Welcome back, darlings, welcome back. This episode of Costume Quibblings doesn't have quite as much to chew on as the previous three, as the plot is rather servant-heavy, but I'm sure we'll find something to talk about, won't we?
We open on a lovely late-spring day (a poster lets us know it's late May), and a traveling fair is setting up shop. The Ninja Twins, chaperoned by Gwen, are strolling through the village. The girls are in their morning uniforms, which I thought was a little strange: if it's their day off, they would have changed into their own clothing to go out, and they probably wouldn't have had the same day off anyway, or who would make the beds and dress the Sisters Three? Maybe they're on an errand for Mrs. Hughes or something. Anyway, Anna spots Lady Mary watching the preparations. She's wearing a gray walking suit and matching hat trimmed with maroon ribbon. Beautifully tailored, of course, but fairly ordinary and kind of bland. It makes her blend in a little with her surroundings, which is very uncharacteristic of Lady Mary. She's probably still trying to get over the Pamuk Affair. Which is what Anna discusses with her as they stroll along together. This is something I find highly unlikely, a lady and a chambermaid tooling around town like BFFs. Mary would have been polite but aloof if Anna had greeted her, and Anna may not have even tried to get her attention. But this is Downton, a kind of Utopia of classism where some, but not all of the rules apply.
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Robert is boring Pharaoh by writing some letters instead of throwing sticks or shooting things for him to bring back, when Carson appears with the new chauffeur in tow. Ladies and gentlemen, let's meet our second bachelor*, Tom Branson! He's already dressed for work, and his uniform is...green! Because he's Irish! No, probably because that was a pretty typical color for chauffeurs of the day (you sometimes saw dove gray, but that always says "London" to me), but let's just go with the Irish-green theory, because it's more picturesque. Robert naïvely offers to let him use the library, thus aiding and abetting a dangerous revolutionary!
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Lady Violet and Cora are taking tea about half a mile from the house (note the footman, probably Thomas, trudging back with a tray. The event planner in me reminds you all that someone had to drag every stick of furniture and silver you see all the way the hell out there, and will have to haul it all the way back in, just so these two could hang out. No wonder Branson is a Socialist). Violet, scheming away as ever, is in one of her Scheming outfits, the lavish purple-and-black print with that fabulous hat.
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Source. I left this shot small because the resolution isn't very high.
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Cora's wearing another one of her typical outfits, this time a bone-colored jacket with very elaborate floral appliqué over the shoulders. They're trying to place Mary in the path of eligible suitors and worrying about the entail, as always. Violet schemes to the very end.
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Source. Close-up on the hat, which was made with original appliqués the show's milliner found at a vintage market.
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Matthew and Isobel are enjoying a nice afternoon at home while Molesley futzes about with the tea things. Dork. Isobel notices that his hands are swollen and red, and he tries to put her off, but she, as usual, just steams ahead until he lets her examine them. She's wearing a flowered blouse and a long, belted maroon skirt, and with her hair piled up, she's the very picture of implacable middle-class stolidness. She still doesn't fit in with her pale blue drawing room, but if you look closely, Matthew's wearing a blue tie that does match the decor. He's becoming more and more entrenched here at Downton, even if he doesn't realize it yet.
Servant Scene. Anna is sent to bed with a cold. Mrs. Patmore sticks up for Daisy for once, telling Mrs. Hughes to let Daisy and the other servants go to the fair (because Daisy's been in a funk since the Pamuk Affair), and follows it up with some attitude towards Mrs. H. Her Stripes of Authority pick their battles, it appears, because she leaves without taking the bait.
Isobel goes bombing through the hospital to get medicine for Molesley. He trails behind like a teenage boy with an overbearing mother, even though they're probably around the same age. Isobel completely dominates the nurse to get what she needs. Apparently you drink tincture of steel. Yikes.
We get a shot of Matthew in his office, which is nice and light but also cluttered, like any lawyer's. I like how he scrambles into his coat, expecting Cora, and then gets Violet, who sweeps in and tries to create a conflict of interest by getting him to look into his own inheritance. She's wearing the purple suit she had on when she started in on Robert about the entail, so she clearly means business. This time she's got an even more businesslike hat to go with it. Naturally, he is powerless to resist.
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Just in case you forgot how imposing she is.
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Servant Scene. Mrs. Hughes is trying to "cheer up" one of her hats. O'Brien sourly comments that that's easier said than done. You get a glimpse of the hat, and I kind of agree with her. O'Brien reluctantly agrees to help, but then Mrs. Hughes tells her that she has to dress the Sisters Three tonight, in addition to Her Ladyship, and she freaks out a little. "What, all three of them? I'm not an octopus!" This line made me giggle, as for some reason I can totally see O'Brien with a bunch of black-sleeved tentacles, trying to button dresses and comb hair. Tee hee hee. Here's another example--we've seen a few so far--of O'Brien being kind of dissatisfied and burned out.
Servant Scene. Thomas is an evil sociopath. We knew that before, but he bird-dogs William and gets Daisy to go to the fair with him, just to mess with William. That's cold, man.
Cora, Edith, and Sybil are walking through the village. We learn that the girls take turns having new dresses made, which is interesting (and sensible, considering how much three teenage girls could spend if given a free hand at the seamstress'). Cora tells Branson to drive Sybil to Ripon for her fitting. This can't be the first time Sybil and Branson meet, but it's the first time we see them together. Sybil wants something new and exciting, and boy, is she going to get more than she bargained for.
Servant Scene. Carson's missing some wine. That was guaranteed to make my blood pressure rise to worrying heights when I was a butler.
The fair. Matthew's having a go at the Cocoanut Saloon (which will be the name of my tiki bar/gin palace/music hall, when my ship comes in). Mary comes up and he gallantly pays for her to lob coconuts (look how small they are) in a useless underhand, thus lining the barker's pockets. She's in the same outfit as the last time we met (ice-blue jacket with velvet trim, dark skirt, compact hat), and, spoiler alert, she'll be in it again before anything interesting happens, so I take this to mean that they're in something of a holding pattern until we get around to dealing with their plot line again.
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Servant Scene. Mrs. Hughes goes out for one night and the whole house falls to pieces! No, not really. Carson's just a little rattled. Losing wine will do that to you, believe me. Daisy moons all over Thomas.
Mary and Robert descend their staircase, presumably for dinner even though it's still light out. I love eating dinner in midsummer when the sun isn't even down yet! They're trying to get Matthew in to see Robert without Violet seeing him. As the ladies are filing into the drawing room, we get a lovely throwaway bit about Sybil's desire to go to school rather than have a governess (presumably she's just grown out of hers), and Violet's impression that Americans live in "wigwams"--but, says Cora, "when they come out of them, they go to school!" Love it. Anyway, they're all in perfect character, costume-wise. Mary is in a striking champagne-colored dress with very chic draping, Edith is in dusty-rose pink with a flowery lace overlay, Sybil is in a powder-blue frock with a high satin waistband, Cora is in a creamy Grecian-style gown with an old-fashioned loose bodice and floral embroidery on the front, and Violet is in magenta and black with a lot of sparkle (I think we've seen that one before). Business as usual for the Crawleys.
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Source. My heart sings with the perfection. Also the gloves.
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Mary sneaks Matthew in, but William notices! Oh, wait, he just picks up his chin and goes back to overseeing the drawing room. He's such a good boy.
The Fair. I want a turn on that tower slide! O'Brien came through for Mrs. Hughes, for all her surliness, because her hat looks done to a turn. She meets her old boyfriend, who seems like a nice guy. That's probably his best suit, because of course he wants to look good for his date.
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Back in the library, Robert gets yet another opportunity to show us what a great guy he is towards the servants by not getting upset that Thomas and others are at the fair. Carson's appalled at his boss' suggestion that he join them. Matthew just looks nervous.
Servant Scene. Mrs. Hughes catches up with Farmer Burns. O'Brien snarks at Branson. Bates learns that his Ninja Twin is still in bed sick, but O'Brien assumes she's malingering.
Carson spills the beans to Violet that Matthew's in the study with Robert, drinking him under the table (no, not really, but her delivery of that line was priceless). Apparently Mary didn't clue Carson in that Matthew would be visiting. Naturally, she surprises them in the very next scene.
Bates brings Anna a dinner tray. Aww and all that, but was she really deprived of dinner just because she was sick? "Stuff a cold, starve a fever" or the other way around, or whatever, is hogwash, but she needs to eat! Surely someone would have been sent up with something for her. Maybe Mrs. Hughes was so excited about Old Home Week at the fair that she forgot to leave instructions for it. Maybe.
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Violet storms off, Robert retires, Farmer Joe wins the ring toss for Mrs. Hughes. It's cute that the toy he wins is a scarecrowy-looking little farmboy, and he's a farmerx. Mrs. Hughes scoffs foreshadowingly at the idea that the family wouldn't take care of her when she retires--"what if we all die of the plague? What if there's a war?" *ulp*--and the lower servants spy on her. She gets a marriage proposal. Awww. William gets his nose all out of joint over Daisy. Awww.
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Source. Notice that Daisy's dress would look much better if she were next to William.
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Back at the Big House, Mary gets bad news about the entail. We get a couple of close-ups of her awesome dress. It's made to look as if it were draped criss-cross around her, and the effect of that plus the chiffon overlay on the bodice looks like a giant "X". She's cross, she's being crossed out of the equation of her own inheritance...the list goes on. She's also wearing a necklace with three teardrop-shaped pearls. I can't quite tease out any significance of them. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
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Matthew gets a little gooey towards the end of this scene. Mary is so very, very important, eh? A long lingering shot of their handshake drives the point home for the less perceptive among us. Then he manages to wring a little sympathy out of Carson, and he's on his way.
Servant Scene. Mrs. Hughes comes back to O'Brien grumbling, William pouting, and Bates trying to be civil to both of them. So, business as usual. The other servants come in behind her, and we get a quick shot of Daisy with a little nosegay in her hand. Could Thomas have bought it for her? Her dress is pale blue with a big girlish sailor collar, yet another indication of her innocence. Later in the servants' quarters, Bates tries yet again to comfort William, but when he strikes out there, he takes it out on Thomas. Thomas is unfazed.
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Dawn in the servants' hall. Mrs. Hughes has a little reverie about being a farmer's wife. I like how all sorts of emotions play across her face. Mrs. Patmore can't see two feet in front of her face anymore. O'Brien and Thomas appear to have to have worked out at least the general outline of the Pamuk affair. Poor sweet old William gets bullied and everyone finally figures out what an ass Thomas is. Even Daisy.
O'Brien, odious woman, is putting the finishing touches on Sybil's hair (still mostly down, notice), when Gwen appears. Sybil's in her junior suffragette outfit again--remember that blue-striped pinafore top? They figure out a way to get Gwen to the interview she's just been invited to, and then they grin in adorable co-conspiracy.
Mary is walking with her father. She's wearing the same morning outfit she had on the first time we saw her. Robert makes excuses for his lack of action towards fixing the entail, and then suggests she marry Matthew. She says she can't bring herself to. So this outfit is there to tell us that nothing's changed since we first saw this whole plot set in motion, even though the leaves all around them are putting out fresh new growth.
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Branson gets above himself talking to Sybil about her new frock, and then pushes his luck by talking to her about the vote and pushing some pamphlets at her. Lucky for him, she's intrigued. Don't try this with Mary, Branson.
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Isobel marches into the hospital with poor Molesley in tow, again. This time she interrupts a meeting between Dr. Carson and Lady Violet. The Dowager is wearing the same slate-blue dress as the last time we saw her at the hospital, when Isobel cured the man with dropsy (remember, she was wearing it at tea with Cora before putting on that big black coat to go witness modern medicine at work). Isobel is in her notice-me maroon, at complete odds with Violet's understated color scheme. And Violet undermines Isobel perfectly, correctly diagnosing Molesley's rash as rue allergy, rather than erysipelas, and then sweeping out with a satisfied little giggle. She didn't need any special medical knowledge, just a great familiarity with the village and its inhabitants. Isobel is totally undone; Molesley is slobberingly grateful, and who can blame him? Gardening gloves are undoubtedly vastly preferable to all that steel and silver. God knows what the tincture tastes like. It's like something out of House.
Robert and Matthew are walking around the estate cottages. Robert's got a greatcoat and a walking stick, making him look venerable and sagacious. Matthew still has his city cap, but he's in tweeds and plus-fours, turning himself into a yeoman and making him seem much more at home. He confirms this by saying he can see a future here at Downton. His necktie is green, the color of hope and growth.
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Source. Left small for the quality of the shot. Can't find one of Matthew.
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Servant Scene. Mrs. Patmore is having her tea, and Daisy is rhapsodizing about Thomas and his teeth (oh, Brits!). Poor Mrs. Patmore is having a very hard time telling Daisy that she shouldn't be bothering with him without exposing Daisy to what would be considered very sordid facts. Mrs. Patmore knows he's gay too! Everyone knows! Well, except Daisy, of course. Give it up and start the ice cream, Mrs. P.
Anna is helping Edith at her dressing table. Sybil complains about her corset and Edith fat-shames her. No, it didn't shrink in the drawer, Edith, but that doesn't mean you need to be a bitch about it. Sybil's dress is the same as she wore at the last dinner, and Edith is in her red-and-gold number again, but other than snarking about force-feeding suffragettes, she doesn't do much in this episode, so I don't think it has any particular significance this time. Mary comes in, and she's wearing that nice slate-blue "goddess" dress tonight. Unfortunately, I think it's her "sad" dress, because after dinner, she breaks down after hearing her father go on about Matthew and their plans for the estate. Her mother, in an unusual sparkly green gown, tries to comfort her, without much success. I think she's a very good mother, possibly because she sounds like my mother, and I love my mother.
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Servant Scenes. William is emo-ing out on the piano. How did a farmboy learn to play like that? Mrs. Hughes and her Stripes of Authority catch him, comfort him, and get a little affirmation of their own: William doesn't know how the house would run without her. That appears to be all she needs to tip her to the side of staying and not marrying Farmer Joe. Gwen gets some bad news, which she reveals to Sybil (in sharp contrast to Sybil's exultation over her new frock). Sybil, in her cute little pink blouse (the same one she wore at breakfast in the pilot) reminds her not to give up. I could use a reminder of that too, because I feel a lot like Gwen at the moment. Someone please give me a job. Please?
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Source. Yes, Sybil, new frocks are lovely, but maybe don't gloat about it to someone who gets one ugly uniform dress a year and has to make it herself?
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The next scene is a lovely example of the director's art and vision. We get a little background on Mrs. Hughes as she tells Carson about her past with Farmer Joe, intercut with scenes of her letting him down gently as workers pack up the fair and move out. Actually, she delivers the news in a graveyard, of all places. Ok, it's more accurately a churchyard, but you can see the graves on the left side of the screen. She's laid her old life to rest, and she isn't going to resurrect it. Check out this shot of her walking away from him. Her coat matches the purple in her blouse and the black in her hat. She's all put together and sure of herself, even if she's not very happy about it.
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The scene is capped by Mrs. Patmore ranting about needing to "go cap in hand to Mary, Queen of Scots" (Mrs. H. is from Argyll, we've learned), whenever she needs something from the store cupboards. Oh, well. Life goes on, as we can see.
And then, the final scene just tickles me pink. Everyone's waiting for Sybil to appear, and we get a lovely series of shots of her being fastened into the new frock she's been going on about, setting her headdress just so, running girlishly down the stairs, and showing it off to her appalled family--and one peeping chauffeur.
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Source. OH MY GOD HAREM PANTS.
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This really is shocking. This is like showing up to dinner nowadays dressed like, I don't know, Slave Leia or something. The Near Eastern look was getting very popular at the time (click here for a shot of the Worth ensemble the costumers based Sybil's costume on), but it had hints of the seraglio, making it a little risqué, especially for a girl like Sybil who hasn't even come out yet. And wearing pants of any kind was unthinkable for ladies--at dinner, no less! Of course, Sybil's decision to break tradition has a political component as well. Suffragettes were taking on all sorts of established gender roles, although women wearing pants didn't really catch on until after the Great War. Of course it's in her trademark shades of light blues and pale neutrals. She looks so good and so happy in this scene--and maybe a little gratified that her family is so horrified. Robert's gaze going from curious to chin-loweringly stern is especially effective.
Tune in next week for the continuing adventures of Gwen, Aspiring Secretary, the trials of Mrs. Patmore, Increasingly Blind Cook, and the introduction of Bachelor Number Three, Sir Anthony Strallan!
*Yes, he's third or even fourth if you count Thomas and William, but The Dating Game is only for the Quality, don't you know.
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