I feel like it went down like this:
“Where’s Donk?”
And thus, Branson had to bring Sybbie back to Downton. Technically, Branson said he realized that the Crawleys were his family and he missed them. But I like to think Sybbie steamrolled him. After all, she rules. Need evidence? Witness her reuniting with George and Marigold and the Godfather-style hugs she gave them. It seems George fell in line immediately as he should but Marigold needed a hug and a stern “Hello” to reclaim her throne. “Give Ole Donk a kiss,” says Lord Grantham. See? He knows where he stands.
This all happens at the wedding of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. Earlier, Mrs. Patmore hints to Cora that Mrs. Hughes isn’t quite happy with the plan to have the reception at Downton. So Cora asks Mrs. Hughes in front of Donk and Mary and Mrs. Hughes says, “Yeah, I want it at the schoolhouse.” Because, sure. Mary is all huffy about it and calls Cora a snob, thinking she doesn’t want the servants to party there. Cora calls Mary a bully for insisting on it. It all works out. Mary and the family attends. And Mrs. Hughes gets to have her wedding day the way she wants it and it is all about Charles Carson and Elsa Hughes…until Branson and Sybbie crashes the reception and makes it all about them.
Mrs. Hughes had other obstacles along the way to her wedding: namely her dress. Mrs. Patmore orders one from a catalog and when it arrives, it is a dreary number. Mary tells Anna that they can borrow a coat of Cora’s to gussie it up. Cora walks in on Anna and Mrs. Patmore helping Mrs. Hughes into the Lady’s clothes. She flips out! They quickly leave. Anna later tells Mary how Cora went ballistic so Mary confronts her: “Don’t make me tell Sybbie how you lost your shit.” Alright. So she didn’t say that. Mary told Cora that she OK’d the clothes party. Cora went to Mrs. Hughes, apologized profusely and gave her the coat.
Why was Cora on her last nerve? Hospital stuff! She got a tour of the York hospital and talked to folks there without telling the Dowager Countess. DC and the Doc were ruffled by this. Isobel jumps into the fray. “Oh! I wondered when we’d hear from you,” says DC. Isobel basically cuts Doc down to size, accusing him of worrying he’ll be obsolete when the county takes over. Dang, that’s some serious shade. Later she apologizes to him. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if off-screen Doc asks Branson if his American job was still available.
Let’s appreciate this line from DC: “A peer in favor of reform. It’s like a turkey in favor of Christmas.”
Carrying on. DC’s staff is having a little drama: Denker sees Spratt go to the door and send someone away. She later sees him go to the shed. Sgt. Willis, apparently the only police officer in the village, comes by to question Spratt about his nephew who escaped from jail. Denker says nothing to Willis but after he leaves, asks Spratt, “After you put him up in the potting shed, did he get away?” Uh oh, Spratt. Denker’s got one on you. She says she can keep secrets…if she wants to.
Anna may be pregnant! But don’t tell Bates yet because she wants to be sure. Mary is already contacting London Gyno in her mind.
Montage Alert! Edith and Bertie Pelham pulling an All Night Magazine Editing Party.
I’ll back up. Edith ran into Bertie on the street in London. He says, “We met at the Sinderby’s, remember?” And she responds, “Oh yeah, you arrived at Rose’s in-law’s with Matthew Good who inexplicable was only in one episode for such a well-known actor” (or something like that). So they set up a drinks date. Well, Edith goes to the bar later to cancel because she fired her ridiculously mean editor and now needs to edit the new edition by four am. “I’ll help you,” says Bertie. And I say, “Let her have this one. OK, Julian Fellowes?”
What else did I learn from Episode 3? Moseley lets it slip to Daisy that the Drewe’s farm will be vacated soon. Daisy, of course, assumes that is what Cora had in mind for Mr. Mason. She thanks Cora profusely, leaving Cora to “uhhhh…ummm…” Meanwhile, Barrow is once again interviewing for jobs. He interviews with a sad man whose manor is in shambles but as he says, “When the good times return and they all come back, we must be ready.” Barrow is all “good luck with that.” He still is mopey about how he is treated downstairs. Baxter tells him, “Don’t fish. Especially where they are never going to bite.”
Finally, a blink and you may have missed it moment: Donk has some “indigestion”. *Ominous music*
