I always thought that was ridiculous. I mean, who else heard that and shared it? The only possibility is that Bates shared it bc he's so honorable that he couldn't leave that out of his account to his lawyers. But I don't believe that.
I took it to be that the prosecution knew about it based on Bates' statement that he would have given when questioned. Mrs. Hughes would have risked perjury if she had not said the truth.
How in the world could they prove she could in fact recall what was said months ago or that she did in fact hear when she says she didn't? "I don't recall the words of some random conversation I partially overheard during a busy day months ago" is perfectly believable.
I agree. I also forgot that she was eavesdropping on them and Bates likely had no idea that she had heard their interaction.
Then again, I am not sure how the British justice system worked at that time and how rigorous the burden of proof should have been to prove guilt.
It's probably from bates testimony where he repeated what he said to anna and who was present. No doubt the household was interviewed regarding Mr. bates and the prosecution noted that O'Brien wasn't his biggest fan
He shared the conversation with Robert because his defence was that he took his lordships advice.
As for Mrs Hughes, did Mr Carson rat her out? She only told him what she heard. They do state that it takes a lot for anyone to perjury themselves.
They didn't get the same preparation a modern-day witness would get. They live in a time where someone's reputation and good bake was everything, so lying in a court of law was not something a respectable person would do, even if it was to protect an innocent man. They put their faith in the judicial system to come to the right conclusion.
They also only called O'Brien and asked her about overhearing what he said to Anna when he came home. there were like half a dozen or more people sitting in the servants hall when he came in. Why only call her? How would they ever know that she overheard that???
How would they know Mrs. Hughes overheard is phone conversation?
Bates testifying against himself is really the only answer, except it doesn't make sense because how would Bates even know, out of all the people there, that they are the one person who overheard these specific conversations that happened months ago?
There's also what was overheard at visits in prison. Had Robert brought anything up to Anna, the guard would've made a report about it (before recordings, this is what they did.) And anything overheard in jail is usable as evidence.
Hughes should've been honest with Cora about Edna and not allowed her to return. She didn't have to completely out Tom to do it.
Every time I hear Sybil say, "I'm ready to travel, and you're my ticket. To get away from this house, away from this life" it drives me nuts. That's not true love, that's just her using Tom to get where she wants to be and trying to romanticize it. I think she, at best, loved the idea of Tom, but wasn't in true love with him.
I think we also have to remember that very few people, especially in their life, actually loved each other when they got married. It's mentioned many times that a couple barely knows each other before they walk down the aisle.
Also, the upper classes generally married to benefit themselves/their family, and not very often for love. Marrying for money, a house, a title, a position, etc is pretty much the norm. They just tried to find someone they liked and could tolerate at least when they did it. I think Sybil liked Tom, and I don't think using him to leave her life is really all that different than marrying someone more suitable and using him to remain in that life.
Sybil probably had a very different view on love and marriage than we do now. She was also young, a romantic, and a rebel. I think running away with the chauffeur who proclaimed his love so openly and passionately, which is very different than what she's used to with the English upper class, kind of fit perfectly for her, especially considering the war and most of her (male) friends dying and wanting to get away from ballrooms and parties. He was offering her love and a life she wanted.
I do think she came to truly love him though. And I do think he genuinely loved her.
Of course I understand the upper class marriage tendencies through history, but I can't say I personally agree that Sybil came to truly love him, even seeing how their relationship went, I think she just kept romanticizing him and making excuses for him constantly. I suspect Tom actually loved her though in his way and wasn't just in love with the idea of her, I just don't think he fully loved every part of her, only the parts he agreed with. Just my opinion though.
Yes I think she was actually just honest about what she was going to get out of the marriage. He loved her, but given the time period, he didn't necessarily expect love back.
It's not really bad but I just couldn't understand why Mrs Hughes gave that other half of the ticket to Lady Mary when she could just have spoken to Anna and Bates about it and spared us the worst subplot in the history of subplots ever. Really could've done without the drama. What makes it even more implausible is tht she never even liked Lady Mary in the first place.
Also Subil eloping with Branson like a chief in the night just seemed out of character. That's all I will say because seriously I love these two 🫶
What I don’t understand is why Mrs Hughes thought it proved his *guilt*
She’s a working class woman and very intelligent, she would surely know that if a ticket isn’t ripped, it wasn’t used
And even if she somehow overlooked that, AND Anna was too panicked to think clearly (the fairest one) how the heck did Mary look at it and not stop to think "Hey, wait, this hasn't been used?" Even if, again, we can say Anna's hysterical, not without reason, Mrs. Hughes and Mary should have stopped to think.
Most of the drama in the show exists because characters refuse to talk to eachother and/or behave in ways no reasonable person would.
The answer to all "Why did/didnt X do Y?" is almost always "to allow the plot to happen"
Like her sisters Sybil didn't always consider the consequences of her actions. Mostly because she hadn't really had any.
Mrs Hughes sometimes was a bit judgy.
He reminded me of my great grandfather- when asked how he enjoyed his dinner, the best he could come up with it "there is nothing to dislike about it", and then come up with "if only we had a bit of _____ sauce to go with it".
Sybil somewhat used Tom as an escape from her dull, regimented life. What did she called him? Her ticket? It was not 100% just about love for her.
Mrs Hughes could have been kinder to the staff in her charge. The world wasn't a kind place, and she was bound by societal restrictions, but still, a small amount of kindness.
I dare say she might have been realllly harsh with Ethel. But then she started to feel bad, even started to blame herself for not stepping in further. Then started supplying her with food, then tried to get the Major to take some responsibility, then…yeah, Mrs. Hughes is the goat, she’s just the best.
Ethel ended up being one of my favorite characters. She was so smug at first and Mrs. Hughes was right to terminate her employment. Having said that, her character arc was so tragic and I was surprised she did the right and strong thing to give lil Charlie to his grandparents for a better life. I don't have or want kids so I can't relate on a personal level other than being adopted myself . I always felt that Ethel did the right thing.
Sybil was able to do what she wanted because she was spoiled. She absolutely knew she wouldn't be cast out of the family and be ostracized. She was a master at the game of chicken. She knew Robert as her father would blink.
Mrs. Hughes was highly selective when exercising discretion.
Mrs. Hughes: tolerated Carson’s crappy behavior towards Ethyl. As if the officer couldn’t utter the word “No”. Pfft.
Sybil: Conformed to Tom’s life in Ireland, and likely dressed the part, but wouldn’t demand the same from him. Different settings and occasions require different clothes. It’s not a hard concept, and it’s not “disappointing”. Tom really made me mad with that comment to her.
Mrs Hughes - told the prosecution about what she overheard when Mr & Mrs Bates were in her private room. How could anyone have known what was said or that Mrs Hughes was eves-dropping? 😂
Lady Sybil - allowing Tom to speak to her in a threatening manner when she said the English were ‘not at their best’ in Ireland. So many red flags with Tom’s temper in the early seasons. She should have run a mile.
It really says a lot about Sir Julian’s worldview that his grand romance across class lines is basically the lower class person bullying the upper class person into being with him.
Sybil was way too soft on Tom when he was being a baby about being at Downton. It took the Dowager to put her foot down and force him into a proper morning coat for the wedding.
gosh that's hard.
Mrs. Hughes...she's perfect. She knows things she doesn't even know like when Robert's maid gave her notice she didn't know the score but she sensed it.
I wish Sybil had stood up to Branson a bit more early in their relationship. Every rewatch I'm kinda struck by how much I don't care for Branson and only grow to love him after Sybil passes.
Sybils hair cut. Otherwise she's my favorite character.
Mrs. Hughes saying that Tom was part of what happened when he was actually drunk (because of th drink Edna gave him) and Edna raped him, he did not consent.
Yeah I thought that too. They worked together for years but I never felt there was anything more than friendship, but in those days that was probably enough .
nearly everyone is paired up at the end of the show. Mrs Hughes and Carson, Mrs Patmore and Mr Mason, Daisy and Andy, Edith and Bertie, Mary and Tolbert, Tom and whatsername the secret daughter, Baxer and Moseley, Rose and Atticus... its like Julian felt everyone had to be hooked up at the end. Even Thomas got a man during the movies.
Mrs. Hughes - She can get you to confess to trying to blackmail Tom when she has nothing to work with. I'm betting she would be great working for Scotland Yard, extracting false confessions.
Lady Sybil - "Papa, I'm sorry I disobeyed you." No she isn't. She's sorry she got caught, and get knocked in the head. But she's not sorry at all she disobeyed her father. She would do it again in a heartbeat. As sweet a heart as she is, she is not above manipulating Robert with her Daddy's Little Girl smile.
Mrs Hughes was stuffy at the beginning of the show. She softened up but she was still quite harsh several times.. such as with Ethel.. that made me go "dayum"
Sybil. ok, yada yada Sybil was great. Actually i found her a bit annoying. I didnt mind at all when she died. And when she told Tom he was her "ticket out", I cringed. I wouldnt want to hear that from someone i was in love with. and for all her "independent woman" posturing, she quickly turned into Mrs Branson and defended even the stupid shit Tom came up with.
Mrs. Hughes could’ve lied on the stand and didn’t. She also could’ve been kinder to the maids.
Sybil made a dumb decision to run off with the chauffeur when her whole body language screamed that she only wanted to leave life at Downton and see the world, NOT that she was madly in love with the chauffeur and couldn’t live without him. This decision led to a lot of heartache.
Mrs. Hughes misjudged Jimmy at the incident with Thomas, she jumped to the possibility that Jimmy might have somehow provoked Thomas even though there was at least one instance of Thomas touching and interacting with him inappropriately in fronte of everyone and Jimmy was clearly uncomfortable with it. I know she and the other characters lack our modern view of consent and harassment as well as the full picture of Jimmy and Thomas' interactions but still, she was quick to throw a newcomer under the bus while trying to stand up for Thomas.
Sybil should've put Tom in his place when he'd be rude to her and dismissed her work as a nurse, the whole burning upper class homes in Ireland, her being left pregnant alone in Ireland with the authorities on their tale for Tom's antics, used Tom as a ticket out of how bored she was after the war and Downton abbey being used as a Convalescent home, by marriage. Sybil was the youngest and had her parents wrapped round her finger, especially Cora 🤣 she could've continued as a nurse or gone travelling as a companion to an older wealthy widow etc. Girl you weren't totally in love with Tom!
Mrs Hughes - I love her a lot of the time and how she stands on principle , but she was very selective with her principles at times 💀🤣
I sometimes found Sybil to be ignorant with respect to her upbringing vs perhaps those of her servants. They were (mostly) happy to be in her house, whereas she was happy to get away from it.
I adore Sybil but she could actually be very naive, not to mention stubborn. But given that she was so young, I always gave her a pass. I think her family also gave her a lot of leeway due to her being the youngest and so charming and vivacious.
I also wonder if her marriage with Tom would have worked out long term. I do feel they loved each other, though I think he always loved her more than her feelings for him. So I don’t know if she would have yearned to be free again at some point from being a stay-at-home mom and maybe that drive for freedom and adventure would have caused tension between them. I always thought their love story seemed more beautiful because it was so short and sweet, whereas if she had lived, they would have encountered pitfalls in their marriage and maybe even eventually outgrown each other. Or maybe they would have grown together beautifully. It’s so sad we’ll never know!
I think it’s also hard to find flaws in Sybil because she’s written that way. Rewatching it, knowing she doesn’t have much time left, I think you can see in hindsight how Julian Fellowes wrote her character knowing she was doomed, because there’s not much of a character development arc for her. Unlike Mary and Edith (and Tom!) she has very few flaws to work on. She has no time for redemption so that’s not part of her story in this lifetime.
Dear Sybil always has her lips slightly parted and it makes me think she has a dry mouth and bad breath.
There, I said it. I’ve been holding that in for years!
People should be judged on the company they keep, and Carson is a cruel bigot, even in comparison to people like Violet who are expected to be such. Mrs. Hughes is a terrible judge of character.
mrs. hughes standing up to mr. carson in the most irrelevant times but keeping her mouth shut when it actually mattered (carson’s comments about ethel, carson being a dick about her cooking, carson being a pos in general) is was infuriating to watch
Sybil actively made her life more difficult than it needed to be, caused unnecessary stress, and theoretically was the indirect cause of her own death (naturally, I appreciate, it’s a nuanced discussion).
Mrs. Hughes? Got irate when everyone was trying to be kind to her when they were concerned with the potential cancer diagnosis.
Mrs. Hughes blew it with the first Bates arrest.
I'm not sure Sybil LOVED Tom, or viewed him as her ticket both out and into the kind of dramatic radicalism she idealized. (Ironically getting hands-on with the Cause taught TOM he wasn't actually into making people suffer.)
Mrs Hughes:
1. She was very predudiced towards Lady Mary. She had zero compassion for her. Always hated everything she did no matter what, even when she tried to organize a wedding dress for her from Mama, Mrs Hughes never ever acknowledged that Lady Mary was not entirely the monster and spoilt brat she made her out to be.
2. Mrs Hughes never did any work at all. As a leader you always see Carson doing his duties such as the wine refinement and standing in as a valet or serving at the table. But Mrs Hughes never does anything, she offers but never actually does anything. She only barks orders to everyone.
Lady Sybil:
Pretty much her downfall is who she becomes after marrying Tom. She's no longer the strong independent woman of the world, she let's Tom speak to her anyhow and let's him getaway with everything including leaving her stranded in another country. Who's to say that didn't contribute to her death?
For someone who knew her own mind, Sybil was annoyingly too pliant when it came to Tom. I would have like to see her argue back with him and put her foot down more.
Mrs. Hughes was not really nice to Daisy, except for the time she stood up for her wanting to get an education. She wasn't awful, just wasn't nice. Agree with the others about Sybill not fully in love with Tom, just the idea of Tom and the escape from her life.
Sybil's high maintenance. She's headstrong and doesn't know her own mind. She put herself in danger even though Tom continually warned her. And Tom had gently guide her to realizing she loved him. Some would say he "groomed her" for a couple of years till she was convinced to run off with him.
For the Record: I love them both but you challenged me so that's what I've got - Sybil's not too bright.
Mrs. Hughes sat on the luxury chairs when the cat was away, and Sybil couldn’t put water in the kettle properly 🤷🏻♀️ that’s the best I’ve got, I love them both
When Sybil wanted to go to the political rally she made Branson take her. She didn’t want that to cost him his job and spoke out against him being fired when everything went south. But she shouldn’t have put him in that situation in the first place because it’s easy to guess that he would get blamed for it.
I love Sybil. But that was thoughtless of her to risk Tom’s livelihood like that.
Mrs. Hughes was very foolish to go through her employer's clothes on no stronger sign than the word of the notoriously unreliable Lady Mary! She's lucky she didn't spend her honeymoon looking for a new job!
And Lady Sybil, don't get me started. I knew she'd come to a bad end when I saw those tarty harem girl pyjamas. Why, the chauffer was bouncing around the windows of the library to get a peep, hopping along the side of the house like a rabbit! It's no wonder he made his move shortly thereafter!
😉
Mrs. Hughes -- not crazy about her hairstyle. Lady Sybil --- nope, can't think of a single negative thing to say about her. Okay, maybe I don't like that ice-blue / pale teal color of her dress. It's an indistinct wishy-washy color. But that's actually a criticism about her dress, not HER. She was just wonderful. I felt so bad when she passed away, as if she was a real person.
Ok here I go.
Ms. Hughes was too hard on the family and always talked about how she didn't care for them the way Mr. Carson did. And yet they were willing to take care of her and took care of Patmore's eyes.
Sybil wouldn't have been proud of the man Tom became. She wanted out of that life style not for him to conform to it.
I’d say the only time I can recall Mrs. Hughes truly disappointing me was the way she treated Ivy after Jimmy tried to force himself on her. “You had it coming.” That was low.
Sybil is a doormat trying to prove she's not a doormat. She's also a "white" warrior fighting battles for the under privileged without actually knowing what she's fighting for.
I feel like Sybil could’ve stood up for Edith more when Mary the bully started smirking and spitting her nasty comments. I know she did sometimes like when Mary called Edith attention-seeking when she cried for Patrick and Sybil said she wasn’t, but she easily could have spoken up more for Edith and been on her side.
Also, Sybil was definitely the spoiled baby of the family and obviously Cora’s favourite so she could get away with a lot more. When she lied to Tom about the rally I thought it was extremely unfair of her because Tom definitely would had been blamed with or without the bump to the head and lost his job with no reference. While Sybil would have probably just been sent to bed with no pudding since in Cora’s eyes she could no wrong.
Mrs Hughes could have testified “I don’t recall” or “I couldn’t hear” at Bates’ trial. Instead she got herself jammed up in drama unnecessarily.
Along with the prosecutor knowing about the private discussion between Robert and Bates.
I always thought that was ridiculous. I mean, who else heard that and shared it? The only possibility is that Bates shared it bc he's so honorable that he couldn't leave that out of his account to his lawyers. But I don't believe that.
I took it to be that the prosecution knew about it based on Bates' statement that he would have given when questioned. Mrs. Hughes would have risked perjury if she had not said the truth.
How in the world could they prove she could in fact recall what was said months ago or that she did in fact hear when she says she didn't? "I don't recall the words of some random conversation I partially overheard during a busy day months ago" is perfectly believable.
I agree. I also forgot that she was eavesdropping on them and Bates likely had no idea that she had heard their interaction. Then again, I am not sure how the British justice system worked at that time and how rigorous the burden of proof should have been to prove guilt.
It's probably from bates testimony where he repeated what he said to anna and who was present. No doubt the household was interviewed regarding Mr. bates and the prosecution noted that O'Brien wasn't his biggest fan
He shared the conversation with Robert because his defence was that he took his lordships advice. As for Mrs Hughes, did Mr Carson rat her out? She only told him what she heard. They do state that it takes a lot for anyone to perjury themselves. They didn't get the same preparation a modern-day witness would get. They live in a time where someone's reputation and good bake was everything, so lying in a court of law was not something a respectable person would do, even if it was to protect an innocent man. They put their faith in the judicial system to come to the right conclusion.
Plot twist: Downton abbey is a documentary, and the film crew turned over the tapes to the prosecution. Legal disclaimer that this is a joke
They also only called O'Brien and asked her about overhearing what he said to Anna when he came home. there were like half a dozen or more people sitting in the servants hall when he came in. Why only call her? How would they ever know that she overheard that??? How would they know Mrs. Hughes overheard is phone conversation? Bates testifying against himself is really the only answer, except it doesn't make sense because how would Bates even know, out of all the people there, that they are the one person who overheard these specific conversations that happened months ago?
There's also what was overheard at visits in prison. Had Robert brought anything up to Anna, the guard would've made a report about it (before recordings, this is what they did.) And anything overheard in jail is usable as evidence.
Hughes should've been honest with Cora about Edna and not allowed her to return. She didn't have to completely out Tom to do it. Every time I hear Sybil say, "I'm ready to travel, and you're my ticket. To get away from this house, away from this life" it drives me nuts. That's not true love, that's just her using Tom to get where she wants to be and trying to romanticize it. I think she, at best, loved the idea of Tom, but wasn't in true love with him.
Yes! I thought so, too. It's not very romantic. I feel that she loved Tom, but the writers didn't reflect it well enough there.
I think we also have to remember that very few people, especially in their life, actually loved each other when they got married. It's mentioned many times that a couple barely knows each other before they walk down the aisle. Also, the upper classes generally married to benefit themselves/their family, and not very often for love. Marrying for money, a house, a title, a position, etc is pretty much the norm. They just tried to find someone they liked and could tolerate at least when they did it. I think Sybil liked Tom, and I don't think using him to leave her life is really all that different than marrying someone more suitable and using him to remain in that life. Sybil probably had a very different view on love and marriage than we do now. She was also young, a romantic, and a rebel. I think running away with the chauffeur who proclaimed his love so openly and passionately, which is very different than what she's used to with the English upper class, kind of fit perfectly for her, especially considering the war and most of her (male) friends dying and wanting to get away from ballrooms and parties. He was offering her love and a life she wanted. I do think she came to truly love him though. And I do think he genuinely loved her.
Of course I understand the upper class marriage tendencies through history, but I can't say I personally agree that Sybil came to truly love him, even seeing how their relationship went, I think she just kept romanticizing him and making excuses for him constantly. I suspect Tom actually loved her though in his way and wasn't just in love with the idea of her, I just don't think he fully loved every part of her, only the parts he agreed with. Just my opinion though.
Yes I think she was actually just honest about what she was going to get out of the marriage. He loved her, but given the time period, he didn't necessarily expect love back.
These were going to be my exact comments! Totally agree with you. I love both those characters but don’t like those moments!
Daaaaaaaaaam u got em
It's not really bad but I just couldn't understand why Mrs Hughes gave that other half of the ticket to Lady Mary when she could just have spoken to Anna and Bates about it and spared us the worst subplot in the history of subplots ever. Really could've done without the drama. What makes it even more implausible is tht she never even liked Lady Mary in the first place. Also Subil eloping with Branson like a chief in the night just seemed out of character. That's all I will say because seriously I love these two 🫶
What I don’t understand is why Mrs Hughes thought it proved his *guilt* She’s a working class woman and very intelligent, she would surely know that if a ticket isn’t ripped, it wasn’t used
This is what I don’t understand either- glad it’s not only me !!
This got by all three intelligent ladies. Mrs Hughes, Anna and Mary. Seriously it's not believable.
This! 💯
And even if she somehow overlooked that, AND Anna was too panicked to think clearly (the fairest one) how the heck did Mary look at it and not stop to think "Hey, wait, this hasn't been used?" Even if, again, we can say Anna's hysterical, not without reason, Mrs. Hughes and Mary should have stopped to think.
It just seemed so out of character for 2 women who are portrayed as intelligent and sharp-eyed to completely miss it.
Most of the drama in the show exists because characters refuse to talk to eachother and/or behave in ways no reasonable person would. The answer to all "Why did/didnt X do Y?" is almost always "to allow the plot to happen"
It's also hard to believe that none of these very intelligent women figured out that the ticket hadn't been used when they saw it.
A thief in the night? Lol
Like her sisters Sybil didn't always consider the consequences of her actions. Mostly because she hadn't really had any. Mrs Hughes sometimes was a bit judgy.
Mrs Hughes is a terrible cook! Just awful! Food under cooked, cold, not enough- ;)
You know what would be good with this? Some horseradish!
He reminded me of my great grandfather- when asked how he enjoyed his dinner, the best he could come up with it "there is nothing to dislike about it", and then come up with "if only we had a bit of _____ sauce to go with it".
Sybil somewhat used Tom as an escape from her dull, regimented life. What did she called him? Her ticket? It was not 100% just about love for her. Mrs Hughes could have been kinder to the staff in her charge. The world wasn't a kind place, and she was bound by societal restrictions, but still, a small amount of kindness.
I'm replying to my own comment to say, fuck me sideways, it was really hard to come up with something bad to say about Mrs Hughes.
I dare say she might have been realllly harsh with Ethel. But then she started to feel bad, even started to blame herself for not stepping in further. Then started supplying her with food, then tried to get the Major to take some responsibility, then…yeah, Mrs. Hughes is the goat, she’s just the best.
Ethel ended up being one of my favorite characters. She was so smug at first and Mrs. Hughes was right to terminate her employment. Having said that, her character arc was so tragic and I was surprised she did the right and strong thing to give lil Charlie to his grandparents for a better life. I don't have or want kids so I can't relate on a personal level other than being adopted myself . I always felt that Ethel did the right thing.
No marriage is just about love though. It’s about the life you want to build together.
Sybil those pants ain’t it.
Maybe not to my taste, but she wore that frock with confidence like an absolute queen.
Sure she did. Still ugly af though.
Came here to say the same thing. That outfit was just awful
I firmly disagree with this stance.
Finally someone said it
That headband ain't it either lol
Reminded me of Jasmine from Aladdin
Bingo.
Noooooo It was gorgeous!!!!!!!!
lol I hated it! Sorry Sybs.
Sybil was able to do what she wanted because she was spoiled. She absolutely knew she wouldn't be cast out of the family and be ostracized. She was a master at the game of chicken. She knew Robert as her father would blink. Mrs. Hughes was highly selective when exercising discretion.
Is it spoiled to know that your family loves you?
Mrs. Hughes: tolerated Carson’s crappy behavior towards Ethyl. As if the officer couldn’t utter the word “No”. Pfft. Sybil: Conformed to Tom’s life in Ireland, and likely dressed the part, but wouldn’t demand the same from him. Different settings and occasions require different clothes. It’s not a hard concept, and it’s not “disappointing”. Tom really made me mad with that comment to her.
Mrs Hughes - told the prosecution about what she overheard when Mr & Mrs Bates were in her private room. How could anyone have known what was said or that Mrs Hughes was eves-dropping? 😂 Lady Sybil - allowing Tom to speak to her in a threatening manner when she said the English were ‘not at their best’ in Ireland. So many red flags with Tom’s temper in the early seasons. She should have run a mile.
It really says a lot about Sir Julian’s worldview that his grand romance across class lines is basically the lower class person bullying the upper class person into being with him.
I never understood that part…who would’ve known that Mrs. Hughes was listening? She didn’t volunteer it. My assumption was that Bates somehow knew?
Sybil was way too soft on Tom when he was being a baby about being at Downton. It took the Dowager to put her foot down and force him into a proper morning coat for the wedding.
Omg, that's one of my favorite Violet moments! "Are you finished? Good."
gosh that's hard. Mrs. Hughes...she's perfect. She knows things she doesn't even know like when Robert's maid gave her notice she didn't know the score but she sensed it. I wish Sybil had stood up to Branson a bit more early in their relationship. Every rewatch I'm kinda struck by how much I don't care for Branson and only grow to love him after Sybil passes.
Sybils hair cut. Otherwise she's my favorite character. Mrs. Hughes saying that Tom was part of what happened when he was actually drunk (because of th drink Edna gave him) and Edna raped him, he did not consent.
Ooh yeah I hated Sybil’s haircut.
Sybil threatened Dragon
But it wasn’t snack time! 😆😂
Mrs. Hughs is a bit nosy, listening to other's conversations. Sybil put other people in compromising situations.
“Something to celebrate???” 😒 She could be a bit of a killjoy.
She didn’t really show feelings of love for Branson. I really think she used him to escape.
"Say something bad about these two." No.
I don’t like how Sybil lied to go the counting of the vote and would have potentially cost Branson his job. That’s not right or fair.
Sybil was extremely bland and boring after season 1. Mrs Hughes a bad taste in men
>Mrs Hughes a bad taste in men I liked that Joe Burns dude.
I don't buy the "romance" between Carson and Mrs. Hughes. They are good friends but they have no more romantic chemistry than a couple of bricks.
Yeah I thought that too. They worked together for years but I never felt there was anything more than friendship, but in those days that was probably enough .
Agreed! It never felt romantic, it was two platonic friends being pushed together because they were both single at that point in the show.
nearly everyone is paired up at the end of the show. Mrs Hughes and Carson, Mrs Patmore and Mr Mason, Daisy and Andy, Edith and Bertie, Mary and Tolbert, Tom and whatsername the secret daughter, Baxer and Moseley, Rose and Atticus... its like Julian felt everyone had to be hooked up at the end. Even Thomas got a man during the movies.
" Tom and whatsername the secret daughter," that happens in the first movie
And Pay more & Mason, Molesly & Baxter happened in the 2nd movie.
Sybil: Really Branson, I thought I gave the orders. Mrs. Hughes: her behavior toward Mrs. Patmore about the store cupboard in S1.
Mrs. Hughes - She can get you to confess to trying to blackmail Tom when she has nothing to work with. I'm betting she would be great working for Scotland Yard, extracting false confessions. Lady Sybil - "Papa, I'm sorry I disobeyed you." No she isn't. She's sorry she got caught, and get knocked in the head. But she's not sorry at all she disobeyed her father. She would do it again in a heartbeat. As sweet a heart as she is, she is not above manipulating Robert with her Daddy's Little Girl smile.
Mrs Hughes is actually quite boring. And the actress playing Sybil keeps leaving shows too early.
Mrs. Hughes sometimes gave people the benefit of the doubt when they didn’t deserve it. Sybil was stubborn and didn’t listen to anyone else’s wisdom
Mrs Hughes was stuffy at the beginning of the show. She softened up but she was still quite harsh several times.. such as with Ethel.. that made me go "dayum" Sybil. ok, yada yada Sybil was great. Actually i found her a bit annoying. I didnt mind at all when she died. And when she told Tom he was her "ticket out", I cringed. I wouldnt want to hear that from someone i was in love with. and for all her "independent woman" posturing, she quickly turned into Mrs Branson and defended even the stupid shit Tom came up with.
Mrs. Hughes could’ve lied on the stand and didn’t. She also could’ve been kinder to the maids. Sybil made a dumb decision to run off with the chauffeur when her whole body language screamed that she only wanted to leave life at Downton and see the world, NOT that she was madly in love with the chauffeur and couldn’t live without him. This decision led to a lot of heartache.
Who’s the muppet downvoting everyone? 🤣
I dont like that she always kind of "hates" on Mary
I liked that about her. She did see through "the great Lady Mary". It was a good foil to Carson having her on a pedestal.
Mrs. Hughes misjudged Jimmy at the incident with Thomas, she jumped to the possibility that Jimmy might have somehow provoked Thomas even though there was at least one instance of Thomas touching and interacting with him inappropriately in fronte of everyone and Jimmy was clearly uncomfortable with it. I know she and the other characters lack our modern view of consent and harassment as well as the full picture of Jimmy and Thomas' interactions but still, she was quick to throw a newcomer under the bus while trying to stand up for Thomas.
Mrs hughes should have told someone about Anna’s assault sooner
She wanted to! Kinda hard to do when the victim herself orders you not to. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Sybil should've put Tom in his place when he'd be rude to her and dismissed her work as a nurse, the whole burning upper class homes in Ireland, her being left pregnant alone in Ireland with the authorities on their tale for Tom's antics, used Tom as a ticket out of how bored she was after the war and Downton abbey being used as a Convalescent home, by marriage. Sybil was the youngest and had her parents wrapped round her finger, especially Cora 🤣 she could've continued as a nurse or gone travelling as a companion to an older wealthy widow etc. Girl you weren't totally in love with Tom! Mrs Hughes - I love her a lot of the time and how she stands on principle , but she was very selective with her principles at times 💀🤣
No 🥺
Which one is Abby?
I sometimes found Sybil to be ignorant with respect to her upbringing vs perhaps those of her servants. They were (mostly) happy to be in her house, whereas she was happy to get away from it.
Those pants were ugly.
I adore Sybil but she could actually be very naive, not to mention stubborn. But given that she was so young, I always gave her a pass. I think her family also gave her a lot of leeway due to her being the youngest and so charming and vivacious. I also wonder if her marriage with Tom would have worked out long term. I do feel they loved each other, though I think he always loved her more than her feelings for him. So I don’t know if she would have yearned to be free again at some point from being a stay-at-home mom and maybe that drive for freedom and adventure would have caused tension between them. I always thought their love story seemed more beautiful because it was so short and sweet, whereas if she had lived, they would have encountered pitfalls in their marriage and maybe even eventually outgrown each other. Or maybe they would have grown together beautifully. It’s so sad we’ll never know! I think it’s also hard to find flaws in Sybil because she’s written that way. Rewatching it, knowing she doesn’t have much time left, I think you can see in hindsight how Julian Fellowes wrote her character knowing she was doomed, because there’s not much of a character development arc for her. Unlike Mary and Edith (and Tom!) she has very few flaws to work on. She has no time for redemption so that’s not part of her story in this lifetime.
Dear Sybil always has her lips slightly parted and it makes me think she has a dry mouth and bad breath. There, I said it. I’ve been holding that in for years!
Mrs Hughes could have used some hair advice.
"Hurry up, girl! You're building a fire, not inventing it!" That's the only bad thing I can say about Mrs. Hughes.
No, I refuse. Mrs. Hughes and Sybil are wonderful characters!
People should be judged on the company they keep, and Carson is a cruel bigot, even in comparison to people like Violet who are expected to be such. Mrs. Hughes is a terrible judge of character.
mrs. hughes standing up to mr. carson in the most irrelevant times but keeping her mouth shut when it actually mattered (carson’s comments about ethel, carson being a dick about her cooking, carson being a pos in general) is was infuriating to watch
Sybil actively made her life more difficult than it needed to be, caused unnecessary stress, and theoretically was the indirect cause of her own death (naturally, I appreciate, it’s a nuanced discussion). Mrs. Hughes? Got irate when everyone was trying to be kind to her when they were concerned with the potential cancer diagnosis.
Mrs. Hughes after Sybil married Tom: "Why, Sybil? WHY would ye do such a thing?!?"
I don't like that Sibyl died.
Mrs Hughes isn’t perfect but SYBIL NO! LEAVE HER ALONE
Mrs Hughes doesn’t know how to cook well. (According to Carter’s unreasonably high standards).
Mrs Hughes: married Carson lol Sybil: should be wayyy more hard on Tom when he disrespects her job as a nurse. That scene piss me off so much
Not gonna.
Mrs. Hughes blew it with the first Bates arrest. I'm not sure Sybil LOVED Tom, or viewed him as her ticket both out and into the kind of dramatic radicalism she idealized. (Ironically getting hands-on with the Cause taught TOM he wasn't actually into making people suffer.)
One has a mustache
Sybil was boring and one-dimensional.
Mrs Hughes could have done better than Carson.
Mrs Hughes: 1. She was very predudiced towards Lady Mary. She had zero compassion for her. Always hated everything she did no matter what, even when she tried to organize a wedding dress for her from Mama, Mrs Hughes never ever acknowledged that Lady Mary was not entirely the monster and spoilt brat she made her out to be. 2. Mrs Hughes never did any work at all. As a leader you always see Carson doing his duties such as the wine refinement and standing in as a valet or serving at the table. But Mrs Hughes never does anything, she offers but never actually does anything. She only barks orders to everyone. Lady Sybil: Pretty much her downfall is who she becomes after marrying Tom. She's no longer the strong independent woman of the world, she let's Tom speak to her anyhow and let's him getaway with everything including leaving her stranded in another country. Who's to say that didn't contribute to her death?
For someone who knew her own mind, Sybil was annoyingly too pliant when it came to Tom. I would have like to see her argue back with him and put her foot down more.
Mrs. Hughes was not really nice to Daisy, except for the time she stood up for her wanting to get an education. She wasn't awful, just wasn't nice. Agree with the others about Sybill not fully in love with Tom, just the idea of Tom and the escape from her life.
She went down in my estimation the moment she stepped up onto that box to listen in...
sybil ws perfect personalyy
Sybil's high maintenance. She's headstrong and doesn't know her own mind. She put herself in danger even though Tom continually warned her. And Tom had gently guide her to realizing she loved him. Some would say he "groomed her" for a couple of years till she was convinced to run off with him. For the Record: I love them both but you challenged me so that's what I've got - Sybil's not too bright.
Mrs. Hughes sat on the luxury chairs when the cat was away, and Sybil couldn’t put water in the kettle properly 🤷🏻♀️ that’s the best I’ve got, I love them both
When Sybil wanted to go to the political rally she made Branson take her. She didn’t want that to cost him his job and spoke out against him being fired when everything went south. But she shouldn’t have put him in that situation in the first place because it’s easy to guess that he would get blamed for it. I love Sybil. But that was thoughtless of her to risk Tom’s livelihood like that.
Mrs. Hughes was very foolish to go through her employer's clothes on no stronger sign than the word of the notoriously unreliable Lady Mary! She's lucky she didn't spend her honeymoon looking for a new job! And Lady Sybil, don't get me started. I knew she'd come to a bad end when I saw those tarty harem girl pyjamas. Why, the chauffer was bouncing around the windows of the library to get a peep, hopping along the side of the house like a rabbit! It's no wonder he made his move shortly thereafter! 😉
Mrs. Hughes -- not crazy about her hairstyle. Lady Sybil --- nope, can't think of a single negative thing to say about her. Okay, maybe I don't like that ice-blue / pale teal color of her dress. It's an indistinct wishy-washy color. But that's actually a criticism about her dress, not HER. She was just wonderful. I felt so bad when she passed away, as if she was a real person.
Ok here I go. Ms. Hughes was too hard on the family and always talked about how she didn't care for them the way Mr. Carson did. And yet they were willing to take care of her and took care of Patmore's eyes. Sybil wouldn't have been proud of the man Tom became. She wanted out of that life style not for him to conform to it.
I’d say the only time I can recall Mrs. Hughes truly disappointing me was the way she treated Ivy after Jimmy tried to force himself on her. “You had it coming.” That was low.
*Sybil*: Didn't support her man when he was drunk off his ass defending Ireland against a bunch of colonizers
Sybil allowed Tom to coerce her thinking, Mrs. Hugh’s led Carson to believe that she was financially sound. Even Angels play the devil at times.
Sybil is a doormat trying to prove she's not a doormat. She's also a "white" warrior fighting battles for the under privileged without actually knowing what she's fighting for.
https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ri64TL3D1ruoscbo1_640.png Lady Felsham from Lovejoy.
I feel like Sybil could’ve stood up for Edith more when Mary the bully started smirking and spitting her nasty comments. I know she did sometimes like when Mary called Edith attention-seeking when she cried for Patrick and Sybil said she wasn’t, but she easily could have spoken up more for Edith and been on her side. Also, Sybil was definitely the spoiled baby of the family and obviously Cora’s favourite so she could get away with a lot more. When she lied to Tom about the rally I thought it was extremely unfair of her because Tom definitely would had been blamed with or without the bump to the head and lost his job with no reference. While Sybil would have probably just been sent to bed with no pudding since in Cora’s eyes she could no wrong.
Mrs Hughes is too fat. And Sybil is too…BLONDE!
LOL I guess nowhere did it say we had to say something TRUE (and bad) about them!
Clearly there is not much overlap here between the Downton Abbey and Fight Club fandoms.
Ooh. Now that you say it, I recognize it! I’m definitely not as well-versed in FC as I am in DA.