RIP

John Barry.

Everyone's posting James Bond clips in memory of this great film composer and that's great; but this will always be my favorite.




Wait for it. About 5.12, if you're impatient. It really is worth watching the whole thing. (It's really worth watching the whole movie if you haven't seen it!) The picture quality of this was the best I could find and it seemed worth the extra time that isn't Barry's music to have Streep's lead-in.

And Out of Africa is closely, closely followed by the brilliance that is his score for The Lion in Winter:

Live-Blog the Fourth! "Downton Abbey"

Here we all are for the last -- *snifsnif* -- installment of the wonder, beauty, and majesty that is Downton Abbey. (Have I been watching too much MST3K the last few days? Why, yes, yes, I have.)

With us here this evening we have Michael J. Nelson, Tom S---wait, wait. Sorry, folks, sorry. Minor confusion there.

We have Anna (A) of The Feminist Librarian, Minerva (M) of Hypomnemata, and me (H) of here!

Pre-episode conversation topics this evening include: Sherlock fanfic, M's grad classes, health care policy, and...Sherlock fanfic. :) And glancing up at the Aretha Franklin R&B special and goggling at 1970s clothes. And horror at Twitter commentary on picture of a pregnant Natalie Portman: apparently she is no longer the "thinspiration" for these girls. I'm sure she's heartbroken. O_o Lord love the folks who came back with, "Idiots. She's pregnant." And chatting about Gavin and Stacey and perception of body image.

9.01: Laura, Laura. Change is our theme this week. Change is apparently faster now than it used to be. A: Uh -- uh -- uh -- H: Seconded. Uh--uh.

9.02: H: It still is a lovely opening sequence though. A: Yes. M: I was wrong about Elizabeth McGovern, by the way. She is American. A: Her accent sounds like she's trying so hard!

9.03: A: Suffrage rally, must be. H: There's more men... A: But he said about votes for women... H: Have you met Lloyd George?

9.04: [Sybil and chauffeur] A: I like her hat. M: I like his gloves. 

9.04: [Thomas and Bates] A: These two people believe in politics! All the time! [O'B and Thomas]

9.05: [Lord and Bates] A: Uh -- uh -- your daughter. H: No-one! Oh, Bates...

9.06: [family dinner] H: Ohhh... A: Oh, god, man. M: She's canvassing for a husband! [Maggie Smith on husbands] M: Fuck! A: Wow! Maggie, your smarter than that! You never let your husband tell you your opinions! M: Maybe her husband was silent. [General laughter]

9.07: [Daisy and Thomas] H: Are they supposed to be sweet! A: 'Cause they're just creepy. [laughter at Maggie Smith expression]

9.08: [Carson and Ladyship] A: Oh. [as realisation dawns] M: Letters were so tiny.

9.09: [Ladyship] A: Good point. 

9.10: [Thomas and O'Brien] A: Again, why? [Lord and Lady] M: She sounds simpering there... A: Way to write the middle daughter off! H: That was what the middle daughter got.

9.11: [Carson and Thomas] M: How can he have any credibility left? H: Maybe he doesn't. [faces being pulled at re-advent of Sir Antony] M: She needs to reintegrate all of these personalities! H: I like her coat. Oh...and he thinks that's a win. A: Oh....that was really sad. M: *groan*

9.12: [Sir Antony and Edith] H: This is very boring.

9.13: [O'Brien, Daisy, Thomas, and Carson] A: And they've got whatshername in to back them up... H: Of course they do. M: *sigh* A: Carson is smarter than this. I hope he hangs them. H: Literally? A: No, not literally. I want to see them hoist with their own petard!

9.14: [Sybil and Lord] A: What a lovely skirt. M: Yes. H: And our short scene is over! A: Yeah, this is a bunch of short scenes! [Mary and Matthew] M: I think this is that scene... *pulls face* A: That was... M: That was...that was a good line. Not so bad. A: It was a good 'lets start again' kind of...

9.16: [Sybil] A: Someone's got something up her sleeve! M: Someone's not going to a charity. [Lady and Maggie Smith] M: This is that scene! A: The voice cracks... [as Maggie Smith rationalizes house geography] H: It's the delivery... M: It's fantastic... A: I could watch that scene over and over for hours. M: She's all about practicalities. A: Well, it's about image, right? Whatever you do is okay so long as society doesn't find out. M: I wonder if Grandma's going to back Mary so much now.

9.18: [Anna and Bates, 'I'm not sure the world is listening.'] A: Good point. [William and Daisy] A: That's...a stunned look. M: I'm surprised people can't read Daisy like a book!

9.19: [chauffeur and Sybil] M: Yeah, but he loses his job, honey... [Sir Antony] M: Edith. [and so it goes.] A: You don't want him, honey... H: It doesn't matter... M: Although, to be honest, I'm a big devil's advocate here: who knows what Edith wants? Maybe she'd be happy with a comfortable life. I mean, not comfortable, but not the grand passion Mary seems to want.

9.21: [Sybil at election] H: 1913...I'm trying to remember. A: Yeah, you know more about this than me... H: I'm trying to remember. There are some really contested, really violent elections. Oh, like this...[as men come out with bottles; as Matthew and Sybil go down] H: That wasn't your brightest move, was it sunshine!

9.22: [Harriet Jones and Sybil] H: Go, Harriet. [Matthew and Sybil] H: Oh, well, there's that, then. Oh, poor old Mary. 

9.23: [Daisy w/housekeeper and Carson] General awed silence. H: That's a moral leap! A: It is. M: Daisy was workin' hard on that. A: It took her awhile! But she got there!

9.24: [as Branson asks after Sybil] H: And Lady Mary's goin', "My sister has beerflavored nipples, what the fuck!" A: I'd be really disappointed if this was what Mary's story turned into: slept with a Turk, turned into failure. 

9.25: [Matthew by fireplace] H: And Matthew's like, "am I here, should I go..." A: The mother needed reviving? How so, exactly?

9.25: [servants] H/A/M: The silent enjoyment of humiliation. H: Oh, bugger. 

9.26: [Mary and Matthew at dinner] H: Okay, that was... M: Pick a personality, honey! A: Yeah...

9.27: [Bates and Carson] H: Is Bates going to be all confessional with no need? Yes, yes, he is. A: Is this why he isn't free to marry? H: It shouldn't make any difference... A: Canny housekeeper! Oh god! Jesus, man! M: Get off the fucking cross! A: Indeed! Carson!

9.28: [Mary and Matthew] A: He's looking a little stunned. M: He's like, which personality is this? Their hands are very close together...He said "Don't play with me!" H: Are you sure about that? M: Ooohh... ['pay no attention to the things i say'] A: But pay attention to this? Don't listen to me but fuck me?

9.30: [Bates and Anna] A & M: Ohhhh... H: Damn it. [general cheering at peck] H: *cheering* M: There was touch! there was touch! A: Yes, yes, yes... M: I mean, there was no tongues...

9.31: [Lady and Mary] M: There was some smexin'... ['what did you put in them'] General laughter. ['what we want doesn't matter'] H: Rubbish! A: You've been saying it does for the last year. M: One of my personalities does... H: Oh, rabbits... A: *sigh* general baaing noises. M: Fucking barf, lady. 

9.33: [Lord, Lady and Mary] M: That was....awesome. A: *laughter* I love the fact that the daughter is like sitting there and comments on it. Like "Everyone knows you're doing it with mom..." H: "...and that's just tacky!"

9.33: [Mary and William] M: What...what was that? H: She's trying to be sweet to everyone? 'cause she's going to get laid?

9.34: [Lady and Maggie Smith] A: With my awkward cane! ['the strength...mentally or physically..'] H: Oh, Maggie. Yes, you could. A: She's so fixated on this -- the carrying of the corpse. [and then the delightful suggestion of assassination!]

9.35: ['she reads too many novels] M: Laughter. A: Literature is the downfall of all young ladies. ['an Italian who isn't too picky'] *laughter*

9.36: ['Mary is family'] M: Ah. [Lord and Lady enter] M: What is she wearing? ['the murder of the Austrian archduke'] H: There's that. 

9.37: [Rosamund and Mary] H: Hey! It's! *smacks A's leg repeatedly* It's Mrs. Bane! 

The muffin on the left isn't in Downton. Mrs. Wormwood,
on the right, is. Mary's probably lucky to have escaped.

9.38: [Lady's pregnancy: "i don't understand what we've done differently"] *hysterical laughter* A: It'll be a son -- it'll be a son. M: Either that or it's...cancer. H: Oh, you miserable thing. M: I'm sorry! A: I did think of that. But they would be able to tell...yes? H: Not necessarily. ['the child will be healthy?'] M: Well...

9.40: [Mr Napier] M: Uh... A: Hah! H: Gosh, really? M: *general looks of confusion and bafflement* M: ooohh. [Napier disclaiming gossip] H: That's kind of...nice? A: Ah...it was Edith. H: Yeah, not so much with the hard to believe.

9.44: [Mrs Byrd] M: *wicked laughter*

9.45: [Mary and Rosamund] A: Might be more scope? Than what she currently has?

9.46: [Mary's arrival at home] A: Aha...that will be delightful. [as Maggie Smith outlines men of principle] A & H: Yes, she has a point. 

9.48: [servants chat about war] A: He'll be off [William], first to go. Bates won't be able to go, because of his leg. And the lord is too old. And Carson is too old. Everyone else...is fair game. 

9.49: [general laughter as cook asks permission to sit as if in presence of royalty]

9.50: [Mary and Matthew] H: Good point. 

9.51: [Anna and Bates] H: Good for you, Anna. [housekeeper goes off to ref cooks] A: She needs a whistle. And those cards...the soccer cards. M: Bates is being all -- let me sacrifice myself! 

9.52: [Lord and Lady and O'Brien] M: Oohhh.... 

9.53: [Sir Antony and Edith] M: Ooh.... H: And Carson pronounces 'telephone' to rhyme with 'scum.' 

9.54: [admitting doctor] H: Right then. Mr Sympathy and Good Humor. A: The era of tell the patient as little as possible. M: The era of informed consent what? As I like to say, your uterus makes you stupid! You couldn't possibly understand.

9.55: [huge gold statue] H: Fuckin' hell... A: Ohhh.... H: Are you going to go see the Brigadier? [as Daisy scrubs soap into soup] M: She's sabotaging them! H: *claps hands* A: No-one told them? H: Anna would have told them!

9.56: [Edith and Mary] H: And here we go. H/A/M: Whoa! M: Yeah, yeah...them's be fightin' words. 

9.58: [Maggie Smith and Harriet Jones] A: I"m surprised she knows who HG Wells is! M: This shot... A: This really sums up the entire film. ['put that in your pipe and smoke it'] H/A/M: laughter, applause. H: Look at Carson's face!

9.59: [servants dinner] H: Oh, god, wrong soup. 

10.00: [Daisy crying] A: Oh, grow up... [admission of crime not committed yet w/other soup] A: They're all trying not to laugh! M: She's daft but she's honest.

10.02: [Lord turned away from library] M: The sigh of the longsuffering...

10.03: [discussion of phone] H: Given that they have phones stuffed in their back pockets... A: They're having fun with it.

10.05: [Thomas talking to doctor] H: What? M: And buggering the patients... Oh. A: Is he trying to become essential staff? Even so... M: He's trying not to be in the front lines. A: So would I!

10.06: [Bates and Carson arguing about Thomas; 'i hate this'] H: I don't! Make him go! A: A lot is hinging on this garden party. M: It's going to be the big denoument. A: She's got little spectacles. H: Whoa! A: You didn't see? 

10.07: [cooks outnumbering housekeeper] A: Aha! Well done. H: That was neat. A: Mrs. Byrd knows what she's up to. M: That was well-played. [Carson playing with phone] H: Maybe it will explode! M: He's practicing! A: Yes, he is. M: He's fucking adorable. 

10.08: [O'Brien listening to conversation] M: She's going to act like an animal in a fucking corner. H: Yes, she is. [O'Brien kicks soap] H: She wants her to step on it. M: What the... A: I don't understand these characters. M: I don't either. [thump and squeak] M: She'll have miscarried. H: Yup. ['it was a boy'] M: Oh, Christ... oh, dude. H: Oh....

10.10: [Bates and Lord] M: And then...kiss like it's going out of style. 

10.11: [Thomas chatting] A: I don't get it... H: What the fuck... [William and Thomas] A: Oh! nice punch, man. H: I notice no-one's really hurrying to stop them... M: No...except when...William starts to get it... [Carson pats William] H: Good on you, man... A: Yeah... H: We all wanted to do it!

10.13: [doctor and Thomas] M: Something happened. A: Are the two of them involved? M: I think that's what just happened? A: That lilt? M: Yeah...

10.14: [cooks] A: Wow, they're like best buddies. I think they're making out. [phone rings] M: They're like deer in headlights. [Sybil runs off with Branson] M: That'll cause tongues to wag.

10.15: [Branson and Sybil are broken up] A: The two of them are so cute...

10.15: [Mary sees off Sir Antony] M/A: Ohhhhhh.... H: *applause* Nice. Nice. M: That was rough! A: Slide the knife in and twist it!

10.16: [Edith and Mary] M: They're cutting off their noses to spite their faces! They're still relations! A: They're going to end up with each other.

10.17: [O'Brien and Lady] H: She's going to end up in the lake. M: She's going to sew stones in her clothes, that one. [Maggie Smith and O'Brien] M: Oh, yeah...bottom of a river. H: Oh, yeah. M: Oh, shit. A: Or maybe just a shotgun.

10.18: [Bates and Anna] A: Oh... H: Oh, fuck off...[as Bates tries to be self-sacrificing] A: *whimpering noises* M: Oh, you kill me. [Bates and Molesley] H/A/M: General laughter and approving expressions.

10.19: [Mary and Matthew] H: You walked right into that, sweetheart. ['so i've ruined everything!'] H: Yeah, more or less. A: But she was trying to do what everyone expected of her... M: Shit. No-one's ending up happy in this picture. A: As you say, the two sisters are going to end up side by side. 

10.20: [Rosamund and Maggie Smith] H: What do you expect, she's an alien!

10.21: [Mary and Carson] A: Oh... M: Oh -- oh -- oh -- ohhh....

10.21: [Harriet Jones and Maggie Smith] A: So the two women are going to end up conspiring... H: Well, the wanted the same thing from different ends... M: Can I just say in retrospect...Harriet Jones' outfit...for the win!

10.22: [telegram] A: War? H: August. Could be. M: Yup. 

A: You called it. [to H.] The beginning of the war.

Off-the-Mat Reading

I've decided to expand my blogging realm a little.

With the encouragement of a couple of friends, I'm looking forward to doing some regular blogging about yoga (which I love*) and history (which I also love). I still want to keep writing about Doctor Who and the other genre stuff that makes it worthwhile to get out of bed in the mornings, but I figure the occasional Saturday post about "something else" can't hurt, right?

So I thought a nice way to start out would be to spread the blog love around a little.

After all the time I spent last weekend talking smack about Yoga Journal, I figured it was only fair to point out at least one of the things they do very well: blogs. They have some fantastic bloggers and one of my favorites is Kristin Shepherd at Beginner's Mind. Shepherd is a chiropractor and a newbie yogi. At least, she was when she started but the blog is at least a year old at this point -- at least in my memory it is! -- so she isn't that newbie any more. But her enthusiasm for "all things yoga" -- most recently her investigations into the wonders of meditation -- is infectious; she is consistently respectful to her reading audience; and she is never jargon-heavy or pretentious. These are valuable assets in a yoga blogger! Plus, her columns are short, readable, and great for a little midday "why do I do this thing with the colorful mat again?" moment.

Curvy Yoga is one of my favorite blog finds for the past few weeks; I found it because of Anna's fantastic post about the same YJ article I was grumping about. Her's is slightly more...controlled than mine, shall we say, and far more like an actual, reasonable letter. :) What else is to like about the blog? The inclusive tone, consistent respect and friendliness, a desire to see everyone in a position to enjoy a fruitful yoga practice if they want to. And she recommends at least one of my favorite yoga clothing retailers (Athleta, if you must know. And, yes, I know they're really owned by Old Navy or The Gap or something else atrocious but their pants are so damned comfy!) Anna's a certified yoga teacher; she's going through further training with Sadie Nardini who also rocks (and whose blog is temporarily down as of this posting; go to that link and poke at the "Blog" tab until it works -- she's well-worth a read, too!) What is not to like about Curvy Yoga? I have more or less let myself get psyched out of going to studios; I comfort myself with the thought that most teachers seem to say that regular home practice is just as, if not more, beneficial than a 90 minute "kick your ass" session once a week at a studio; that studios are expensive; that I can't afford the time out of my week (even though I probably could). All of these reasons are sort of true -- but I really love that there are folks like Anna out there who don't let themselves get psyched out. That's just awesome.

Not last or least, Spoiled Yogi. How can you not love a blog that has posts like "Just Say No--To Yoga Guilt!" And lookie here! Guest posts from Anna over at Curvy Yoga. :) Anyway, the Spoiled Yogi spotlights lots of guest bloggers and her own posts are always thoughtful and engaging. Do you have trouble springing right out of bed into that blissful morning sun salutation we all hear we should be salivating to do? Yup, so does she. And, like Kristin Shepherd, she's exploring meditation these days. And look! She's looking for folks to talk about how/why/where/when they got into yoga.

Last and still not least: Y is for Yogini. Irreverent? Tongue-in-cheek? Snarky? Oh, my friend: yes. A healthy dose of irreverence is at least as important as a well-balanced downdog. I'm not saying don't be serious about your practice -- I don't think Lo is saying that either -- but don't let your sense of humor die every time you step on the mat. The only problem with this blog is that the RSS feed isn't working properly so it won't load into a reader -- like Google Reader or Bloglines -- correctly. If anyone comes up with a fix for this or sees something I didn't, please let me know! I've been keeping it open in a separate tab in Chrome for a few weeks now, but there has to be a better long-term solution than that!

 *Disclaimer: I am not a yoga teacher. I hold no certifications. All opinions here are only my own and only opinions and should be taken as such.

Friday Fun Times

You might want to sit down and give this one a few minutes of your time.

(And turn up your sound; for me, anyway, it's very quiet.)

"I love you!"

Oh, we're sneakin' up on the end of the season really quickly here, folks. I can feel some sad coming on; why oh why oh why can't the BBC release DW seasons on DVD for the rest of us a bit more quickly? A year and some odd is a long time to dodge spoilers.

Someone! Quick! Run over the London -- before Cams, Cleggie, and the rest shut down the TV Centre entirely and shitcan the whole BBC -- and tell them! If they sell them, we will buy!

Ahem. Anyway.

The Lodger.

The Doctor never does well at playing human.

What, really, is not to love about an episode with not only Matt Smith (okay, okay, so he's the Doctor, he kind of has to show up) but also with Timms from The History Boys? aka James Corden (yes, I had to look it up, and, yes, I find that embarrassing given that he's done so well with other projects.) I officially apologise, Mr. Corden. But, sadly or not, like Russell Tovey, you will always be identified with your History Boys character.

And that starts with something inordinately creepy? "Help me...can you help me?" Who is it in the screenwriting team who has been totally traumatized by people asking for help? We've got this, The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, Midnight, Silence in the Library...this is just not a good universe to outright ask for help in, apparently! Especially if you have a high-pitched, creepy voice and might be speaking through something: say, an intercom. Or a gas mask, obviously. It does kind of beg the question of how foolish these people are to wander into the house in response to a completely disembodied and rather eerie voice -- but I suppose it shows a nice display of public-spirited-ness. I did see a blog post on the episode -- where, I don't remember -- that mentioned wanting some more closure with these people: like the girl who looks like she's just been mugged. Was someone waiting for her at home? Does anyone miss her? Is someone looking for her? Is she part of the alien ship now or has she just vanished?

So this is another monster o' the week episode that manages to dodge true monster of the weekitude by...not really having much of a monster, honestly. Yes, there is the creepy thing upstairs that continually wants help but no-one ever comes back which is absolutely very creepy, but the heart of this episode is with Craig (Timms) and his continually baffling relationship with Sophie who he really fancies but can't quite ask out and his strange new lodger.

The Lodger is, I think, a lovely demonstration of what much of Season 5 has done so well, which is to give some time to the Doctor as a character: what is he like? what does he like? what does he do with time off? does he get time off? and is he any good at footie? (Corden claims not.) The alien threat is there, yes, and the Doctor leaps to challenge it when Craig is temporarily made ill by it and in the end the Doctor vanquishes the problem as reliably as ever (maybe), but the point of the show is not to toss around the sonic screwdriver and banish things into the void. This is an episode that wants to see what the Doctor does when he has a chance to hang around on the couch and watch telly.

This sort of thing, apparently.

There isn't much Amy, unfortunately, since she's trapped in the TARDIS and spinning in the void due to the efforts of the invisible monster. But she does quite well and, in the end, is revealed as the one who started the whole thing off by telling the Doctor where to go and, roughly, what to look out for. As always, Amy is more critical to the entire story than she at first appears to be.

And there's that nasty nasty little crack again.

Still, most of this episode is pretty light-hearted fun: a much-needed break after the weightiness of Vincent and before the undoubted drama of the season ender.

I hear that Craig and Sophie might return for Season 6 -- I hope it's true; if nothing else, I doubt that monster of the week was really such a lightweight as it appeared. That was a pretty -- familiar-looking spaceship floorplan, if nothing else, and the way the Doctor managed never to comment on that seemed attention-grabbing. So it's just perfectly normal for malfunctioning timeships to grab onto passing semi-detached houses and grab pedestrians for potential pilots? We're not going to comment on this at all? Okay, fine, but we know there's something you're not telling us.

Live-Blog the Third! "Downton Abbey"

Will Daisy's shirt burst off? Will Lady Mary trip over her train? Will the butler's (real) dark past be revealed? Will Matthew use the wrong fork at tea! Who will the Dowager Lady snark at this time?

Nice to see you all back again and here we go with the regular crew: myself, your dedicated typist (H -- donations of wrist wraps and ice packs are accepted); Minerva, the medically informative (M); and the Feminist Librarian aka Anna, the...not so medically informative as Minerva! (A). :)

And we're off...

We're discussing the house cat -- Geraldine after The Vicar of Dibley. :) Yes, we are nerds, thank you. Discussion of the Witch in Into the Woods: A: 'Fuck this shit; I want to be the bad ass!' M: "For me, it's like the only children were sucked into this crap -- 'you're going to lose all your family; the wicked witch is going to kill you because...' I don't know. But...I always wanted to be...the wicked witch. I want to be her! At least...she's got some kind of control!"

9.00: Previously on....it's always funny to watch these. M and A are discussing the mechanics of Skype.

9.00: [Daisy in preview] A: That poor little maid is going to get... M: Used. A: Yeah.

9.01: Laura Linney lecturing us about dinner ethics in big houses in Edwardian England. H: 1913? Are we at a 'roar' yet?

9.02: M: Okay, she's always foreshadowing. But I'm really intrigued by that one. It's not nearly so obvious... A: It's more general. The whole thing about the typewriter was so specific and we didn't have any context...

9.03: [as servants check out fair] A: Will there be clowns?

9.04: [as Mary and Anna discuss Pamuk] H: Well. There's that then. [Molesley's hands...] A: Ow. M: Oooh.

9.06: [Harriet overwhelming nurse] M: Wooo. [And then untranscribable gestures of disgust and pain at prescription.] A: Do you know what it is that she thinks he has? M: It's a...a bacterial infection.

9.08: [as Maggie Smith and Matthew discuss and MS swivels, "Why does every day involve a fight with an American?"] A: Every line! Pure gold! M: They think so, too...

9.09: ["She needs taking out of herself"] M: Uh...that's quite a line. H: Oh, you bastard! [to Thomas] M: Dude! You don't...you don't fucking swing that way. A: [tongue-click as William looks disappointed] M: Ooooh! [as Bates tells him off]

9.09: [as youngest sister comments on frocks] M: Yeah...youngest sister. I like her better in this one. A: Mother's starting to sound like she's taking laudanum or something. Her speech is slowing down. Maybe she's struggling with the accent? H: I can look up if she's American... M: She's British. H: Then she's struggling with the accent.

9.10: [Mary at the fair] M: This woman has great coats. H: You're both such terrible, terrible shots...

9.11: [Mary and Matthew] H: And the awkward attempts at pleasant conversation continue...Why does she always look so alarmed whenever anyone talks to her? M: Wow. A: At least she has perspective. M: Exisistential crisis. Now. A: And so matter-of-factly. M: Yeah, she went from clueless to *finger snap* A: Will the anger well up later? Are we just delaying that?

9.12: [Daisy and footmen] M: You are so dumb, little lady... H: *sigh*

9.13: [Mary and Lord] H: Maybe she should just spend more time with her father. He seems to have a clue. A: Yeah... [Maggie Smith and daughters talking] H & M share look and nod as youngest daughter espouses desire for Purpose in Life. General laughter at Maggie Smith proposal that Americans all live in wigwams.

9.14: [as housekeeper and Joe Burns chat] A: Awww...housekeeper having a little romance! M: But what about him? [points to Bates]

9.15: [housekeeper and Joe Burns chat; "my son joined the army"] H&A: Oh....oh. M: Well, there's more than one way to leave service.

9.16: [servants chat] A: It's a good point!

9.17: [Bates reveals Matthew's visit] general laughter at MS entrance.

9.18: [Anna in bed] M: She is getting a visit! I'm in a very romance'y kind of mood; there needs to be kissy! A: Ooohhh.... [expectant waiting all 'round] H/A/M: OH! M: Oh, you win! You win the prize! Fucking flowers! Flowers! Oh, God yes!

9.19: [Maggie Smith bitching as she climbs into the car] H: And we're back here again. A: For a character who's so bound to tradition, she seems so eager to throw it all over to get the daughter to inherit. M: Is it the daughter or is it the option is that man? A: Yes, true. If the person was inheriting was the right class...? M: And with a mother who wasn't a busybody? As she would have put it.

9.20: [servants at fair] M: Oh....oh, fuck off! [as Thomas is prat] M: No! You're stupid! [as housekeeper gets proposal] M: This is really sudden... A: Yes, it is...if she goes, O'Brien's the housekeeper? Or Anna? H: Anna. She's the housemaid not the lady's maid. M: And what about the other guy? A: Yeah...

9.22: [Matthew and Mary] H: Oh, don't. You're forcing the deal. ["Then that will be my comfort."] M: "'Cause I'm spiteful!'" I'm just not liking that pair... A: It wouldn't be the end of the world; it wouldn't be the most imaginative thing they could do? I imagine the youngest daughter might end up going off to school? More independently? H: At least he's learning to be nice to servants? A&M: Yeah... M: That helps.

9.24: [servants chat; O'Brien is nasty] M: Actually...

9.25: [Bates knocks at door] M: Oooooh! Shit! [Thomas boasts] H: You asshole... Go, Bates! It isn't frightening 'cause he gets off on being a bottom! M: Yeah...but it seems like they're putting those two characters [O'Brien and Thomas] in the position of just being sheer malice... A: They seem to have no motivation. M: Or for each other? What's the connection?

9.27: [servants chat; William's waistcoat] M: What the fuck... A: And the housekeeper's seeing it...

9.27: [Mary and Lord] H: Okay, that's a dreadful speech, Mr. Bonneville, sir. How English of you. And I say that with all affection, but still.

9.28: [chauffeur chatting with daughter] H: Oh, fuck me... M: *groan* H: Is the chauffeur getting in line with the daughter? And why is the only Irish character the revolutionary? ["I'm a socialist..."] Oh, great, you and James fuckin' Connolly! A: He's the second socialist! The second socialist in Ireland! You [H] always said there was only one! There's the other one!

9.29: [Molesley at doctor's office] A: Probably because you're putting poison on his hands! [Maggie Smith hands the smackdown] M: Oh! A: She's not professional either! M: Oh! Oh! Maggie Smith does bitchy so well!

9.31: [Matthew and Lord] M: What's he wearing? H: He's wearing a shooting jacket, God bless him. M: He's not wearing that at the right time... H: No, he is not.

9.32: [Daisy complimenting Thomas] A: He's also a sadistic gay bastard! M: No, honey, he's going to tie you up. And leave you alone. H: Oh, you have no idea... [Daisy complimenting Thomas "he's seen and done so much"] A: The cook's like, can I put this any plainer? M: He bones the guests!

9.33: [daughters talking about dress] M: There it goes. A: What's she going to get? Trousers? M: A dress without a corset. H: You're right; she's slurring. A: The mother. H: Yes. M: And there's the butler standing right next to her with a drink.

9.35: [Mary's breakdown] A: I didn't think of this -- of course she's feeling sidelined. She was her father's confidante and now he's got an heir... M: God! Cynical pragmatic! H: You could at least check your boyfriends a little more carefully... M: Yeah, ask for heart rates -- a little physical exercise -- H: Pushups. Check heart rate after pushups.

9.37: [housekeeper and William] H: That's never helped anyone yet. A: Yeah...but still. H: At least she's trying to be nice. A: She is. She's been written as a very sweet character. Stern but fair and understands her staff. She sees what's going on and is having none of it.

9.38: [Gwen in kitchen] H: Lots of shots of characters 'abandoned.'

9.39: [housekeeper and Carson] A: He won't know what to do if she leaves... H: No. M: Oh... [as Carson urges her on] H: Oohhh...poor Carson. Not in a graveyard, she didn't! M: *sigh* [as Carson is undoubtedly sweet] Is that the moral of this particular episode? A: I think so. "This season of change." M: Just....oh. My life is complete if they all pair up!

9.42: [youngest daughter's new dress] M: Yeah, that ain't no corset. H: That's lovely. M: And I bet it's shorter, too. A: They haven't shown us the full thing, yet. M: Oh, hohohohohoho. Oh! *falls over* [applause for daughter's new outfit] A: Oh, the little Irishman! Maybe they'll have a thing! M: Everyone needs a thing! Well, preferably not one that ends in death.

9.44: [Aunt Rosamund] H: This is like the Charlotte Barlett conversations in Room with a View! [youngest daughter and Gwen] H: You could kiss. That would be okay. M: Thank you for saying that. I didn't want to seem like I was trying to pair up everyone!

9.45: [Thomas hides bottle] H/A/M: Ooooooohhhhh...

9.46: [Lord and Lady] H: You could take her to London and wave her around like that Diana Manners woman. A: She could have hairbrushing parties! Or get photographed naked by her brother...

9.47: [servants chat] M: It's haunted by you, you prick.

9.48: [Maggie Smith and Harriet] M: I want them to come to blows. H: Maggie does have a stick... M: Oh, Maggie Smith...

9.49: [Thomas and O'Brien talking] M: Why? A: If they're just spiteful... [O'Brien nags at Daisy] M: [hides in blanket] The road to hell is paved with stupid people. A: [laughter]

9.51: [Mary and Matthew; "I'm about to send a telegram"] H: Uh -- okay? [H/A/M laughter] H: She keeps swinging back and forth between "I don't care" and "Oh my god my stuff." M: She seems to be having a dissociative fugue...

9.52: [Daisy lies about biscuits] H: That was pretty clever for her.

9.54: [Mrs Patmore and Daisy] M: That cook seems to have quite a bit of authority. A: Yeah... H: Good cooks were rare; for a house this big. After the war, they'll be completely scarce. Her ladyship probably knows that and doesn't want to risk pissing off a good cook for the whole family to please one guest.

9.55 [Anna and Bates] H: Oh! M: What was that? [wordless demonstrations of all kinds as Anna and Bates try to talk in code] A: And let there be much flailing! M: Angst!

9.57: [Gwen waiting] M: Dude, staring at it will not make it go faster. A: Ohhh.... [as Gwen runs out]

9.59: [Gwen and Sybil in field] H/A/M: Ohhh! Dear!

10.00: [Ladyship and O'Brien: "You think it's going to be like Little Women..."] H: So, exactly like Little Women, then. A: Yeah!

10.01: [O'Brien and Edith] A: Why speak to her? Is she vulnerable? M: Ohhh...

10.03: [O'Brien, Daisy, and Edith] A: And not listen at the door. Which I'm sure you're going to do! M: God...she is just getting used by everyone. A: She needs her little piano-playing man. M: She needs someone to like... I don't often say this but she needs to be saved from herself.

10.04: [Ladyship at flower show] M: What the fuck are you wearing? Is white required? H: Go, Harriet! ["You are quite wonderful.... I must have said it wrong!"] M: Shit! H: Oh hohoho! A: Those two women must have had the most wonderful time filming this! M: Bet you anything they were laughing their asses off and having a great time.

10.06: [Mary and Matthew] M: This is the flirtatious personality. A: We're wearing all beige? M: She's trying to ...blend in as much as possible! A: Could we shove any harder? H: Yes. Yes, we could!

10.09: [cat drags chicken; H/A/M: laughter.] A: The cat trying to steal the whole turkey!

10.10: [dinner] M: She's trying to prove her worth by being amenable in a way her sister cannot. And taking one of her last options. A: Yeah. H: We're back in Middlemarch. Bloody cottages.

10.12: [servants in kitchen] A: She can't read. H: She can only do what she can do. M: Oh...oh. [as Carson talks to cook] M: Oh, he's being so sweet.

10.13: [drawing room] H: On the other hand, don't play with someone with sharper knives than you. M: Those two. Good God. A: They've been played off each other all their lives.

10.14: [cook and Carson] H: Oh. She can't see. A: She's got cataracts or something. I thought it was she couldn't read. M: You've got a lame valet! C'mon!

10.14: [Lord and Matthew] A: That was nicely noncommittal. M: These two [Edith and Mary] are now going to kick it up a notch in a way that's going to go into badness... A: And poor Matthew is going to be like "What's going on!" M: There's nothing more shameful to watch...than women throwing themselves. *sigh* H: [as Matthew leaves] Well, at least you have that confirmed.

10.16: [Lord and Lady] M: Nicely seen. A: To be fair to her, she hasn't been taught anything else. M: I don't think any of the women in this have...

10.17: [flower show] H: Suck on that lemon harder, Maggie. M: Oh ho! [as Lordship delivers smackdown] H: Yes! [applause] M: Someone got the last word with Grandma!

10.17: [Anna and Bates] M: Nicely done! H: The quivering rabbit look... A: Is he already married somewhere? ["I do too much of that already."] M: Is that why he's "not free"? What the fuck did that mean? If they get married did they have to leave service? H: Not necessarily. But the lord might give them some money -- enough to set up on? "You've done a good job; here you go."

10.20: [Mary and Matthew] H: Oh, stripes. Oh, stripes! M: Horizontal stripes. On the breast.

10.20: [as Edith plots revenge] M: Whoaaaa.... A: The level of hatred there is rising.

10.21: [Maggie Smith and awards] M: She's gonna do it. H: She won't! Good for you! A: That was very well-played, Maggie. Very well done. M: It just plays into her ego anyway... H: But it's still a nice thing to do.

10.22: [Edith's letter] H: Oh! The fucking Turkish ambassador! M: The middle one's always really fucking smart. And really fucking devious.

Okay, one guess each for the last episode! Drum roll, please....

A: So, they're calling this Series 1, right? So they're not going to feel compelled to wrap this up. [H inserts comment about popularity in England unpredicted.] Oh, okay. Um.

M: I"m not sure they're going to wrap anything up. I hesitate to say whether Lady Mary and Mr Crawley will...get anything together? because I feel like they could leave that hanging and then he goes off to war. because, dude, we're already in August of 1913.

A: So, if we get it up to the war, that can be closure of a sort.

H: Wait, they can't book all the way through to August of 1914 in the next 1 1/2 hour!

M: Maybe they'll get married and he goes off to war? That's all kinds of crap!

A: But then Series 2...he'd have to go off to war. Because he would. But. Actually, that would give her a lot of potential to step it up and be the lady she wanted to be, right? She wanted a job, she wanted a vocation, she loved being her father's eldest. So...if he was out of the way, I could see her stepping up to the plate and becoming the character that she's been not doing this entire time. She hasn't quite emerged this series. As a purposeful character because she's so ambivalent about the role she's been put into. Part of me really doesn't want them to get together because it seems like the obvious solution they've been gunning for since minute 1. But I can kind of see the handwriting on the wall.