Downton Abbey

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by AngelFae

Last I read, The Paradise was picked up for a second series. If, however, it ends up not happening, at least they ended it on a "happy" note!

I had to bail on that series after the 3rd or 4th one but am interested to know if the the young, ambitious, creative, pretty blonde female clerk wound up okay? Did she wind up with the store owner or another guy?

[AngelFae]

Final episode of the season, final scene, Denise ended up with the owner. For now...

[Doodlebug]

I am several episodes behind. I am re-watching season 3 and savoring every minute and I don't want to skip ahead. But PLEASE tell me what happened to Anna. I have to know.

[yorkietalkjilly]

A guest who was visiting DA brought his man servant, who had first flirted with and then beat and raped Anna while Bates and all the other servants and downstairs staff were upstairs with the family enjoying an opera singer the family had brought in to sing. During that beautiful performance with the wonderful music drifting all through the house and even downstairs, Anna was being brutally attacked in a small room with the door closed. All you could hear from the room were some muffled screams.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by AngelFae

Final episode of the season, final scene, Denise ended up with the owner. For now...

Thanks!

[Doodlebug]

Thank you. I was afraid that's what it was.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by Doodlebug

Thank you. I was afraid that's what it was.

Yes. And she won't let that housekeeper tell Bates because she's afraid he will kill the guy and go right back to prison so she told him she fell and cut and bruised her face as a cover story for her facial injuries.

[Doodlebug]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Yes. And she won't let that housekeeper tell Bates because she's afraid he will kill the guy and go right back to prison so she told him she fell and cut and bruised her face as a cover story for her facial injuries.

I guess it's good that Anna did that. Bates and Anna are two of my favorites and I would hate to see him kill the guy and go back to prison. I think that is exactly what he would do. He seems like such a good and honorable man.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by Doodlebug

I guess it's good that Anna did that. Bates and Anna are two of my favorites and I would hate to see him kill the guy and go back to prison. I think that is exactly what he would do. He seems like such a good and honorable man.

Yes, exactly. Plus, that rapist is so cocky, I'm scared now that eventually Bates will find out and no telling what happens then.

[AngelFae]

See though, Anna not telling Bates wasn't really because she was afraid of what he would have done- that is modern thinking. In that time frame she would be terrified to tell ANYONE what happened because she was now a "ruined" woman and would lose her reputation. A woman's reputation is all she really had, especially if you were in the serving class. Heck, look how hard the upstairs family fought to keep Mary's dirty little secret and not soil HER reputation! Anyway, if someone like Anna was found out SHE was likely to take all the blame because "he's just a man, he can't help himself" and she would lose everything. She would bring disgrace on the house and so would lose her reputation, her job, her husband, her hopes for the future. That is just how it was.
Now, I had to find spoilers about the rest of the season pertaining to this story line. I couldn't not look! I'm happy with how this story progresses, I'll just say that much.

[yorkietalkjilly]

I see it a little different. Being Anna, she is way more worried about her husband going back to that awful prison than she is herself or her reputation. When you see the episode and the panic in her face when that lady wanted to tell him, you'll see. I think she's much more concerned about him right now than she ever could be herself or what will happen to her. It's typical Anna.

[Doodlebug]

Is there any place you can watch Season 1 on line? I wanted to buy the boxed set but it was $52 at Costco for seasons 1 - 3. I didn't want to spend that much.

[AngelFae]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

I see it a little different. Being Anna, she is way more worried about her husband going back to that awful prison than she is herself or her reputation. When you see the episode and the panic in her face when that lady wanted to tell him, you'll see. I think she's much more concerned about him right now than she ever could be herself or what will happen to her. It's typical Anna.

Normally, I would agree with you but after I posted that I found a link on FB about Felowes and Froggatt defending the episode. Ms. Froggatt went into detail about why she played it the way she did and the research she did about women of the time going through such things and what it would cost them to tell anyone. I have to say, I was spot on. I'm terrible with posting links, but I'll find it and try so you can see for yourself! =)

http://bit.ly/DAEp2

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by AngelFae

Normally, I would agree with you but after I posted that I found a link on FB about Felowes and Froggatt defending the episode. Ms. Froggatt went into detail about why she played it the way she did and the research she did about women of the time going through such things and what it would cost them to tell anyone. I have to say, I was spot on. I'm terrible with posting links, but I'll find it and try so you can see for yourself! =)

News: Reactions to Downton Abbey Season 4 Episode 2 | 2. Episode 2 | Season 4 | Downton Abbey | Programs | Masterpiece | PBS

Anyone who's studied their social history and gender roles knows of the plight of women when they were victims of sex crimes and what happened to a victim of sexual battery or rape, etc. back then, but just because that dynamic was in play in society, it was not any woman's sole reason for keeping the violence toward her quiet. Women being complex creatures back then and now, they were multi-dimensional and very often - especially in those days - put their loved ones and particularly their husbands' and childrens' well-being before their own self-interests. But imagine the motivation of a woman whose husband has already been sentenced to death for killing - just think of how strongly she would be motivated to keep him from ever facing death a second time!

Any woman whose husband had been through the rigors of being wrongly accused of murder once, gone through a horrible first degree murder trial as she sat and listened and watched her husband sitting there in the dock charged with murder, had watched his face as he was sentenced to death once and had to see him live with the stress and horror of facing dying at the end of a rope as the public watched, would go a far piece to avoid her man EVER having to face the death sentence of hanging again and her reputation or her future or place in society would be the last thing on her mind compared to what her husband would be facing. The last thing.

She would do just about anything - including killing the rapist herself - to keep her husband from EVER going to his death for a second charge of murder, however justified it might be should he kill the scum. I disagree with whatever blog or review you read. I think Anna's motive for keeping the rape quiet is she is absolutely terrified Bates will hang this time for sure if he gets charged and found guilty of murder again. He won't get off a second time and Anna knows that.

The writer or person who wrote she script or whoever directed the episode may have had different motives in their mind as they wrote and directed but each fan of any dramatic work is able to interpret any character's motives for any action as they see fit and what they personally think makes the most sense to a human being in any given situation. And putting myself in that poor woman, Anna's place, I would be far more concerned about my husband's likelihood of living another year over my reputation should he kill my rapist - and I think Anna was, too. It fits her nature more to me. I think she's terrified for Bates - I know I would be if he were my husband and had barely escaped hanging on the gallows once!

[yorkietalkjilly]

I followed your link and listened to the Ms. Froggatt's interview and shall we say, I have vast "creative differences" with the young woman who is totally only thinking about motivation of her character in such a shallow, one-dimensional way in my opinion - as if HER interests and reputation or place in society or that of "the house" were mainly what Anna would be concerned with after that rape, stressing the social mores of the times over the very real and tragic reality of how nearly Bates came to being put to death at the end of a rope by the Crown and how circumstantial the conditions of his pardon were!

As actors and directors often disagree with the playwright or screen writer about a character's motivations for doing a certain thing, I'm just going to have to take a creative difference with this young actresses' assessment of why Anna didn't want her rape made known her just-pardoned husband or anyone and chalk it up to that young lady's inexperience in knowing much about human nature.

I just cannot agree that strong, heroic, loyal Anna who suffered so from her beloved husband going through all that he did in that humiliating murder trial, rotting in prison and facing death itself from a rope around his neck wasn't terrified he couldn't stand anymore horrific stress and would break if he found out she's been raped.

Bates would just break when he found out that that man beat and raped his Anna, the very woman who stood with him through thick and thin, believed in him when few did and worked until she saved his life and got him home again. He owes her his very life. And once he knew what happened to her, he would utterly lose it and go after that rapist with murder in his eyes and no doubt beat him to death. He'd be wild with pain and anger and horror for what that monster had done to his Anna and just flat beat him senseless - justifiably so in my opinion. But for certain then the Crown would arrest him, saying that obviously his pardon from death and prison were based on highly circumstantial evidence at best and a mistake, rescind the pardons and charge him with a second first degree murder charge and this time he wouldn't ever get a pardon from hanging for two separate murders. I've never known a person to escape a death sentence TWICE for two different murders.

And noble little Anna knows that. She knows she is all that stands between Bates and being put to death by the Crown if he ever finds out and beats that scum to death.