Lady Edith & Marigold: Part 1 | Downton Abbey

[@kathieprater2431]

Samantha Bond ( Lady Rosamund) was an excellent supporting actor in her scenes with Lady Edith. She moved me to tears with how serious and personal Ediths pregnancy affected her.

[@marinazagrai1623]

She never had any children of her own, so she must have felt motherly towards Edith, when the latter couldn’t tell her own mother about her hiccup. This situation hasn’t changed much for decades, I believe.

[@MsTheo]

I love how Edith fought to have and keep her baby but the farmer's wife broke my heart... to get attached to a baby and treat her as your own and to have her taken away that was painful to watch as well

[@msbossvlog1528]

Exactly Edith was disgusted towards the Drew’s .

[@angeldsouza777]

While I admire Edith's resolve to be Marigold's mother no matter what, I can never get over how much pain could've been saved by she & Mr Drew *simply telling Mrs Drew the truth from the get go* 🤷🏾 They never explained why Mr Drew didn't do this, nor why Mrs Drew seemed more attached to Marigold than her own children, basically driven to near madness for love of her! Bizzare... 🤔

[@nina1522]

I felt so sad for Mrs. Drew.

[@nelsongarciaa9213]

I'd like to believe that, in hindsight Mr Drew would have decided to tell his wife the truth from the beginning. However, it would have difficult for him to know how his wife would have reacted to taking care of a baby from the 'big house'. As to why Mrs Drew was driven to near lunacy for Marigold is perhaps, the same reason we feel a greater loss when we are given something and then it's taken away from us.

[@amaryllis403]

I think it was Julian Fellowes' way of writing a storyline that highlighted the flaws in that system; the Adoption Act came in, in 1926 (I think?) and was created basically to solve this problem. Because before this, as the programme shows, biological mothers basically had the right to take their child back whenever and the adoptive parents had no say in the matter. I read an interview years ago where Mr Felllowes basically said that that was the reason for this storyline, but I agree it's a little forced as if Mr Drew had simply told his wife the truth things would've been very different! Plus that is actually Mr Drew's fault, not Edith's, it's him who suggests not telling his wife! (Also the madness is a bit far-fetched!)

[@angeldsouza777]

@@amaryllis403 maybe, but it didn't really make sense or ring true, & none of it is relevant if Mr Drew simply tells his wife the truth. Indeed, she would have been LESS likely to be as attached to Marigold as she became, if she'd known the time with her was finite. Even if Mr Drew didn't tell her it was Edith's daughter, he could've concocted a story about his alleged 'long lost friend' falling on hard times & needing someone to care for Marigold for a while, although since the Crawleys helped with the Drews staying at their farm, one would think she might even be happy to help them avoid a scandal. Mr Drew even says to Edith at the outset of their plan, that he & his wife aren't sure they've finished having children themselves, so it isn't as if she is longing for a child but being denied! As for madness being 'far fetched', the frenzied tearing up of Marigold's birth certificate, not to mention broad daylight kidnapping of a child - with her own children nowhere to be seen & entirely forgotten (which ultimately sealed the Drews expulsion from the village) to sit staring at her as she sleeps sure reads like madness to me... 🤷🏾

[@the8thchurch461]

@@nelsongarciaa9213 Perhaps Mr. Drew feared his wife wouldn't have handled it properly and that would have been the truth considering how she fell apart in the aftermath of Marigold's departure.

[@sophieamandaleitontoomey9343]

It’s still so sad to remember that Michael never came home. He sacrificed so much to try to be with Edith and none of it mattered.

[@harringt100]

I feel like Rosamund deserves some credit for not telling Edith, "I told you so." when she gets pregnant and Michael disappears. Of course, she did tell Edith so, and she was right to, but then she shows compassion and does her best to help Edith deal with the situation when the worst happens.

[@Sparkles-gp2bm]

The way the farmer KNEW it was her baby and reassured her she had nothing to worry about and that he’d keep it as HIS secret was so touching.

[@lauraalbert3607]

It’s so tragic that not one of the children have both parents living; George lost his father, Sybbie lost her mother and Marigold is also fatherless. Very sad!

[@rogerbourke9322]

I think that is consistent with the reality of the time, which is pretty much what Downton in all about.

[@lauraalbert3607]

@@rogerbourke9322 I agree. Just like Daisy’s first time visiting William’s father. Mr. Mason tells her she’s the closest thing to a daughter he’ll ever have, then excuses himself saying “Well, you’ll have your own parents, of course.” But Daisy rushes to correct him responding “No, I don’t have any parents, not like that…”

[@srekcark65]

It's only now watching these clips you can see how Edith is showing signs of pregnancy by the way her clothes are fitting and slowly showing a bump. It's something I never noticed whilst watching the series

[@harringt100]

Really? That seems like kind of a poor choice, given how long it takes most women to develop a bump, especially in a first pregnancy.

[@katie7748]

​@@harringt100Every woman's body is different. I've known several to start looking a wee bit bigger round the middle quite early on. I've also known a couple who looked rather small for being 8mo along.

[@JoanBrown-j3e]

It wasn’t a REAL pregnancy! You see nothing, it’s your imagination.

[@SamanthaN92]

During this time, having a baby out of wedlock especially for an Earl's daughter was looked at as sinful and looked down upon. Edith did not want to embarrass her family but she should've trusted her parents enough to come to them from the start and tell them the truth. Robert and Cora ended up accepting Marigold as their granddaughter anyway. Edith made the decision to sleep with Michael so she should've been mature enough to take responsibility. The poor Drews were put through so much agony all for something that could've been avoided 👎

[@msbossvlog1528]

So true if Edith had any compassion or common sense she would of told Cora instead of putting Mr Drew I’m that painful position. I felt very sorry for Mrs Drew and Robert should of given them 1000 pounds to start over.

[@marinazagrai1623]

Telling her parents would have made her feel childish and irresponsible, which she was, in part. She had to be secretive when it would have been extremely embarassing to admit she made such a terrible mistake.

[@Celisar1]

Yes, sleeping with someone totally makes you a mature and responsible person.

[@anayadegani626]

​@@msbossvlog1528 she asked if she should tell Mr Drew Mrs Drew the truth. He said it would be better if she doesn't know

[@anayadegani626]

​@@marinazagrai1623 Tbh Robert and Cora didn't do anything or show much attention or affection to Edith so she can't trust them

[@ashmitkumar3429]

Can't wait for Downton Abbey 2 🔥🔥

[@YaleinPrague]

I’m amazed by all the analysis and hand wringing a television series can provoke.

[@romulusthemainecoon3047]

I never noticed that Edith suggests going to a club and Michael Gregson just says all casual that he doesn’t have any plans to go out. What exactly was his plan if she got pregnant, which she did?! Edith could/should have left in a huff bit Michael could/should have also…not slept with her the night before he would leave, perhaps forever.

[@denisefreitas6727]

Happy that everything ended well for Edith and Marigold!

[@charlanetrapani30]

Edith is so beautiful ❤️

[@coffeebean8790]

As an Edith fan, I have been longing to voice my opinion on the Edith/ Marigold situation for a while. I have come to conclude that in that storyline, there was no villain, only victims. Here is my take on why I think that, at the end of the day, Lady Edith Crawley is still a victim and not a villain in this storyline. Before I begin this essay, I have to say that, yes, I do share Edith's detractors' sympathy with Mrs. Drewe and Marigold. I understand that Mrs. Drewe was given this child that she was led to believe would be hers forever, only to be told, in the most abrupt manner possible I might add, that the biological mother was still in the picture, that said biological mother wanted the child back, and that she was having to deal with the fact that the law was completely on the biological mother's side and there was nothing she could do to stop the biological mother. I also have posted in the comments on another video my concerns about how Edith's actions could affect Marigold in the long run. However, here I am going to discuss why I think Edith is still a victim, and how I think she has been more villainized than she needs to be. Let's begin with Edith's motivations in this story. I have seen too many people say that all of Edith's actions in this storyline were motivated solely by her wanting to preserve her own reputation, and nothing else. My response to that is that I have found out that in those days, illegitimacy was considered not just a blight on the mother's character, but the child's as well. I remember learning in my law school class on wills and estates that, back in the day, illegitimate children were barred from inheritance, including inheritance from their mothers. My take on that is that Edith is trying to protect not just herself, but Marigold too from becoming complete pariahs in that society. She is also trying to figure out how she can do so in a way so that she can stay a part of Marigold's life without both of them becoming social pariahs. In my opinion, there is nothing selfish or self-serving about wanting to stay a part of her daughter's life. I also suppose I should voice my opinion about Edith's decisions to take Marigold back in both situations. I have heard that in the case with the Swiss couple, there is undisputable evidence that Edith stayed on for a few months to nurse and care for Marigold in the first few months of her life. This tells me that the Swiss couple likely knew the circumstances. There is also the fact that Edith stayed in touch with them after she took Marigold back (e.g. that time she told Rosamund that she knew that Mrs. Schroder had adopted another baby). That tells me that Mrs. Schroder knew the circumstances, and that the two of them worked out an arrangement should Edith decide to take Marigold back. The fact that Edith stayed in touch with them shows me that she knew that her backtracking might hurt them, but she still agreed to provide the Schroders with updates and the like. Now I am about to get into the situation with the Drewes. One thing I have noticed that a lot of Edith's detractors do not bring up is the fact that the Drewes brought up the possibility of moving to another estate with Marigold in tow. For me, I think that this is the point where Edith's hostility toward Mrs. Drewe began. She started to see her as nothing more or less than the woman who tried to take her child away from her. While there is a thing about expecting Mrs. Drewe to get over losing this child she has come to care for and love, I think there is a part of me that can understand Edith's hostility towards her. I should also point out that, at the end of the day, Edith did not force the Drewes to leave Yew Tree Farm. We are shown from the start that the entire thing was Robert and Cora's idea. At no point in the story did they ever discuss with Edith herself the idea of making the Drewes move away. These facts are why I think that Edith Crawley is still a victim.

[@Celisar1]

I would like to add that Mrs. Drew not only had several children of her own but also that Marigold was only a relatively short time with the Drew’s. Mrs Drew’s obsession with Marigold is quite over the top.

[@janettewebster2151]

​@@Celisar1 That wasn't an essay. An essay has a brief Introduction to the topic, a middle elaborating on & proving the topics valid points & a conclusion to define the results. What you wrote was an unnecessarily wordy, word scramble that jumped back & forward & round & round denigrating all, but the birth mother & the birth mother's motives & actions themselves.

[@jpbaley2016]

@@janettewebster2151 Your comment informs me that you disagree with coffeebeans assessment but instead of providing your reasoning as to why you disagreed, you instead insulted the commenter. If coffeebeans wants to call her several paragraphs-long comment an essay, what would it matter to you? This is a comment section, not the media in which essays are usually written. There is no need to follow an essay’s format. This is not the domain of lexicographers or philologists. Seek your word crimes elsewhere.

[@mysticmikester]

Literally what just happened omg

[@janettewebster2151]

@@jpbaley2016 I didn't "insult" the commenter, I just pointed out that she obviously DIDN'T know what a "essay" consisted of. Is telling the TRUTH know considered as being "insulting"? She called it an "essay" & therefore should have written an "essay". An essay is as I mentioned & deals with the facts in a simple & objective form without the "I feels", or "Iguesses" in it. And the sources of the information must be denoted within the essay itself & listed in a reference section at the end. It's very difficult to reference "I feels" & I guesses. And you yourself used the same long winded essay form of writing in your reply, but fortunately you didn't call it an "essay".

[@genevievetaulier2892]

Edith est assez aigrie par l'attitude de ses parents qui lui préfère l'aînée Marie, qu'ils pensent plus belle, plus intelligente, plus cynique, plus apte à trouver le moyen de garder le domaine dans la famille en épousant l'héritier, faute d'avoir pu engendrer un fils... Dans sa famille Edith est toujours mise de côté, jamais écoutée, jamais considérée, c'est une solitaire qui devient une vieille fille aigrie. Aussi elle a peu d'estime d'elle même, et elle s'étonne qu'un homme puisse l'aimer pour ce qu'elle est. Elle accepte une liaison avec un homme marié. Jusqu'à ce qu'elle change de vie et d'état d'esprit avec ses articles, puis la gestion d'un journal lié à ses amours malheureuse avec feu l'éditeur, en quête d'un hypothétique divorce pour l'épouser, qui lui lègue le journal par testament. Cette émancipation sociale, avec la maternité non désirée au départ, mais finalement assumée envers toutes les conventions sociales et la morale de son milieu social, tout ça va bouleverser sa personnalité qui s'affirme, elle impose ses choix, elle prend sa vie en main ... et l'amour croise sa route avec Berthie. Edith est celle qui a le plus changée, le plus appris, la guerre et l'époque troublée impacte ses changements de mentalité. Elle finira par épouser un marquis et accèdera à un rang supérieur à Marie. C'est une revanche sur sa vie d'avant et sa personnalité franche et honnête vont l'y aider.

[@daisylouisecaldwell]

Daisy. I’m glad that Edith and Bertie finally got together after many twists and turns in their relationship. However, I agree with some of the comments, that the story-line of Edith’s daughter Marigold, was handled very poorly in some ways. The family adopting the child was torn apart because of Edith’s, Cora’s, the Dowager Countess’ and Rosamund’s deceit. They perceived that they could be ABOVE the lower classes; and behaved accordingly!! This part of the story line was not satisfying.

[@Sobeknjord]

Sad she did that to two families with Marigold. I like Edith but this was heartless and I wouldn’t be surprised if Marigold has problems in life due to being ripped from 3 different homes (the family in Scotland, the Drew’s, then the abbey when Edith married).

[@Stand663]

I’ve always wondered how they dealt with scandal, such as a unwed mother in those days. ? Morality issues I would imagine would’ve been very strict.

[@itsacarolbthing5221]

Many times, the children were taken away. During pregnancy, many girls were put into insane asylums, until they have birth. There were some that were never released. There are very few now, but this went on until the second world war.

[@dieterdelange9488]

Women of Edith's class would've gone to have secret abortions (like here) from proper doctors, but women of lower classes would've either had risky backstreet abortions, keep the child in poverty, abandon it, or smother it soon after it was born so that it looked like death at birth. Sadly, where illegitimate children were concerned at this time, it was always the mother's "fault", not the father's. The misogyny and sexual hypocrisy of the time were awful.

[@Stand663]

@@dieterdelange9488 Yes you’re correct. The women of those times must’ve suffered greatly. I’m glad the show put it all into context. It was times. Thank heavens society has learnt from the past, and we have open attitudes now.

[@EmmaKlokken]

I love Edith

[@carolablue5293]

Mr Drewe should have known better and nixed Edith's plan. It was bound to cause heartache.

[@hennagal7360]

How great if Bertie can give a good home to the Drew family at Brancaster 🙏

[@stephenbradley6285]

The people are photographed well, but the general environment misses out.

[@jmarie9997]

What episode was Marigold conceived?

[@missladyanonymity]

Didn't this man die off screen? Is this foreshadowing? Will he magically appear in DA2, back from the dead?

[@lanalove353]

This channel always uploads old clips from the show. He's definitely dead and not coming back.

[@missladyanonymity]

@@lanalove353 stranger things ha ve happened. Shrugs. I wouldn't put it past a soap opera to revive someone, no matter how old the clips are that they upload 😂🤣 Thank you for responding.🥰

[@boontagaming3763]

i'm not sure if you've watched the whole series but yes he's pretty much gone

[@fannycraddock99]

No it was all just a bad dream as you will see in DA2 when Michael Gregson steps out of the shower!

[@m.layfette6249]

If anything his death will resurface again during the rise of WWII. Especially if Miss Marigold becomes a war corespondent. There she unearths what really happened to her father, only to bring back the truth to her family.

[@蛋與妹妹的生活扎記]

I always wondered why they wrote Michael off....

[@robertandhollyscorpiofan2697]

The character may have only been needed to have the storyline get started or the actor was only available for those few episodes.

[@MandieTerrier]

I think he had another show.

[@robertandhollyscorpiofan2697]

@@MandieTerrier which is what i said. 🤦‍♀🤦‍♀🤦‍♀

[@rogerbourke9322]

I suspect that they were not able to contract him for the next season, like Mathew. On the other hand, the story line fits the times well.

[@jazzycat8917]

The showrunner hadn't figured out what his storyline was going to be, and the actor didn't want to be stuck waiting on indefinite hiatus until the writers made up their minds so he took other work that ultimately meant he couldn't go back for Downton.

[@litoboy5]

CUTIES

[@chillizora]

I felt soo bad. I was sooo sorry. But it was mr drew who f**d up the most

[@Rosepetalscreations]

Ya’ll know this IS a TV 📺 show right? 🙄🤣

[@stephenbradley6285]

The photography is wanting.Sets are good, but the photography is not the usual British quality ( or BBC)

[@jan3599]

So who is the child's father?

[@MandieTerrier]

Michael Gregson

[@kathieprater2431]

You watched this and didn't figure it out?

[@scott-h8w]

It was Gregson. He moved to Germany in order to legally divorce his wife but was murdered by Ernst Rohm's brownshirts after getting into a fight with them.

[@jan3599]

@@scott-h8w Thanks so much for your informative reply. 😊

[@hpavalferr7201]

💙☺️

[@barefootcontessa3112]

Anna anS

[@kathieprater2431]

?

[@gaiamorgosi7181]

I feel like abortion is a medical procedure that women can go through if they feel like, but I would not have wanted an abortion in the 1920s. Ok pro-choice, but goodness, it takes courage to do that at that time.

[@katie7748]

It's really just a sterile way to say m u r d e r. And a m u r d e r e r will always find an excuse to justify said m u r d e r.

[@beachflower2188]

Is that.........Celebrimbor??????/

[@chichiro8625]

This whole storyline was one of the most disgusting things ever happened in the show Edith abandons her child, lies about it, doesnt give a sh*t about marigolds siblings or her mother (Edith isnt her mother in my eyes), ruins the life of a family because she was too proud to tell the truth, seperates a family and traumatises the children and still doesnt say publicy the truth. Marigold not only got traumatised but will *never* be 100% part of the family she is now because Edith is a coward. I dont fell sry for Edith for anything anymore.

[@emmasysum167]

But that's all by standards for this day, not of the 1920s

[@chichiro8625]

@@emmasysum167 I really dont care in wich area this happened it was wrong! Edith was more than selfish and ruined a whole family for her pleasure

[@avoizing]

You're right but please remember that Edith never wanted to give Marigold up, she was in a very difficult position by 1920's society rules and things might have been much harder for her and the child. I don't condone the trauma she put the Swiss family and the Drews, but she was a young mother trying to the best for her child.

[@chichiro8625]

@@avoizing She could at least told the mother the truth Help the whole family (including marigold siblings, dont wanna imagine how they felt) Or just gave her priviliges up for her daugter like Sybille did for her love.

[@GoldenRose116]

@@chichiro8625 she never told mr. Drewe to lie to his wife, he choose to do that himself. And having a basterd born daughter while being alone is allot more damaging then marrying an irish man. Case in point, remember Ethel? The maid who hated being a servant, and got pregnant. She was reduced to being a homeless begger and eventually had to become a prositute. It was only thanks to allot of help she got a job (one she used to hate) in a smaller house. and that was only after she lost her child.

[@isadu9601]

Edith is a selfish and heartless woman that you can see how she jealous her sister Mary, and she had loved the patient, the farmer in his house where his wife was nearby when she was helping milking, she would be easily to fall to love with any men she was attracted. Luckily she met Bertie at the end. I don’t like her character.

[@cindyhalpern3187]

I see growth in Edith every single year. She is my favorite character. She is the only one to develop. Mary is the same selfish girl she always was. Sybil was great, but she always was, so there was no growth there. You can not base everything on the times we live in, you have to judge by how it was there. Edith was always overlooked. She became a writer, a caring mother, and high nobility. In the end out of the three daughters, it is Edith who achieved the most!

[@Hjalmar_an_Craite]

@@cindyhalpern3187 Yeah, but Edith did it while destroying so many things along her path. Like, I really cannot understand people who see Edith as blameless, she's as bad as Mary, just Mary owns to her character and Edith likes to play the victim even when she's not.

[@ticketyboo2456]

Edith is a hypocrite.