Seb and Missy watching.  She's had enough of this AI too and vapourizes him too, or should that be delete.

Clara sees the lone Cyberman and she approaches it as the other ones aren't fully functioning yet.  He reveals himself as Danny but he can't shoot her.  He removes his mask and she sees it's him.  He feels emotion and he wants her to turn them off, but she doesn't know what to do.  The Doctor tells her if she turns off his emotions, he won't feel any pain and he'll become a Cyberman then.  He wants to help him and asks Danny what the cloud means and what will happen with the cloud.  He knows but he can't see it, the only way he can is if he turns off his emotions.  He must become one of them and share their hive brain.  Showing the Doctor and Clara that's what he does, he says one thing but does another.  "Clara, watch this, this is who the Doctor really is."  But the Doctor can't do that to him and walks away.  Clara wants the Sonic and she'll do it herself, as Danny says he can't do the dirty work.  All she has to do is point and think about it.

He tells the Doctor the cloud will turn the living into the dead and Missy arrives with her vapourizing gadget.  She wants to be the Doctor's friend again like they were on Gallifrey but he doesn't want to be.  He tells him she found it and gives him the coordinates.  Clara picks up the gadget as she hugs Danny.  The Cybermen were for the Doctor, his own army.  Now he can do what he always does, save people, those held by the Daleks, as we also had flashes back to the Dalek telling the Doctor that he has no soul.  As well as saying to Robin Hood that he's also not a hero.  Shown here, as it was Danny who saved the day.  But the Doctor doesn't want an army, he doesn't need one.  As he gives the bracelet Missy put on his wrist to Danny.  The Cybermen obey his command.  He knows they can save the planet by burning and that's what he does, taking all the Cyberman with him, as they all explode the world over.  The sky is no longer dark.  Clara has the gadget and wants to kill Missy but is stopped by the Doctor.  Missy telling him he's saving her soul cos he wants to do it himself, which he does. Clara recalls the coordinates to Gallifrey.

Clara is woken by Danny calling out to her, he knows how to get back with the bracelet, but it's only a one way trip.  He figured it out, but he sends back the boy he killed instead.  She needs to find his parents, as he says goodbye.  The Doctor comes back to see Clara two weeks later and sees the bracelet she's wearing, thinking she and Danny are together.  She wants to tell him something, but he doesn't let her.  He knows they have to move on and she has to be with Danny, even though she says she liked their travels.  As we see the Doctor follow the coordinates, but he doesn't see Gallifrey.  He lies once again!  Saying Missy actually told the truth for once, so she thinks he's gone back home. They hug and he doesn't like hugs cos then you hide your face and can't see it.  They say goodbye. Oh they lie so well!

So St Paul's now has a new retractable roof, was gonna say funky, but nah! ha.  Missy going all Marilyn Monroe with singing, 'happy birthday, Mr President, as he got to fly in 'Earth Force One' and the Doctor kissing Missy this time!  As well as Missy making an entrance with her umbrella, Mary Poppins style. Danny once again showing that he's a soldier firstly and foremostly and rallied the Cybertroops to save the world, with his rousing speech of, "...the promise of a soldier."  Also Kate being saved by Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart, who always wanted the Doctor to salute him, which he gets since he realizes with the Cyber-rain, he became one too and saved Kate when she fell from the plane.

Then Osgood getting killed, maybe it was cos she said, "bowties are cool!" ha.  Well she did get to mention Thunderbirds, but Cloudbase was actually Captain Scarlet as Captain Ahmed (Sanjeev Bhaskar) corrects her in his smallish role, cos he gets sucked out of the plane too! With the Doctor also mentioning Sylvia Anderson.  Then there were the opening credits with the eyes of Jenna Coleman appearing as if she really was he Doctor, trying a tad too much to make this convincing. Let me talk about Clara here, did we really get a satisfactory conclusion to her storyline, especially when she was 'the Impossible Girl' the 'Souffle Girl,' we didn't get any mention of this, not when you think about it, which made her remark of being Doctor even more misleading.  Saying she chose 23 November as her birthday cos she liked the number.  Also in the Victorian episode, The Snowmen, her birthday was 23rd November 1866.   Yet when she died with Doctor Eleven (Matt Smith) by her side, her gravestone read, "remember me...for we shall meet again..."  I would like to see her get a proper explanation and want to know who Clara Oswin Oswald is!  Jenna is returning for the Christmas Special, but I doubt we will get anymore about her.  Also, the fact she and Danny had a child somewhere, somehow, still remains.

This show has visited cemeteries many times over, not to mention that Sherlock cemetery connection again from The Reichenbach Fall! ha.  Okay don't make a big deal about it!

Of course finding Gallifrey made the Doctor react to Missy and he does want to find it as his anger and disappointment was shown when he bashed that poor console a number of times!  It just goes to show Missy also lied, like he does and he was on the receiving end this time.  A possible character trait they both share, but it ends there.  The Doctor getting a visit from Santa asking what he wants, so gearing us up for the Special.

Downton Abbey Series 5 Episode 7 Review

                                              
As the Dowager (Maggie Smith) and Rosamund (Samantha Bond) talk of Edith (Laura Carmichael) leaving so abruptly and how they didn't find out until they got back from the races, she was gone, the Dowager thinks they should tell Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) before someone else does and she finds out they kept it a secret from them.  Rosamund asks if they should also tell Robert (Hugh Bonneville) but the Dowager replies that he's a man and he doesn't have rights.  That's what I said last ep, that they should have told Cora before.  The others talk about how Rose (Lily James) invited Atticus (Max Barber) and his family for dinner, with Charles (Julian Ovenden) Mabel (Catherine Steadman) and Gillingham (Tom Cullen) already there too and Charles suggests they should leave the family alone to talk about their 'secret' crisis.  With the Dowager saying she would like to go for a walk too with Cora and she can show her around the flowers.  Alas too late, as Thomas (Robert James-Collier) tells Cora she has a visitor, Mrs Drew.  The look Rosamund and the Dowager give each other is one to remember.  It was bound to happen, no sooner had she said it, that someone else would get in first.

Robert tells the Dowager he'll take her for a walk, but she responds, "why would I want to take a walk?"  Mary (Michelle Dockery) being tactless as usual and so uncaring about her sister again. "Why the song and dance, Edith has gone away, so what?"  Charles tells Gillingham he should just call it quits with Mary, but he feels she doesn't want that and he can't do that to her for obvious reasons.  Charles replying he knows what Gillingham means and he should just marry Mabel cos that's all that she wants.

Cora is angry at Rosamund and the Dowager as they tell her the whole story about Edith and the baby and how she wanted to get rid of it but decided to keep it and that's why the trip to Switzerland.  The Dowager thought she'd give it up but didn't, also that finding out about Michael's death must have triggered her to take Marigold.  Cora doesn't feel she can trust the Dowager again and later tells her this.

Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) overhears Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) ask Mary about the train ticket she gave her which could prove Bates's (Brendan Coyle) innocence.  Showing he didn't go to London and feels bad about having to talk to the police about them.  But Anna (Joanne Froggatt)and Bates didn't like her doing that even after she apologizes for doing it, but she can't bring herself to tell them the real reason, which Thomas tells her she should do and also Molesley (Kevin Doyle) says the same. Yet she feels shame about it and couldn't open up to them too.

At the dinner Isabel (Penelope Wilton) makes her announcement about her engagement to Merton and everyone is pleased except for the Dowager, of course but she tells Mary she's worried about Edith, though Mary can't understand why she would be.  Lord Sinderby (James Faulkner) is very much not happy with Rose and Atticus and asks Cora how she is able to carry on with their own religion and bring up children too.  Cora also says they kept their name unlike him.  But his wife, Lady Sinderby (Pennie Downie) is more open to Rose and Atticus being together.  Which it appears Robert is too as he tells her Shrimpie would be open to the marriage if they got together, but her mother wouldn't.  Atticus also suggests that someone needs to ring the publishing company as that's probably where Edith is, of course no one else thought about that.

Cora is determined to go to London and Rosamund agrees to go with her. The receptionist insists that Edith isn't here and they close at six so Cora says they'll stay here until then.  Edith walks in the door not knowing what's happening but doesn't want to talk about it, thinking that Rosamund broke her confidence, but it was actually Mrs Drew.  She takes them to a teashop and doesn't want to come home.  She's decided on going to America but would rather Marigold be raised here and Cora wants her back at Downton, but she doesn't want to deal with Robert or Mary looking down on her, yeah Mary can talk with everything she's been up to lately, well from the outset.  Cora says Robert should be told and in time he will accept her.  But she doesn't want to, so Cora goes back to Edith's original idea about taking her in as the Drew's can no longer look after her.

Mary heads for London as Charles has an idea on how she can get rid of Gillingham once and for all, at a cinema, which he calls, kinema.  Anna and Bates resolve to see the condition of the house his mother left him and then maybe rent it out again.  He believes her about Mary's stuff and they think the business with Green is over.  Anna adding that maybe some people are meant to wait longer before having children.

Robert is worried about Isis and takes her to the vet on Friday, bringing back news she has cancer. This about the time that they arrive back from London, only Mary and Anna are at the station.  So Drew (Andrew Scarborough) can't take Marigold from them and bring her to the house later.  He helps with the suitcase under the guise of getting onto the train and has to go onto the next station.  Anna of course notices him with the child, cos he couldn't sit on the other side and later she tells Mrs Hughes what she saw and how Drew travelled in a first class carriage.  As if it had anything to do with her or with Mrs Hughes, suppose she'll see Marigold and then make a connection.  Or as I just thought maybe she might want her for herself if she finds out that Marigold is just someone who's been abandoned, well if she couldn't have children.  Then again that'd just be a rehash of the Mrs Drew storyline.

The Dowager is sad as she's losing a companion in Isabel when she marries Merton (Douglas Reith) and Mary tells her that she has them.  But they have their own lives.  Spratt (Jeremy Swift) also declares he's resigning over Denker.  Daisy (Sophie McShera) decides she's disillusioned with the Labour government not making enough inroads for people like her and wants to give up studying, which Molesley says she should carry on with.  That was kind of true to life, you know Labour government disillusionment, well any political party disillusionment more like! Ha.  He thinks Mr Mason (Paul Copley) might have a different response to her decision and writes to him.  He invites them over and Molesley thinks Baxter should go too.

At the dinner with Merton, Larry (Charlie Anson) makes a complete ass of himself again, being very rude and vocal about how Isabel is just a commoner and won't fit in with being a leader of the county. To the point where Branson (Allen Leech) loses his temper and tells the 'bastard' to shut up.  Merton asks him to leave but his other son, Tim (Ed Cooper Clarke) wasn't any better, telling Isabel that's why she won't fit in.  They've been spoilt by their mother.  It's any wonder that Branson wanted to get out of the dinner and look after Isis. Robert agrees with Branson though he wouldn't have used that language.  Downstairs, Molesley has fun spreading the gossip around, until Carson (Jim Carter) breaks it up.

Atticus proposes to Rose, but there'll be trouble ahead with his father.  Isabel has doubts about the marriage and can't talk to Merton about it now.  Robert agrees to Marigold staying, but leaves it to Cora to decide.  Branson also tells Robert he's thinking of leaving for Boston where he may do well and Robert hopes it's not cos of them he's leaving.  When he speaks with Sibbie, it's clear she wouldn't like to leave here either.  It takes Gillingham to see Mary and Charles kissing before he gets the message Mary really doesn't want him.  Though Charles is being packed off to Poland for almost a year, so she won't see him, do we smell shades of World War II soon, perhaps?  You know all this talk of the Labour government being a failure and Daisy thinking they won't last a year.

Just waiting for the reveal on Edith's Marigold for the series finale, but guess they may save it for next series of there is one.  It appears Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) seems to have Carson wrapped round her finger when it came to asking time off for Molesley and Daisy, as does Mrs Hughes, and she tells Anna about their plans to buy a house together for rental purposes.

Doctor Who 8.11 "Dark Water" Review

                                               
Clara (Jenna Coleman) calls, Danny (Sam Anderson) telling him to "shut up, shut up, shut up." As she needs to tell him things about her, her secrets after she' stuck Post Its everywhere, like Miniature Clara, Boneless, etc. deciding she doesn't want to lie anymore.  He walks in the park and she tells him that she loves him.  Not just something you'd say casually but really loves him.  He's it for her, he's the only one she'll say those words to, then she can't hear him on the other end and she tries to speak but he doesn't reply.  Cos obviously we knew he was going to get knocked down by a car.  Did you hear the tapping on the phone. The four knocks, signature of the Master, the four beat sounds of the drums which he called "the drums of war."  Which In the End of Time was described to be the heartbeats of a Time Lord.  Or maybe it was just me who thought that.  A woman then answers the phone and says he's not there, he got run over by a car out of nowhere.  Yeah how realistic a coincidence was that.  He was a soldier, survived the war, came home, got run over after meeting Clara.

Clara runs to the scene with ambulances everywhere, then her clothes change and we see a memorial for Danny.  With the voice of the  headmaster of the school breaking the news to everyone and how it was obvious that he and Clara were an item.  She's at home when the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) calls her, but she lets it ring.  Talking to an old woman about what's happened.  Then she finally answers the phone but doesn't tell him what's happened.  He was busy so couldn't call her back.  She gets onto the TARDIS and takes all of the Doctor's keys, asking him about his sleep patch cos she needs one as she can't sleep.  He asks her where she wants to go, she want to see a volcano, the lava.  After talking all the keys, she knocks him out with one of the patches.

She stands at the edge of the lave flow and drops a key into the lava cos he told her that's how to destroy his keys.  She wants him to bring Danny back, go back in time cos time can be altered.  But he refuses saying it can't, it needs to be precise.  If he goes back in time,then she won't be here telling him to bring Danny back.  She throws another key into the lava and then all of the keys.  All seven. He tells her she hasn't thrown them all and to look at her hand.  She has a patch on the palm of her hand and he says they're not sleeping patches they just induce a dream-like state.

Danny reaches the Promised Land, The Nethersphere.  Where he's asked by Seb (Chris Addison) if he wants a cup of coffee, the good stuff will take a while, as well as needing to fill in some forms and if he wants to be cremated.  He doesn't want that but he's never thought about it.  But Seb opens the door to shout there's a burner for room 12.  Danny doesn't quite realize he's dead, or where he is, so Seb has to explain a few things to him.  Like why he's cold, as his body can still feel things from the other place, about his soul being here.

The Doctor agrees to help her find Danny even though she betrayed him cos he cares about her.  "Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference."  Even if there will be all these paradoxes.  As long as she doesn't do that thing with her eyes.  He doesn't know how she can make them so big.  She needs to tune herself into the TARDIS so she can locate Danny.  She was able to do that before when she found him, found Danny as a boy in 8.4 Listen; so the TARDIS will take them to his location.  The TARDIS moves and the Doctor says the thinks TARDIS thinks Danny's somewhere.  They come to a mausoleum, where the Doctor says this is where her and Danny's paths will intersect.

They see skeletons behind glass tanks and he wonders what tanks would be doing in a mausoleum. He takes a virtual cube out of a book which tells them about what they do here, the 3W programme. But he knows there's someone behind the glass and asks if it's easy to read backwards.  Missy (Michelle Gomez) reveals herself but describes herself as being a robot. The Doctor isn't aware of what they offer here so she kisses him to make sure he receives the 3W package news.  Asking Clara if she'd like the same.  She's very intimate and tells the Doctor she has a heart too and it's maintained by the Doctor, him asking "Doctor Who."  Yes that line again! ha.  She puts his hand to her heart. Which is maintained by Dr Chang (Andrew Leung).  Clara having to tell the Doctor to can put his hand down now.   Dr Chang takes them away to show them more and the skeletons turn and watch them.

He talks of  Dr Skarosa who was the mastermind behind the programme.  They don't know what this is but then they shouldn't be here.  The Doctor uses his psychic paper again and it's another government inspection.  Chang asking why all the swearing there.  The Doctor replies he's very angry.  Clara will be allowed to speak with whomever she's lost.  He says that Dr Skarosa found some voices through the white noise and he heard actual people.  One of them saying he doesn't want to get cremated. Showing that the afterlife doesn't mean death, but their conscience still goes on and they feel pain. The Doctor adding that Dr Skarosa was an idiot. Clara gets to speak with Danny as the Doctor wants to find out more since something isn't right and he feels he knows Missy.  Telling her to ask Danny questions only he would know.

Seb tells Danny there's someone here to see him.  Asking him if he ever killed anyone as a soldier. Flashback to Danny as a soldier and he opens the door to a house where he shoots inside.  A boy sits with him and he doesn't let Danny touch him, then leaves.  Danny's sorry.  He obviously had killed someone which is why he evaded the question on his first day at school.  That's why he no longer wanted to be a soldier, but to teach children instead, to change their lives in some way.

Clara questions Danny but he can't tell her anything, except she can't come here cos there's only one way she can be here.  He doesn't know what to say to her questions.  Missy tells the Doctor he knows her.  She kills Chang after she hears something nice from him, which he shouldn't have said and kept himself alive longer, but there you have it.  He gets vapourized and Missy sets the tanks to drain, talking of how she got to make the Cybermen through cyberspace.  The Doctor tries to make a run for it and uses the Sonic to open the door and finds they're in London, St Paul's.

Clara can't get Danny to say anything to her so she disconnects from him.  Seb giving him the iPad back with the delete button on it.  What he was meant to say, other than 'I love you,' was what she said to him, that he's the only one for her, but obviously he didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Missy reveals her two hearts like him, but she's not a Time Lord, a Time Lady and Missy is short for Mistress as opposed to the master.  The Doctor runs around trying to get people to get away as the Cybermen walk down the steps.  Dr in the tank also reveals himself and Clara calls for the Doctor.

Oh darn they gave away the Cybermen with that characteristic music of theirs.  If you've read my past Doctor Who reviews, you'll know what I mean as I describe it as music from Carry On Screaming. Eeww, the Master kissing the Doctor!  Lots of quotes from Missy, such as, "the key strategic weakness of the human race, the dead outnumber the living."  So ample material for creating Cybermen.  Also it was expected she was the Master, speculation and rumours aside.  3W referring to "3 words" as Chang tells them.  Those three words being, "don't cremate me."

Think Steven Moffat has an obsession with swimming pools, another Sherlock reference, me thinks, ha. Especially for the series 1 finale, The Great Game.  The Dark Water being the liquid that was able to have an effect on organic matter.  Which Chang says they should use for swimming pools.  As for Clara's "Danny I love you and you're the last person who's ever gonna hear me say that."  That was a dark foreboding if ever there was one.  If you hadn't already guessed, Clara was in the dream-induced state, not the Doctor as she thought and we were meant to think too.

I wouldn't exactly call Steven Moffat's foray into the question of the afterlife and whether people actually feel pain, as being scary or cold, it's just questions that have been asked for a long while now, yet not really put into such a context in such a show.

Chasing Spirits: The Building of the Ghost Adventures Crew Nick Groff with Jeff Belanger Review

                                                   
Not a conventional book review as I didn't find this book to be conventional in the normal sense of the word.  Above all I found this book to be so very candid and honest.  A true reflection of Nick in many ways and what he's really like as a person.  Reading his personal moments, some of them were exactly that, it was like reading about someone you've not only known from watching the show, but someone you've known as a friend for many years.  It is funny, eye opening, revealing and all the other adjectives that can be associated with this and yes it did feel like having a face to face conversation with him, or a one to one.  In many ways, it was almost autobiographical.

A revealing insight into his own personal experiences with the paranormal, as well as having a family who were also into this too.
Nick and Veronique's 'love story' was moving and emotional, at the same time, it's just how you'd picture Nick proposing, so sweet!  As was how they supported each other through the good times and the tough, how it should be.  Even how she helped to come up with the name of the show, Ghost Adventures (GA).

Above all, I think from reading Chasing Spirits, Nick is an excellent role model for never giving up. Always following your heart and getting around obstacles in one's life. A testament to how he was not only raised and brought up, but how he understands both human beings, what we as a society are like; our shortcomings and the paranormal world too. So tech savvy too, I wouldn't even know where to start!

The GA story and how the show was conceptualized and actually made it to air was exciting to read. As was the fact it was Nick's baby and how committed to getting his vision, his thoughts and his dream onto air!  The sacrifices he made, but never gave up even through all the adversity and how the cards were stacked against him. And then the rest of the GAC when they got on board.  All coming together and getting the best people out there on board with him and Aaron Goodwin was the funny, goofy, fun loving one. Though I would like to watch Nick on screen more!

I loved how Nick wrote about the stuff that didn't make it to air, the unseen footage cos it couldn't be shown, or the bits that shouldn't be shown. Cos you can't get everything into a 42 minute show. Especially cases like the Moon River Brewery investigation.  Where it was apparent, something wasn't quite right with him.  Don't know Nick personally, but have seen him enough to know when something's not right with him and the moment this happened was obviously seen on camera.  He just wasn't himself.  It was the same in the King's Tavern ep and when they returned to Goldfield ep when he was clearly out of it and even Mark Constantino noticed.  These sorts of moments make the show, they're very personal to those involved and can have a devastating effect if they go unchecked.  As well as being seen as a reality check on many levels. It's so easy for people to close themselves off from such experiences and beliefs.

The apparition he came face to face to in Linda Vista was also eye opening, that one moment of destiny in his life that made him aware of how to live more and get the most out of life, was touching and again contributed to the sort of person that he is now.  Generous, gracious, compassionate, modest and accepting of others, as well as other ghost shows.  Each show has their own style, yes but Ghost Adventures hits it home for me, cos of the presentation, the content and the investigation itself, as well as the GAC.  They're not ramming their thoughts down our throats, but there's a great balance of history, some fun and joking around, the equipment used and their findings.  Which really makes you think about that particular episode and what may have happened in the past, with their evidence backing it up.  I know that I like to analyze and discuss and that's what part of the appeal is for watching the show.  It opens up thoughts and discussions, or at least it should for all who watch. (That's my opinion rammed down your throats! ha.)

Sometimes I referred to this as Chasing Shadows, oops, (maybe in my mind I was) but I think Nick should write a follow up to this and that'd be an apt title. There's so much more he has to say, I feel and his terrific, narrative style is so interesting, thought provoking, without being 'in your face.'  He doesn't force you to believe in anything you don't want to, or to take his side, just giving you his views and opinions and leaving us to decide where we lay our convictions.   Nick really has an ear for storytelling and an eye for detail and Chasing Spirits was hilarious and amusing in many ways and just as serious, speaking to issues and concerning the questions affecting the afterlife and the possibilities this could encompass.

As for saying people might think the book is a way of cashing in, let them, this was far from a money-making 'scheme' but was riveting and I have always believed books on certain topics are always written to enlighten, entertain or both.  If Nick writes another then sign me up cos I'll be the first one in the queue!

So inspiring and humble too, words to live by in one of Nick's recent tweets:
"Life is about learning through good & bad experiences...both have made me a better person. We live in a world where negative people try so hard to ruin others lives. Negative people will say they are your friend & congratulate you one day, than the next day do the exact opposite through jealousy & hatred. It's disgusting. Don't ever let someone try & destroy your life. Be real, honest & stay positive. I'm extremely happy today from the choices I've made."
The world's a better place for having someone like Nick!

Questions I'd ask: when Nick recalled the shadowy figure he saw at his childhood home, but had forgotten about, whether he went back overtime to find out who it was.  Whether he thought that his house is or always was haunted, or did this figure he 'chanced' upon was there due to his near death experience?

Would like them to go back to Winchester Mystery House, but maybe that's just me, always wanted to go here since watching it in Monumental Mysteries and not cos it was named 'Winchester' (Supernatural fans will get the connection! ha.) However, I wonder if the spirit calling out Nick's name even before the experiment they started was from the Old Washoe Club, whether there was this 'communication' between the spirits, knowing they would reach out to them in this way.

Of course there are more questions but don't want to get carried away! Ha.  This is a review after all, of sorts!

CSI 14.22 "Dead in his Tracks" aka "Last Days of Jim Brass" Review

                                                 
1989 Three boys come to their hideout and discover a wounded man inside who's been shot and some loot from a robbery.  The man points his gun at them, but dies before he can shoot.  The boys find money in the bags as well as a lion statue.  The CSIs are called to a nearby CS present day and Nick (George Eads) tells David (David Berman) how the DB won't be making the 3:10 to Yuma.  The man was shot and is IDed as Ben O'Malley.  Sheriff Combs (Grainger Hines) tells them that he used to know the boy when he was little and he had two other friends.  Nick and Sara (Jorga Fox) also find a torn piece of a map which she thinks could be a treasure map.  As well as finding a partial print on the map which Sara finds had a tented arch.  Nick commenting on how when he was young it was all about oil in Texas, not solar power.

Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) gets a call informing him Ellie (Teal Redmann) has tried to kill herself and he heads to the hospital to see her.  He's left waiting outside and thinks it may have been an attempt for her to get a reduced sentence claiming insanity.  As he later tells Sara, maybe it would have been better if she just passed.  Sara saying he's not responsible for anything that she did and he shouldn't blame himself.

The robbery took place at a house of a mob boss and Greg (Eric Szmanda) recalls mob boss Michael Scarno when he was writing his book on Vegas mobsters, there's Greg's book mentioned again, they like to bring it up now and then, after they left us hanging for a long while as to whether he had actually published it or not.  Ben and his brother, Paul carried out the heist and Paul died in his cell after he was arrested. Scotty's (Justin Ellings) glasses are found and they match the partial print that Sara also found. Leading to Sam Bishop (Treat Williams).  He was a deputy who worked with the sheriff and he was fired from his job.  Nick and Greg go to his house to arrest him and find all sorts of files and forensics items in his basement.  The photo was taken by Sam with a weather balloon, even before the use of drones as DB  (Ted Danson) tells him.  He wishes he could have fund Scotty and DB knows he was paid by Scarno to find his money.  But Sam claims he was always looking for Scotty and he needed the money to support Karen (Gina Holden).

Morgan (Elizabeth Harnois) and Hodges (Wallace Langham)  use the photo which Sam had a negative of and she uses GPS satellite map to find the exact location on the map now.  Greg and Sara find the imprint of the statue in the funny shaped crater and also a bone in a tennis shoe, which Sara posits could be Scotty.  The sheriff arrives and is perturbed that they're stealing his thunder and it's still his case.  Sara tells him that it's their case and they'll keep him informed, taking the evidence with them.  Sam says Scotty's mother knew he was dead already but she couldn't grieve without knowing the truth as DB tells Sam.  Doc (Robert David Hall) finds dental records confirms the remains are Scotty's.  He saw fractures and indents and impact compressions, Scotty was struck or fell.   Sam says the imprint matches the base of the statue.  DB inferring they were hiding their murder weapon.

Brass wonders how he and Ellie "got here, to this place" and ponders whether it was cos he wasn't her real father and she resented him for that, since they didn't share that natural bond.  Maybe cos they didn't love each other, but he loved her and helped her out everytime she was in trouble.

Hodges has discovered a secret between the most beautiful woman in history, Cleopatra, not Kate Upton as Henry thinks.  13 minerals from the Dead Sea not found anywhere in the world, the sample for Dead Sea minerals and that's why Henry's DNA extraction failed.  That's the lotion that Karen wears.  Nick thinks she dug up Scotty's grave for that treasure and she tells Nick she was only looking for the statue with Roger (Alex Mendoza).  They would share it and he was looking for her father's aerial photo.  It was worth something.  She thought she was owed after everything her father went through with this case.  She claims that the statue was already gone, inferring someone else killed Scotty, but obviously you can tell she was lying.  She claims she left Roger there with the shovel too.

Sam makes a replica of a statue and wants to test his theory that the sheriff killed Scotty, so using his weight and build he can see if he struck the fatal blow.  DB thinks they can do better in the lab.  So Greg and Finn (Elisabeth Shue) use some sort of covering on the skull so that they can use the same one over and over and the trauma would be simulated by the computer. The height is more than 5' and doesn't match the sheriff at all and the killer was left handed.  Well obviously he didn't do it.  Sam recalls there was a pitcher he used to coach, Tyson (Kiko Ellsworth). Lo and behold, he crushes a can with his left hand and throws it in the trash when Nick arrives.  

Ben was dead and Tyson decided they wanted the money, and Roger went along with it, but Scotty wanted to do the right thing.  Tyson pushes him and outside they have another altercation and Tyson hits him with the statue, but tells Nick he wasn't dead.  Karen turned up and told them a car was coming, it was Paul.  He lost his temper, he was only a child but the money was so much.  Karen put her hand over his mouth to muffle his sounds and he couldn't breathe, so she smothered him.  Nick tells Karen she killed Scotty and she doesn't have an ounce of remorse, it was them or him and it was better that Scotty died.  They hid the money under Roger's grandmother's porch but the house burnt down.  That's what's known as karma.  So it was for nothing.  Nick tells her she lied about this and about before.  She's not a child anymore, but a liar.  She wanted a 50/50 cut of the statue but Roger didn't want to give her an even share.  She shot Roger and wanted it all.

Finn says she was 11 but they can't get her for Scotty's murder.  DB says they have to get her for Roger's murder.  Sam brings them the gun she used on Roger.  She hid it in her secret hiding place which she didn't think he knew about.  Sam talks about Karen in the same way Brass would about Ellie.  The statue is also there.  He thought he knew her and they didn't have any secrets but she was hiding the truth from him for 25 years.  "You do everything you can for your kid,...including the part where they break your heart."

The swelling in Ellie's brain is reduced and she's not alright cos it's "not possible" as she shows him the handcuffs.  He's not prepared to give up on her.  There's always been something wrong with her she tells him.  He's tried to let her go, but can't.  She's all he has.  Brass and DB share a drink in his office, he spoke to Ellie for four hours, the first time in 15 years.  They need each other.  He must trust her cos she's got no one else.  He wants to be there for her.  Brass wants to figure some things out, in other words his resignation!  Not that we're told this in so many words.
                                              
So this marked the exit of Brass and actually, he deserved a much better send off than this, I mean he didn't even feature in the episode.  'Oh let's leave him hanging out at the hospital' for an entire episode and not let him go out in a blaze of glory after 14 years on the show, or give him his key note character one liners!  Which were excellent. It would seem that even if he really loves Ellie deep down, she did kill his wife, her mother and she still has no remorse or regrets for what she did.  She was family, but would he really forgive her so easily.

As for this ep, once again it felt like it was all done before.  Childhood friends turning on one another all for money and greed.  When at the end of the day they didn't even get to spend the money, let alone keep it.  Where did Karen come from, out of nowhere when she was warning them about the car.  Finn's blooper, she calls the boy Scotty Gates but in the newspaper article she shows DB, he's actually named Scotty Pope.

It appears Sam was just written in to show his dedication to the job, just as Brass was, then how his daughter betrayed him too and didn't live up to his expectations for her.  He really was a mirror image of Brass, as were Karen and Ellie of each other. Two sides of the same coin.  Only difference being Karen was Sam's flesh and blood and Ellie was adopted, so it really doesn't matter when it comes down to it, if someone is bad, they will be bad, irrespective of nature or nurture. Gonna miss Brass and Paul!

Downton Abbey Series 5 Episode 6 Review

Once more at the breakfast table, Edith (Laura Carmichael) receives a telegram which as we know has news about Michael.  His editor will be coming over in person and everyone knows it's just confirming the inevitable, that Michael is dead.  Infact he has been dead for over a year now; as Robert (Hugh Bonneville) tells Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) who's having breakfast in bed and really Robert is like he can't even bear to look at his wife.  He's still reeling over her so called non existent assignation over Bricker.  As she later reminds him, he can come back to their bed otherwise she asks him if he's ever really felt anything or flirted with anyone else.  Yes, very hypocritical of Robert, has he forgotten the incident with the maid, who was in awe over him.

It's as everyone confirmed and Michael was dead, killed at the time of the Beer hall Putsch in Munich in 1923.  Hitler has been arrested but won't serve any time for it.  Edith goes for a walk and Cora asks Robert if she should see her.  As if she needs his permission, she's her mother isn't she.  Mary (Michelle Dockery) is 'up herself' as usual, if I can use that phrase!  She knows what the news will be and yet she just can't force herself to be civil to her sister, cos once again, it's all about her and her own life.  Making comments and putting Edith down again.  How long did it take for her to get over Matthew.

Apparently the staff all hear about the editor coming down and Carson (Jim Carter) says it's bad news otherwise he wouldn't come down in person and would just telephone.  Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nichol) is taking a final look at the cottage and taking Mrs Hughes (Phyliss Logan) with her.  Mrs Hughes asks Carson to come and she realizes it's kind of an olive branch and will put behind the business of the war memorial.  Mrs Patmore doesn't mind if he wants to go.  Having seen the cottage, she finally decides she wants to take it, spruce it up and then live in it herself when she retires.  Giving Carson an idea of his own to buy a property with Mrs Hughes as a business venture and they can rent it out and share the rental.  Mrs Hughes smiles at it, oh just get the two of them together already!

Rose (Lily James) is having Atticus (down for the races and Mary gets a new haircut, is that all. Edith loses it when everyone talks about the race and how Charles (Julian Ovenden) and Gillingham (Tom Cullen) will also be there and Cora suggests how they should come down to stay at Downton. Charles putting his plan into action to get Lane Fox (Catherine Steadman) back together with Gillingham, as she woos him all over again. It's apparent he didn't really want Mary after all and it was just Mary trying to get her own way with another man and 'steal' him away cos she could.  She even says this to Lane Fox on the actual day of the race.  That she can't let him get away too easily!
Isabel (Penelope Wilton) also has an answer for Merton and again she is going to accept him, but she doesn't want to tell the Dowager (Maggie Smith) yet until she can break the news to everyone together.

The Dowager seems to be having problems with her new maid, Denker (Sue Johnston) and Spratt (Jeremy Swift) is completely resentful of her, she wants the laundry done at the main house since it's not the duties of a lady's maid to wash up.  Police inspector Vyner (Louis Hilyer) returns with the sergeant and this time they have questions for Baxter (Raquel Cassidy) though she doesn't know why.  They ask her whether she knows of Bates (Brendan Coyle) travelling to London and if he went or not.  Threatening her that if she refuses to cooperate she will serve out the remainder of her sentence for theft.  Which Mrs Hughes is shocked to hear about.  She had heard something about it, but she couldn't say for sure who went to London or not.  She asks how they know and reply they were sent a letter.  We all know who sent that letter, Thomas (Rob James-Collier)!  Mrs Hughes asks Baxter one question, if Cora knows of the theft and she replies she does.  of course if she was a thief, she could have just lied about it.

Then Thomas has the audacity to ask Baxter for help.  After having another dig at Bates when Anna (Joanne Froggatt) tells him he doesn't look well, telling Bates he's indifferent to him cos he's the same way about him too.  He shows Baxter the abscess on his back and she wants him to see Doctor Clarkson (David Robb).  He tells him to stop injecting himself with saline solution and it's not the 'fix' he's been lead to think will cure his homosexuality.  So in effect he was taken for a fool and Baxter says she won't hold that against him, cos if he put his mind to it, he could achieve anything he wants.  Which is what Daisy (Sophie McShera) is doing.  Though she can't stop doting on Bunting! Molesley (Kevin Doyle) offers to help her with history cos he could have become a teacher but his father couldn't afford to keep up his education, but if he can help her get through, then that'll be good enough.

The Dowager sees Prince Kuragin (Rade Sherbedgia) to tell him about the princess and she finds his quarters rather dingy of course.  He recalls their assignations and she wishes to leave all that in the past.  Not even taking a sip of the tea he made for her.  Her lady's maid is very forward, wonder how she puts up with her.  Edith decides she wants to leave and take Marigold with her, especially since Mrs Drew (Emma Lowndes) refuses to let her see Marigold after the news she received.  Edith also losing it when Atticus (Matt Barber) is at Downton when Mary shows off her new hairstyle, which she got from a hairdresser who isn't even French, oh if only she knew, that'd take her down a peg or two! Ha.  Edith tells Atticus he may as well find out what they're really like now.  Mary not having an ounce of sympathy, but she's not berated for it.  Infact Cora doesn't even see if Edith is okay this time either.

Edith tries to write a letter but she can't put any words to paper.  Though she wants to tell Branson (Allen Leech) she can't do that either even if he would understand her.  Just asking him to say goodbye for her and for them not to change him.  Bates finds Mary's book at the house after Anna's forgotten her button box there and as said by me, he gets the wrong end of the stick and thinks she doesn't want his children cos she believes him to be a murderer.  She thinks she means his wife, but he means Green.  He knew it was him who attacked her, especially when Green mentioned going down to the kitchen.  He bought a ticket to London from York, but didn't go.  He knew he'd kill Green and he didn't want to be hanged and to let Anna go through that.  Anna recalls the coat she gave away for the Russians and the ticket inside the pocket, cos as I said last time, you really give things away without checking the pockets (well on TV you do).  She reminds Mrs  Hughes of this and she threw the ticket away when she found it.  It would have proven he didn't go to London since it was whole and not in two halves, as it would've been if he had travelled there.  Anna regretting the only thing that could prove Bates innocent and she gave it away.

The family return to find Edith is gone and the Dowager has an idea where she could be.  Edith shows Mrs Drew the birth certificate withe her name on it even if its' in French, which she rips up. but she has other copies.  Taking Marigold to London, she's going to celebrate with champagne and ice cream.  The Dowager arrives too late and Drew (Andrew Scarborough) doesn't know where she's gone.  Well, someone's going to catch up to her. She can afford to got it alone as she's been left the publishing business.

Oh just when it was looking like Anna could have killed Green, it's not turning out that way.  That would've been a good story.  Also looks like it was probably an accident in the end, or not, as I keep mentioning.  This series has been a bit of a let down in terms of reception and already turning to plots covered in the previous series. Like Robert and his affections for the hired help and berating Cora now for being completely innocent of Bricker's affections towards her.

Doctor Who 8.10 "In the Forest of the Night" Review

                                      
A girl walks though a forest and finally comes to the TARDIS, as she knocks on the door, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) opens it and she tells him she needs help, she needs a Doctor.  He brings her in and finds that they are in London and the forest has grown overnight.  Elsewhere the school party begins to get ready to leave and neither Clara (Jenna Coleman) nor Danny (Sam Anderson) have realized that the girl is missing. They open the door of the museum but it's surrounded by trees. Planet earth no longer is a mass of countries and sea but is all green.  One ep for the environmentalists this one.

The Doctor finds he's at Trafalgar Square and the lion is wooden so there's no way the Sonic will work.  Clara is called by the Doctor and tells her about the girl and she's with him.  Her name is Maebh (Abigal Eames) and she tells him to look after her.  His response, "I'm a Doctor not a childminder."  Though it's a bit funny he doesn't ask her who told her to find the Doctor, when he first tells him she needs the Doctor.  The school party finally comes across the TARDIS and enter it. Being children, their hands would go everywhere and it's the Doctor who has to control them, not Clara or Danny, so much for being teachers.  Surprising a PE, I mean, Maths teacher would accompany them to the museum, wouldn't it have been a history teacher.  Well that's what happened when we were at school.  Anyway, that aside and the fact that Clara was meant to call their parents but didn't cos she was side tracked by the Doctor, she thought she was getting one up on him by telling him how London is covered in trees.  He already knew.  Danny finds the exercise books in the TARDIS so knows that Clara has been seeing him and keeping it from Danny.  Maebh's book had a drawing of the sun and trees.

They search for Maebh and the Doctor thinks she's probably leaving breadcrumbs like Hansel and Gretel, seems he's been reading again.  Clara adding they'll find her in a house made of gingerbread with a cannibal witch.  Then makes a comment about how these are the stories that would give them nightmares in the night. Er, I didn't get any such nightmares from reading fairytales and the like, did anyone?  Meanwhile there's news reports of how the tress have affected other countries and the government Cobra committee has been set up to 'fight' the trees.  Their solution is to burn a path through them.  Has the government ever come up with realistic solutions that actually work. Rhetorical question! ha.

They comes across these men who set fire to the tress but ii doesn't burn.  The fire is extinguished.  Maebh comes across animals escaped from the zoo and walks through the gate to save herself when Clara wants to reach out and get her.  She's chased by wolves who are chased away by a tiger and Danny catches up to them and flashes torch light in the tiger's eye.  Maebh disappears again and they run after her, she's waving her arms in front of her and they think she should have her medication. She's got issues as her sister, Annabelle going missing and their solution was to medicate her.

They find Maebh and she tries to send the trees back but she can't stop it.  The Doctor realizes earth will be affected by the solar flare, just as the Bank of Karabraxos was in Time Heist.  There's nothing they can do to save them.  He uses his sonic to dissipate the lights and they speak trough Maebh, telling him they've been here for an eternity really and through all their human wars, after which they will still be here.  They're not here to harm them.  Maebh tells them Clara's thoughts led her to the Doctor, couldn't she say thought properly, sounded like 'fought.'  Clara convinces the Doctor he can use the TARDIS as a lifeboat and can save some of the people.  It was a way for her to lure the Doctor there and she tells him he should go and the human race can save itself now.  That he should go somewhere else and save them.  He adds he also walks here and breathes their air.  She convinced him to come here to save people otherwise he wouldn't have come.  These children need to be with their parents she tells him and they will always want them.

The Doctor realizes there's a way to save the planet and that the trees build up oxygen and will release it when the solar flare passes, thus saving the planet.  The Tunguska incident in 1908 which didn't blow the whole planet off its axis, so it's happened before and so they can still be saved.  The impact will burn off the excess oxygen in the atmosphere.  However Danny tells them the government is planning on spraying defoliating agent on the leaves.  This is another useless attempt by the government to rid the trees.  The Doctor must warn them but Maebh says she started it, so she wants to do it.  Reading out a message to the world to leave the trees alone.

There's lots of references to Danny being a soldier again, okay only one, but he says it again this time, as if we didn't know already by now.  He doesn't want to see what he's lost but the things that are in front of him.  He doesn't want to see the solar flare but his life is here.  The children want their mums too.  "Fear a little bit less, trust a little bit more," as he quotes Maebe to Clara.   He wants to know the truth even if he doesn't like it.

Then the Doctor mentions lying again as a direct reference to what Clara has been doing and even Danny now knows she's been spending time with the Doctor but keeping it from him.  A bit of a comedic romp through London covered in trees and also poor Nelson losing his other arm too when his Column collapsed!  Clara introduces the class to the Doctor, but do they mean to say that they didn't already know about him with his stint as the caretaker.

As they watch the solar flares being soaked up by the oxygen like an airbag, Missy (Michelle Gomez) also watches again, who else.  Clara wonders how they'll explain an overnight forest disappearing the next day and he says they'll forget.  They forget their fears and turn them into fairy stories, if they remembered then superpowers would stop having wars, having babies.  As Maebe returns home with her mother, the hydrangeas disappear to reveal Annabel (Eloise Barnes).

The TARDIS telling the Doctor "you have reached your destination" over and over when he thinks he had to be somewhere else.  This ep was a reversal of the last one where the Boneless were harming everyone here and had evil intentions.  Here the trees are the opposite and are here protecting the earth as they have done so over the years.  Though it takes a while for this to click for the Doctor that Earth has been through this and survived.  Forgot to add the Doctor referring to Clara's face as being too round again! Ha.

The next episode looks good especially as we need to know the truth about Clara and seems Missy is behind all this.  Has she been manipulating everyone form the outset and as soon as we met Clara? Okay I'm just observing, ha.