History Headscratchers / DowntonAbbey

** The family probably thought that nagging her or pushing her to marry Matthew when he first proposed was the best way to make her turn him down, given how contrary she was. It did take her 2 years to come around to the idea of marrying him in the first place.

* If everyone was so eager for Mary to marry Patrick or Matthew or whoever so that Downton could be secured, why is she unmarried at 22-ish and dragging Matthew along? Yes I understand she has objections, but you'd think someone would have said "Look, you have to do this now so we can have an heir." I mean, it was 6-ish years between Patrick's death and their marriage.

*** In fact, a tendency towards eclampsia *does* run in families, with women who have had a mother or sister with the condition being at higher risk themselves. In Mary's favor is that eclampsia is more common in younger women; against her, it's more common in first pregnancies. And I agree, it would have been nice to see at least *some* acknowledgement that Mary was afraid the same might happen to her.

** Daisy also has a secure job that provide roof and food, and, IIRC, she doesn't have a family that needs supporting. So there's no reason for Matthew to feel the need to offer her money.

** ValuesDissonace? In those days, women were expected to have babies, end of story.

** After [[spoiler: Sybil died,]] Mary and Matthew had ''absolutely no emotional hangups'' about [[spoiler: trying to conceive. You'd think one of them would have had at least some nervousness about it. In fact the writers could have driven the whole second half of the season around this--imagine their marriage breaking down and the SuccessionCrisis rearing its head, because one of them is too frightened to have a child. Nope! They both go right into fertility treatments and the season ends with them going, "Let's make babies!" The best we get is Carson looking a bit worried while Mary is in the hospital during the Special.]]

** After [[spoiler: Sybil died,]] Mary and Matthew had ''absolutely no emotional hangups'' about [[spoiler: trying to conceive. You'd think one of them would have had at least some nervousness about it. In fact the writers could have driven the whole second half of the season around this--imagine their marriage breaking down and the SuccessionCrisis rearing its head, because one of them is too frightened to have a child. Nope! They both go right into fertility treatments and the season ends with them going, "Let's make babies!" The best we get is Carson looking a bit worried while Mary is in the hospital.]]

* So when Mary says [[spoiler:she had some sort of operation to cure some sort of reproductive disorder that was keeping her from getting pregnant]], what exactly was that? She's apparently too repressed to explain it, which sounds like a HandWave to me, just to provide an excuse to finish up the subplot about [[spoiler:Matthew worrying he's sterile]] with a bit of a twist. I mean, what [[spoiler:reproductive disorder exists which can be fixed with a "small operation" which they were capable of doing back then]]?

** He may have offered. She wouldn't take her widow's pension on the grounds that her marriage was a sham; no reason to think she'd accept help from Matthew either.

* Why the hell isn't Matthew helping to support Daisy? He's got the money now, and her then-fiancé was fatally injured saving his life. You'd think he'd feel at least a twinge of IOweYouMyLife towards his widow.

** The issue with him is not just his age, but also his injury. Violet in particular seems to be worried that Edith will spend her life as just a nurse to an ailing man. Note that he wasn't considered quite as undesirable of a suitor for Edith before the war, when his arm was still intact.

* Why does the Dowager Countess dislike Edith and Callum's plans to get married? She grew up in the Victorian era; back then, [[MayDecemberRomance May-December romances]] were the ''norm.'' Callum is older, a member of the landed gentry, and a social peer of the Granthams; he is, in fact, the personification of a good match by Victorian standards. Ostensibly, the Countess should have been the marriage's biggest supporter.
** His name is Sir Anthony ''Strallan'', not "Callum." Anyway, the issue with him is not just his age, but also his injury. Violet in particular seems to be worried that Edith will spend her life as just a nurse to an ailing man. Note that he wasn't considered quite as undesirable of a suitor for Edith before the war, when his arm was still intact.

** His name is Sir Anthony ''Strallan'', not "Callum." Anyway, the issue with him is not just his age, but also his injury. Violet in particular seems to be worried that Edith will spend her life as just a nurse to an old man. Note that he wasn't considered quite as undesirable of a suitor for Edith before the war, when his arm was still intact.

** His name is Sir Anthony ''Strallan'', not "Callum." Anyway, the issue with him is not just his age, but also his injury. The worry is mainly that Edith will spend her life as just a nurse to an old man. Note that he wasn't considered quite as undesirable of a suitor for Edith before the war, when his arm was still intact.

* Why does the Dowager Countess dislike Edith and Callum's plans to get married? She grew up in the Victorian era; back then, [[MayDecemberRomance May-December romances]] were the ''norm.'' Callum is older, a member of the landed gentry, and a social peer of the Granthams; he is, in fact, the personification of a good match by Victorian standards. Ostensibly, the Countess should have been the marriage's biggest supporter.

* Why does the Dowager Countess dislike Edith and Callum's plans to get married? She grew up in the Victorian era; back then, MayDecember romances were the ''norm.'' Callum is older, a member of the landed gentry, and a social peer of the Granthams; he is, in fact, the personification of a good match by Victorian standards. Ostensibly, the Countess should have been the marriage's biggest supporter.

* Why does the Dowager Countess dislike Edith and Callum's plans to get married? She grew up in the Victorian era; back then, MayDecember romances were the ''norm.'' Callum is older, a member of the landed gentry, and a peer of the Granthams; he is, in fact, the personification of a good match by Victorian standards. Ostensibly, the Countess should have been the marriage's biggest supporter.

** Bear in mind that they are A: Out in a relatively remote area, so there are few roads and therefore inns and B: in circa 1917, where cars were still extremely rare; Mary and Edith are specifically looking for places with a car out front, which is how they find them.

** Bear in mind that they are A: Out in a relatively remote area, so there are few roads and therefore inns and 2: in circa 1917, where cars were still extremely rare; Mary and Edith are specifically looking for places with a car out front, which is how they find them.

* So how on Earth did Mary and Edith manage to figure the exact hotel where [[spoiler: Sybil and Branson]] were staying? Especially once they'd figured out that they likely hadn't made it all the way to Gretna Green yet.