Oh, God. They really did kill Sybil! This was all over Twitter last fall and I was hoping it wasn't true, but damn you Julian Fellowes, you really killed her.
I mean all the talk at first about swollen ankles, headaches, albumin in urine..."toxemia with a danger of eclampsia". And Dr. Clarkson fighting with Sir Phillip Thingy about modern things like Cesarean sections...
You had us all worried with Sybil's muddled talking about being on nursing duty, and then you calmed us all down...never mind all that. It's a girl! Everything is fine! Whew.
Oh, wait! Mama! She is convulsing! Dr. Clarkson! Dr. Thingy! DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!
Dowager Countess Violet: Oh, Carson...we've seen some troubles, you and I. Nothing worse than this.
Carson: Nothing could be worse than this.
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It hardly seems worth saying that I couldn't care whether Bates ever gets out of prison now. I couldn't understand a word said in that Yorkshire prison anyway. Pie crust poison? Whatever!
Creepy one-gloved Thomas and plotting O'Brien? Who cares? Mary and Matthew squabbling? I. Could. Not. Care. Less.
Sybil is dead.
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Mrs. Hughs: Don't mind me. The sweetest spirit under this roof is gone. And I'm weeping myself.
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Hi, I've been following your blog for a while now and I just have to say, this episode scarred me big time! Watching Sybil pound on her head because it hurt so much and then suffocate was one of the hardest tv moments of my life. I marathoned the whole season a few weeks ago and there is good stuff and crazy stuff that happens the rest of the season and I still can't get over her death! Me and Downton are not on good terms at the moment because of it! I didn't stop crying for like 2 more episodes afterward. Although I do have to hand it to them, the acting was great and there were some beautiful and poignant lines and moments throughout, like you mentioned above. Still. So. Sad.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily. Welcome to the Jane Austen Film Club. I think a lot of us were surprised at our strong reaction to this episode. We do really get attached to these characters don't we?
DeleteI hope Lord Fellowes knows where he is taking us next!!!
I agree! What a let down. Sybil was the promise of a new century and of a new kind of woman. And she ends up like this? It makes no sense to me. She was the one who should have had an affair and moved on to greater things. Downton Abbey is disappointing this season. for me, season 1 was the best. very sharp. Thanks for your posts. So enjoyable!
ReplyDeleteHi Wifsie. My hopes for the future of Downton Abbey now rest with Edith. I hope she stops flinging herself at anything in trousers and enrolls at Cambridge to study English lit or journalism.
DeleteShall I contact Julian Fellowes to put in a word for Edith for season 4?
When I watched this episode, it was hard to watch for me and my family because my Mum got pre eclampsia before I was born and was in a lot of pain. She had a Cesarean section but I was born three months early.
ReplyDeleteRIP Sybil!!
Well, I am glad you both made it Kate. I imagine it was extremely hard for you all to watch. Thank goodness for modern medicine!
DeleteI wonder what will become of Tom and baby Sybil now?
Thank you, Jenny. We are both well. To quote Bette Davis, "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night." :)
DeleteWell, it's not really Julian Fellowes' fault because the actress who played Sybil wanted to leave the show but Allan Leech (Branson) wanted to stay. So Fellowes had to find a way for that to happen. That said, it was one of the hardest TV moments of my life for me as well. :-|
ReplyDeleteI have new respect for Julian Fellowes and the entire Downton cast. The horrified look on Edith's face and Maggie Smith staggering through the house...OMG!
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