Top Five Lines from Downton Abbey, S6:E7

We knew it couldn't last, right? Mary's happiness?

It's illusory.

Like a puff of smoke. A vapor.

Kind of like the wind that is blowing something fierce through the trees outside my house right now.

Mary was never meant to be happy. Right?

Or was she?

There are only two more episodes left, folks, and I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm sticking with my original prediction.

Because this.

(Sorry about the terrible picture quality. I clearly have tech issues.)

Anyway, Mary is delivering the worst possible news to poor Henry Tolbert (who, in case you're keeping score, lost his best friend and his girlfriend in one day), and who walks in to console her? TOM!!!

Just sayin'.

Anyway, I have to move on rather quickly (oh dear! I think I've been watching too much Downton!), so here we go with this week's Top Five Lines.

1. Dear Violet is just. so. angry. that she has to leave for a while. She thinks France will soothe her bruised ego and might allow her to actually look her daughter-in-law in the eye again.

So she divulges her plan to Isobel who discreetly proclaims, "Your self knowledge is an example to us all. .  . . How long will you be away?"

Violet replies, "Until nostalgia has smothered my fury." (Don't you just love that one?)

But there's more! Violet assures Isobel that she will pay a call on dear Larry's conniving fiance, Miss Crookshank before she leaves town. Gotta leave a little dust in her wake, I guess. 

Isobel suspects that Miss Crookshank is "quite a tough nut," but Violet is not worried. 

"And I am quite a tough nutcracker."

I'm sure you are, Violet. I'm sure you are.

2. Later, Violet meets with Miss C, just as she promised. And we have to wonder, has Violet met her match?

But not to worry. No little fiance of a two-bit loser like Larry is going to get under Violet's skin. She outs her for the little conniving brat that she is--the girl only wants Isobel to marry Lord Merton so that she won't have to take care of him!

"You’re a cool little miss, aren’t you?," says Violet. "I’d feel sorry for Larry if I didn’t dislike him so much."

Miss Crookshank isn't deterred. "I shall forget you said that. But you should go now. Much more and we may feel awkward when we meet, as we are bound to do."

Violet, however, gets the last word, as usual. 

"I think not, Miss Crookshank. 

Not if I see you first."

3. If you've read here for a while, you know I love to travel. You meet the most interesting people along the way. Some are friendly; some notsomuch.

As a fellow traveler, I could not resist laughing so hard at this (final) line of Violet's.

"My reason for traveling is to make myself eager to come home. A month among the French should manage it."

4. How about Carson and Hughes alone in the house together? It looks like this is quite possibly the first time ever in twenty-five years that the two have had the house alone. Completely alone.

And what do those wacky newlyweds decide to do? Sit on the sofa!

Carson blusters about for a minute, not sure if he should take the time to just enjoy himself, but his wife (I still don't see them as married--do you?) convinces him to just sit down.

They sit.

Mrs. Hughes observes, "They don’t live badly, you have to concede."

But Mr. Carson must always keep things in "proper" perspective. (*killjoy*)

"They live as they are supposed to live. It has its burdens and its benefits."

But I love how Mrs. Hughes has a further observation. "Better than a life of just burden."

That's for sure! 

5. Finally, I have to congratulate Mr. Molesley for being smarter than an Oxford (or Cambridge) graduate. He passed his test with flying colors and it looks like he's headed toward a new career as a teacher.

As a long time Molesley fan, I couldn't be happier that this dear man is finally getting some recognition.

Daisy is happy for him, too. After a brief discussion about the future for those "in service," during which Molesley is beaming that he got a head start out of there, Daisy congratulates him.

"Well, I'm glad," she tells him. "You deserve it."

Humble Mr. Molesley. In a moment of self-reflection he laughs and says, 

"I never think I deserve anything. . . . 

Perhaps I’ve been wrong all along."

Oh yes you have been, Mr. Molesley. Yes you have.

6. I'm sorry, but this one was just too good to pass up. Did you not love the little trick that Mrs. Hughes played on Mr. Carson? I only wish I had thought of doing something like that early on in my marriage.

Oh wait. I did. It's called leaving three kids with my husband while I go out of town for the weekend. Ha! 

Anyway, Mrs. Hughes has had it with Mr. Carson's complaints about her dinners. It's HARD to get dinner on the table, especially after working all day. So she feigns a sprained wrist or something and tells her hubby that she couldn't possibly cook dinner tonight.

And Carson delivers the best line possibly EVER on DA:

You mean . . . I’m going to cook?

Yes you are, Mr. Carson. And you're going to LIKE it.

*****

Bonus: This isn't so much a line, but one of my favorite moments of this episode.

Robert's turned into a Zombie!!

Not really. He's just gotten a huge surprise from his mother.

Isn't she adorable?! There's nothing like a lab puppy, take it from me. 

(Ten points if you remember the name of the new puppy.)

And with that, I'm out.

I'm heading to the Illinois State Speech Tournament tomorrow where my daughter will be performing in TWO events. I'm almost as pleased as Robert. 

Have a great weekend!