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Sunday, February 2, 2014

And All That Jazz - Downton Abbey, Season 4, Episode 5 (US)

Things we learned on this jazzy episode of Downton Abbey:

Uncle Harold, Cora's brother in America, is in financial distress.  His name is mentioned at least three times, which means he is certain to appear soon on the show.


Mrs. Hughes proclaims, "You know me, Mr. Barrow, a woman of mystery, if ever there was one," when Thomas asks her about the secret Rose has entrusted her with. This is one of my favorite lines of the night, in an episode with one great line after another.


The Dowager Countess continues to clash with Isobel about the young gardener Pegg, and the mystery of the missing knife.  Isobel says, "How you hate to be wrong!"  The Dowager Countess replies:  "I wouldn't know.  I'm not familiar with the sensation."

Mrs. Pattmore has a crush on silent film actor Rudolph Valentino.  "Oh, that Rudolph Valentino.  He makes me shiver all over."  To this Carson retorts:  "What a disturbing thought."


James gets fresh with Ivy after going to see the Valentino movie, The Shiek.   Clearly, Valentino + Downton = Trouble.

Edith worries that she hasn't heard from Michael Gregson, and then she gets the news by letter that she is in the first trimester of pregnancy. 


Anna and Bates work on their relationship with dinner out at the Netherby Hotel.  There is a surprisingly warm scene between them and Cora, who is also dining at the Netherby.

There is a lovely scene of Mary, Isobel Crawley, and Tom Branson in the nursery, reminiscing about their lost loves.  Mary states:  "I'm not unhappy.  I'm just not quite ready to be happy." 

When Mary meets Charles Blake, who accompanies Evelyn Napier to Downton, sparks fly ... and they are not friendly sparks either.


Cousin Rose brings Jack Ross and his band from the Lotus club to Downton Abbey for Lord Grantham's birthday.  Surprisingly, Lord Grantham is pleased with this jazz age surprise.  Mary discovers that Rose has crossed the dating color line (in 1920's England).


Last, but not least, Alfred gets into cooking school at the Ritz in London.  This means we are now saddled with Molesley as a regular character, and we discover he has a first name:  Joseph.


What did you think of tonight's show?   I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section, below.

8 comments:

  1. A great episode, I thought. Much better after last week. I really enjoyed the sparring between Violet and Isobel, and of course Violet had that killer line! Thomas is digging for trouble, and Baxter is having a hard time w/ it. I really liked the scene in the nursery with Isobel, Branson and Mary talking about their loves. Very nice.

    The jazz party at the end was interesting. I thought that Rose was going to shake things up this season, and it's nice to see them running with that idea. I enjoyed this one a lot.

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  2. So glad you posted the letter. I walked back into the room as they were showing it and could not read what it said. I had a feeling Edith was indeed pregnant.

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  3. You are right, this episode was full of great one-liners. I loved the Mrs. Pattmore Valentino quote & Carson's response. We laughed outloud!

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  4. Greg, I agree with you. I especially enjoy the scenes with Violet and Isobel. Their interactions are great -- just one terrific line after another. The Dowager Countess especially shone during this episode.

    I am also enjoying Rose as a character. She has brought a lot of new, young energy into the show and the storylines.

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  5. Bob, I also could not catch the whole text of the letter (small tv here, and I was taking notes while watching). I had to look it up to find the whole scoop!

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  6. Brenda, I agree about the one liners. That Valentino line (and Carson's response) was a hoot!

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  7. I just love this show. It's so well done, I'm on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next (as opposed to most American TV which is so incredibly predictable). I'm so happy Anna and Bates are growing closer again even though I kind of suspect down the line he's going to be confronted by the guy who raped her and get crazy. Poor Edith. She just can't catch a break!

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  8. Dianne, I agree about this show. It is so well written and acted; I am always on the edge of my seat waiting to see what will happen next! I'm glad that Anna and Bates are doing better and trying to move forward. I also agree that if he ever finds out that Green was the rapist, he will find a way to get revenge. I am wondering if Thomas will somehow be involved with this, since he is snooping around in their business.

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