Last Night's Downton Abbey

Ok.  My first question.  Did Anna kill Green????  Could THAT be where that whole mystery is headed????

Next, what was Thomas Barrow injecting himself with?  Is he sick as Baxter suspected?  Or is it somehow tied in with that magazine that was found laying on the floor?  When Baxter was looking at it I didn't catch a glimpse of anything that gave the answer.  Barrow snatched it away so quickly.  Did I miss something?

I love Violet.  She cracks me up.  Every. Single. Time.  Now that's a character with layers!
She and Isobel have such amusing banter back & forth.  They are so deliciously different, yet they've really become quite a pair.  Last night as they were meeting with the Russian refugees/ Violet's old love interest the subject of hope came up.  And, as usual Violet made some droll, non sentimental comment about hope (I can't remember her exact phrasing).  Isobel looked at her and 'Now you're just making that up to sound clever.'  And, not missing a beat, Violet shoots back.  'Of course I am.  You should try it sometime.'

Speaking of Isobel.  She received not only a marriage proposal (which she seemed to be expecting and was quite prepared to dismiss) but also a declaration of love (obviously unexpected!).  To see the look on her face was priceless.  She agreed to 'consider it' rather than saying 'no' outright.  Although, I have a feeling she'll still turn Lord Merton down.  I still feel a bit sad for the Doctor who is also obviously sweet on Isobel.  I wish he'd be the one proposing.  They seem such a good match.

Poor Edith.  She's not to visit Marigold for now.  And when she couldn't stay away any longer and stopped in hoping to see her, the farmer's wife quite dismissed her!  She claimed Marigold was tired and about to go down for a rest and pretty much shut the door in Edith's face.  I have a hard time believing that would have happened in real life.  She's still lady of the manor as much as the farmer's wife wishes she'd disappear.

Lord Gillingham is apparently not accepting Lady Mary's breaking up with him.  And, quiet unlike Mary's usual self, she seemed a bit taken aback and unsure how to handle that.  Sooo, they're still together?  And, was Mary totally making eyes at her other suitor who she previously dumped?  Charles Blake was at the fashion show that Mary attended and there definitely seemed to be some sparks flying across the room.  (My other takeaway from that scene was Mary's comment 'Oh yummy' when she saw one of the dresses on the runway.  It seemed a bit out of character for her.)

And, can we say 'STOP inviting Sarah Bunting to dinner!!!'  This is another area that seems highly unrealistic.  After her first disastrous visit, would they really continue to invite this abrasive woman who is so entirely out of their social structure.  I suppose the reasoning is that they tolerate her for Tom's sake.  But, does Tom even really like her?  He claims that she reminds him of a part of himself he'd forgotten.  But, she's so confrontational.....she's nothing like Sybil was.

Anyway, while I think Lord Grantham can be totally self-absorbed and haughty, I have to admit I was cheering a bit when he lost his temper with Miss Bunting's constant needling and stormed out of the dining room.

Prior to that of course, poor Mrs. Patmore and Daisy were summoned to the dining room to try to satisfy this debate between Miss Bunting and Lord Grantham.  You could just feel their discomfort and awkwardness.

And Tom, Tom, Tom.  Can he stop moping around and have a personality again?   He's lost his fire since Sybil died (how many seasons ago?).  I liked fire-y Tom.

So what are your thoughts from Downton this week?