Miss Bunting is like Tom before he was one of the family. She doesn't have the same experiences that have allowed Tom's perspective to change. She mentioned that she wishes they had met before he knew the Crawleys, but how can she be sure she would have loved Tom the same? It seems to me she fell in love with who he is now. Once again my favorite scenes were those between Isobel and Violet. In Downton Abbey Season 1, these two were middle class and upper class polar opposites, but somehow that has blossomed into a dynamic, funny and genuine friendship. I think Violet is indeed resentful that Isobel's status will change if she marries Lord Merton, but I think her love for her friend trumped that resentment. To quote Ladies Maid Extraordinaire, PollyAnna Bates, "I'm so happy!" To quote a response from the great philosopher and loyal opposition, Charles Brown, 'ARRGGHH!!!' Not again! So it turns out that ticket to London wasn't proof of Bates' guilt, it was proof of his innocence. The good news: He didn't do it! The bad news: Everyone assumed he did and destroyed the evidence and how can they explain that now? The Dowager Countess of Grantham is one formidable soul, and a Violet that could never be accused of shrinking. One would think that at her age all this current upheaval has got to flatten some of that formidability out of her, don't you agree? While her new maid, Danker, is a bit too judgy to be seen in that part of town (which should actually make her a perfect match for Sprat), The Dow G visits Prince Badenov in his hovel, where he offers her Top Ramen and tea made from boiled socks, to tell him that Shrimpy is getting closer to finding his wife, the long lost Princess Irina. This, clearly, is not the news lover boy was looking for. Speaking like a Russian Tarzan, he reminds Violet about the way they were when she was the most beautiful girl in the world and he was a National Geographic photographer photographing bridges; about secret assignations, and how nothing compares to her (then or since).
Review of Episode #5.6
