What I’m Watching: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey: Season 5, Episode 6 (B+)

We’ve all known that it was coming, and I think that the confirmation of Gregson’s death, at Hitler’s hands, no less, was more crucial for prompting Edith to take control of her life and make a major change. It’s been so long since we’ve seen this truly petty, selfish Mary who insists on being cruel to her sister even and especially when she sees just how much pain she’s in. It’s bad enough that she is trying to show both Tony and Charles what they’re missing when she’s pretty much chosen not to be with either of them despite their extensive efforts to seduce her, but to get a modern haircut and show it off at just that moment was particularly unkind. The day at the races was a rare breath of fresh air for the stuffy Crawley family, and provided the perfect opportunity for Edith to make her exit. Taking her daughter away from her adoptive mother wasn’t easy, but I think it will be good for Edith to escape to a new life without the pressures of her family, and hopefully she’ll have access to the money and company that Gregson left her. Carson going with Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Patmore to see the cook’s new property was fun, and I love that Carson so awkwardly proposed buying a similar place with Mrs. Hughes. Bates confirming that he planned to kill but never did is a relief in one sense, but all signs are pointing so strongly at him as a suspect that it’s hard to imagine that he can escape conviction.