Author Topic: PBS Masterpiece 2014 Cont. - Downton Abbey & Other PBS programs (Read 118103 times)

MaryPage · « **Reply #160 on:** February 20, 2014, 06:08:49 PM »

Watch Season 4 of Downton Abbey during January and February 2014.

Sherlock, Season 3, returned, starting January 19, following the 9pm broadcast of Downton Abbey. Benedict Cumberbatch (The Fifth Estate, Star Trek Into Darkness) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Office UK) returned as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in three new 90-minute episodes of the contemporary reinvention of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic, created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss. Watch episodes on TV or online after they air.

See the 2014 MASTERPIECE schedule.

Discussion Leaders: JoanP and marcie

But the baby has already been born when the last (episode 9 of Season 4) begins. It is 1923, and because the Season for debutantes has begun, it must be late spring. I will say no more. I had pre-ordered the DVD set, and for some reason it arrived early, so I have had a sneak preview. That is to say, I have seen the whole thing on my own.

Steph · « **Reply #161 on:** February 21, 2014, 08:43:49 AM »

I figure Bates will be in the forefront next year. Also Mary of course,, I like Tom and hope they might find him a nice girl.

MaryPage · « **Reply #162 on:** February 21, 2014, 11:55:21 AM »

I am quite enamoured of Tom, as well and all. I think he is such a decent chap, and he rises to the occasion so well and with such honesty. When you have seen the final episode of Season 4, you will admire him even more. He has a couple of scenes with Maggie Smith that are beyond priceless. I so want everything to go well for him.
The very last scene before the credits roll makes for a snapshot just too delicious to bear. You will LOVE it! I mean, how could ANYone not!

Steph · « **Reply #163 on:** February 22, 2014, 09:04:52 AM »

Oh Good. Tom is such a solid person.. I know it wont happen, but Mary would be better off with a human being rather than the males they are matching her with.

JeanneP · « **Reply #164 on:** February 22, 2014, 01:36:24 PM »

I think Mary should be left to remain Single. Not matter who she gets she will be one lady to put up with. She was a little demanding of her first husband. Has to be in full charge....Not many men in her so called class liked that.

marcie · « **Reply #165 on:** February 22, 2014, 07:12:22 PM »

MaryPage, you say "But the baby has already been born when the last (episode 9 of Season 4) begins." I think that in the USA, they are combining episodes 8 and 9 tomorrow evening for the season finale. Originally in the UK, they ended the season with episode 8 and showed the next episode as a Christmas special in 2013. I'm glad that we don't have to wait until next season to know what you know!!

MaryPage · « **Reply #166 on:** February 23, 2014, 09:28:32 AM »

Marcie, on my set of DVDs of Season 4, Episode 9, the last episode of the season, is extra long, BUT it has nothing to do with Christmas. It may well have been the UKs Christmas Special, but all of it, every bit, takes place in the late spring or early summer of 1923 during THE SEASON, that is to say, during the time of the years debutantes being presented. Rose, as you expect, is one of them, so the Crawley family is all out to get her presented properly.
I loved this episode, and urge you not to miss a minute of it.

Steph · « **Reply #167 on:** February 23, 2014, 10:00:50 AM »

Yes. the last episode each year seems to be extra long, so I assumed they do a special edition.. Ediths baby??was that who was born..

MaryPage · « **Reply #168 on:** February 23, 2014, 12:20:07 PM »

Yes, almost (using my faulty memory here) at the very beginning of the 2 hour long episode 9, the very last episode of Season 4, there is a conversation in which it is made clear that Lady Edith has had her baby and that months and months have gone by and it is now, right now, that the London Season is opening with the Presentation to Their Majesties.
By the way, I think they did an Excellent job of showing the British attitude toward the Prince of Wales vis a vis the American. It is important, I think, for you to know going into this episode that here in America all the gossip about his many affairs, most of them with married women, was in our newspapers and on our radio. We even knew the names. The British knew none of this, as their papers kept the royal family out of the gossip items. So when Shirley MacLaine, the American mother of the Countess of Grantham, knows who is who, she is being quite accurately truthful, for that is the way it actually was. Oh My, I can remember listening on the radio to his abdication speech. Remember? "Without the help of the woman I love!" I expect we will watch the Crawley's listening to that in some future series of Downton Abbey.

JeanneP · « **Reply #169 on:** February 23, 2014, 05:14:47 PM »

But here in the US last week. Edith was only 4 months pregnant if that because she had just the week before decided and gone to the Dr. office for a abortation.. You are loosing me. Does it move that fast.

Maybe I should go and pick Season 4 up as it is waiting for me to do that at the library. Then watch tonight and see how ours ends.
Here is will be showing 6:30pm to 8pm from last week and then starting No. 8 at 8Pm until 10PM. I am then thinking that will be it for us until next series starts. Maybe in September of this year. Never know.

Maybe tonight from 8pm to 10pm will be series 8 and series 9. That way I suppose she could have had a baby but there are other things going on that they will have to shoot way forward with also.

JeanneP · « **Reply #170 on:** February 23, 2014, 05:30:05 PM »

In UK we never heard of the Prince of Wales having lots of Affairs. Did hear of the American women having many even when she had a husband. 2 with men in the Nazi Party. She and the Prince seem to have had many friends there. Think that is where she was suppose to have tagged on the the Prince. It was bound to know a lot about what the Nazi Party and Hitler were planning even years before the war started.

Only problem written about him at that time was soon after he got in he was wanting to spend lots of money on Wales. Lots of Building etc.

The problem besides that affair with Mrs. Simpson was that Politicians in at that time were against him in everything. Sort of like the Republicans and President here in America right now.

Never agreed on anything and so wanted him out. He really didn't want in anyway and wanting to Marry her just made it easy for him to get out. He liked the way is life was just over in Europe. Party and party. Was a weak man.. She led him around. I saw her just one time. Remember, she was not a pretty women at all.

Did a favour. We all really liked his brother who got to be king. Specially his wife. She was a big help to him. What a mess would have been had the POWales stayed. Specially when the 1939 War started. Would have let Hitler just taken over..... Gives me the creeps just thinking about it...

Steph · « **Reply #171 on:** February 24, 2014, 08:34:11 AM »

I am still a week behind with Downton..But the party was splendid.. Daisys father in law is the smartest kindest man.She really needs to listen to him more. He wants to help her. Anna looks close to collapse. She is convinced that somehow Bates killed Green.. So is Lady Mary however. Hmm cant say I actually like any of Mary's beaus.. Possibly the one who came to help farms is the best of the lot. Looks as if Tom may have found a lovely funny girl for himself..I loved the episode and adored Lady Marys outfit for the rummage sale. The blue see through hat was gorgeous. I don't like hats, but that one was so perfect for her face.

MaryPage · « **Reply #172 on:** February 24, 2014, 09:08:34 AM »

I envy the styles of those days. There is rarely any such thing as "pretty" anymore. I miss that.

In looking, for the second time, at last night's final episode for this season, I had the distinct feeling that bits and pieces were cut from the version on my DVD. Might be my imagination, and my memory is too short lived to be able to point out where, but I think it was cut. Probably to fit the time allotted.

But the styles are divine. If you liked the village bazaar held on the castle grounds, Steph, you will love the presentation and the ball in the last episode. The gowns are to swoon over.

jeriron · « **Reply #173 on:** February 24, 2014, 10:16:30 AM »

I didn't realize at the beginning of episode 9 that Edith had had the baby anthe DVD and will watch wondered why she kept referring to it as a girl. Thanks MaryPaige for letting me realize that. I have the DVD and will watch it again.
The cloths are wonderful.

I really am going to miss it until it comes on again.

MaryPage · « **Reply #174 on:** February 24, 2014, 11:31:22 AM »

Yes, as I said before last night, there is a scene right at or very near the beginning of Episode 9 in which Lady Edith is having a little visit at her grandmother's home (the "Dower House" on the estate) and they speak of the baby girl, making it quite clear that since the last episode Lady Edith has been away off to Switzerland with her Aunt Rosamunde and had the baby, which was a girl, and left it with a family there, after Lady Edith staying long enough to wean the baby and get her figure back.
Episode 9 takes place in the summer, probably the early summer, of 1923. It makes you feel so in the moment that I had to take myself aside and remind myself that my dear departed husband was born in October 1923. In short, Lady Edith's baby was older than he, and he died in 2006 at age 82!
I thought this was a truly great episode. I would never have guessed this series would just get better and better. Wasn't Tony the true gentleman in owning up to the snobbish Lady Mary about Charles being well bred and to be titled and richer than he! And with the Lady Mary constantly talking to Charles, prior to finding out what his prospects are, about "our sort and your sort," I would think he would want no part of her. I wonder what that bit at the palace party was when Charles was standing next to Lady Dudley Ward and obviously knew her well and called her by her first name?

JeanneP · « **Reply #175 on:** February 24, 2014, 12:27:12 PM »

Funny how some of us see things different. Human nature....

Re: Television Today

Now I thought last nights Downton Abbey. Was badly done. It was like they just didn't know how to write each thing in order to make sense from the previous week. Had to have jumped ahead almost a year on some thing ( like the baby being born. Her staying with it a few months ) something about it needing to adjust. Talking about a will and things being left to her by the man when never saying what happened. That would have had to take a few years after knowing he was dead.
I heard them mention Mr. Mosley. The big communist leader of that time. So that man of hers must have been a member of that party. Reason of going to live in Germany for a time.

Mary. Acting like a teenager liking 2 men fighting over her. And why as Shirley McClain even been in it along with that son. Added nothing. Shirley was like a person who had had a stroke . Looked 90 years old. Must have taken the part for very little money.

The thing with the Prince of Wales. What was that about? Actor a poor choice. Added nothing to the story. Had there been time they would have had him and rose having a affair. Ithink they got the stories of the Prince mixed up with the previous prince. The son of Queen Victoria.. He was the one had lots of young women and would drop in on parties uninvited. With girls on his arm.

I bought the first 3 but I don't want the rest. Started good but think the writers lost their way.bet the actors who left are not sorry.
They couldn't even come up with a good cliff hanger. That one was week...

I am sure the UK one has more to it.
They used 25 min. At the end of prev.week ? Started new one at 8pm. But only until 9:30 . Then both of last 30 min. Was pledging...doubt UK did that.

Lots will not be looking in suspense for the next part to arrive....

So all in all I was disappointed in the last two weeks of it.

MaryPage · « **Reply #176 on:** February 24, 2014, 02:10:29 PM »

Oswald Mosley was not a Communist, he was a Fascist.

Lady Edith's lover was a man married to a woman who was so mentally ill (quite, quite mad) she was to be locked up for all the rest of her life. In GB at that time, you could not get a divorce for that reason. So he was going off to Germany to establish citizenship there and get a divorce so that he could marry Lady Edith. He told her she was to be in charge of his business while he was gone and would inherit. He did not know about the baby.

You can Google search Lady Dudley Ward and find out she was indeed a mistress of the Prince of Wales. You can even search Images and find a picture of her with him. She is, along with the entire royal family, one of the rare real figures of the time present in this story. I have read books about Edward VIII and they tell of many affairs, all seemingly with married women. Lots of photos of him with them at Fort Belvedere and other places.

JeanneP · « **Reply #177 on:** February 24, 2014, 03:28:36 PM »

In UK one couldn't get a divorce way into the 70s. Was real hard. I got one here in the u.s but wasn't acknowledged in UK.. I still could not have a church wedding there. Now Civil wedding( like Prince Charles are done)
Whoops my battery down

JeanneP · « **Reply #178 on:** February 24, 2014, 04:19:32 PM »

Mary Page.

Growing up we just thought it all as one. Fascist, Communist. Called them all the same. Use to go to the Mosley Marches on believe it was May 1st. Just for the heck of it. Marched like the Nazi party did. Doesn't Russia have the same day.
Then they came with Socialist. That was me then not knowing that much about it. Don't know if can vote Communist now. Think it all goes under teh Socialist. I never was or am now interesting in any voting.

I remember when applying for A Visa the US Embassy checked all that stuff out. Wanting to know what my Grandparents were. Parents. As if I knew.

Doubt they even bother with that anymore. People coming in from all over thinking all kinds of things. I am even more confused in the US Parties.. So never bother. Just like the one I agree with.

marcie · « **Reply #179 on:** February 24, 2014, 07:27:17 PM »

Isn't Mosley the name of one of the servants? He seemed a sort of odd, weak person when first introduced but he's really shown strength and helped the new ladies maid break free of the hold of Thomas.

MaryPage, I too really enjoyed the last episodes. I thought it was a satisfying season finale.

JeanneP · « **Reply #180 on:** February 24, 2014, 08:34:34 PM »

Marcie.

We got off the subject. The Mosley we are talking about was the leader of a Fascist movement in the UK. Lasted quite a few years. I don't know if he ever accomplished much for anyone. Acted like the Nazi party in a way. Fancy Boots, Uniforms. marching.

What is Communism and Fascism?

Communism is a system or a theory of social organizations where the holding of all property is common, with actual ownership ascribed to the community or state.

Fascism is a system where the government is led by a dictator. The dictator has complete authority and forcibly oppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism.

Frybabe · « **Reply #181 on:** February 25, 2014, 07:16:46 AM »

May 1st was the USSR's Independence Day. It was something I used to have in common with them because it was the day my divorce became final. I doubt it is celebrated in Russia today since the USSR broke up.

Steph · « **Reply #182 on:** February 25, 2014, 09:05:21 AM »

It could be that the Soviet does still celebrate May 1, since it was a bring out the big guns sort of day and I remember they have some sort of military parade in the spring. Mary is the type to love having men vie for her attention. Other than Matthew, she strikes me as not quite human. Pretty though.

JeanneP · « **Reply #183 on:** February 25, 2014, 01:40:39 PM »

Don't you think Mary is a little bit to thin? Her facewould look better with some weight on.

JeanneP · « **Reply #184 on:** February 25, 2014, 02:36:59 PM »

I would like the bBC to do a series another series on "Lillie Langtry" now she was interesting. Mistress of
King Edward V11. Now there was a playboy....but Lillie was his Match.

She always my favourite

These aristocrats really had their fun back then. No wonder that the blood of royals in Europe was tainted. Took years to get it clean. Seems to be doing o.k in the UK now.

Go into here to read.

Welcome to Lillie Langtry .Com...............

An educational tool and catalyst for Lillie Langtry enthusiasts and collectors of Lillie Langtry memorabilia. This website is dedicated to the life of Lillie Langtry and contains the most concise collection of photographs and information about her life and afair with the former King of England Edward VII.

Lillie Langtry (née Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, nicknamed the Jersey Lily) (13 October 1853 - 12 February 1929) was a British actress born on the island of Jersey in 1853. Her father was the Dean of Jersey.

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Lillie married Irish landowner Edward Langtry in 1874. Some say that the attraction to Edward was because of his yacht and that he insisted he take her away from Jersey and set up home in London. Lillie did not begin her stage career until several years later after her husband had become bankrupt. She also had a daughter who was born in 1881, Jeanne Marie Langtry (who married Sir Ian Malcolm of Poltalloch in 1902, had four children, and died in 1964), and whose father was definitely not Lillie's husband. The child's actual father was reportedly Lillie Langtry's lover Prince Louis of Battenberg (later 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, 1854-1921), who married Queen Victoria's granddaughter Princess Victoria of Hesse and the Rhine in 1884 and became father of Earl Mountbatten of Burma, the last Viceroy of India, and grandfather of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. A recent biography of Langtry suggests that another of her lovers, Arthur Jones, may have been Jeanne Marie's father, though Prince Louis's son, Lord Mountbatten, always maintained that his father was the one.

Lillie's heyday as a society beauty culminated in her becoming a semi-official mistress to the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria's son Albert Edward ("Bertie"), the future king Edward VII. Other lovers included wealthy Britons Robert Peel and George Baird. Among her friends were the Irish writer Oscar Wilde and the American artist James McNeill Whistler. She was for a time the manager of the Imperial Theatre and also manufactured claret at her 4,200 acre (17 km²) winery in Lake County (northern) California, which she purchased in 1888 and sold in 1906.

In 1887 Lillie became an American citizen, and divorced her husband the same year in California. In 1899, she married the much younger Hugo Gerald de Bathe, who would inherit a baronetcy, and became a leading owner in the horse-racing world, before retiring to Monte Carlo. She died there in 1929, and was buried in the graveyard of St. Saviour's Church in Jersey - the church of which her father had
An educational tool and catalyst for Lillie Langtry enthusiasts and collectors of Lillie Langtry memorabilia. This website is dedicated to the life of Lillie Langtry and contains the most concise collection of photographs and information about her life and afair with the former King of England t VII.

Lillie Langtry (née Emilie Charlotte Le Breton, nicknamed the Jersey Lily) (13 October 1853 -

Steph · « **Reply #185 on:** February 26, 2014, 08:45:48 AM »

I loved reading about Lily and remember the pictures.Ah for the days of voluptuous women, a little meat on their bones.. and yes, Mary is too thin, but that seems to be a disease of all the younger ones on the show. Anna, Edith, Rosemund.. Not Cora, she looks all woman and is so very lovely.

JeanneP · « **Reply #186 on:** February 26, 2014, 01:04:33 PM »

I doubt in that time very few women that thin. They could have had those women put a little weight on to make it more realistic.

Although I only weighed101 lbs up to age 42.thought I looked perfect. Only thing big was my bum....

Steph · « **Reply #187 on:** February 27, 2014, 08:54:47 AM »

At 45, I weighed 110, then menopause set in and boom.. don't even want to discuss it.

Frybabe · « **Reply #188 on:** February 27, 2014, 09:34:28 AM »

Same here. I was all of 103 when I graduated high school and was around 115 at 35. I started steadily gaining while going back to college and working at Rodale. Our small building hosted an all you can eat lunch for employees and guests (organic does not necessarily mean low cal) and where the kitchen was next to my office. The cook would be in early, so we sometimes got to taste test stuff, bagels every morning, the editors often made pizza with their latest hot pepper find, and every month someone had a birthday which required ice cream and cake.

I found an app for my Kindle that helps me keep track of calories much better than I could before, so I've been steadily decreasing my weight by between one half and one pound a month since the beginning of the year. My goal is to drop about 20 more pounds.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #189 on:** February 27, 2014, 04:41:57 PM »

Way to Go Frybabe - I dropped 20 pounds last year by refusing to buy and eat any more processed food - the only frozen I buy is veggies that are not treated with a sauce and the only canned I buy is Tomato sauce and chopped up tomatoes that are free of preservatives. Mom's brand does it on the sauce. - Cooking all my meals and often doing a pot of Chicken that lasts several days including slices from the breast for lunch -

This year I am doing away with Bread and substituting when I want a sandwich with what I call rusks - they are those thick crackers about 2 inches by 6 inches from a Swedish company - they come as fiber, or whole wheat, or sesame and a few other grains. However this year I am adding 10 minutes a day on the Nordic Track that i nearly sold and that I purchased without staying with it over 25 years ago. Anyhow, with just the 10 minutes on the Nordic Track and no bread, as well as cooking my own food this year hurrah, hurrah, I have already lost 8 pounds.

OH yes, no bread like deserts either but amazing I have such a sweet tooth and I do not miss the muffins and cookies - I do eat Chocolate and find the grapes to be great to nibble on during the day and when I am just 'needing' a real sweet I use my own homemade jam spread on one of those rusks - with a cup of tea or coffee very satisfying. My energy is back and it brought with it my cheerful view of my world.

I am convinced it is all the preservatives in the food that is making us fat and half the fat is hard to get rid of because the food helps us collect water that by eliminating the chemicals the water does start to drain away without any water pills. Water leads to headaches and for me depression and so I finally hit on a system that I do not feel is a heavy weight on my will power and I did it step by step over in over a year so that for now at least I cannot not see going back. Plus I have all these ways to cook a really nice meal in less than 10 minutes.

JeanneP · « **Reply #190 on:** February 27, 2014, 06:04:10 PM »

The one Dr. saying that I was anemic did it to me. He giving me the B12 shots twice a week. I am around 135 now. I feel fine at it. Would not be able to diet in order to take any off. In summer it goes down about 5 lbs.
I just could not give up bread, potatoes, few cookies. Milky way once in awhile.Never eat after 6pm. Don't care to eat out that much. Love cooking so always my own food no frozen. At my age would rather keep a little on. Helps if you come down sick with flu type things. Sort of like my big bottom also. Need it for wear jeans.

Steph · « **Reply #191 on:** February 28, 2014, 07:48:28 AM »

Sounds wonderful Barb, I have lost about 8 pounds since January 1, but have stayed stuck for the past few weeks. I really truly dislike cooking for one.Wish I didn't, but there it is, My problem is that I loathe leftovers.. I freeze them, but that just really fills up the freezer and I can always find a really good reason not to heat them up. Sigh.. Oh well.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #192 on:** February 28, 2014, 10:51:59 AM »

Steph and idea - why not find a friend who is into healthy eating and one evening a week swap going to each other's house to cook and share an evening meal - that way you are cooking for two and enjoying some company - if it does not work out you can always use the summer heat has started and you have to prepare for your summer in NC.

JeanneP · « **Reply #193 on:** February 28, 2014, 11:59:50 AM »

I picked up the season4 of Downton Abbey and watched the last hour of it last night. I had watched the show on Sunday. Thought maybe this copy of the UK one had a little more on it. It doesn't.

All the way through it when they mentioned leaving they still kept saying (THEY were going up to LONDON) should be going down. They seem to forget they are in Yorkshire North U.k. They are filming it in the Southwest. So from there it would be more up. Drives me crazy.

CallieOK · « **Reply #194 on:** February 28, 2014, 02:24:52 PM »

Jeanne, it grates on my ear when people in OKC say they're going "up to Dallas".

IMO, we go down to Dallas, up to Wichita, over to Little Rock and out to Amarillo. Don't know where I got these ideas - but....there it is.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #195 on:** February 28, 2014, 04:32:30 PM »

We do a lot of 'out to' out to Lubbock - out to Dallas - even out to Round Rock which is only 25 minutes north of us - the only one we 'over to' is Houston and Bastrop - we run down to San Antonio - the rest of them if it is within a 4 or 5 hour drive we run out to but if it is longer than we simply drive out to. And so 'run to' seems to have a distance meaning.
-

CallieOK · « **Reply #196 on:** February 28, 2014, 05:22:35 PM »

Barb, we have a lot more country to drive/run "out to", "over to", etc. than a lot of folks do!

When we lived in Colorado and were going to visit family in Amarillo, someone asked if we were going to see some pro game in Houston "while we were in Texas". They were astounded when we told them it's 750 miles from Amarillo to Houston.

JeanneP · « **Reply #197 on:** February 28, 2014, 11:13:38 PM »

My family would come over from England and say could we go to Disney world this weekend. Or different far away places. Thought the girls could just come or we could go see them any time looking for things to do . Not realizing all over thousand miles from Illinois.
After a few times coming and us taking a month around the country, they finely realized the country was big. Not like UK that can be covered in a few hours.

CallieOK · « **Reply #198 on:** March 01, 2014, 12:34:43 AM »

One more distance story when we lived in Colorado and then I'll hush.

My husband was on Sabbatical to do graduate work at a college just east of Kansas City and there was another family there from Pennsylvania. She asked if we were going home over a long weekend break in classes. When I said "No" because it would take a day and a half to go and the same to return, she exclaimed, 'But you only have to drive across Kansas!"
Lengthwise across Kansas and halfway across Colorado just about equaled the seven states they had crossed from their home.

Umm.....what PBS Classic were we talking about?

Steph · « **Reply #199 on:** March 01, 2014, 09:48:28 AM »

Tomorrow night is the last episode of this years Downton.. Sigh..

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Author Topic: PBS Masterpiece 2014 Cont. - Downton Abbey & Other PBS programs (Read 118103 times)