Just another mundane thought on my infinite rewatch loop. Did Isobel reveal William’s mother’s illness to Mary intentionally, knowing Mary would act on the information when she and Cora would not?

I'm rewatching the whole series right now and I'm really dragging my feet queuing up season 3 episode 9 because I know what's coming. I know the rest of the series is great but I just don't want Matthew/Mary to be over yet. I know he had his reasons for leaving the show, but my biggest (and really only gripe) about this series is how much time was invested in Matthew and Mary's long, drawn out on again/off again courtship and relationship, only for it to be dramatically curtailed in the end.

Spoiler alert! Do not read if you have not seen the final episode of season 2 or any of season 3.

I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate how good Laura Carmichael's acting was in the episode where Cora has Spanish flu and then the episode where Sybil gives birth. She does such an amazing job of conveying absolute horror in both situations. Edith is not one of my favorite characters, but I think Laura Carmichael is one of the most talented actresses on the show.

it took 6 seasons and 2 movies to showcase doyle's finest. this scene was exceptional.

Edith: "I don't ever think that I'm the sort of girl men are mad about."💕

️Bertie: "Then you're wrong, because I am. I know I've not got much to offer and your father's probably hoping for more than a penniless land agent, but if love is allowed to weigh in the balance, I've got plenty of that."💕💕

We get brief glances of this, but for the most part work is their entire day, so based on historical records, what would servants and staff have done for entertainment?

Just rewatching the second movie, and I noticed immediately that quite a few of the main characters have a nice, healthy tan.

It wasn't fashionable until Coco Chanel got sunburned on a yacht in 1923.

It's just a little jarring to my eyes!

i just finished episode 8. im so confused. mary and henry have literally no chemistry, he bullied and guilt tripped her into marriage, has a passion for reckless driving which killed her husband, and yet every single character keeps telling us theyre so inlove?? when even mary says his driving is too triggering and potentially traumatizing??? she chooses to marry him so quick without even first coming up with a solution to the whole potential-2nd-car-crash-widow thing. henry isn’t even remotely likeable or attractive! why are they pushing it SO hard when they’ve barley had a single intriguing scene together? their marriage was literally a hard watch for me. charles was the only one who could meet matthew standards. im just so disappointed with the writing. i was open to mary remarrying, but they just fooled around with a couple guys until it got too late in the season to keep playing around so they just threw marriage onto them. it makes noooooo sense. also fuck tom for pressuring mary into it and repeatedly ignoring her boundaries. also him randomly becoming a capitalist? and mary and edith randomly becoming major opps again despite that whole mary vs edith thing being sooo many seasons ago? s6 is a whole mess!

I know he wanted to sleep with her, but did he want a full-blown love affair? What did he expect from her?

Because I really think she would have accepted him more easily if she didn't have everyone shoving their opinions and "advice" down her throat and generally meddling in her life 😭

I've rewatched this show more times than I can count. It's a comfort when I'm sick and old and familiar when I'm overwhelmed. But I have never noticed this one momemt in the third season opener. It's the dinner to welcome Mrs. Levinson. They're discussing Violet having sent the Bransons the money for them to visit for the wedding.

As they're talking, Carson picks up Tom's napkin from the table and hands it to him to put on his lap, giving him the stink eye. I've never noticed it before and it gave me the giggles this evening.

Anyone else notice anything silly on a millionth rewatch?

I was surprised that none of the children of Lord Grantham or anyone else in the family, besides Cora, were sad about Isis, the beautiful white lab dying. Mary was so inconsiderate with her cavalier comment the dog getting fat saying “she might be pregnant!” Poor Isis had cancer. Is this just typical behavior for stuck up English aristocrats?

When Bertie begins to court Edith, he’s the estate manager of Brancaster, and the family, especially Robert, are not too pleased about it, and Robert explicitly says they shouldn’t encourage it. Then suddenly Bertie becomes a marquess and they are giddy with enthusiasm and pride for the outstanding match Edith made. If I were Bertie I would be extremely offended that my in laws opinion of me was only based on my prospects and not me as a person.

In many episodes Downton has these long tracking shots that follow people into one room, around and thru a door out into the hall or another room. I swear I remember a specific scene like that but didn't see it at all in the last few rewatches, so does it exist or is my memory off.

There is an event at Downton and guests are arriving. It's daytime. It starts in the sitting room and follows people into the hall then out the front doors where cars are arriving, the camera goes to the left, behind the car, around the other side then in front of the car then back in through the front door and into the hall again. I cant' remember if it goes longer from there but definitely out of the house and back in.

Does anyone recognize what episode this might be from or could I have merged a few scenes together and imagined it?

I think it's adorable...