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I think its too little too late for him. The entire show he's been conniving against everyone in the house including the family, and the chickens are coming home to roost. I think its been very interesting that the writers are starting to make you feel sorry for him, while he was the most hated character. He has literally alienated everyone he knows, and has no one that cares for him. On top of that, he hates himself, for everything he's done and for being gay in a time where that was not tolerated. The only people who like him are the children who don't know him. This helping Andy read is the last ditch effort to make a friend.

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I disagree. I think he is sincere - and the writers are writing it that way. People mature and can change. If he was doing it to get in their good graces he would be advertising what he was doing. Even when confronted by Mr. Carson he did not divulge why Andy was in his room, he asked to be trusted that it was not something untoward.

I'm not saying he will be completely redeemed, but he is for once doing something completely selfless.

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I think its too little too late for him. The entire show he's been conniving against everyone in the house including the family, and the chickens are coming home to roost. I think its been very interesting that the writers are starting to make you feel sorry for him, while he was the most hated character. He has literally alienated everyone he knows, and has no one that cares for him. On top of that, he hates himself, for everything he's done and for being gay in a time where that was not tolerated. The only people who like him are the children who don't know him. This helping Andy read is the last ditch effort to make a friend.

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There have been multiple times throughout the history of the show where Barrow has been selfless and a good person. In fact, I feel like the writers have done a good job of showing that deep down he is a good person, its just that his first instinct too often is to connive to get what he wants. Its a toss up IMO whether his ending will be a good one or a bad one.

I saw him not selling Andy out as him preserving his last chance at a friend or ally. If he sold out Andy, Andy stops being a friend. Nothing he could have told Carson would have changed Carson's mind.

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There have been multiple times throughout the history of the show where Barrow has been selfless and a good person. In fact, I feel like the writers have done a good job of showing that deep down he is a good person, its just that his first instinct too often is to connive to get what he wants. Its a toss up IMO whether his ending will be a good one or a bad one.

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A lot of Barrow's "Selfless" acts have come with other motives or by happenstance, i.e. when he saved the daughter by smelling the fire, he happened to be up there snooping around, and it saved his job. I think the writers have been showing that Barrow is his own worst enemy, and he has lately come to realize it. For example, when he stepped into Carson's shoes at Butler, he fouled it up because he called out the former servant at the table, for which Robert reprimanded him. He lets jealousy guide his way more than anything, and he's jealous of things he cant change.

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I think what's going to happen is that Mosely will end up teaching at the school, thereby allowing Barrow to stay.

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I think Combat Wombat is on to something.

Good episode this week, especially the scene in which the young guy reveals he can't read.

All of Mr. Mosley's lows are making the buildup to his triumph all the better.

Loved seeing the old Bentleys, Rolls, and Bugattis in this episode.

Tom's character is really limp and useless these days - he seems to exist only to discuss Mary's love life.

I love how completely disinterested Mary is in her child. She sees Barrow giving him a piggyback ride and then just carries on, off to London without a look back.

Isobel and Violet's relationship is may be my favorite on the show. They love to spar with each other, and very strongly disagree on many things. But the times when Violet sees her friend about to be hurt, and she goes to Full Dowager defending her friend, are some of my favorites of the show. Her take down of Miss Crookshank was great.

The family not knowing the history of the house, or being so shocked at the idea of showing it, seemed very strange to me. The owners of all the great estates were used to people touring their houses all the way back to the 1700s - Chatsworth and Blenheim in particular had to make guidelines to handle the visitors. As Isobel stated, it was so common that Jane Austen used it in Pride and Prejudice. That they were flummoxed that visitors would want to see inside the house was really odd.

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Number 1 beating is Daisy. She's the worst thing about the show these days.

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I agree with you until this episode. All of her whining and insecurity led to the wonderful scene in the kitchen in which the cook was able to show her that love is infinite, not finite, and that there is an inexhaustible supply of it in someone's heart, including the cook's.

Who's that dude hanging out around Mrs. Patmore's Inn? He casing the joint?

I'm 50/50 at this point on whether they kill Barrow off via a suicide. He seems to be heading toward that level of potential despair.

The other half says that he'll stay on in some kind of underling role with the departure of Mosley and possibly if the other footman Andy goes to farming full time with Mason. His penance for all the conniving over the years and his cost to stay on at Downton is to take on the work of 2-3 people for no additional reward, basically meaning he never "advanced" his station during the show.

I'm of the opinion that he ends up as head butler.

Molesly goes off to teach. Andy to farm. And Carson will shockingly retire. Leaving only barrow and bates.

I also think ms. Patmore leaves for her B&B and daisy is becomes the head cook.

Staff will end up widdled down significantly.

Indeed. All of the talk about maintaining the house and even the thought of the family leaving was entertained.

And I agree they have no idea what to do with Tom. He's in America, but returns with the kid to live in Downton and apparently do nothing but play cupid for Mary and stand between awkward barbs shared between Mary and Edith

...who I must say is looking pretty hot these days. They have allowed her to come out of her shell and have her looking far less frumpy than in previous seasons.

They are doing their best to create a bit of empathy/sympathy for Barrow, but he's played the role of a-hole for so long that it is next to impossible. I could just as easily see the suicide plot line as the "last man standing", serving as the butler/footman/etc. for Mary, and becoming George's "Carson"

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Who's that dude hanging out around Mrs. Patmore's Inn? He casing the joint?

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My prediction. Health inspector or tax man. She's not running a legal shop and finds out about the wonders of more government regulations!

There are a couple of other looming unspoken or unresolved things.

There is this new mystery advice writer for Edith's magazine. Could it be

Daisy with her newly found education. I doubt it.

The dowager, but she is leaving for a month or more so I doubt it.

Mary no way. Cora she doesn't have time with hospital.

One of maids? Doubtful. Rose or the aunt in London. Maybe.

Would be really funny if it is Barrow or Molesly but i highly doubt it. Tom nah.


The other thing is Edith has missed her golden opportunity to tell her suitor that marigold is her child. Look for that to be revealed at the worst possible time by Mary I figure.

As for Tom yeah not sure his place but he has background and a fixation with cars. Talked about opening a car repair place I guess briefly. He needs his own thing.

I keep hoping that we find out that Tom ran away from a problem in the U.S., but the window for opening up that kind of story is closing.

They pretty much implied he was a failure in America;but he came back because he "missed Downton." In other words, he missed being rich and idle. Which is a real 180 for that character. All the reminiscing about Sybil all of a sudden these last few episodes might be a clumsy attempt to get him to "remember the man he used to be"...and maybe he gets a job or something. He seems pretty comfortable putting that tux on every night though.

Mary's outfit at the races was gorgeous. I do love to LOOK at this show.

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also think ms. Patmore leaves for her B&B and daisy is becomes the head cook.

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Not sure about this one. Daisy seems so anti-service. I think this would only happen if she failed her exams or something like that.

One other angle on Mary and Edith that it seems to be maybe playing out is that Edith moves on as the modern woman, owning a business, marrying, hanging in London while Mary ends up co-running what's left of Downton and the land with Tom neither of them re-marrying but hanging together as widow and widower.

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also think ms. Patmore leaves for her B&B and daisy is becomes the head cook.

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Not sure about this one. Daisy seems so anti-service. I think this would only happen if she failed her exams or something like that.

One other angle on Mary and Edith that it seems to be maybe playing out is that Edith moves on as the modern woman, owning a business, marrying, hanging in London while Mary ends up co-running what's left of Downton and the land with Tom neither of them re-marrying but hanging together as widow and widower.

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maybe so on daisy....just think she might jump at that chance, but maybe not.

agreed on Mary/Edith...except i do think Mary will still marry this guy. but in the end I think Edith is more successful in a way. But Mary won't see it that way, she wants to maintain whatever she can of the estate life.

I could see Barrow being the last one left and becoming Head Butler by default with no one to boss around. That would be bittersweet justice, the kind he richly deserves.

Or maybe...

The Dowager and Danker drown in the Mediterranean when their ship goes down (call back to the first episode), leaving Sprat nowhere to go, and Carson hires him as his replacement, blocking Barrow yet again. Ouch.

Doubtful. They've been historically accurate with big things like that. the ship they are on had no such incident.

It was called the SS Paris and it sailed until 1939 when a fire destroyed it.

Tonight is technically the last episode. The next one is the Christmas special that usually kind of wraps things in a bow - pun intended.

Kinda torn on this series ending. I could definitely take another season. 7 has just become such a norm that I feel shorted on this one.

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There are a couple of other looming unspoken or unresolved things.

There is this new mystery advice writer for Edith's magazine. Could it be

Daisy with her newly found education. I doubt it.

The dowager, but she is leaving for a month or more so I doubt it.

Mary no way. Cora she doesn't have time with hospital.

One of maids? Doubtful. Rose or the aunt in London. Maybe.

Would be really funny if it is Barrow or Molesly but i highly doubt it. Tom nah.


The other thing is Edith has missed her golden opportunity to tell her suitor that marigold is her child. Look for that to be revealed at the worst possible time by Mary I figure.

As for Tom yeah not sure his place but he has background and a fixation with cars. Talked about opening a car repair place I guess briefly. He needs his own thing.

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Well I didn't see the advice columnist as Spratt. Lol. About the only one I didn't consider.

But I nailed the Mary and Edith thing. Wow. Whata *****. Now I'm supposed to be happy for her? Well at least that story is done.

Barrow. Wow. Someone above predicted that but wow. Sad. I guess he may still find a life but wow.

Tom. God I hope his marriage counseling is done. He needs his own life.

Finale will be interesting.

Oh the ms. Patmore thing was a riot. Lmao.

Mary is such a *****. And now we're supposed to be happy she figured it out?

Final episode? I hope Bertie comes around and marries Edith after all. Then she'll outrank Mary. HA!

I've always had a soft spot for Mary, but damn she has proven herself to be horrible person who hasn't really grown all that much over the years. Her facial expression when she walked in for breakfast and found Henry had left...I knew right away she was going to lash out at Edith. I'm almost glad the series is over because I'm over her at this point. What a royal *****.

I don't really like what the writers did with the sisters' relationship this season. It's not that that it is impossible to believe that two rich brats can't get along, I'm just not entertained by watching two women be *****y to each other. I see that sheet every day. It's not interesting at the office either.

And I'm also out on the Barrow character. I get it. He's gay before being gay was socially acceptable in polite company. But for the second time, he mutilates himself (the first by proxy) to get back into the house. He was a decent villain. The writers should have just left him that way; their attempt to evoke empathy for him failed miserably.

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he mutilates himself (the first by proxy) to get back into the house.

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I don't think he did it to "get back into the house". I think he's despondent. And lonely. He's realized it's his own fault, too.

Barrow is Mary's twin for the upstairs.

I agree. The writers are using Barrow and Mary as parallels in different stories. You see that in the scene where she visits him. Barrow had come to the realization that his years of treachery had left him with nothing to show, and no friends. His comments help Mary put words to her own feelings and that she had arrived at the same place.

I found it hard to believe that Edith (given her character) would not have told Bertie about Marigold. I get that there is some shame, but at the same time she loves her daughter and after all she's been through, I would have thought that she would have the pride to tell Bertie. I'm assuming he returns in the final episode, and marries her. They didn't do a very good job of showing why Edith ignored her Mother/Aunts advice to tell him about her.

It seems to me that the writers are as done with Mary as we are, hence the quick marriage at the end of the episode, to basically finish her story. I didn't understand the scene with Granny at the end. Here you have this heartfelt moment with Granny, that basically Mary ignored.

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I agree. The writers are using Barrow and Mary as parallels in different stories. You see that in the scene where she visits him. Barrow had come to the realization that his years of treachery had left him with nothing to show, and no friends. His comments help Mary put words to her own feelings and that she had arrived at the same place.

I found it hard to believe that Edith (given her character) would not have told Bertie about Marigold. I get that there is some shame, but at the same time she loves her daughter and after all she's been through, I would have thought that she would have the pride to tell Bertie. I'm assuming he returns in the final episode, and marries her. They didn't do a very good job of showing why Edith ignored her Mother/Aunts advice to tell him about her.

It seems to me that the writers are as done with Mary as we are, hence the quick marriage at the end of the episode, to basically finish her story. I didn't understand the scene with Granny at the end. Here you have this heartfelt moment with Granny, that basically Mary ignored.

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How did she ignore it? She did exactly what Granny said - she realized she loved him and married him and apologized to Edith.

Granny said Go make peace with your sister first, then yourself. She walked out and called Talbot. She only made (some) peace with Edith because Edith showed up to the wedding.

I believe Edith WOULD have told Bertie. She didn't say "YES". He assumed it., She also said that this wasn't "the right time" when he was anxious to announce. She wasn't anxious to announce an engagement. He should have seen that - and I think he will come to realize, in time, that she wasn't pulling a fast one. She was reticent, still.


I LOVE that Tom called Mary out. That he DARED to raise his voice to her.