‘Downton Abbey’ Season 6, Episode 8 Spoilers: Scandals, Heartbreaks, And A Wedding, ‘Bananas, It Is!’
Episode eight of Downton Abbey had a few twists and turns in the usual Crowley style. In fact, it may have been the most highlighted one of this final season. There is only one more episode left before American viewers have to say goodbye to this beloved series.
Edith had a decision to make about whether to tell Bertie about Marigold, as it looked like they were heading towards marriage. Cora tells her daughter that she shouldn’t start a marriage in lies, and it won’t end well. Well, Edith should have listened to her mama. According to PBS Masterpiece, this is sibling rivalry at its best.
The first twist on Downton Abbey came when Bertie’s cousin died of malaria, and now he has inherited the title of Marquess of Hexham. Edith is afraid that he will drop her like a hotcake, but Robert is ecstatic about this prospect. Edith may end up with such a prestigious man, while Mary could end up with a mechanic.
Lord Grantham exclaims, “Lady Edith outranks us all!”
Lady Mary didn’t take too well with that statement.
"Lady Edith outranks us all"! There, if truth be told, is something we never thought we'd hear. #Downton pic.twitter.com/p9kfkTw1xO
— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) February 22, 2016
It gets even worse when Henry Talbot shows up unexpectedly at Downton. The more he tried to convince Lady Mary that they were perfect for each other, the more she pulled away. Tom is also convinced that they belong together, but Mary wasn’t having any of it.
Later, Bertie did indeed find out about Edith’s past, thanks to Mary. She couldn’t help herself by forcing her sister to tell the truth that she has a daughter out of wedlock. Bertie takes his leave. He and Edith wished each other well and that is that. It wasn’t so much that she had a daughter, but that Edith never trusted him enough to tell him the truth earlier.
Meanwhile on Downton Abbey, Mrs. Patmore is in a little bit of trouble with her “house of ill repute.” It seems that her very first guests at her bed and breakfast were a husband and mistress, and the wife is suing. This means that Mrs. Patmore may have to testify. She gets all flustered, as this means that a scandal is upon Downton. The news has spread to the upstairs, leaving everyone with a good laugh.
Fortunately, Robert and Cora came to the rescue, choosing to help their head cook out by going there to restore its reputation, even if Carson doesn’t agree with it. When he asks his Lordship if that was such a good idea, Robert quips back to his grumpy butler.
“I think we have to show a little more backbone than that.”
Mr. Moseley has his first day as a school teacher, but he certainly had his hands full keeping the kids’ attention. However, once he started talking about how he is also a servant, the kids seemed to relate, and that was the turning point for Moseley’s bright future as a respected teacher.
Back upstairs at the Abbey, Tom brandished Mary for what she did to Edith. He has had enough, even if they are besties. He tells her like it is.
“You’re a coward, Mary. Like all bullies, you’re a coward.”
Edith later had her own confrontation with Mary. She called her a “b***h,” and now Mary’s unhappiness in her own life has destroyed those around her. Edith seemed to have the last word, though, before she took her leave to London.
“You’re wrong you know. As you so often are. Henry’s perfect for you. You’re just too stupid and stuck up to see it. Still at least he’s got away from you. Which is something to give thanks for, I suppose.”
In addition to Mrs. Patmore’s Downton scandal, another one rocks the downstairs. Downhearted Thomas has chosen to end things. If it were not for Baxter realizing what he was about to do, he would have died. Instead, she found him lying in bath water in a pool of blood.
He survived the ordeal, but the news knocked everyone off their feet. Carson informed the Crawley’s of what happened, and now Robert has a sense of guilt. Mary, who really does like Barrow, made matters even worse by her hurtful words that were “below the belt.”
“Do you still think dismissing Barrow was a useful saving, papa?”
Mary later takes George in to have a quick visit with Thomas. It also looks like Barrow will end up staying on at Downton now that Carson realizes that he does indeed “have a heart.”
Tom decides to call his own reinforcement. That would be the Dowager Countess. She is back at Downton and is ready to have a heart-to-heart with her granddaughter.
Granny has a way with Mary, and this scene between them was the most touching of this Downton Abbey episode. Mary finally breaks down and says that she can’t bear the thought of losing someone else she loves in a car crash. There you have it. Violet lets Mary cry in her arms and then gives her some helpful advice.
“Make peace with your sister, then make peace with yourself.”
Mary first heads to the graveyard to ask Matthew’s forgiveness for loving another man. As Downton’s Twitter said, their love story will never be forgotten. She has pledged her love to Henry, and they choose to have a quickie wedding on Saturday. Lady Mary is now Mrs. Henry Talbot, and Edith once again has no man.
Congratulations to the happy couple, with love from #TeamServants #DowntonPBS pic.twitter.com/P8HuDnFyan
— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) February 22, 2016
In other Downton Abbey news, Edith and her staff discover the true identity of Cassandra Jones, who runs the advice column in her magazine. It is none other than Spratt.
Has anyone else realized just how irritating Mr. Carson has been on this season of Downton Abbey? Just in this one episode, he has demeaned the women downstairs on having a little laugh about the scandal, discouraged Moseley on his teaching job, and took many jabs at Mrs. Patmore’s expense. He has become quite a sour puss. Does marriage not agree with him after all?
What are your thoughts on this second to the last episode of Downton Abbey?
[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]
