Well, if your sister betrays you to a foreign embassy and calls you a slut to your face, how could you forget it? Their relationship will be forever strained!
I think the fundamental difference between Sybil and Mary is that while Sybil was kind to everyone (and I mean EVERYONE), Mary was kind towards her friends and people she deeply cared about, as reflected in this scene.
Yeah, there's a part of me that really can't stand Mary - she can be such a bitch - but scenes like this remind us that she does genuinely care for some people.
Sybil was Mary's darling baby sister. Anna is Mary's sweet loyal friend who also happens to be an efficient lady’s maid. Both have similar traits and Mary loves them dearly & will do anything for them both.
I think it is these moments that make me see Mary's character as a good person at heart. As you said Sybil was kind to EVERYONE. But I think it is the kindness they keep secret that is truly telling, Sybil helping Gwen in secret, and Mary helping Anna in secret. It is kindness without wanting recognition that is truly showing someone's kind character.
This is not the focus of the scene but can we all stop for a moment and appreciate how caring Tom is. He drops everything to help Mary and Anna and in fact is there for so many family members exactly when they need someone.
Tom is like Sybil- they both treat everyone as *people* and they both throw the social conventions out the window when those conventions are harmful (like hiding pregnancy complications from Bates just because that was typically seen as a "woman's issue"). Both of them led with kindness in situations where society told them not to do so.
This might have also reminded him of what happened to Sybil. It’s not the same thing of course, but it is probably part of the reason why he thought she should tell Bates.
Tom came from a not so privileged background. And Sibyl was willing to make room for all that. Lucky him (back then especially). The huge divide between class was a massive stopper. But Tom also never forgot from where he came. And that made him all the more lovable. That's part of why he and Edith (who essentially was the black sheep) got along so well. Even Matthew had some of that. And Matthew presented a great common denominator between the Mary world and the Tom / Edith world. It can't have been easy for those niveaus back then.
He wasn't so selfless with his wife and even when she was pregnant. Smh. I do however like that his character evolved and stopped being so pigheaded and only thinking of himself and what he felt he needed to do.
@@Dr.SyedSaifAbbasNaqvi their sibling bond was so pure. He stood up to her like a regular brother. And told her to stop being so pigheaded about Henry. Even giving relationship advice. I was so happy that she called him her brother in season 6. Not just brother in law but brother.
The whole storyline about Anna's problems for having a baby and finally becoming a mom may be one of the few in which I genuinely love Mary while I usually can't stand her. She really sees Anna as a friend and not just as a paycheck she signs at the end of the month! No one could ever deny that Mary is a wonderful friend to Anna from the beginning: she offered Anna and Bates a proper chance for a wedding night, she helped Anna while Bates was in prison and was genuinely happy for her when he got out, she stood by her side when Anna herself got jailed, she was willing to help Anna by having Bates stay even before knowing about Green only asking for the truth and she is the reason why the couple is now parents!
@Kays Dash Best friends with a friendship so strong its sisterly. I am sure once Sybil passed her bond with Anna grew stronger as she and her beloved younger sister share many traits
I love this scene and, of course, the relationship between Mary and Anna. The feeling is genuine. I also love the relationship between Mary and Tom. They are like brother and sister, not just in laws.
I totally agree. If Mary hadn't had Anna's back as much as Anna had loyalty to her, I would have loathed Mary for the whole series. Sometimes it's REALLY hard to see the human side of her, but scenes like this make it shine.
@@Novalunosis90 I feel Tom understand Mary most out of everyone. He doesn't glorify her like carson, and doesn't demonise her like edith (note that Im not blaiming Edith for that, she and mary just got the worst of eachother for years, you tend to see the worst in people who only show you their worst after all). But Tom tends to see Mary for the person she is. He's brutaly honest to her about her flaws and bad behavior when need be in ways Anna can't. And he's forgiven and compassionate when she needs it. He's there for her, but doesn't take her bullshit, but doesn't think badly of her because of the bullshit either because he knows there is more under the surface. Tom is like a real brother and on a mental level the closest thing she has to an equal I feel. he can tell her everything, both kind and harsh, and he can take anything from her as well, withoud any risk of their relationship not enduring because of that. they understand they love eachother. And because of that Mary and Tom's relationship is one of my favorites in the show. That Tom is also great to Edith helps, because it shows he's not a Mary fanboy/girl as others who think positive of Mary tend to be (Carson/Anna). I love Anna, but she is to demure when it comes to Mary to truly be consider a friend I think. their classes do effect things, Anna still says My lady even when in private. Mary and Anna care a great deal about eachother, but not on equal terms.
It almost feels like a blooper, doesn't it? Like, the scene has had 15 takes, everyone is tired, and she just flows out of the room throws her hand up, and says, "Goodbe!" Then the crew laughs, and the poor director can't decide if he wants to keep the scene or do another take. Then he yells, "Cut! That's a wrap!" And everyone laughs at Mary as she strolls back into the room, and they are all waving and quoting her line.
its also an etiquette thing, it was seen as bad form for a woman to be in a mans debt. He was doing as was socially required, by it being on his bill he was clearing the "debt".
Mary and Anna's relationship continuously puts me in mind of a quote from Harry Potter book 4. "If you want to know the measure of a man, look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." I know Mary gets a lot of hate, and I don't believe her perfect by any stretch, but she could typically be seen treating the Downton staff with kindness and care, especially Anna. So, whatever her issues and bullying with Edith, I always liked Mary.
@@amyb1344 edith is the middle child and like any middle child she gets ignored more often and she barely gets to have any spotlight on her. Edith is not untrustworthy. because of her being overlooked so often and getting shadowed by Mary, I guess she never indulged anything that is Mary's territory.
@@SleepIntoTheDiamondLife I think after writing to the Turkish ambassador, ruining in large Mary's reputation, she had every right to treat Edith as she did
You forget what Anna did for Mary. Like removing a body from her bedroom and getting her birth control, plus, keeping those secrets. Anna was much more generous to Mary.
One of Mary's rare, admirable moments. It makes me wonder if she experienced similar problems during her marriage to Matthew. She seemed to know EXACTLY what to do in this kind of emergency.
If I recall correctly, Mary had to have surgery herself to be able to conceive. It'd stand to reason her doctor from that gave her instructions on what to do post-surgery if she conceived and feared she was having a miscarriage.
It's pretty evident that on first instinct, Mary is rather snobbish and petty and ruthless, but she's remarkably self-aware. It doesn't take much for her to realize when she's said something unkind or done something rude or snobbish, and then she quickly puts it to right. Like in season one, when she joked about how small a footman was, and William said defensively that it was good work, she immediately felt chastened and apologized. Or seasons later when she lashed out and destroyed Edith's future out of spite, but then made efforts to put everything right again.
@@MeyaRoseGirl And that's why people can't really hate on Mary too much. Even Michelle Dockery said she was apprehensive about playing Mary because Mary was a bit b*tchy. However, she does seem to be pretty good about recognizing her mistakes and righting them. It's just hard to get past her exterior. She doesn't think before she acts or speaks. It's only after she's caused an incident that she realizes she was wrong, but she doesn't think about how her words will affect others before she speaks them. She only cares about what she thinks or feels in the moment, but I blame that on her upbringing in a noble house.
I love moments like this because it shows how lovely Mary can be. Just like Barrow both of them can behave terribly but actually have so much more to their characters where you find yourself loving them one minute and hating them the next. Great writing!
@@marionarda2790 barrow is nasty for no reason like 80% of the time while Mary is only nasty about 30%. Neither are black and white but barrow has the worse history.
@@tristantries9211 Mary has a priviledged position and more to look forward to in life including a loving family and a husband / suitors. Given how nasty she can be when unhappy / jealous I dont think she is any better . Just less miserable
@@marionarda2790 I would disagree. Mary tends to only lash out at Edith-which is terrible those sisters truly hate each other - but she goes out her way for many others. You have to think of all the nasty things Barrow has done constantly throughout the years to anyone he could get his hands on if he thought it would benefit him. I feel bad for his struggles as a gay man in that time and sure he has a soft spot for kids but there is a reason the entire staff and family were ready for him to be on the chopping block first season 6- he's just generally nasty and unkind (enless your a young man). Everytime I'd start to root for Barrow he'd ruin it. But it's a show we can disagree.
@@tristantries9211 Mary can help others because she has power over them . And by others it is mostly Anna . Thomas has no power and no possibility of being happy . Put Mary in his place and she d try anything if it would benefit her . Mary never has to answer for her nastiness except in the last episode. Mary lashes out at anyone . She was humiliating William , trashtalked Tom , Alfred . Manipulated others . But had others clean up her messes at her bidding. There is a reason she felt like him in the last episode and why all the insults rightfully thrown at her then : nasty jealous scheming bully coward can be applied to him. She just has a loving family and power
Kind of, she was having problems conceiving, so she took care of it, by herself, and told no one. Mary is really smart and knows that she has a great influence
This is one of those scenes where the REAL Mary shines. She was brought up in a time where women (especially the oldest) were raised to be, act and care a curtain way, especially being from a House in England. She often did what was expected of her and how she was supposed to act (again, often so not always) so would came off as cold. But Anna, Henry, Matthew, Sybil and her grandmother (plus "Mary's Men") saw right through it all and saw her for her, including her kindness and caring. She tried to keep the house running not just for the family, but for the workers AND to help sustain the village, it's brought up so many times... Mary always got a bad rap for being cold or a bitch, people just didn't pay enough attention
I know people says Mary is a bitch. But she's really kind. She had a tough existence. Imagine being just a girl and being 1st born. Being looked down on because of her gender isn't enough, she have to bear the failure that her father doesn't have an heir because she's a girl. That she'll never be good enough even though by all rights Downton should belong to her as the oldest. That kind of prolonged pressure can grind a person to nothing. I know because i grew up under that kind of pressure too and I almost didn't survive. She stayed strong. She had to become ruthless. She had to build a shatter proof shell around her. But she is super loyal and loving to those who got inside her defenses like Anna and Sybil and Matthew. That's why she's my favourate character in the show.
I agree. There were many instances where she was kind, and not just to Anna. You have to consider, the oldest child really gets leaned on by their parents. I think of my oldest brother. My parents were SUPER strict with him, his responsibility was to take over the family business. He followed the rules. Many times, the oldest tend to be that way, stuck in the way their parents want them to be. By the time I came around, my parents were far more relaxed. Of course all my older siblings said I was spoiled and never got away with things I was allowed to do. Anyway, he is a lot less adaptable to circumstance than I am. His upbringing was a lot more rigid than mine. Don't get me wrong, my parents were still pretty strict with me. But they were a lot more harsh with him. They put TONS of pressure on him about the family business, and taking care of the family. His life was def not his own. I can see the same with Mary, and for her it's even worse because she was a woman, and the time period. Can you imagine be TOLD who you HAVE to marry? That is grim stuff to be sure. There were so many marriages like that back then. Being saddled for life with someone you might hate? That would make me bitter for sure. At least my brother had SOME agency in his life because he is a man.
Sosumi R I know it’s A LOT to handle. Also that can really affect your character. Sometimes that’s why people are stronger and blunt and mean when they need to be. So yes Mary is a flawed character and everyone knows it
Don’t judge but Mary has always been my favourite character. Michelle Dockery says in an interview that Mary only says and sometimes does mean things, but only because she feels so bad about herself that she pushes everyone else down. Here you can see that deep down, under all that self hate, Mary is a genuinely good person. Tom Branson says himself in one episode that she is a much nicer person than some people realise. I believe she is just a strong and (sometimes quite a bit snobbish) feisty character. With Matthew in the beginning she didn’t like him because he was the heir although she was the eldest, and didn’t like the idea of being pushed onto him just because people expect her to. All in all, Mary is not your common kind of person, and will fight extremely hard for what she thinks is right! 😀
A bit of a medical look: It’s likely that Anna might have cervical insufficiency (a.k.a. A lax cervix). This condition would make the woman prone to losing her baby earlier since the cervix being lax would open early instead of during labor at the end of pregnancy. It would explain her history of losing her previous children. The treatment hasn’t really differed much now. I suspect that even in the 1920s, a procedure called a cerclage was employed. This would stitch the cervix together so as to keep it closed. Of course, it would necessitate that delivery be done by a doctor who could cut the stitches and allow the cervix to open especially when there are contractions.
My friends who sometimes find Lady Mary's behavior a bit hard to swallow also agree she's at her best here. Such good writing to give us characters of complex range.
I've stolen the "Don't worry, it will be reflected in my bill" line for when clients are effusive in their thanks for me turning around a project very quickly.
I love how Anna is so uncomfortable with lying that she can't bring herself to do it. When Bates asks her if she's hiding anything she chastises him for being suspicious, but doesn't actually deny anything, because she just doesn't like to lie.
I loved Mary's character when she showed kindness to Anna as usually she's so cold. I wonder if in real life there were any such master servant close relationships in real life whereby the master paid the medical bills for their staff. I've read so many accounts of servants ending up in workhouses that I hope some employers done the decent and right thing of looking after their servants but I've read that such aristocrats were held in contempt by other aristocrats for being kind to their servants. If anyone can shed light on this subject I'd be grateful.
My great aunt worked in service on a big house. She was a ladies maid and her employer paid for her to have surgery after an accident. By all accounts, she was very close with her lady. I guess it wasn't common but it could happen. She also lived out her years on the estate in a cottage, doing bits of sewing and mending.
@@kooki85 that's really interesting to know as I'm so glad there are some who were well looked after like your great aunt. History books often give a grim, harsh view of the past but its good to know that there are good, kind people who did the right thing from all levels of society.
My grandfather worked for a big estate and they let him have a cottage for life even long after the family - two brothers and a sister, all off them without children - were gone
There were many aristocrats who thought of long serving servants more like family. Cases of old Nannies being given cottages and incomes for their retirement. Many staff were genuinely loved....spending years with one family couldn't result in anything less if the employer were a decent person. Proper aristocracy always treated their staff well....they would look down on anyone who didn't.
A more modern account would be the servants in the household I was put up in in India in early 2012. The Bala mam and master of the house were of an old family who had a lot of British blood from the colonial era. They had some village women who otherwise couldn't source work or whose husband's were considered no good (drinkers) and it was viewed as part of the head families responsibility to care for the village by ensuring everyone was feed, housed and educated (they ran the local school where I was tutoring English and science). Any time the servants (lovely women) needed an advance they were given one. They also helped with any medical expenses (the same went for the whole village in an informal welfare like system) and a lot of the income came from Apple orchards that the local men tendered where the head families cattle grazed amongst so the children at the school had boiled milk (TB risk) each day. It was like going back 80 years in time but was one of the most prosperous villages I saw in India. An old, feudal like system but without gross wealth at the top.
Still the best story/film ever . . . I have watched it countless times and it has helped carry me through the dark times in our country. Thank you Downton Abby, one and all.
Anna: Oh no! I'm having a miscarriage Mary: We'll travel 200 miles to London now to see a doctor at this unGodly hour. Don't worry. I will go to the ends of the world to help you, Anna Edith: I- Mary: Oh, fuck off, Edith
Anna was the good one. She helped removed the body of Mary's lover from her bedroom and also got her birth control for a tryst. Mary OWED Anna. It was time she had done something for Anna.
Wow!! Not many employers would drive their servants to London in the middle of the night then pay 1000s in a bill to save the servants baby. She does not need to worry about her character, it is outstanding to me!
I think she realized she can’t help any more than she has. When bad things happen to her she knows she can overcome. Here though, she’s genuinely worried about Anna. While being helpless.
@@dreamsteddybearsmaster oh l sold it years ago to an old classy lady in my little Shop...forv$28! She got a Deal...l need to get on EBay or something. But lm Technically Challenged!
While this is a great scene for showing how complex and fully dimensional Mary's character can be, at the same time the amount of constant catastrophes Anna goes through really brought the show down for me eventually. It seemed to just become gratuitous suffering rather than benefitting the plot. Perhaps if they'd left out the sexual assault it would have been a balanced amount. Anna is still a lovely character but I think they just way over did the "Lets make Anna suffer and cry" approach to the point that it began to pollute the show.
Yeah the sexual assault episode was the reason I stopped watching the show. It was too cruel to happen to Anna and while I think that storyline should have happened somewhere with the servants, I couldn’t stand that Anna first had to go through the whole Bates affair just to destroyed by some stranger soon after.
Anna was the Mary Ingalls of Downton Abbey. Whenever they needed a main character to suffer, she was high on the list. In Star Trek TNG it was Miles O'Brien.
Sybil was always my favourite and I was so so happy when she married tom. They were soulmates and when sybil died tom embodied her as well. I love him for that because its exactly what sybil would have done
Not so much soulmates that he was ok with putting her and the baby's lives in dangers. He was more about himself than her. He wanted her but he didn't want to let her do things that made her comfortable or help to keep the family with them on their side. He let his ego get in the way a lot but he changed after she died thank god.
Maybe I'm reading to much into it but it says a lot that Mary jumps to aid an servant (not just getting her to Mary's own doctor but paying his services) JUST after she began thinking about Sybil and how she cared for so many people.
Mary has flaws but I love her. I for sure don’t see Edith as an angel of any kind, I wish people would realize neither sister is actually much better than the other
How do you know that? Edith never had scenes with a lady's maid. Mary bullied Edith and there was no need for her to be that way as people usually liked Mary much better, Edith was no threat to Mary. I agree, Edith was not a good person, but she did not deserve how Mary treated her.
@@melvawages7143 Edith's scene with Carson is enough. Mary wouldn't worry about her dress - as Edith did, when Carson spilled something on her accidentally because he suddently felt faint - she would worry about him.
Mary was far from being perfect, but she was deeply loyal and loving towards the people she liked. She was also witty, quick, charismatic, and smart. Sybil was beautiful, extremely kind and rebellious. Edith was plain boring in the early seasons and extremely desparate for marriage. She accepted every man who expressed slight interest in her, but never seemed to be really in love with any of these man. She was neither charismatic, nor kind and was simply very hard to like.
Everyone making such a big deal that Mary was kind to a woman that helped her move a body from her bedroom, and got her birth control for a tryst, on top of keeping those secrets so Mary could keep her reputation. Considering how women were treated if those type secrets got out back then I say Mary owed Anna BIG TIME. Saving her baby ws the least she could do.
their bond is so beautiful.... i just adore mary and her character, the complexity of her character... shes just stunning and michelle dockery is so talented
Dr. Clarkson would have saved Sybil. He knew more than the specialist and he was trusted to deliver babies born in the family. Why wouldn't Anna have gone to him? He was the village doctor. Anna was desperate to have a baby and Bates had the money to pay for it but Anna never mentions seeing any doctor unless I missed it.
He knew more than that snobby male midwife, but he's not a surgeon; giving Sybil a hysterectomy would have saved her from eclampsia, but the only reason he'd have been doing the operation himself was that it was an emergency that could possibly have killed her itself (a village clinic at that point wouldn't be able to give a transfusion, for one thing). Mary too had to have an operation to be able to conceive from a surgeon in London -- the same one Anna saw.
@@Delilah361 While I am most definitely not an expert and don't quote me on this, I think most working-class women used midwives, while wealthy upper-class people used doctors because doctors were more expensive. As for Anna, my guess is that she thought nothing could be done -- she didn't tell Bates because she didn't want to get his hopes up and then have them dashed. She did have an unfortunate tendency to filter information and not tell him things out of a well-meaning but misguided urge to protect him.
Love their friendship,. Mary is forward that she stands up to Robert like Sybil did but not for the same reasons. Mary was strong minded! Sybil did it because it was what she believed in at the time otherwise she would not. Edith did not dare stand up to her father. With Cora, you cannot get upset with her. She is an amazing women, employer, mother, daughter including daugher in law, sister including sister in law and wife!
My great grandmother had servants, one of them got pregnant, as one does, and my great grandmother apparently (my grandmother told me) made her work until the birth and expected her back at work after one day off, and without any lesser workload. My grandmother had maids and she replaced the pregnant one with her sister when she was 6 months pregnant and got her back six months after the birth. My mother has no maids or staff to help her. Incredible how things changed in just three generations. And it just gets worse and worse as you go back in time. My great great grandmother had a child Pigmy pet, and i am not talking about the animal, i am talking about an actual human child pet, whom she bought in Paris at a Human zoo along with a few animals.
A blessing for Anna and Mr Bates.Too bad she wouldn't show kindness to Edith.She treated the servants better than family but she showed true kindness to Anna
It's so common to hate Mary's character and support Edith. Personally, I never understood why. Mary could be mean and vicious to Edith sure, but at least Mary always treated those "beneath" her, socially, with respect, and often kindness. Edith hardly ever spoke to any of the servants, or tenants, and when she did it was to take advantage. Making out with another woman's husband, giving her baby to those poor farmers and then taking it back when she changed her mind (for the 15479th time). Plus, in the end of the day, it's soapy tv, at least Mary's character was entertaining. Edith was just whining all the bloody time xD
Right?? I remember when soup had been accidentally poured on Edith’s dress, which triggered Carson’s heart attack, when Cora told Edith to go with Tom to fetch Dr Clarkson, Edith whined “what about my dress??”. If Cora’s eyes could kill, Edith would be dead 😂
@@amyb1344 Good lord, exactly. And Mary made sure William got to see his mother before she died, she served food to Carson when he was sick, loved him like a father, she supported Thomas, did everything she could for Anna, fully embraced Tom in the family, I mean what did Edith ever do other than weep and moan, like she wasn't one of the most privileged characters on the show the entire time.
I don't know which side of the pond you're on but here in the States medical care has really declined. A doctor won't even come to the hospital anymore, we have hospitalists who know nothing about every patient admitted but they have to made medical decisions for all of them while our doctors are basically 9-5 employees who want nights and weekends off.
Why is everyone forgetting that Anna carried a dead man out of Mary's bed and kept the secret of her shame and Mary would have been cast out in society and absolutely destroyed? Mary's behavior is a logical gratefulness that is displayed in a business partnership. There is some caring and perhaps a real appreciation but is more loyal than filial.
mary also sent her to purchase contraceptives when she spend a week in a hotel with an intended fiancee, having anna to face the judgment of the sales lady, because it was poor viewed back then. so damn right mary owns it to her.
Mary is the one who insisted on taking Anna to the specialist in the first place; after Anna admitted to having issues. Anna didn't think it would do any good, but Mary insisted she be checked out, paid for both appointments, and flat out said, "I owe you for all you've done for me."
I never get that Anna's need - "don't tell mr Bates". The closest person is there to share your fears and joys, and it became truly absurd when she was raped and was more worried about him than herself... Was it Anna thing or Bates thing?
@@thanib7796 She knew that Bates wouldn't have let Green leave Downton alive, so she was keeping him from murdering someone, as Bates would have been hanged for it.
That was the logic presented in the series, but I just don't buy it. The rape tragedy became somehow all about him, when it was her ordeal and her recovery should be the main problem.
Magdalena On top of Anna’s fear that Bates would hang for Green’s murder.... I think it just reflects the thinking of the time. The patriarchy in British society back then was so strong. It was very much a man’s world. I feel it really reflects her state of mind; remember even after she tells him about the rape, she was so distraught because she felt that she had now been “spoiled” for Bates. It makes sense given the setting and values back then.
Anna and Mary always take care of each other. Mary treat Anna better than she treats Edith. Edith did do something awful to frame her older sister out of jealousy and envy which is awful. I love how Mary takes cares of Anna
This scene starts with Mary feeling bad she was never like Syble, the does exactly what Syble would do without hesitation. Also good for Tom, this scene shows what Syble saw in him.
It’s moments like these when one can really appreciate how easy it is now days when we can use an app to hire a cab, and reach a doctor on their personal cell phone.
That's true to some degree, but the dowager countess had MUCH,more inate humanitarian feelings and was much more caring and had a far greater rappory ans empathy with the world and it's varied people,despite her social status and background, than Mary will EVER have.
Sometimes I feel like Lady Mary treats Anna more genuinely than to her sister Lady Edith. After so many episodes, they finally made peace in the end.
Ikr
Well, if your sister betrays you to a foreign embassy and calls you a slut to your face, how could you forget it? Their relationship will be forever strained!
Wendy S. King I understand that but they hated each other before any of that happened
Wendy S. King Mary’s poor attitude towards Edith was the main cause of this fall out.
@@MinhNguyen-ff6xf Edith was a sour puss too. Every time Mary managed to make something for herself, Edith was sure to knock her down.
I think the fundamental difference between Sybil and Mary is that while Sybil was kind to everyone (and I mean EVERYONE), Mary was kind towards her friends and people she deeply cared about, as reflected in this scene.
Yeah, there's a part of me that really can't stand Mary - she can be such a bitch - but scenes like this remind us that she does genuinely care for some people.
Mary was good to the servants she loved
Sybil was Mary's darling baby sister. Anna is Mary's sweet loyal friend who also happens to be an efficient lady’s maid. Both have similar traits and Mary loves them dearly & will do anything for them both.
yeah literally everyone lol
I think it is these moments that make me see Mary's character as a good person at heart. As you said Sybil was kind to EVERYONE. But I think it is the kindness they keep secret that is truly telling, Sybil helping Gwen in secret, and Mary helping Anna in secret. It is kindness without wanting recognition that is truly showing someone's kind character.
This is not the focus of the scene but can we all stop for a moment and appreciate how caring Tom is. He drops everything to help Mary and Anna and in fact is there for so many family members exactly when they need someone.
Tom was definitely one of the best people.... I mean Sybil couldn't fall for him otherwise!
Tom is like Sybil- they both treat everyone as *people* and they both throw the social conventions out the window when those conventions are harmful (like hiding pregnancy complications from Bates just because that was typically seen as a "woman's issue"). Both of them led with kindness in situations where society told them not to do so.
This might have also reminded him of what happened to Sybil. It’s not the same thing of course, but it is probably part of the reason why he thought she should tell Bates.
Tom came from a not so privileged background. And Sibyl was willing to make room for all that. Lucky him (back then especially). The huge divide between class was a massive stopper. But Tom also never forgot from where he came. And that made him all the more lovable. That's part of why he and Edith (who essentially was the black sheep) got along so well. Even Matthew had some of that. And Matthew presented a great common denominator between the Mary world and the Tom / Edith world. It can't have been easy for those niveaus back then.
Yes indeed. He’s the big brother in the entire house.
Tom Branson was always so selfless in these situations and I always loved him for that.
I always thought he had the best character arch.
Mary also trusted him with the full truth.
He wasn't so selfless with his wife and even when she was pregnant. Smh. I do however like that his character evolved and stopped being so pigheaded and only thinking of himself and what he felt he needed to do.
@@bnelson5378 Mary really loved Tom as his own brother. They have such a sibling bond.
@@Dr.SyedSaifAbbasNaqvi their sibling bond was so pure. He stood up to her like a regular brother. And told her to stop being so pigheaded about Henry. Even giving relationship advice. I was so happy that she called him her brother in season 6. Not just brother in law but brother.
"Thank you..."
"Don't worry, it'll be reflected in my bill."
Does no one find that hilarious???
I most certainly do!
😂😂😂
it's funny cause it's true
I was wondering if it were meant to be funny or did they genuinely talk like that back then😁
@@Maaarrina they do it to this day, trust me on that one...
"I'll get there when I get there. Goodbye"
I just love how they've realized there's no use asking anymore questions with Mary.
I liked how she delivered it.
It wouldn't have been polite at that time to ask too many questions if it was a medical issue.
The whole storyline about Anna's problems for having a baby and finally becoming a mom may be one of the few in which I genuinely love Mary while I usually can't stand her. She really sees Anna as a friend and not just as a paycheck she signs at the end of the month! No one could ever deny that Mary is a wonderful friend to Anna from the beginning: she offered Anna and Bates a proper chance for a wedding night, she helped Anna while Bates was in prison and was genuinely happy for her when he got out, she stood by her side when Anna herself got jailed, she was willing to help Anna by having Bates stay even before knowing about Green only asking for the truth and she is the reason why the couple is now parents!
Kays Dash yes I also get that feeling
@Kays Dash Best friends with a friendship so strong its sisterly. I am sure once Sybil passed her bond with Anna grew stronger as she and her beloved younger sister share many traits
Don't forget that she also let Anna use her own bed when Anna's water broke.
I love this scene and, of course, the relationship between Mary and Anna. The feeling is genuine. I also love the relationship between Mary and Tom. They are like brother and sister, not just in laws.
@@sheilaburns8977 Exactly!
This is one of those scenes in which i really like Mary.
Anna, Sybil and Matthew really brought the good out of her.
I totally agree. If Mary hadn't had Anna's back as much as Anna had loyalty to her, I would have loathed Mary for the whole series. Sometimes it's REALLY hard to see the human side of her, but scenes like this make it shine.
Mary is so interesting if she likes you she has your back.like with tom,syble,anna. But if she doesn't it's like meh.
Golden Rose
I agree, and I also think Tom tends to bring out the better side of Mary.
@@Novalunosis90 I feel Tom understand Mary most out of everyone. He doesn't glorify her like carson, and doesn't demonise her like edith (note that Im not blaiming Edith for that, she and mary just got the worst of eachother for years, you tend to see the worst in people who only show you their worst after all). But Tom tends to see Mary for the person she is. He's brutaly honest to her about her flaws and bad behavior when need be in ways Anna can't. And he's forgiven and compassionate when she needs it. He's there for her, but doesn't take her bullshit, but doesn't think badly of her because of the bullshit either because he knows there is more under the surface. Tom is like a real brother and on a mental level the closest thing she has to an equal I feel. he can tell her everything, both kind and harsh, and he can take anything from her as well, withoud any risk of their relationship not enduring because of that. they understand they love eachother. And because of that Mary and Tom's relationship is one of my favorites in the show. That Tom is also great to Edith helps, because it shows he's not a Mary fanboy/girl as others who think positive of Mary tend to be (Carson/Anna). I love Anna, but she is to demure when it comes to Mary to truly be consider a friend I think. their classes do effect things, Anna still says My lady even when in private. Mary and Anna care a great deal about eachother, but not on equal terms.
I agree and Tom as well don’t forget!
“I’ll get there when I get there. Goodbye”. 😂
lol!
That is (in my opinion) the most British thing I have heard... 😂😂😂
Btw I'm Greek so my opinion might be biased.
It almost feels like a blooper, doesn't it? Like, the scene has had 15 takes, everyone is tired, and she just flows out of the room throws her hand up, and says, "Goodbe!" Then the crew laughs, and the poor director can't decide if he wants to keep the scene or do another take. Then he yells, "Cut! That's a wrap!" And everyone laughs at Mary as she strolls back into the room, and they are all waving and quoting her line.
@@ADayInLisasLife3947 wildly specific yet accurate
“I’m so grateful to you for coming out here at dawn.”
“Don’t worry. It will be reflected in my bill.”
Spoken like a true doctor.
its also an etiquette thing, it was seen as bad form for a woman to be in a mans debt. He was doing as was socially required, by it being on his bill he was clearing the "debt".
One time a doctor said hello to my brother in the hallway of a hospital and billed my brother for it.
@@jws1948ja sure
@@jws1948ja Murica
I think he was partially jesting. Most doctors wouldn't come, no matter the pay.
Mary and Anna's relationship continuously puts me in mind of a quote from Harry Potter book 4. "If you want to know the measure of a man, look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." I know Mary gets a lot of hate, and I don't believe her perfect by any stretch, but she could typically be seen treating the Downton staff with kindness and care, especially Anna. So, whatever her issues and bullying with Edith, I always liked Mary.
Same!:)❤
Same. This is why I give Mary a pass, as it is she who the downstairs generally pulls into fixing things because they trust her, not Edith.
@@amyb1344 edith is the middle child and like any middle child she gets ignored more often and she barely gets to have any spotlight on her. Edith is not untrustworthy. because of her being overlooked so often and getting shadowed by Mary, I guess she never indulged anything that is Mary's territory.
@@SleepIntoTheDiamondLife I think after writing to the Turkish ambassador, ruining in large Mary's reputation, she had every right to treat Edith as she did
@@thomasrobinson306 everything Edith did was in retaliation for Mary bullying her. Mary has always been very unkind to Edith.
I think Matthew and Anna are people who draw out the kindness and good side of Mary.
And Mr. Carson!
And Sybil. Her love for her baby sister inspired her too
Sybil and Tom too!
I love how Mary considers even a Milk Train to reach London to save the baby ❤️
The milk trains had passenger carriages for early travelers, but probably not quite first class.
I am sure she couldn't care less about that LOL. She's on a mission and nothing can stop her @@flyboy152
Always liked Mr. Bates, a decent dude but could separate one from their teeth if circumstances warranted it. He loves his wife.
He's a rare breed.
Loved him for his loyalty and kindness. A true gentleman.
such a true gentleman!
Mary is also similar in someway, maybe that's why they both get along so well with Anna
@@hiepdang719 Yep. Maybe
Mary is a lot of us. She’s understanding and open minded. But extremely vindictive and petty when she’s feels wronged. I love her in all her sizes.
💙👌
If my employer acted like Lady Mary in this scene, I’d be ever so loyal to them.
You forget what Anna did for Mary. Like removing a body from her bedroom and getting her birth control, plus, keeping those secrets. Anna was much more generous to Mary.
@@melvawages7143 Yeah but at the very least Mary didn't forget that
I know people think Mary sucks, but I've always loved her
Because she used to be a total bitch, is why. But yes, her character grew over the years.
I loved her through the whole show. I honestly just think something she was misunderstood
Same! She's my favourite person in this series. I personally don't get it. But hey everyone has their own opinion and way of watching the series:)
@@arianah8842 yes
She’s a very real character to me. She has had her selfish and intolerable moments but if you truly need her she’ll come through for you.
When Mary says "Now, don't panic." you almost wonder if it's Anna or herself that she's telling that.
One of Mary's rare, admirable moments. It makes me wonder if she experienced similar problems during her marriage to Matthew. She seemed to know EXACTLY what to do in this kind of emergency.
If I recall correctly, Mary had to have surgery herself to be able to conceive. It'd stand to reason her doctor from that gave her instructions on what to do post-surgery if she conceived and feared she was having a miscarriage.
It's pretty evident that on first instinct, Mary is rather snobbish and petty and ruthless, but she's remarkably self-aware. It doesn't take much for her to realize when she's said something unkind or done something rude or snobbish, and then she quickly puts it to right. Like in season one, when she joked about how small a footman was, and William said defensively that it was good work, she immediately felt chastened and apologized. Or seasons later when she lashed out and destroyed Edith's future out of spite, but then made efforts to put everything right again.
@@MeyaRoseGirl And that's why people can't really hate on Mary too much. Even Michelle Dockery said she was apprehensive about playing Mary because Mary was a bit b*tchy. However, she does seem to be pretty good about recognizing her mistakes and righting them. It's just hard to get past her exterior. She doesn't think before she acts or speaks. It's only after she's caused an incident that she realizes she was wrong, but she doesn't think about how her words will affect others before she speaks them. She only cares about what she thinks or feels in the moment, but I blame that on her upbringing in a noble house.
@@TeroTheShortOne Just FYI, it's the same doctor. Mary took Anna to the doctor that helped her conceive.
I always wondered what the " small operation" was that helped Mary conceive. I' ve had two children but I can't think what it could be. Ideas anyone?
I love moments like this because it shows how lovely Mary can be. Just like Barrow both of them can behave terribly but actually have so much more to their characters where you find yourself loving them one minute and hating them the next. Great writing!
These 2 are so much alike I always found hilarious how Carson ideolized one and despised the other while their behavior is so similar
@@marionarda2790 barrow is nasty for no reason like 80% of the time while Mary is only nasty about 30%. Neither are black and white but barrow has the worse history.
@@tristantries9211 Mary has a priviledged position and more to look forward to in life including a loving family and a husband / suitors. Given how nasty she can be when unhappy / jealous I dont think she is any better . Just less miserable
@@marionarda2790 I would disagree. Mary tends to only lash out at Edith-which is terrible those sisters truly hate each other - but she goes out her way for many others. You have to think of all the nasty things Barrow has done constantly throughout the years to anyone he could get his hands on if he thought it would benefit him. I feel bad for his struggles as a gay man in that time and sure he has a soft spot for kids but there is a reason the entire staff and family were ready for him to be on the chopping block first season 6- he's just generally nasty and unkind (enless your a young man). Everytime I'd start to root for Barrow he'd ruin it. But it's a show we can disagree.
@@tristantries9211 Mary can help others because she has power over them . And by others it is mostly Anna . Thomas has no power and no possibility of being happy . Put Mary in his place and she d try anything if it would benefit her .
Mary never has to answer for her nastiness except in the last episode.
Mary lashes out at anyone . She was humiliating William , trashtalked Tom , Alfred . Manipulated others . But had others clean up her messes at her bidding. There is a reason she felt like him in the last episode and why all the insults rightfully thrown at her then : nasty jealous scheming bully coward can be applied to him.
She just has a loving family and power
She was so anxiously waiting and then she was so scared when the doctor went to her 😭 and still in the clothes from the night before
Kind of, she was having problems conceiving, so she took care of it, by herself, and told no one. Mary is really smart and knows that she has a great influence
Jelena Popović I mean she was worried about Anna
This is one of those scenes where the REAL Mary shines.
She was brought up in a time where women (especially the oldest) were raised to be, act and care a curtain way, especially being from a House in England. She often did what was expected of her and how she was supposed to act (again, often so not always) so would came off as cold. But Anna, Henry, Matthew, Sybil and her grandmother (plus "Mary's Men") saw right through it all and saw her for her, including her kindness and caring. She tried to keep the house running not just for the family, but for the workers AND to help sustain the village, it's brought up so many times...
Mary always got a bad rap for being cold or a bitch, people just didn't pay enough attention
Exactly!
And Tom as well, Tom and Mary are very close
Amen. Mary is very complex, that’s why I love her. Even tho she can be mean at times she is overall a good person
Agreed, but don’t forget Tom!
HOUSE OF ENGLAND??????? Mary was the daughter of an earl. Not royalty.
I know people says Mary is a bitch. But she's really kind. She had a tough existence. Imagine being just a girl and being 1st born. Being looked down on because of her gender isn't enough, she have to bear the failure that her father doesn't have an heir because she's a girl. That she'll never be good enough even though by all rights Downton should belong to her as the oldest. That kind of prolonged pressure can grind a person to nothing. I know because i grew up under that kind of pressure too and I almost didn't survive. She stayed strong. She had to become ruthless. She had to build a shatter proof shell around her. But she is super loyal and loving to those who got inside her defenses like Anna and Sybil and Matthew. That's why she's my favourate character in the show.
Amen
Same! 😢 beautifully said, I get leader vibes from you. Don’t know why but it’s a strong gut feeling.
@@ladyfoxwf1075 thank you
I agree. There were many instances where she was kind, and not just to Anna.
You have to consider, the oldest child really gets leaned on by their parents. I think of my oldest brother. My parents were SUPER strict with him, his responsibility was to take over the family business. He followed the rules. Many times, the oldest tend to be that way, stuck in the way their parents want them to be.
By the time I came around, my parents were far more relaxed. Of course all my older siblings said I was spoiled and never got away with things I was allowed to do. Anyway, he is a lot less adaptable to circumstance than I am. His upbringing was a lot more rigid than mine.
Don't get me wrong, my parents were still pretty strict with me. But they were a lot more harsh with him. They put TONS of pressure on him about the family business, and taking care of the family. His life was def not his own. I can see the same with Mary, and for her it's even worse because she was a woman, and the time period. Can you imagine be TOLD who you HAVE to marry? That is grim stuff to be sure. There were so many marriages like that back then. Being saddled for life with someone you might hate? That would make me bitter for sure. At least my brother had SOME agency in his life because he is a man.
Sosumi R I know it’s A LOT to handle. Also that can really affect your character. Sometimes that’s why people are stronger and blunt and mean when they need to be. So yes Mary is a flawed character and everyone knows it
Don’t judge but Mary has always been my favourite character. Michelle Dockery says in an interview that Mary only says and sometimes does mean things, but only because she feels so bad about herself that she pushes everyone else down. Here you can see that deep down, under all that self hate, Mary is a genuinely good person. Tom Branson says himself in one episode that she is a much nicer person than some people realise. I believe she is just a strong and (sometimes quite a bit snobbish) feisty character. With Matthew in the beginning she didn’t like him because he was the heir although she was the eldest, and didn’t like the idea of being pushed onto him just because people expect her to. All in all, Mary is not your common kind of person, and will fight extremely hard for what she thinks is right! 😀
I love when Mary’s feisty
Well said! ✨
Shes my favorite out of the entire cast.
I like it how Mary keeps saying "We" so that Anna knows that Mary is with her.
One thing you can say for Mary, she knows how to take charge and make things happen with a calm head when things get messy!
A bit of a medical look: It’s likely that Anna might have cervical insufficiency (a.k.a. A lax cervix). This condition would make the woman prone to losing her baby earlier since the cervix being lax would open early instead of during labor at the end of pregnancy. It would explain her history of losing her previous children. The treatment hasn’t really differed much now. I suspect that even in the 1920s, a procedure called a cerclage was employed. This would stitch the cervix together so as to keep it closed. Of course, it would necessitate that delivery be done by a doctor who could cut the stitches and allow the cervix to open especially when there are contractions.
If I remember correctly, that was not only the diagnosis in the show, but the resolution as well!
That was the diagnosis in the show, an episode or 2 before this one.
Thank you so much for the medical insight!
I think they usually remove the stitches later in pregnancy (once labor would no longer be fatal) to avoid having to do it during labor.
Oh my god, that would be so painful. Men are so lucky to avoid these things
This is so well done. As they were leaving Downton you could smell the night air.
My friends who sometimes find Lady Mary's behavior a bit hard to swallow also agree she's at her best here. Such good writing to give us characters of complex range.
Mary is definitely a product of her time, class and circumstances, but she does have a large heart when she finally let's people in.
I've stolen the "Don't worry, it will be reflected in my bill" line for when clients are effusive in their thanks for me turning around a project very quickly.
Mary is quite the pill but in this case I really loved her. She was so kind and giving. I wish she would have been that way more.
I love how Anna is so uncomfortable with lying that she can't bring herself to do it. When Bates asks her if she's hiding anything she chastises him for being suspicious, but doesn't actually deny anything, because she just doesn't like to lie.
I loved Mary's character when she showed kindness to Anna as usually she's so cold. I wonder if in real life there were any such master servant close relationships in real life whereby the master paid the medical bills for their staff. I've read so many accounts of servants ending up in workhouses that I hope some employers done the decent and right thing of looking after their servants but I've read that such aristocrats were held in contempt by other aristocrats for being kind to their servants. If anyone can shed light on this subject I'd be grateful.
My great aunt worked in service on a big house. She was a ladies maid and her employer paid for her to have surgery after an accident. By all accounts, she was very close with her lady. I guess it wasn't common but it could happen. She also lived out her years on the estate in a cottage, doing bits of sewing and mending.
@@kooki85 that's really interesting to know as I'm so glad there are some who were well looked after like your great aunt. History books often give a grim, harsh view of the past but its good to know that there are good, kind people who did the right thing from all levels of society.
My grandfather worked for a big estate and they let him have a cottage for life even long after the family - two brothers and a sister, all off them without children - were gone
There were many aristocrats who thought of long serving servants more like family. Cases of old Nannies being given cottages and incomes for their retirement. Many staff were genuinely loved....spending years with one family couldn't result in anything less if the employer were a decent person. Proper aristocracy always treated their staff well....they would look down on anyone who didn't.
A more modern account would be the servants in the household I was put up in in India in early 2012. The Bala mam and master of the house were of an old family who had a lot of British blood from the colonial era. They had some village women who otherwise couldn't source work or whose husband's were considered no good (drinkers) and it was viewed as part of the head families responsibility to care for the village by ensuring everyone was feed, housed and educated (they ran the local school where I was tutoring English and science). Any time the servants (lovely women) needed an advance they were given one. They also helped with any medical expenses (the same went for the whole village in an informal welfare like system) and a lot of the income came from Apple orchards that the local men tendered where the head families cattle grazed amongst so the children at the school had boiled milk (TB risk) each day. It was like going back 80 years in time but was one of the most prosperous villages I saw in India. An old, feudal like system but without gross wealth at the top.
Still the best story/film ever . . . I have watched it countless times and it has helped carry me through the dark times in our country. Thank you Downton Abby, one and all.
Anna: Oh no! I'm having a miscarriage
Mary: We'll travel 200 miles to London now to see a doctor at this unGodly hour. Don't worry. I will go to the ends of the world to help you, Anna
Edith: I-
Mary: Oh, fuck off, Edith
As someone who has had many miscarriages this scene made me cry!
I love this series. I’ve watched it in its entirety twice and I believe I’ll be watching it again soon.
I love Rosamund snickering at her brother for no reason
Lady Mary shows genuine kindness and compassion for her maid and can’t stop criticizing her own sister Edith.
lol if i had a sister like edith i would too haha
It’s nice to know that Mary can do something nice for someone else.
I love the cinematography and music as the car drives away from the house the atmosphere the suspense it what makes the show so incredible 🤗🤗😃😃
Mary's kindness DID make a difference
Funny how Mary talks about Sybil beëing a better person before helping her maid and her child. She is good as well.
Anna was the good one. She helped removed the body of Mary's lover from her bedroom and also got her birth control for a tryst. Mary OWED Anna. It was time she had done something for Anna.
I am so happy that Tom found Lucy. When Sybil passed it nearly broke him. Looking forward to the next chapter ❤
I absolutely love the two of them together!
Wow!! Not many employers would drive their servants to London in the middle of the night then pay 1000s in a bill to save the servants baby. She does not need to worry about her character, it is outstanding to me!
3:00 never seen Mary THIS nervous in the entire series (even when Pamuk died)
I think she realized she can’t help any more than she has. When bad things happen to her she knows she can overcome. Here though, she’s genuinely worried about Anna. While being helpless.
After rewatching this series many times Mary has become one of my favourite characters
Love Mary too. She and Violet are my favorite characters.
Oh, God. That special Anna & Bates theme gets me every time..
3 minutes in...l used to have Silk Blouse almost just like that...it was Channel...l found it at the Thrift Store for $3 or so!
You have good taste. A classic never dies.
Ooh I love Vintage! Whereabouts was this thrift store?
@@dreamsteddybearsmaster Seattle...l had an Antique Shop North in a Village of Shops. I was "Urban Country!" Before Country was Cool! Lol
@@bonniebester606 Damn! So lucky, I've found some great pieces in Sydney but nothing breakthrough as of yet!
@@dreamsteddybearsmaster oh l sold it years ago to an old classy lady in my little Shop...forv$28! She got a Deal...l need to get on EBay or something. But lm Technically Challenged!
This is a wonderful scene.....poor Anna....but Mary stepped up in a big way and took care of business! So happy for Anna!
While this is a great scene for showing how complex and fully dimensional Mary's character can be, at the same time the amount of constant catastrophes Anna goes through really brought the show down for me eventually. It seemed to just become gratuitous suffering rather than benefitting the plot. Perhaps if they'd left out the sexual assault it would have been a balanced amount. Anna is still a lovely character but I think they just way over did the "Lets make Anna suffer and cry" approach to the point that it began to pollute the show.
Yeah the sexual assault episode was the reason I stopped watching the show. It was too cruel to happen to Anna and while I think that storyline should have happened somewhere with the servants, I couldn’t stand that Anna first had to go through the whole Bates affair just to destroyed by some stranger soon after.
@@goldcherries I'm glad I'm not the only one.
Anna was the Mary Ingalls of Downton Abbey. Whenever they needed a main character to suffer, she was high on the list. In Star Trek TNG it was Miles O'Brien.
Anna’s storylines are the epitome of “torture the cinnamon roll” trope in fanfic
Sybil was always my favourite and I was so so happy when she married tom. They were soulmates and when sybil died tom embodied her as well. I love him for that because its exactly what sybil would have done
Not so much soulmates that he was ok with putting her and the baby's lives in dangers. He was more about himself than her. He wanted her but he didn't want to let her do things that made her comfortable or help to keep the family with them on their side. He let his ego get in the way a lot but he changed after she died thank god.
"It'll be reflected in my bill". Well, physicians don't change.
Anna is so great. She can't even bring herself to lie so she changes the subject when Bates asks her if she's hiding anything rather than just deny it
Maybe I'm reading to much into it but it says a lot that Mary jumps to aid an servant (not just getting her to Mary's own doctor but paying his services) JUST after she began thinking about Sybil and how she cared for so many people.
Mary's friendship and kindness to Anna (and maybe also Mr. Carson) is her one redeeming quality. Fight me.
Mary has flaws but I love her. I for sure don’t see Edith as an angel of any kind, I wish people would realize neither sister is actually much better than the other
How do you know that? Edith never had scenes with a lady's maid. Mary bullied Edith and there was no need for her to be that way as people usually liked Mary much better, Edith was no threat to Mary. I agree, Edith was not a good person, but she did not deserve how Mary treated her.
@@melvawages7143 Edith's scene with Carson is enough. Mary wouldn't worry about her dress - as Edith did, when Carson spilled something on her accidentally because he suddently felt faint - she would worry about him.
@@Hjalmar_an_Craite And she did. I loathed Edith there too and so did everyone else in the room LOL
Mary was always loyal to those who were loyal to her and the family.
I miss this show.
😊my sister loved downtown abbey....she died 4yrs ago and I miss her dreadfully. Every time I hear the theme music I remember her.
One of my favourite scenes 😍
I love that Lady Mary stayed up all night, too. She didn’t sleep.
Mary was far from being perfect, but she was deeply loyal and loving towards the people she liked. She was also witty, quick, charismatic, and smart. Sybil was beautiful, extremely kind and rebellious. Edith was plain boring in the early seasons and extremely desparate for marriage. She accepted every man who expressed slight interest in her, but never seemed to be really in love with any of these man. She was neither charismatic, nor kind and was simply very hard to like.
Well said. I totally 💯 agree with you. ❤🎉
3:30 it will reflect on my bill!
Everyone making such a big deal that Mary was kind to a woman that helped her move a body from her bedroom, and got her birth control for a tryst, on top of keeping those secrets so Mary could keep her reputation. Considering how women were treated if those type secrets got out back then I say Mary owed Anna BIG TIME. Saving her baby ws the least she could do.
their bond is so beautiful.... i just adore mary and her character, the complexity of her character... shes just stunning and michelle dockery is so talented
Dr. Clarkson would have saved Sybil. He knew more than the specialist and he was trusted to deliver babies born in the family. Why wouldn't Anna have gone to him? He was the village doctor. Anna was desperate to have a baby and Bates had the money to pay for it but Anna never mentions seeing any doctor unless I missed it.
He knew more than that snobby male midwife, but he's not a surgeon; giving Sybil a hysterectomy would have saved her from eclampsia, but the only reason he'd have been doing the operation himself was that it was an emergency that could possibly have killed her itself (a village clinic at that point wouldn't be able to give a transfusion, for one thing). Mary too had to have an operation to be able to conceive from a surgeon in London -- the same one Anna saw.
@@Delilah361 While I am most definitely not an expert and don't quote me on this, I think most working-class women used midwives, while wealthy upper-class people used doctors because doctors were more expensive. As for Anna, my guess is that she thought nothing could be done -- she didn't tell Bates because she didn't want to get his hopes up and then have them dashed. She did have an unfortunate tendency to filter information and not tell him things out of a well-meaning but misguided urge to protect him.
Fun Size I thought that Dr Clarkson wanted to do a C-Section (something rare during those times) not a hysterectomy.
@@lost99sheep You're correct. He did want to do a C-section which is talked about in "Preeclampsia Death in Downton Abbey | Downton Abbey" on youtube.
@@Delilah361 It was indeed a c-section, I'm not sure why I brainfarted there.
She loved Anna. Yes, their status was very different, but Anna was a friend.
I love Mary's respect and care for Anna. They are more like sisters than maid and lady.
“It will be reflected in my bill”… So freaking wish I could tell my boss that every time he makes me work overtime
I love love love love Mary blouse when she speaks to the doctor
Yes, I noticed that blouse right away. Exquisite. One of the loveliest garments from the entire series.
Love their friendship,. Mary is forward that she stands up to Robert like Sybil did but not for the same reasons. Mary was strong minded! Sybil did it because it was what she believed in at the time otherwise she would not. Edith did not dare stand up to her father. With Cora, you cannot get upset with her. She is an amazing women, employer, mother, daughter including daugher in law, sister including sister in law and wife!
My great grandmother had servants, one of them got pregnant, as one does, and my great grandmother apparently (my grandmother told me) made her work until the birth and expected her back at work after one day off, and without any lesser workload. My grandmother had maids and she replaced the pregnant one with her sister when she was 6 months pregnant and got her back six months after the birth. My mother has no maids or staff to help her. Incredible how things changed in just three generations. And it just gets worse and worse as you go back in time. My great great grandmother had a child Pigmy pet, and i am not talking about the animal, i am talking about an actual human child pet, whom she bought in Paris at a Human zoo along with a few animals.
Jesus Christ! What a story. That last sentence just floored me.
A blessing for Anna and Mr Bates.Too bad she wouldn't show kindness to Edith.She treated the servants better than family but she showed true kindness to Anna
Edith treated her horribly too, so it was mutual.
@@annameyer3098 if my big sister was that horrible,I would eventually fight back
Mary and Anna were more than an heiress and her maid; they were best friends, as much as they could be given their positions.
It's so common to hate Mary's character and support Edith. Personally, I never understood why. Mary could be mean and vicious to Edith sure, but at least Mary always treated those "beneath" her, socially, with respect, and often kindness. Edith hardly ever spoke to any of the servants, or tenants, and when she did it was to take advantage. Making out with another woman's husband, giving her baby to those poor farmers and then taking it back when she changed her mind (for the 15479th time). Plus, in the end of the day, it's soapy tv, at least Mary's character was entertaining. Edith was just whining all the bloody time xD
Right?? I remember when soup had been accidentally poured on Edith’s dress, which triggered Carson’s heart attack, when Cora told Edith to go with Tom to fetch Dr Clarkson, Edith whined “what about my dress??”. If Cora’s eyes could kill, Edith would be dead 😂
@@amyb1344 Good lord, exactly. And Mary made sure William got to see his mother before she died, she served food to Carson when he was sick, loved him like a father, she supported Thomas, did everything she could for Anna, fully embraced Tom in the family, I mean what did Edith ever do other than weep and moan, like she wasn't one of the most privileged characters on the show the entire time.
Mary is awesome!
I loved their relationship.
I love the way she said “I’ll get there when I get there” 😂
Tom and Anna acted more like siblings to Mary then edith
Wrong.
It is Mary who treated them better than she treated Edith.
@@Furienna Actually it goes both ways.
@@rahaa.sh_307 No, it is not Edith's fault that her whole family neglected her and allowed Mary to bully her.
I'm going to respond that way from now on when my customers ask me to go above and beyond: "Don't worry. It'll be reflected in my bill."
When cool heads are needed to prevail, who do you call? Lady Mary, that's who!
I just never felt Anna and Bate's relationship. I just find Bates a bit annoying and thought they were an odd match.
Well said. There was never any chemistry between these two. It was really awkward to watch.
Any doctors who wake up any time of night or early morning for an emergency are a credit to the profession
I don't know which side of the pond you're on but here in the States medical care has really declined. A doctor won't even come to the hospital anymore, we have hospitalists who know nothing about every patient admitted but they have to made medical decisions for all of them while our doctors are basically 9-5 employees who want nights and weekends off.
@@debra2700 I live in the state of New Mexico
@@scotthamp384 I live in North Carolina.
Mary es igual lady violet puede ser sarcastica e irritable pero tiene un corazon de oro cuando se lo propone
Loved, "I'll get there when I get there."
Why is everyone forgetting that Anna carried a dead man out of Mary's bed and kept the secret of her shame and Mary would have been cast out in society and absolutely destroyed? Mary's behavior is a logical gratefulness that is displayed in a business partnership. There is some caring and perhaps a real appreciation but is more loyal than filial.
mary also sent her to purchase contraceptives when she spend a week in a hotel with an intended fiancee, having anna to face the judgment of the sales lady, because it was poor viewed back then. so damn right mary owns it to her.
Anna's a ride or die, for real. Lol
Mary did not have to do those things that she did for Anna. Anna did have to do it cause she is her maid.
Mary is the one who insisted on taking Anna to the specialist in the first place; after Anna admitted to having issues.
Anna didn't think it would do any good, but Mary insisted she be checked out, paid for both appointments, and flat out said, "I owe you for all you've done for me."
"Carson and Mrs Hu- Mrs Carson"
Lol Robert
I never get that Anna's need - "don't tell mr Bates". The closest person is there to share your fears and joys, and it became truly absurd when she was raped and was more worried about him than herself... Was it Anna thing or Bates thing?
Bates is frighteningly vengeful. Anna was clearly looking out for his well being when she kept the information of her rape away from him.
@@thanib7796 She knew that Bates wouldn't have let Green leave Downton alive, so she was keeping him from murdering someone, as Bates would have been hanged for it.
@@teenelf Exactly.
That was the logic presented in the series, but I just don't buy it. The rape tragedy became somehow all about him, when it was her ordeal and her recovery should be the main problem.
Magdalena On top of Anna’s fear that Bates would hang for Green’s murder....
I think it just reflects the thinking of the time. The patriarchy in British society back then was so strong. It was very much a man’s world.
I feel it really reflects her state of mind; remember even after she tells him about the rape, she was so distraught because she felt that she had now been “spoiled” for Bates. It makes sense given the setting and values back then.
Anna and Mary always take care of each other. Mary treat Anna better than she treats Edith. Edith did do something awful to frame her older sister out of jealousy and envy which is awful. I love how Mary takes cares of Anna
This scene starts with Mary feeling bad she was never like Syble, the does exactly what Syble would do without hesitation.
Also good for Tom, this scene shows what Syble saw in him.
Anna: sharp, deep breath, doubles over, cries
Mary: are you in pain?
Duh. The writers missed the mark on that one.
I love Lord Grantham Saying Carson and Mrs Carson, but he nearly Said Carson and Mrs Hughes 😂😂😂
It’s moments like these when one can really appreciate how easy it is now days when we can use an app to hire a cab, and reach a doctor on their personal cell phone.
"Don't worry... it'll be reflected in my bill"
Lady Mary,is very much like her Granny,but modern for the times.
That's true to some degree, but the dowager countess had MUCH,more inate humanitarian feelings and was much more caring and had a far greater rappory ans empathy with the world and it's varied people,despite her social status and background, than Mary will EVER have.
i love that mary and anna are friends even though anna works for mary
God, how I love this show