#da s5

[lilian-deserves-tea]

OMG (Downton Season 5 spoilers)

Downton Abbey peoples: I have a burning question!!!! WHAT IS MARIGOLD'S LAST NAME?????

[lilian-deserves-tea]

Music and Downton Abbey, Chelsie and otherwise (season 5 spoilers)

I did a rewatch of seasons 1 through 4 before I watched season 5 on Blu-ray and I took notes on the use of certain soundtrack bits that were used throughout. There are two specific bits I was following: the music used for the proposal and the tune used first in the "another way" scene. Here are all the instances in which I noticed it. I don't know if these tunes have names, because they're not available for purchase anywhere. Proposal music: 1x4: Mrs. Hughes is alone in her sitting room, holding the doll that Joe Burns gave her. 1x4: Mrs. Hughes tells Mr. Carson about Joe Burns and that she turned his proposal down. 4x2: Mr. Carson and Grigg talk about Alice at the train station. Mr. Carson leaves the station and Mrs. Hughes catches up with him to suggest that they walk back to Downton together. 5x9: During the proposal scene. Begins in the silent moments after Mr. Carson has declared that he won't marry anyone but her. So, it's not used often, but it is always used in scenes about the romantic lives of Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes, both separately and together. "Another Way" 1x1: During the "another way" conversation between Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes, in his pantry. 2x6: "Don't tell me you'll miss me." 2x6: Right after Robert makes the speech marking the end of the war, he and Mr. Carson are standing together just outside the front door. Mr. Carson says he won't leave Downton (for Haxby) until they've found a replacement for him. Robert says, "whoever we find won't replace you." 2x7: Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson are having tea in his pantry. He tells the story about Mary and Mrs. Hughes says, "then she had the better bargain." 3x1: The night before Mary and Matthew's wedding, Mary is upset and talking to Anna about maybe calling it off. Anna tells her that Matthew's a good man and those aren't like buses. There won't be another one round in ten minutes' time. 3x3: Mr. Carson looks into Mrs. Hughes's sitting room to wish her good night. She asks him if he told Cora anything about her and admits that she was was quite touched. 3x3: Mrs. Hughes is getting ready to go to the hospital for her test results. She tells Mrs. Patmore "as ready as I'll ever be." Theme plays over scenes that switch back and forth between Mrs. Hughes going to the hospital and Mr. Carson back at Downton worrying about her. (Some strings are added to the piano and it's played at a higher volume than this tune has usually been.) 4x2: Mr. Carson is in his pantry looking through his old papers and finds the picture of Alice. Mrs. Hughes asks him about Alice and he talks about her a little. 4x2: Mrs. Crawley comes to Downton and asks Mr. Carson to see Grigg and he refuses. (There is a little variation on the theme in this scene. It's not exactly the same as in the other scenes.) 4x4: Mrs. Hughes gets Mr. Carson to talk more about Alice. "So much I could taste it." 5x7: The camera is on Isobel looking very shaken as she stands in the front hall after the horrid dinner with Lord Merton's horrid sons. Then the scene immediately switches to Robert bringing Isis to bed to die. I can see a pretty good pattern here. Almost all of these scenes include Mr. Carson, both with and without Mrs. Hughes. Also, as I went through this list and remembered the scenes, many of them are very poignant moments that sometimes brought a tear to my eye. The Mary/Anna scene seems like the odd man out. It's emotional in a way, but not in the same way as the others. The last one here, from 5x7, has nothing to do with Mr. Carson or Mrs. Hughes, but Isobel's face after the run-in with Larry Gray immediately followed by the impending death of Isis are definitely tear-jerkers. I also have a brief note about season 2 music reused effectively in season 5. 1. Robert is sulking and Cora tells him that if he's never let a flirtation get out of hand he can stay in his dressing room, but otherwise he should come back to her bed. After a few seconds, the theme from season 2 that was associated with Jane Moorsum plays and we see Robert looking thoughtful. Excellent way to refer to the Jane flirtation without a single word spoken about her. 2. There were some pieces of music used only for war and war-related scenes in season 2. This is very appropriate, in my opinion, because it's really dramatic and emotional music, but I've often been sad that it could not be reused, just because it's very beautiful. What I really hoped from early in season 5 was that they would use some of this war music for the war memorial scene(s). And they did! I believe the song is entitled "The Fallen" and it is played while Mr. Carson reads the poem at the dedication ceremony. It's the same music used for William and Daisy's wedding. Let's all give three cheers for John Lunn, who composed all of this music! Downton doesn't get much attention from the Emmys, but did you know that John Lunn has won two Primetime Emmys for Downton Abbey music? Sometimes it's so subtle we don't notice it, but music is such an important part of making films and television shows really excellent.

[lilian-deserves-tea]

What fascinates Mrs. Carson on the day after her wedding? Companion piece to "Chestnut and Silver."

[lilian-deserves-tea]

A woman of mystery

"You know me, Mr. Barrow. A woman of mystery, if ever there was one." Yes, she is. Even more than we knew.

[lilian-deserves-tea]

Use of language in the marriage proposal and the reply

So, I didn’t know if I’d ever become articulate enough about this to put in my two cents of overanalysis, but apparently I’ve recovered sufficiently from the CS to write something for my fellow fangirls to toss around.  No promises of great eloquence.  I don’t think I’m quite that well recovered yet.

I've analyzed Mr. Carson's language use in the proposal.  What Mrs. Hughes says is important as well, but he's the one sticking his neck out.  His language is very firm and unmistakable.  He's a bit nervous, yes, but the three lines I obsess over the most make it really clear.  Here goes nothing.

Hughes: ...you don't want to be stuck with me.

Carson: But that's the point.

Hughes: What is?

Carson: I do want to be stuck with you.

He doesn't say, "I wouldn't mind being stuck with you" or "I would like being stuck with you."  He says "I do want to be stuck with you."  "Want" is more active and forceful than those other options.  And he emphasizes and gives "want" more strength, while also indicating that his feelings are the complete opposite of what she thinks (that he doesn't want to be stuck with her), with the single word "do."  It's not to say that if he had said "I wouldn't mind" or "I would like" it would have been wrong somehow, but he's taking a firmer stance than that.

Hughes: I'm not convinced I can be hearing this right.

Carson: You are if you think I am asking you to marry me.

His tone shows how he's a bit nervous, and how important this is to him.  But in spite of his uncertainty, he asks.  He doesn't say "Will you marry me?" but I think that's mainly because he is trying to answer her doubt about whether she's hearing it right within the same sentence as proposing.  It’s no less direct for the not quite traditional wording, but again his tone and slight breathlessness and other body language show that he is nervous, yet he knows it's important to do this right.  He is speaking low and he pauses several times (for effect, or because he's so nervous?), but he never breaks eye contact, even after he's gotten the words out.  She deserves that kind of respect - any woman would in such a situation.  And Mr. Carson is nothing if not concerned about doing things properly.

Carson: You can take as long as you like; I won't press you.  Because one thing I do know: I'm not marrying anyone else.

Still he maintains eye contact, and he speaks those words in a sort of "so there!" tone and facial expression, raising his chin a little.  "It's you or nobody."  That is pretty clear and you can see she understands by how she looks at him after he says it.  She seems to be happy and also sort of full of wonder.  He's taken her by surprise, with the proposal in general and with his firm, loving statements.  There is nothing wishy washy or ambiguous about what he says.  The actual words "I love you" may not have been spoken, but they've both said it in many other ways.

As for Mrs. Hughes, her answer is equally strong.

Hughes: Of course I'll marry you, you old booby.  I thought you'd never ask.

Mr. Carson switches back to his adorable uncertainty when it's her turn to speak.  He doesn't have to wait long for her answer, and her reply is just as unambiguous.  "Of course" indicates there was never any doubt and that she really wants to accept his proposal.  She doesn't need to weigh the pros and cons before answering.  She doesn't need to take any time to think about her answer.  There would be no need for him to press her.  She's thought about this before and she's known for a long time what her answer would be if he ever asked.  And it's not just a business transaction.  She doesn't want his house or his protection or even just companionship.  She feels strongly affectionate toward him.  "You old booby" is just adorable.  It's a gentle, affectionate thing.  It's like her saying "you silly man" or something of that sort.  And she is not calling him Mr. Carson anymore.  [Even at the beach she called him Mr. Carson throughout.]  It's almost too sweet to bear!  And then there is that very last line.  "I thought you'd never ask."  This is further indication that she has thought about this before and that she has hoped he would ask someday.  There's a tiny bit of a tease in there, but it's so gentle and so her that he doesn't mind at all.  Only she is allowed to call him an old booby and laugh about him taking so long to propose.  He knows that's part of her and he loves her.

And their shared looks, tears, and smiles make it pretty clear that they've understood each other by the end of the conversation.  Mr. Carson made himself very clear so there was no need for further explanations and no room for doubt.  They're both very happy, just as they deserve to be.  It's marvelous.

[northbndtrain]

Re: DA spoilers. The NY Times posted an interview with Matthew Goode a few days ago, where he indicated that he will soon move back to the UK and will travel back and forth to the US for his Good Wife obligations if necessary. After reading that, I'd say it's 90% likely he'll be in S6 of DA. As for Charles' fate, seeing as filming begins in less than 2 months I'm sure Julian Ovenden knows by now if he'll return or not. Hopefully next time he gets asked he will give us a hint, one way or another.

Yeah, the NYT interview was one of the ones I was thinking about in my previous post.

My Night With Reg  starts up again next week, so maybe if JO does press for that someone will ask him about DA.

[northbndtrain]

Hey! I haven't been keeping up with the Downton stuff lately and I was wondering, do we still have no word on whether Blake will or will not be back for Season 6? And did they make the new suitor a regular? (I selfishly hope they didn't)

Hello! There's still no word about whether or not Charles will return, though JO has said in several interviews that he would like to return for S6 if possible. As for MG, as far as I know there's also been no official announcement about whether or not he'll be made a series regular, but I believe MG has also alluded in interviews to the possibility of coming back for more in S6.

I agree with you that I'm not interested in seeing Henry made a regular -- he didn't really impress me during the CS, and I don't think he's a better fit for Mary than Charles Blake is.

[brenna-louise]

I noticed something interesting when 5.01 aired in the UK and I was reminded of it again during the PBS premiere... In the top scene, Mr. Carson's shirt is studded from the left. However, it and his waistcoat are usually stuffed from the right (like in the bottom two scenes...and almost every other evening livery scene I can think of), which is consistent with the tradition of men's shirts buttoning from the right (yeah, I notice these things...I'm weird). Anyway, I'm not sure why the studs are opposite in that scene, but I'd like to offer my services as a continuity analyst. I'll gladly stare at Jim for minutes (hours?) on end to make sure that every little detail is consistent. They don't even have to pay me; my work will be its own reward. Just get me to the sets.