I normally don't lurk on this side of Home Decorating, but I peeked in and saw this thread. It gives me a chance to vent about this series. I'm a die-hard Upstairs/Downstairs fan and I tried watching Downton Abbey when it first aired but did not enjoy it. Almost every scenario they came up with was done and done much better in Up/Dwnstrs. After saying this I continue to tune in now and then and am amazed at how the writers think that staff would be interacting with the upstairs as much as they do in this series. Maids being asked for and having their advice taken? Staff conversing and engaged with family members so casually? I don't think so. Besides, Richard is such a weak version of Mr. Bellamy. lol I do have one question for avid fans - who did Mary have her indiscretion with that caused all the scandal?

arcy - I think Cora was willing to cast her spousal net far and wide - remember she was (half?) Jewish, the daughter of a tradesman and from Cincinnati (no offense Ohioans) - so she wasn't exactly at the top of the Social Register. The following is from Wikia.com. The site gives a fairly detailed synopsis of the series. ............................... "Born Cora Levinson in Cincinnati on July 18[citation needed], 1868[1], she was the only daughter of the dry goods multi-millionaire, Isidore Levinson and his wife Martha Levinson, and had an Aunt.[2] Cora has a strained relationship with her mother[3]. As a young woman, she was brought to London in 1888[4] for her first season by her socially ambitious mother, in order to marry a member of the British nobility. During the season she met Robert Crawley, Viscount Downton, the future Earl of Grantham. Much to Robert's mother's chagrin, Cora became engaged to him and the two of them married on 16 February, 1890.[5] As part of their marriage contract, Cora's fortune was tied to the family estate to prevent it from going bankrupt."

I'm not reading your message b/c I'm not watching until it airs on PBS. However, maybe add SPOILERS in caps to your title in future threads. Someone may not have seen the previous thread, nor realize that you can be watching it ahead of the US broadcast so that will prevent them from misunderstanding the nature of these kind of threads. I hope you are enjoying it - I'm really looking forward to seeing it!

Oh, I forgot to mention Moseley! What a surprise from that one! My favorite scenes of him are his drunken solo dancing at the Scottish castle over Christmas :-) But he turned out all right, didnt he? i thought Edith would be well and truly set by the end of that last episode but now I am thinking she will be the only really modern character who makes her own way (unless Julian Fellowes just can't resist what he obviously sees as a happy ending). Rosamund was another character who improved vastly over time. either McGovern's acting improved over the series or I got used to it....INitially she sounded like she had pebbles in her mouth and was reading. Maybe a more critical ear would think she still is, but I guess I lost all expectations for her. Beagles,there was actually a line in one of the episodes when a policeman came to Downton and someone remarked that finally, he hadn't come to arrest one of the Bateses, or words to that effect. IMO that was the writers poking a bit of fun at their own over contrived plots!