Downton Abbey: The Bad Decisions of Robert Crawley

Posted byAllynPosted inTelevisionTags:,

Throughout the day, I tried to think of something to say about last night’s Downton Abbey.

I really can’t. Stuff happened. I watched it. None of it really stands out in my mind.

Let me think…

Robert is a blundering and incompetant dolt. There’s an offer for a business deal which he rejects out of hand. Then gets flustered and angry when Cora makes a new friend. When was the last time Robert made any sort of good decision?

Edith’s godmotherhood to Marigold (her secret daughter) is crashing in flames because she’s pushed the adoptive mother a little too far.

Mary thinks she wants to marry Tony Gillingham, and then she doesn’t.

Something’s going on with Thomas.

The police are looking into the death of Gillingham’s valet, Mr. Greene. (Who, I should remind you, raped Anna in series 4.) And they’ve zeroed in on Mr. Bates. Because, why not.

Oh, and there’s exiled Russian aristrocracy hanging about.

Basically, we have an hour’s worth of scenes in search of a meaning. The scenes didn’t find it.

From last night’s twitterpation:

On, that’s right! There was some post-coital talk between Tony and Mary that pointed back to the Turk who took Mary’s virginity back in series 1.

It’s been twelve years (in story time); can we finally please put Kemal Pamuk to rest?

This might’ve been in reference to Daisy talking about when she dropped out of school (aged eleven). Point is, sometimes Downton acts as though the characters are still as old as they were in the first series, the 1912-1914 period. No, they’re not.

He really is.

Honestly, their relationship has become torture porn.

I’d explain the context, but I’d just get pissed off again.

The point is, Carson makes this long and involved speech about the Tommies who went off to the trenches and died for Britain. As someone who believes that World War I was a world-historical mistake, it pissed me off.

Honestly, before this week I doubt I gave Spratt any thought at all. (Spratt, by the way, is the Dowager Countess’ valet. He’s appeared a few times in the past, like when she was trying to find Molesley a job.)

Richard E. Grant, the second ninth Doctor in the flesh! (Rowan Atkinson is the first, Christopher Eccleston is the third. John Hurt lies outside the set of rational integers.)

It’s a fair question. He’s an expert forger. I don’t think it’s clear that he didn’t murder his first wife. Now, he’s being investigated in connection with the death of Mr. Greene.

His appearance in London didn’t do him any favors.

Truly. I’m hoping Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald visit the Abbey before the end of the series.

Prince Kuragin, an exiled Russian aristocrat, is also a skeleton in the Dowager Countess’ closet.

If I understand Russian titles of nobility correctly, Prince is the equivalent of a British Duke, and Count is the equivalent of a British Earl.

Or, I could be complete wrong. 🙂

Next week, I expect more of the same.

Published by Allyn

A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over ten years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.

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