Top Five Lines from Downton Abbey, Season 3, Episode 3

Oh, the drama this week. Strange, unidentified men running through town in the rain. Sybil gone missing. Bates and Anna not getting their mail.

And wasn’t our Violet in rare form this week? Is it just me or is she getting more one-liners every week?

Let’s start with Violet, shall we? Let's end with Violet, too.

5. My fifth pick this week surrounds the Tom-drama and the trouble he got himself into in Dublin.  (Who knew that he and Sybil had even returned to Dublin? That, itself, was a shocker to me.)

Anyway, Tom tells the whole dreadful story about the estate home being burned to the ground (thank goodness they got the family out first!). I swear, every pair of Crawley eyes in the room was the size of saucers. (These Grantham/Crawleys really haven’t seen much of real life, have they?) They discuss how they knew the family that was attacked. How they had visited their home a while back. How they were people just like them, only, apparently, living in sub-par housing.

Edith: What a tragedy.

Violet: Well, rather yes and no. That house was hideous.

4. Don’t you just love Daisy and her father-in-law? To me, they are two of the most precious characters on the show.  He loves her like a daughter, and Daisy loves him, too, in her own way.

The scene between the two of them this week was just adorable, I thought. Daisy took it upon herself to practically ask Mr. Mason’s permission to “have eyes” for someone else.

Daisy: This’ll be hard for you. . . but . . . what would you say if I’d met a man I liked. Because the last thing I’d ever do would be to hurt you.

Mr. Mason: What? D’you think I’d want you to be alone your whole life long?

Daisy: No.

Mr. Mason: Well, William wouldn’t want it neither.

Daisy then acknowledges that there might be someone who has caught her eye and asks Mr. Mason for some advice. She wonders if he thinks it would be O.K. for her to let this boy know that she likes him.

Mr. Mason’s response is so sweet, and earns my number four spot this week:

“Oh. This is too modern for me, Daisy. I’d only say this. You have a pure heart and if he’s a proper man, he’ll know that. But take your time. Prepare what you’ll say. Make sure your words cannot be misconstrued.”

Some great advice there.

3. More Downstairs antics, this time played by Mrs. Hughes. I truly think the woman bought a toaster just so Carson could deliver this gem-of-a-line:

“Is it not enough that we are sheltering a dangerous revolutionary, Mrs. Hughes? Could you not have spared me that?” (Pointing at the toaster.)

Bwahahaha.

2. Robert’s only cue this week was “scowling.” He scowled, harrumphed, growled, shouted, and acted incredulously throughout this episode.

I, for one, was glad to see the man find his backbone—it’s about time he took some action on behalf of his family. All of his impotence is going to catch up with him pretty soon, I have a feeling. After all, Matthew’s got his nose in the books now.

You’ve got to feel kind of sad for Robert, though, as he pines to his mother about the latest debacle involving Tom.

Robert: Other men have normal families with sons-in-law who farm or preach or serve their countries in the army.

Violet: Maybe they do, but no family is ever what it seems from the outside.

Truth, Violet. Truth.

1. You’ve probably already guessed my favorite line from Episode 3, but just in case, let me set the scene. Edith (“Finally! Something about me!”) has paid a visit to her Grandmama, and Violet asks how she’s getting along.

Violet: I worry about you, dear. That sort of thing is so horrid.

Edith: Being jilted at the altar. Yes it is horrid, multiplied by about ten thousand million.

Edith wonders what she will do with her life now that it seems she’s destined to be a spinster. (Take up gardening? Horrors! No!)

Finally, Violet gets right to the heart of the matter: Edith dear, you’re a woman with a brain and reasonable ability. Stop whining and find something to do.

Hands raised if you’ve wanted to slap THAT line on someone a time or two in your life. Hands raised again if you plan to tuck it away for the future.

Yes, that was my favorite line from this episode, maybe even my favorite of all time, it was that good. But I want to leave you with one more this week:

“I give you my blessings for your whole life long, my darling boy.”

I can’t take it.

*****

So what did I miss? What were your favorite lines this week? Speak up in the Comments!

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