Gran wrote:

We are going to have the pleasure of Downton 3 starting on Saturday, I shall look forward to it as a bit of fluffy entertainment by the sound of the comments.

Hi Gran - I should have put a spoiler alert for you and ferval - sorry! Won't give anything else away next week, I promise!

Thank you Temp. I liked the first two seasons, so who knows? I'm looking forward to the Shirley MacLaine/Maggie Smith clash, that should be fun.

Islanddawn wrote:

But I swear I'll be forced to throw something at the telly if this silly nonsense continues over Mary wanting or not wanting a baby. Good grief, they've been married a whole month and already it is becoming an issue!!

Mary's going to have trouble with her tubes, you mark my words. Come Episode 6 she'll be going up to Harley St. for tests.

I've just been reading the Guardian review of this week's episode, and I was much cheered that their reviewer is as mystified as I am by the sudden disappearance of Shirley MacLaine. (Did she vanish last week, or the week before? I honestly can't remember.)

I'm beginning to think that the unfortunate Mr Pamuk, Shirley *and* the Archbishop of York are all now in the same cupboard.

Shirley disappeared after the wedding, the one that actually happened. The producers could only afford her for one episode.

I've seen the latest episode now, I'm inclined towards disinclination rather than disability for the lack of a bulge.

To return to the entailment issue, could someone with what amounts to life rental of a property just sell it off like that?

Yes, that's a good point ferval. I remember in the first series there was great fuss over what could and could not be done in the way of inheretance of the estate. Hence Matthew, being only a distant cousin, being made heir. So I'd imagine there would be strictures on the ability to sell the pile too.

I'm inclined toward the disinclination angle too, the look on Mary's face when Matthew bought up the subject said it all, imo.

Has everyone seen this week's episode and we allowed to talk about it yet?

Well, Mary is never going to want a baby now!

"One must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing."

Best line this week goes to O'Brien when she asks the sexy little blonde bombshell whether Thomas has suggested (or done) anything "unseemly" during the clock-winding activities.

Some good dialogue this week, Mrs What's Her Name and her horrified housekeeper as well, but the death was flagged up so blatantly in advance that it was hardly a coup de theatre. Impressive shade of blue from the make up department though.
I'm so glad I didn't have to give birth before an audience.

'Homeland' however, had me biting my nails.

'Homeland' is superb, isn't it? Best thing on tele at the moment. I wake up on a Sunday morning and think, "Oh good, 'Homeland' tonight."

As I don't get the adds and write ups over here on tDA, and I don't go looking for them, it was a complete shock to me! I kept expecting the doctor to do something brilliant but they just stood around looking like they'd rather be anywhere else.

Am about to begin watching Homeland, I'd like to see what all the talk is about.

I didn't mean in the ads or papers ID, it was kept well under wraps, but in the programme with the swollen ankles, posh doctor poo pooing the local one, beatifically happy daddy to be. It's a soap, we know the signs. I can't imagine there was a woman watching who wasn't shouting 'pre-eclampsia' and thinking 'Oh dear, she's going to cop it' well before she did.

'Homeland' is indeed just great but it won't be the best programme until after 9pm tonight when the Great British Bake Off final is over.

Nah not me, as I said, I still expected something very clever from the country doctor (right up until the end) that was going to save the day.

Was it usual for men to over-rule women on matters of childbirth though? I don't mean the doctors, rather the Earls discounting of Cora recommendations?

Yippee Downton three starts here tomorrow evening.

Yes, I've got a meeting. Still my husband will be happy to watch it and tape it and then watch it again when I get home.

We saw the first episode of Downton 3 last evening, I enjoyed it, although I would have liked to see more of the wedding, what a gorgeous Tiara, and Mary looked lovely. Is that the last of Shirley MacLaine?

Hugh Bonneville was here recently and he said "I personally feel that series 3 is the best that we have done and the emotional journey that we are about to take the audience on is huge and it's an awful lot of laughs and a lot of the opposite as well the pace slows down and it's much more about the family and staff as we saw in series 1, without the impact of the outside world"

Downton Abbey is worth watching just to look at the very beautiful Mary. I think she is just gorgeous. Is Michelle Dockery so lovely generally? I was surprised when she came the stairs at how much she looked like Cora and whether that was deliberate or not, I don't know. My husband was concerned that the wedding was rather rushed through too, but I suppose a wedding is a wedding. When I watch a wedding like that, where all the community can watch, I do rather regret how private weddings have become in recent years. The general public couldn't waltz into a winery now while a wedding was on. I was always under the impression that a wedding was legally a public event, but that doesn't seem to be the case now, so maybe I was wrong.

Hugh Bonneville turned up at a small school because one of the kids was a keen fan and somehow he knew of this. It was a surprise for her. I was a bit surprised at how familiar the primary school-aged kids were generally with him and the programme. I wouldn't have thought it would have particular appeal for youngsters.

I think the wedding was rushed through because it is fairly immaterial to the story in this series, plus the Earl didn't have the money for anything but a quiet affair. But it is all over and done with very quickly and other stuff takes precedent.

Series 1 has just begun on Greek TV, but I don't think I can be bothered watching it and going back through everything from the beginning. My husband will be though, he loves the show and is a bigger fan than me. I'm a bit more concerned with Dexter and how he is going to get out of his current pickle.

I have never seen Michelle Dockery in anything else but she looks so great in those vintage style dresses. the "sisters" have been on the Jonathon Ross show http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2077820/Downton-Abbey-Tan-ban-Crawley-sisters-revealed-Jonathan-Ross.html

They looked a lot different there. ID is the Greek TV version in English with Greek subtitles?

Yes Gran, everything foreign on telly here has subtitles. They are less expensive than dubbing and imo, far preferable. My son is back and forward to Spain quite a bit and is always bemoaning the fact that everything on Spanish TV is dubbed instead of subtitled.

I have to admit I very rarely watch any TV at all, but here in France most, though not all, of the major foreign series/films shown on mainstream French TV are dubbed. But unfortunately the dubbing seems always to be by the same small group of voice-over artists, so they always sound the same : thus Inspector Barnaby in 'Midsummer Murders' (which is incredibly popular here), sounds exactly like Prince Philip in 'The Queen', or like Brad Pitt in 'Mr and Mrs Smith' or Russell Crowe in 'Gladiator', ... all very odd when you've heard them before. And they do always sound like they're reading a script, which of course they are, rather than actually acting.

I much prefer subtitles, although they can get very confusing too. In comedies particularly, when there is a lot of wordplay... puns do not translate well, so "Fawlty Towers" and "Ab Fab" do rather lose something in translation. However regarding subtitles... I now find that even if I am watching an English Language film on DVD, I still prefer to have the subtitles on, in English. Maybe it's a sign of advancing years, and I'm going to sound exactly like my late mother, but these days actors, and especially Hollywood ones, never seem to articulate properly, and I find there's often too much background noise.... hence my need for english subtitles

I am starting to sound like my grandmother, MM, who always preferred men's voices on radio etc. We used to mock her for this deficiency but I was listening to an audiotape in the car the other day (I am at a disadvantage with these, as it is my husband's listening and I just hear the odd 20 minutes of a story) and thought ,"the woman reading this doesn't sound right - it might be better with a man's voice".

Re Fawlty Towers. Last night it was on our television and I naturally thought it must be a DVD playing, but no. This was our free-to-air main public television channel's idea of suitable fare for Friday night prime time TV. Still as cringingly funny as ever (the episode where he gets the wrong end of the stick with the couples staying for a wedding and thinks they are having exotic, and very wrong, sex) but wouldn't you think there'd be something just a little more modern to show?

Have you seen some of the Beeb's recent comedy output Caro? Think yourself fortunate. Tonight on BBC 1 at 9.00pm we have something with the enticing description, " Gemma accidentally flashes her assets at Billy".

The only shows that are dubbed here MM are programmes like cartoons for small children that are too young to read. It is really wierd though, especially when you hear the well known characters that you are accusomed to hearing in their original language.

This week's episode had a bit more to it than usual, I thought - Maggie Smith able to do some proper acting at last.

Some serious stuff about religion too. Thomas - of all people - mentioning transubstantiation. Is he a secret Catholic?

Maggie did lighten the atmosphere a litle bit with her line to that unpleasant Anglican vicar: "The Dowager Duchess of Norfolk is a good friend, and she is more Catholic than the Pope."

I've never heard the expression "left-footer" before.

You're too English. A drop of Scottish or Norn Iron in you and you'd be sick of hearing it.

That's what's so odd - three of my grandparents were Irish, but not from Norn Iron.

It's a horrible expression. What on earth is the origin of it? I expect ferval will know if it's used in Scotland.

I enjoyed this week's episode, the women (up and down) rebelling against the stuffy men, the Earl increasingly looking like a dinosaur and some excellent lines from Maggie and Mrs H. The one about Mary Magdelene washing feet was very good.

Did a Butler have the authority to give the Cook a dressing down? I thought not?

This from wiki:

Left-footer, left-legger
(Northern Ireland, West of Scotland) a Catholic, particularly from Northern Ireland;[7] (Lancashire) used by Protestants to refer to supporters of Celtic F.C.. The term comes from the myth in Glasgow that Irish Catholic labourers pushed spades into the ground and kicked footballs with their left foot. It is also used in south Cork to describe Protestants.

They can't even get slurs right in Cork!

I hadn't heard the left footer term before either, which is not really surprising, the Catholic/Protestant thingy wasn't particularly prevalent in Aus.

I wonder though, was it a reference to the left hand/foot being the sign of the devil malarky or did it merely mean that Catholics were out of step? Or something else entirely?

Thank you Nordmann, I've wondered for years where the 'left fitter' came from. In parts of the West of Scotland, that's considered a euphemism.

With the Earl completely over-reacting to the maid having an illegitimate child and being a 'fallen woman', which rather contradicts his attitude in the previous series, I reckon there may be one of his own popping up soon. Someone is going to have to replace Sybil.

I'm wondering what will happen to Thomas. He is playing a dangerous game trying to seduce James (who is clearly not that way inclined), given that homosexuality was a criminal offence in the 1920s. Ominous that James mentioned the police to O'Brien.

Could be an interesting plot development and chance for more heart-warming socio-religious comment from Fellowes, but probably it will all fizzle out.

I'm still intrigued by Thomas knowing about transubstantiation.

Yes, the Earl is heading for a fall - he clearly has a Moral Lesson to learn.

And, is Daisy going to go off to milk cows, clip sheep and make jam and cakes for the local fairs now? Does it mean she is leaving the series or do we have another story line developing amongst the tenants?

There were a lot of suggestions this episode, with any number of plot possibilities.

Was Sunday the last episode of this season's DA?

It seemed final in a way, what with problems being solved and everyone content in their golden upper class bubble.

That's it, I'm afraid, until the Christmas Special. No more bouillon spoons at the ready; no more posh labrador bottoms waddling up the drive; no more feather dusters flicking at the chandeliers - what *are* we going to do with ourselves now?

Thank goodness there are still a few more episodes of Homeland to go.

I wonder what *did* happen to Lord Grantham in the showers at Eton? I don't want to seem prurient, but one's mind boggled a bit at the "I'd be hoarse" comment.

Someone over on the Guardian posted this - presumably with apologies to W.H. Auden:




Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent Isis from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence His Lordship and with muffled drum
Bring out the viewers, let the final episode come.

Let Mrs Patmore butter the last teacake and scone;
The Dowager has arranged for Ethel to be gone,
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the doves,
Let Mrs Hughes and Carson wear black cotton gloves.

Below stairs the staff were at their best,
Their working week and their Sunday rest,
Lady Edith, Lady Mary, Mr Matthew - all along
I thought Lady Sybil would last the series: I was wrong.

Some stars will not be wanted now: Lady Rose is here;
Pack up the bouillon spoons and let Matthew leer;
Pour away the port and shut the green baize door.
For nothing good now can happen till Series Four.

It's all too happy - someone's going to DIE

Heavens, only 8 episodes, that's very stingy of them. I suppose there is always X Factor and Strictly Temp! lol

But yes, thankfully Homeland and Dexter are still there for entertainment. We've just started on Breaking Bad also and Game of Thrones still to come later on.

Edit, That's exactly what we were saying ferval, it all looked too good. My bet is on Matthew.

Don't you mock Strictly, ID - I love it! Here they are judging Res Historica - Len obviously doesn't like history.

Couldn't find a more recent picture - I really wanted one with Darcey. Even better would have been one with a sour-faced Craig Revel Horwood giving us a miserable 2.

Very likely, ID, but will he impregnate Lady M first?

I've never seen 'Strictly', is it worth watching? Homeland's just wonderful though even if the hit and run was a wee bit contrived.

edit - Here's the review so you can relive DA's final fling. http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-11-04/downton-abbey-series-three-episode-eight-review-bates-and-lord-grantham-sort-it-all-out

Not really a mock Temp, our household 'has' to watch X Factor Husband loves talent shows, personally I could do without the flashing lights and all the silly screaming from the audience. But as he watches DA without complaint, it is the least I could do in return.

You call that a serious study of history? Sorry, but you're a complete *dis*-*as*-*ter*, darling!

(Just like El Supremo reading some of our posts, I fear.)

Oh damn, I've done it again. Meant to just edit my post, and I've edited it and then posted it again.

Sorry, darlings.

Strictly Come Dancing is wonderful escapism, ferval - all glitter balls and feathers. Brucie's a pain, but the judges are great, especially Craig R-H. They've got the prima ballerina Darcey Bussell on the panel now too - she is excellent of course - always gives a "top tip," and lectures us all weekly about the importance of our core muscles!

You must have heard of Craig Revel Horwood? (He's the one pictured twice above.) He's vicious and cruel and wonderfully camp. His comments have reduced even strong contestants to tears, but he is always truthful. Not even Ann Widdecombe, used to sparring in the House of Commons, could get the better of him.

I live for the day they get Boris Johnson to take part. Boris dancing, plus Craig's judgements (and Boris's ripostes) would make for some excellent entertainment in these dreary times.

Here's Ann Widdecombe v. the Judges:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no-t12x5tR8&feature=relmfu

I've come across Craig R H in other programmes and the prog. in general is pretty much inescapable but I have never deliberately put it on. I will watch in future. Once the sunny, sexist and rather ludicrous but enchanting Montelbano is replaced at 9 on BBC 4 by the encircling gloom of The Killing, I'll need an antidote.

We never got The Killing here - when I was in Britain last everyone was raving about it and I was keen to see it. We got a version on Soho but it was American so not worth paying the fee for the channel for that. And I don't think my husband was convinced that 13 episodes following one murder sounded quite as entertaining as watching Lewis chase 5 murders in one episode.

Come back, Downton Abbey: all is forgiven.

I have just watched something far, far worse than our favourite Sunday evening nonsense: W.E. (Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. The royal love affair that changed the nation.) Written and directed by Madonna.

I fished this film out of Morrison's DVD Bargain Bin (it was only £3) yesterday, but I think I'm going to drop it back in said bin later today.

Utterly, utterly vapid and some very odd history. According to Madonna's "radio announcer," it was George *III* who died in 1936. Fancy that.

To be fair, some of the acting was passable. Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer) was quite reasonable as Elizabeth, the Duchess of York. I tried to find a picture of Natters in one of the rather gorgeous 1930s frocks and hats she wears in the film, but couldn't spot a single one. But while searching I came across some of Anne Boleyn's preposterous outfits from The Tudors. I'd quite forgotten how wonderful they were.

This Tudor furry bobble hat is an especial favourite.

The Daily Mail gives some helpful information about the Downton Abbey Christmas Special. The family go up north (to Scotland) for the *summer* hols, leaving a skeleton staff behind at the Abbey. Sounds a bit odd to me.

Tom the Chauffeur soon gets over his devastating grief, and Mrs. Patmore falls for someone called Tufton - which immediately made me think of Trumpton, but I don't think Mrs. P.'s love interest is actually a fireman. Hope not.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2245777/Downton-Abbey-Christmas-special-Does-Lady-Sybils-widower-Tom-love-again.html

We have just seen the last episode of DA3, so I doubt if we will see the Christmas special until next Christmas, thats the way it seems to go.

I've finally watched the Christmas one - Julian F. really does get away with murder, it's basically setting up the next series. I don't want to spoil anything for Gran or anyone else who hasn't seen it yet so I'll say no more but at least Inveraray Castle looked rather good. I wonder how they managed to find the days to film it in sunshine during such a rubbish summer?