"Is It True?!" | Downton Abbey

[@safespacebear]

Cora is world class. She's willing to break any convention for all 3 of her girls. Sybil's choice of husband, Edith's child and Mary's scandal. Every time she was the one that stood up for them

[@MrDavidcheer]

she is american girl lol

[@audreykennedy90]

She didn't have much choice.

[@tsmeman63]

A good mother protects her children.

[@tsmeman63]

@ David Zamora A. What has being American have to do with it? That’s BS. Every good mother (even animal ones) protects her children.

[@zyxw2024]

Cora is a U.S. American. 🇺🇸

[@silentsaturn7604]

"We can't have him assassinated...I suppose?" She says, while going through old contacts in her mind. 😅

[@l.a.3479]

🤣

[@2009grifin1]

I know... Right?

[@genxx2724]

@@2009grifin1 Please, not the juvenile “Right?”

[@animehuntress9018]

I love how the line "She read's too many novel" plays off it. Really which scenario sounds more liable to be found in a novel?

[@daniels7907]

It would have been a delightful opportunity for a classic British murder mystery. Isobel could play Miss Marple!

[@MeyaRoseGirl]

I love how Violet acknowledged that Cora did the best thing she possibly could have done in that horrible moment. "I hope I would have done." I feel like this is the first moment we saw Violet truly respecting Cora.

[@timdowney6721]

Violet came round to understanding that making an enemy of Cora courts destruction.

[@greengardengreen6666]

And let’s not forget that Violet has a past too, a colourful one actually.. 😜

[@creativewriter3887]

@@timdowney6721 So true. Love her or hate her, Violet knew that Cora had reasons for what she did and despite her "shocking actions" protected Mary. Also, the truth is after all, her money that initially saved Downton. And the Dowager also knew she couldn't take the moral high ground as more and more came out about her own past. I personally thought that she was more pissed learning about this from her niece Susan (whom she really didn't care for and who was a wretched, wretched woman) than from Cora herself. However, NONE Of this would have made airspace had it not been for Edith sending that damned letter to the Turkish Embassy. she was stupid. In trying to get even with Mary, she could have destroyed her entire family.. in essence, cutting her nose off to spite her face.

[@Anolaana]

I agree. This really marked a milestone between the two characters, and Season 1 as a whole!

[@lsmith9249]

MeyaRose it was in the script

[@elletuppen4844]

In spite of the dowager’s excellent performance, she does not distract from Elizabeth McGovern’s superbly subtle and exquisite acting in expressing a mother’s support and strength around her daughter. What a gorgeous actress she is.

[@kellharris2491]

Yes. She uses such subtle expressions that convey so much.

[@sheilaburns8977]

Cora is a subtle badass!!! I love her character.

[@KikiCandy_]

It's not often I've seen such a dignified accurate portrait of a fellow American conveyed through the English gaze. Too often we make an unfortunate habit of completely marginalizing one another into caricatures, both the United States as well as the United Kingdom. Cora is like so many amazing women I know and love. Sharp witted, wise, graceful, dignified, always a step ahead of everyone and exuding a tranquil organic sort of supreme confidence. With barely a whisper, McGoverns subtle performance has the impact of a nuclear missile.

[@12classics39]

“I didn’t know dissolution WAS ALREADY UPON US!” Absolutely phenomenal line delivery.

[@darrenng9828]

Dissolution*

[@Luna15234]

“She reads too many novels.” I love how real granny is

[@盧璘壽로인수]

me but with "S/he reads too many fanfictions." whenever I remind myself that ghey fanfics never ever translate to real life

[@MrStGeorgeIllawarra]

Somethings never change. Now it would be too many video games or too many fan fictions.

[@michaelchan2568]

While Cora and Violet do not always see eye to eye, I love how they joined forces when it comes down to protecting family.

[@rama30]

Cora is easily one of the strongest, most understanding and levelheaded characters ever written. If only there were more Coras' in this world.

[@monmothma3358]

I know. I've always been hugely envious of her as I could only dream of having the same emotional control. I suppose she fits right into the female ideal of the time as well: Controlled, the best of manners, takes care of her looks, but also warm. The best kind of ladylike. And since she manages to express herself within the confines of that ideal, she gets power.

[@carolynwhite9313]

She’s American.

[@angelabby2379]

@@kachi9293 your grandmother was a fool lmao, the most important and prestigious family already went that route of marrying for money take Duke of Malborough who literally owned Bleinheim Palace it doesn't get better than that. (your's i presume was a nobody and not a prestigous name like that of Churchill where their relations ruled the nation) "she is old Japanese aristocracy" japanese aristocracy is trsh, they weren't influential nor aristocrat in the sense of British one.

[@roscomeon3965]

It's make believe. A stupid film

[@SN-sz7kw]

Wardrobe worked overtime on this one. Cora’s gown - swoon. And Violet’s hat!

[@m.layfette6249]

"But if you expect me to disown my daughter, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." "Good day." This moment like so many others, proved Cora's inner strength. Despite the horrors of that night she did the Only thing she could do. Protect her daughter, protect her family with all costs.

[@angeldsouza777]

Totally. She is always a mother FIRST, & Lady Grantham second 👌🏾

[@alonzocasas2418]

And you know that despite her outward outrage, Violet respects Cora all the more for having done it.

[@l.a.3479]

@@cellpat7392 What do you mean? It's common for a person to die during a one-night stand?!

[@barbarabaldwin7120]

She's left almost speechless ( ho)

[@bkbstone]

As in the scene when she discovers the nanny talking down to Tom and Sybil's daughter.

[@MommyNeedsAMinute]

"We can't have him assassinated... I suppose." 🤣😂🤣😂

[@luciasaunders9736]

Yes, that's so brilliant!

[@jameswg13]

You know she probably already had made some discreet inquiries 🤣

[@BlackGirlSerenity]

“One way or another everyone goes down the aisle with half the story.” So true

[@盧璘壽로인수]

The question is will she accept Matthew

[@pamlatalley4822]

I love that line!!!!

[@dobazajr]

Why the Dowager pronounce "half" as "harf"?

[@rsalt6015]

The aristocracy of this era had a very affected form of pronouncation. My late Great Aunt Dorcus, who was firstly Nanny then House Keeper to the Cadbury family (Confectioners), once told me it was occasionally difficult to understand what the family were saying. A formidable Edwardian spinster and Quaker.

[@Rosemary-vf5ei]

@@dobazajr How else do you pronounce it? Everyone I know pronounces the word "harf".

[@cobbler9113]

I just like how the Dowager is trying to get to the bottom of the story and Cora doesn’t say anything or even change facial expressions. Yet the Dowager doesn’t even need those to confirm the truth.

[@TechBearSeattle]

Lack of denial can be confirmation.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

I agree with you about Cora. No facial expression was really good!! And then having to say; I will not not disown her is totally enough if a commanding statement!!

[@LMays-cu2hp]

And then Cora said Good Day!!! That was this end of that conversation!!!

[@l.a.3479]

Actually, Cora does subtly change her facial expressions as Violent questions her, showing what a great actress she is.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

@@l.a.3479 You are right. They are small facial expressions with her eyes. So nice..

[@andrewmichaelfernandes9982]

That settles it: I am off to Rome in the autumn, in search of an Italian who's not too picky.

[@beyondview]

Take me with you please! RIP Maggie

[@c.a.savage5689]

Great line.

[@elowyn9664]

I visited Italy in the autumn, totally unaware of these possibilities. 😂

[@trellises]

"We can't have him assassinated.. I suppose..." Classic Violet! 😂😂😂

[@AxelQC]

We always think of older people as stiff and fragile, forgetting that they have lived lives themselves and seen their families through many storms.

[@caitlinoconnell9883]

I wish I could like your comment a thousand times

[@yevgeniyaleshchenko849]

''We''? Who are we? Maybe you shouldn't speak for everyone? No, sweetie, not all of us are so narrow-minded and biased, many of us understand this very simple and obvious fact of life which is why we respect the elderly - because they've been through much. Most of us don't forget it because we're smart...

[@lauraschoenborn3544]

“I don’t think I would have the strength mentally or physically to carry a corpse the length of the house.” That one line and one moment, shows the strength of Mary, Cora, and Anna’s character. It takes guts and strength of those three women to do that. It showed Anna’s loyalty to Mary. And Cora and Mary’s personal strength. It was honestly one of the moments that actually made me love Mary’s character. And to have the guts to come out and tell the truth about it to the man she wants to Marry in that day and age. But I loved that Violet recognizes Cora’s strength in that moment and respected her for it.

[@agathatrunchbull7297]

I liked how she kept out Anna's involvement . If that were come out , she didnt drag Anna into this .

[@Threadworxs]

These scenes remind me how gorgeously GORGEOUSLY written & executed those early Seasons were!! (oh the last 3 seasons were really great, but those first 3 were astonishing!)

[@aishasadiq2210]

I.concur. Well said

[@chimaobiihekaire8481]

+1 to this. I love the pre-war Edwardian era of Downton.

[@shirokisasaki3233]

I second that, especially the first season, the dowager countess' lines were sublime

[@saiyanknight8243]

Not only Mary is family but to Violet, Mary is her protégé. It does makes sense to me after watching the New Era.

[@TrackerNeil]

"In these moments, you can normally find an Italian who isn't too picky." The Dowager just described my marriage.

[@noodle7075]

😂

[@wfcoaker1398]

"We'll give her till the start of the grouse." What a lovely, if aristocratic, way of marking the passage of time.

[@jonirnmomba4130]

“She reads too many novels”. Dame Maggie in a class all of her own.

[@EstherHulst-Artist]

I agree, I can watch her scenes endlessly

[@the8thchurch461]

@@EstherHulst-Artist I believe I will never stop watching Downtown Abbey because of Dams Maggie

[@echoesofwar]

in the later seasons, she adapted and started also saying, "You've seen too many moving pictures!" lol

[@jonirnmomba4130]

@@echoesofwar though she’s the actor, and recites from a script, her dialogue ( and frankly entire character) would have fallen flat with anyone else in the role in my opinion.

[@Celisar1]

She was merely saying what’s in the script.

[@creativehorsequeen]

"In these moments you can usually find an Italian who isn't too picky" 🤣🤣🤣🤣💀 Violet always has the best lines.

[@sheilaburns8977]

Cora being an elegant badass. 💖 "If you expect me to disown my daughter, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. Good Day!"

[@kokagejones678]

I love how the Dowager balances between the expected concern for appearances and a real concern for practicalities. One gets the idea she’s seen a situation or two. I’m for giving young Lady Grantham her own series, of course including Russia.

[@westaussieeggs8867]

yes, the only thing one would need to find an young actress who could deliver like Maggie does in this series

[@pamlatalley4822]

@Paul Kostiak my thoughts exactly!!!!

[@pamlatalley4822]

In lots of ways, she must have been just like Mary when she was young!

[@martinjenkins6467]

She would have seen a scandal or two During the Victorian era. The upper class were even more Decadent then. They had the air of Superiority at the height of their Empire.

[@samanthac.349]

That was the beautiful thing about Violet. She was trained as a girl to put appearances first, but in her heart she deeply cares about the people around her and tackles every problem with practicality. I think those latter two are natural qualities. For example, when Isobel employed Ethel after she had fallen into prostitution, Violet was first concerned about appearances. When Violet later saw Ethel crying in the street because someone bullied her, Violet took action to find Ethel a position where her history wasn’t known and would be happier.

[@Katya-zj7ni]

“In these cases you can normally find an Italian who isn’t too picky”, 😂😂😂

[@margotloeffen4221]

This is really NOT funny. On the contrario, it shows how they relatef the value of women to their married status🤮

[@ABC_DEF]

@@margotloeffen4221 But what use to anyone is an unmarried woman when she is past her prime?

[@lauraschoenborn3544]

@@margotloeffen4221 you’re ignoring the day and age. In this day and age it is dishonorable for a woman to have sexual relations outside of marriage. That is why they had to try to Marry her off so that if it does come out that she had sexual relations she would already be married so people would assume it was with her husband.

[@dttra566]

That explains so much of the Italian ancestry among the English. LOL

[@animehuntress9018]

@@lauraschoenborn3544 It's more interesting how not uncommon it was, lol. Despite all the rules and society it still happened regularly in the upper class and had done so throughout history for the most part. Almost seems like the more prudish the society the more the hidden going ons, lol.

[@MoTheCat3]

One can almost be forgiven for thinking Dame Maggie Smith is born to the part, her bearing, her class, her diction, but with her variety of acting parts you just have to credit her with possibly being the best actress for understanding the characters she portrays. She brings her soul to the part.

[@koppsr]

The Dowager ROCKS! God, I love her character so much! ^^

[@yojiviriak675]

I absolutely love Cora's _"Good day"_ to her Mother-in-law

[@Monica-kf6dt]

"You can always find an Italian, who isn't too picky" ahahahah

[@LaniAnne402]

😂😂😂😂

[@MrMrremmington]

As we all love this series so much they’re fools to not make more we’re all getting older. It seems the world can’t get enough of Downton Abbey.

[@gnostic268]

I can't stop staring at the purple berries on Violet's hat. I loved their costumes during this season the best 💜

[@susansingley9059]

The Dowager Countess is my favorite character ❤️

[@denisedoran8734]

The greatest series ever written.Fabulous cast,every single one of them but the two Dames were amazing 💜

[@m.layfette6249]

"One way or another, everyone go downs the aisle with half the story hidden."

[@盧璘壽로인수]

The question is will she accept Matthew?

[@LMays-cu2hp]

I continue to love this show and the way life was back then. And there are still many families who are like this even in modern times now!!

[@debraenderle4737]

The Royal Family has made it into an art form.

[@MahinderSG1952]

@@debraenderle4737, esp Asian families!

[@the8thchurch461]

@@debraenderle4737 Exactly.We have been deceived into thinking there is such a thing as modern life. The elites still live exactly as their ancestors did. Us the poor have been sold a lie so that we can continue to be poor and weak, despising marriage.

[@jpaxonreyes]

This in no way was how life was back then except for an infinitesimally few.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

@@debraenderle4737 I agree.

[@neilgerace355]

"We can't have him assassinated ... I suppose ..."

[@taylorharrison6607]

i love moments between Violet and Cora like when they’re reconciling in the final scene, just two women talking things through

[@KuchiKopi179]

I am just mesmerized by the interiors and the costumes 🥰

[@astridbirgittevern1877]

Maggie Smith completely OWNS!

[@rudyredcat425]

Everyone goes down the aisle with half the story hidden 😂😂😂. Literally spit out my coffee when she said that! Love Maggie smith

[@luisquijada7941]

I know that you have rules, and when people break them, you find it hard to forgive. I understand that, and I respect it. Gosh we need a lot of that these days, understanding and respecting other people's views.

[@oliviawarren778]

The “oh I wondered about that,” was flawless 😂

[@sebastianemond5313]

"I mean, obviously, Susan has forgotten the distance... *between the girls' rooms and the bachelors corridor!* "

[@preciousfox4740]

"In these moments, you can normally find an Italian who isn't too picky." I don't know why that line tickles me so much😂

[@yevgeniyaleshchenko849]

...because it's supposed to be funny?

[@randyprice1831]

"When something bad happens there's no point it wishing it had not happened. The only option is to minimize the damage" How True!

[@paulinesanchez3537]

That was the moment Violet became more open-minded towards her family. And boy thank god because Mary is just the beginning 🤣

[@SamanthaN92]

2:54 Love Cora's outfit 🌹👍👍👍

[@billhosko7723]

BOTH outfits!

[@SamanthaN92]

@@billhosko7723 For sure! Edwardian fashion is incredible 😍❤️👍👍👍

[@MorriganWarrioress]

Never was a big Downton Abbey fan, but I absolutely loved these two.

[@samprimera5545]

That last line.I love you Violet.

[@caswellpalmer3309]

I always thought this family might be approaching dissolution I didn’t know dissolution was already upon us hahah lol this woman is such a legend 😂😂😂😂

[@joshuag.4873]

I just love how Aunt Violet points her cane and invites herself to be seated...

[@jayt9608]

Actually, she requests permission to be seated.

[@galeria1807]

Random comment. I LOVE all of the costumes and fashion on this show.

[@hussainbinismail2655]

The best.. Best.. Best.. Series...

[@annefitz7346]

I adore this music as much as the show !

[@m.layfette6249]

"In this case Mary has the trump card." "What?" "Mary is family."

[@盧璘壽로인수]

...Mary Trump?

[@marleneorein9484]

Mary has the trump code

[@2legit64]

No one can play indignant like Dame Maggie. No. One.

[@the8thchurch461]

I love Downtown Abbey. Thanks for posting. I am weeping as it's coming off Netflix this month. I don't know how I am going to survive.

[@cristianeteixeira1856]

Tem na Amazon Prime. Estou assistindo lá 😍

[@naturazpolski9213]

WHAT?! NOOOOOOO 😭😭😭 Even if I watched the whole show already, still, I won't have opportunity to watch it again 😭🥺

[@Sobeknjord]

It can be watched on peacock

[@mtimm9023]

It's on peacock you know

[@staciecarrel4492]

It’s on prime too, at least it was last i checked.

[@KikiCandy_]

It's not often I've seen such a dignified accurate portrait of a fellow American conveyed through the English gaze. Too often we make an unfortunate habit of completely marginalizing one another into caricatures, both the United States as well as the United Kingdom. Cora is like so many amazing women I know and love. Sharp witted, wise, graceful, dignified, always a step ahead of everyone and exuding a tranquil organic sort of supreme confidence. With barely a whisper, McGoverns subtle performance has the impact of a nuclear missile.

[@frankieamsden7918]

That purple hat is one of my favorites!

[@My_Chaotic_Record_Collection]

Having seen an interview of Maggie Smith together with Kenneth Williams back in the 60s in which she talked about how much her acting was influenced by the comedy legend, I now can't stop seeing him in the Dowager.

[@charlesvanderhoog7056]

The writing is absolutely fabulous, brilliant. And never has a doager been portrayed so sharply and with so much acumen and with as by Mrs. Smith.

[@stefaniepoetting1255]

Cora could never dissapoint the dowager. She may not show it but she loves her Daugther in Law. She reads to many novels is wonderful. The lines the cast the location everything is superb .It is made for rainy afternoon with Tea and cookies on the sofa cuddled in a blanket.

[@JamesBrown-ij1px]

Television just doesn't get any better than this.

[@christineraffa-diggon]

I miss this show SO MUCH! ❤

[@fes5956]

“We can’t have him assassinated…I suppose.” 😂

[@SISSYKAY]

Mom helped her, Granny! ❤ I love when she twists her head like a rooster and when she shakes her cane in the air. lol

[@1201newyork]

I love this scene ❤

[@doris2793]

"For heavens sake...why?!" Gotta love Maggie Smith

[@tzimmert4]

Can we give credit to Dasiy for not saying anything below stairs all these seasons?

[@盧璘壽로인수]

well it's not her place to blab also she would be risking future unemployment by non-reference (e.g. Nanny West, Denker)

[@EmpressCity]

You're right

[@neywinm5431]

The Dowager always makes my day.

[@creativewriter3887]

And how horrible it is that Edith had to stick her nose in this and write the Turkish Embassy; not realizing should have destroyed not only Mary but also her entire family and her own prospects

[@FunSizeSpamberguesa]

Yeah, Edith did not think that through at all.

[@bkwrm85]

THANK YOU. I don't understand how people can be pro-Edith and anti-Mary. They're forgetting that Edith literally tried to ruin Mary's life in Season 1.

[@jameslyon2338]

@@bkwrm85 Edith only lashes out at Mary after Mary goes for her first. It's always been that way throughout the entire show.

[@coffeebean8790]

@@bkwrm85 The answer to why people, including myself, are Team Edith is because Edith was the unfavorite in her family, and Mary just had to make their relationship worse by bullying Edith. When I think about the incident with the letter, while I understand that the consequences could have been awful if the rumors about Mary and Pamuk were proven true, I also realize that Edith didn't write that letter for no understandable reason whatsoever. She did it after having to endure years of Mary bullying her. While I get that Edith may have said some things that provoked Mary, the fact remains that there were also instances where Mary insulted and belittled Edith without provocation. Not to mention that even in the cases where Edith provoked Mary, Mary just had to make the situation worse.

[@catkid14]

At worse, Edith's recklessness could have gotten Mary suspected of murder

[@violetbennett2407]

She is so funny, “take Mary abroad”

[@richardrosebealprestonjohn3144]

Superb acting!!

[@sabejreid2072]

In these moments one can normally find an Italian who isn't too picky! CLASS!

[@MearnieToon]

The girls being totally indifferent to their mother was so confusing and sad. Poor Cora a husband who married her for her money and three daughters who never gave her the love and respect she deserved

[@EM2theBee]

"She reads too many novels." 🤣

[@chitramohanraj26]

Maggie Smith is brilliant

[@sorl-w8p]

I love the way Violet carrying her cane. She swing it like a sword😂

[@scottross8578]

"In these moments, you can normally find an Italian who isn't too picky". Classic Violet. 😆

[@proteus404]

I just watched New Era couple days ago I am considering binge watching the entire show/specials/movies hard to find anything on tv that I enjoy as much as Downton Abbey

[@annsmith7207]

"Mary has the trump card...Mary is family " What a reaffirming statement about family -- that was never the case in my family !

[@emmad.176]

I love the appreciation for Cora in the comments and rewatching scenes with her gives me a new-found respect. I certainly appreciated her first time around but she wasn't one of my favourites. Like another commenter has said, I never realised how alike she is to Sybil and wonder how deliberate that was on behalf of the writers, director, etc. They even have the same lovely dark hair and vivid blue eyes, and when someone needs help, their characters jump to it. I remember Cora becomes more involved with the hospital later on in terms of management and it makes me think that had she had the opportunity to be a nurse like Sybil was when she was younger, she probably would have taken it :)

[@pblw4276]

Superb writing and acting. These are very dramatic scenes, but so understated emotions still powerful rendition.

[@georgiosz.9493]

it's so funny that Susan as a character technically has been around since season 1

[@wolfpack95805]

"One can normally find an Italian who isn't too picky" Or a cowboy. To the New World, Mary!

[@jan7143]

Maggie Smith is brilliant😀😀

[@heathermetz6576]

4:16 “I mean one way or another, every one goes down the aisle with half the story hidden.”

[@FannyDash]

I love the Dowagers She reads to many novels

[@jayque8187]

I loooove me some Downton Abbey. My all time favourite show everrrrr lol.

[@peteandpare]

One of my favorite parts dame maggie smith, was when Cora and her hubby nearly broke up when their daughter Sybill died.Maggie smith she was so clever after speaking to the doctor brought them back together. Shes amazing

[@EuroForUkraine]

"...i suppose". Makes one wonder just HOW MANY corpses Violet have left behind.😄

[@fabulouschild2005]

Elizabeth McGovern is an amazing actress. The fact she only raises her voice once in the entire show... and she isn't even that softly spoken in real life!

[@hussainbinismail2655]

I watch this series for 157 times.. And I'm still watching it.. I will watch until... I'm no more in this world😂

[@lesleycooper7544]

I am watching it again. Love it. And Maggie

[@justforlaughs1982]

there is no need to be so prim i come in peace 😂

[@barbaramuller443]

One of my favorite scenes: it is so well played und fun to watch! Just wonderfull 👏👏👏

[@cdfaulk]

Cora is written and played so well.

[@arabellamileham9978]

A throwback to another Maggie Smith incarnation, Aunt Augusta and her encounter with an unpicky Italian, Mr Visconti, perhaps?

[@l.a.7393]

So many fine actors in the show. ❤

[@RainAngel111]

I sure wish if I did something scandalous, and/or turned down an engagement, my family would "punish" me with a trip to Rome!

[@tmhwriter]

Siri, show in two scenes why Downton Abbey was a worldwide success.