Downtown Abbey: 5 Scenes that Were Good for Women (even Though Edith Got Dumped)
The early 20th century was not known for being fabulous for women. We couldn't vote, we didn't have many rights, and in England, where "Downton Abbey" is set, we couldn't even own property (though we were considered to be property ourselves). And still, Sunday's episode (you can read our recap here) had several great "girl-power" moments.
1. The Dowager Countess telling Edith to walk away. As Sir Antony Stallan stammered "I can't" at the altar and the local pastor seemed about to go on with the wedding, the matriarch of the family -- the one most-bound by tradition -- got up and told her Edith to walk away from the man who didn't want to marry her. "It's over, my dear. Don't drag it out," she murmured to the crushed bride. "Wish him well and let him go." It was a powerful moment, when a woman whose entire life was defined by her marriage urged her granddaughter not to be ruined by hers.
2. Lady Cora comforting Edith. Instead of feeding her distraught daughter some insipid line about this being "part of God's plan" or "all for the best," Lady Cora gathered Edith into her arms and told her, "You are being tested." She reminded her daughter that she can survive the horrible episode and move on, that she is strong enough to live without the man she thinks she loves.
3. Daisy deciding to speak her mind. Well -- eventually. But the most timid of the downstairs staff looks like she's ready to embrace a world where men and women are closer to being equals. After finding out that her crush, Alfred, liked the American maid's brashness ("She said what she felt even though she was a woman," he marveled) Daisy wonders whether it's safe to speak her mind, now that it's the 1920s and all. We can't wait to hear what she says next.
4. Mrs. Hughes refusing to be seen as a victim. In the 1920s, a breast cancer diagnosis was basically a death sentence -- which is why, when Mrs. Hughes discovered the lump in her breast in the season premiere, she insisted on secrecy. If people think she's ill, then she'll be treated like a sick woman, she explains to Mrs. Patmore during the premiere, and it's proven true as soon as Mr. Carson figures out that she's "tired" and tells Lady Cora. Though she's touched by Lady Cora's vow to look after her, she's shaken by the way people are "boxing her up" even before the test results have come in -- so when she allows Mrs. Patmore to tell Mr. Carson that the tumor is benign, it's hard to know whether she's in the clear or whether she was just tired of being treated like an invalid.
5. Mary reading Mr. Swire's letter to Matthew. Normally, invasions of privacy are nothing to celebrate, but in this case, we were nearly as fed up with Matthew's simpering as Mary obviously was. When he refuses to read the letter that came along with the massive inheritance left to him by his dead former fiancee's father, Mary takes matters into her own hands -- and finds out that Matthew can accept the money (and save Downton from ruin) with a clear conscience.
What did you think about this week's episode?
Also on Shine:
Get the Look: Mary's Wedding Headpiece
The Real Downton Abbey? Highclere Castle
"Downton Abbey" Season 3 premiere: The Awesome and the Awkward
