The Dowager's Finest Comebacks | Downton Abbey

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#DowntonAbbeyThis is the official KZbin channel for Downton Abbey. Immerse yourself in the much loved British historical drama and relive some of your favourite moments and tragedies, access to exclusive interviews with all the cast and keep up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe for more here: / @downtonabbey
Watch Downton Abbey on iTunes: bit.ly/DowntonAbbey_iTunes
Twitter: / downtonabbey
Facebook: / downtonabbey
Instagram: / downtonabbey_official
#DowntonAbbey

[@kauztuv]

"I doubt we'll meet again." "Do you promise?" She is legend.

[@salex9482]

😂😂😂

[@morganswilley2728]

One of my favorite scenes!!!!

[@Ladynipchick2]

@@morganswilley2728 But I keep forgetting the name of the male actor who is about to sweep away indignantly!

[@lisarussell8874]

That was my favorite zinger.

[@Arylwren1]

@@salex9482 and her follow up with the comment on the vase "chef's kiss"

[@syedmazharhasan6803]

No one, and I mean NO ONE could have done justice to this role other than the legendary Dame Maggie Smith. She is responsible for at least half of this show's success.

[@EirinnSiobhanMcFernweh]

She's the reason I started watching. I've followed her career for several years. She's an amazing actress.

[@katiemartell6520]

No one delivers sarcasm like the inimitable Dame Maggie Smith💖

[@aidgab1196]

I totally agree with you. I adore her acting ,sarcasm the way she handle herself. Magnificent.

[@nuschlerclark895]

Dame Judi Dench? Vanessa Redgrave?

[@syedmazharhasan6803]

@@nuschlerclark895 They are all good, but none of them are as sassy as this golden lady 😍

[@dublinjazz1]

"No Englishman would DREAM of dying in someone else's house"😅😅

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

Especially someone they didn't know

[@anutripathiful]

But just the colonists...

[@pralinec9247]

That quote sold the show to me.

[@annieh.8175]

That line was priceless...laughed so hard

[@ohwellwhateverr]

@@anutripathiful Go away

[@salex9482]

Lord Grantham: “Let's not argue.” Dowager: “I never argue. I explain.”

[@m.layfette6249]

"You know me, never complain, never explain." "You don't have much problem complaining."

[@mccune98]

“You think I could have a drink? Oh, I’m so sorry I thought you were a waiter.” 🤣 My favorite line from her. 😂

[@MeMeDaVinci]

You could say that to almost anyone now, at the very least in "Hollywood."

[@zapataattack5843]

That "waiter" line made me laugh the hardest out of the entire series. 🤣

[@rickgauer4559]

@@zapataattack5843 It could be a lack of understanding on my part, but do you know why Robert and Matthew’s outfits where inappropriate?

[@bradleywesterman4439]

@@rickgauer4559They weren’t formal enough. Dinner is supposed to be white tie.

[@rickgauer4559]

@@bradleywesterman4439 OH! I see. Thank you! 😁

[@nasser6692]

"I'm looking forward to see your mother again, when I'm with her I'm reminded of the virtues of the English" "but isn't she American?" "Exactly" ☠

[@IamMrLebanon]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@m.layfette6249]

"My poor niece never uses one word when twenty will do."

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

so basically Rosamonde's spiritual kinswoman lol

[@casper_z1259]

When you're in school writing an English paper with a word minimum.

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

@@casper_z1259 preferably an essay with 300-500 words kkkk

[@manusha1349]

"Don't be defeatist, dear, it's very middle class" - Maggie Smith is a Force of Nature ❤️

[@annsmith7207]

“Vulgarity is no substitute for wit.” Priceless!

[@kbeautician]

Sibyl’s comback tho: You started it😁

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

@@kbeautician Violet: shocked Pikachu face

[@choxxxieful]

Hear ! Hear !

[@Shane-Flanagan]

A very relevant phrase today especially when most comedians rely on vulgarity

[@carribyanadventures]

All the more significant to say at these modern times to the popular influencers

[@saiyanknight8243]

“I doubt we’ll meet again” “DO YOU PROMISE?” 😂😂😂

[@maybeitsalice]

for real I had to write that one down 🤣🤣🤣

[@juliag.5114]

The writing is fantastic of course, but Maggie Smith’s delivery and comedic timing is what makes this such an iconic character, flawless actress

[@aidgab1196]

Absolutely Flawless & Priceless.

[@yuniyonson]

Very well said.....she is such a wonderful Actress!

[@marinazagrai1623]

She wrote her own come backs, and she is a stage actress which makes it a lot easier to transfer to movies and TV while the reverse isn’t that simple. Brits and the theater…can’t be beat!

[@TheGrenadier97]

I initially thought she was some sort of villain, but she's actually the glue that holds the family together. Grand old lady; stern, clever, but surely caring in her own way.

[@m.layfette6249]

"Classic Rosamond, she's never more righteous than when she's in the wrong."

[@khfan4life365]

“I never take sides in a broken marriage. Because however much the couple may strive to be honest, no one is ever in full possession of the facts.”

[@jobotmang]

Too true.

[@CommanderLeksa]

"why do you always talk of me as if i were a salmon who laid my eggs in the gravel and then swam back to the sea" 😂

[@chrismoore5695]

The best line of all not included... Isobel: "How you hate to be wrong" Dowager: "I wouldn't know. I'm not familiar with the sensation"

[@m.layfette6249]

"If I were to search for logic I should not look for among the English upper class."

[@user-cf7pe3qg1c]

The writers must have LOVED writing for her!!!

[@m.layfette6249]

"I have no wish to be a great lady." "A decision that must be reinforced whenever you look in the glass."

[@jacquelineklinges]

There’s no Downton Abbey without Lady Dowager 🥹🙏🏻

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

then cry

[@mikelair9144]

Duh

[@m.layfette6249]

"Oh dear I'm afraid the war has made old women of us both." "I wouldn't say that but then I always keep out of the sun."

[@kbeautician]

THE SHADE!

[@m.layfette6249]

@@kbeautician 🕶️🔥💜

[@fieryphoenix2020]

And this is proof that whether she plays a beloved Hogwarts Professor or the Dowager, Maggie Smith plays some of the most savage yet caring elderly ladies who the fandoms consider queens in their own right anyone has ever seen that no one can’t see a role played by anyone else

[@a.katherinesuetterlin3028]

Indeed! The way she delivers her lines as Prof. McGonagall, especially when Harry and Ron show up late to class, is such low-key fire! Upon hearing lines like "Perhaps it would be useful to transfigure Mr Potter and yourself into a pocket watch. That way one of you might be on time", I know I'd be making a conscious effort to be on time to class. Besides, if you're late to anything where Dame Maggie Smith or her characters are present, you might miss all the low-key-sass action. 😁

[@michaelmccarthy5455]

Don't forget Mother Superior.

[@gailwebb9619]

“Do you promise?” My very favorite line and you can see both Mary and Robert holding back the laughter!

[@garyf5240]

“I will not suggest which of those callings the Princess Kuragin was most suited.” Lmao 🤣

[@user-fy7fw4cx2w]

“DO YOU PROMISE?” That’s my absolute favorite come back of all time!! 😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@nancyhammons3594]

And she delivers them all with a straight face. Dame Maggie is someone I would love to be able call "my friend".

[@abshaar13]

"So what! I have plenty of friends I don't like."

[@annikawolter1533]

That's my favorite

[@m.layfette6249]

"Your quarrel is with my daughter Rosamund, not me." "So put that in your pipe and smoke it!"

[@robboyte1101]

I honestly hope there will be a Part 2 to this. The Dowager has so many more comebacks left unshown, such as when she says to Robert "When you talk like that, I'm tempted to ring for Nanny and have you put to bed with no supper."

[@kbeautician]

😆😂

[@salex9482]

😂😂😂

[@yuniyonson]

I hope you're right!!

[@thedrunkencatlady]

this is my favourite comeback

[@HeyWatchMeGo]

The one that went something like, "Yes, I KNOW what campaigning is..." "Mary, will you be campaigning as well? Or would you prefer to take in washing?"

[@orangepurple8546]

These are excellent! She made the series a success, it wouldn't be half as good without her! "....what is a weekend?" 🤣🤣🤣

[@barbaramarafiote8621]

Saturday and Sunday. Fortnight is 14 days.

[@HeyWatchMeGo]

Thanks for the reminder Orange&purple! Hilarious!

[@nomadmarauder-dw9re]

The skirmish of the swivel chair.

[@m.layfette6249]

"You'll be rewarded in heaven." "The sooner the better."

[@lizjo7213]

The wardrobe of these characters is just phenomenal...

[@m.layfette6249]

"Her innocence will protect her." "For once I agree Cousin Isobel."

[@nulnoh219]

I love how they went from the 1st meeting "Mrs Crawley and Lady Grantham" to "Cousin Isobel"

[@krutisarma7118]

"Do you promise?" Wow that was really priceless with her expression.

[@bonitapretorius6061]

I don't know how Lady Mary kept a straight face!

[@m.layfette6249]

"Why do you always talk of me as of I was salmon, who laid her eggs in the gravel then swam back to the sea?"

[@SirSpuddington]

"Principles are like prayers: noble, of course, but awkward at a party." I've never even seen a full episode of this show and even I know how great the Dowager is as a character. :D

[@tfh5575]

“one can’t go to pieces at the death of every foreigner. we’d all be in a state of collapse whenever we opened a newspaper”

[@m.layfette6249]

"I'm leaving in the morning Lady Grantham, I'll doubt we'll meet again." "Do you promise."

[@m.layfette6249]

"What you think I might have a drink." "Dear me I thought you were a waiter."

[@jeffweyer811]

In these situations, one can usually find an Italian who's not too picky

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

which makes me wonder + imagine an AU of a potential marriage discussion between the Granthams and the Salinas of "Il Gattopardo"

[@alanbeattie1470]

If she opened a shop, her best selling product would be acidic one liners.

[@patriciajrs46]

She has the best lines no matter what film she's in. I was delighted to see her play professor McGonagal.

[@Julia-lk8jn]

'And so what? I have plenty of friends I don't like.' That is actually very on point. The meaning of the words has shifted a bit: a 'friend' could just be an acquaintance with whom you'd exchange favors because, well, gotta stick together. What we call a friend today would have been called 'an intimate'.

[@alexanderjones9572]

“Lawyers are always confident before the verdict. It’s only afterwards they share their doubts.”

[@m.layfette6249]

"Oh is her cooking so precisely timed, couldn't tell."

[@echolot]

the real MVP of Downton

[@jinxiejae]

The fact that that Maggie and shirley in a scene together just makes me so happy.

[@tonyhoward7004]

Stunt casting. Shirley was out of place, and out of her league.

[@beast6213]

"sorry about the vase." "Oh don't be, don't be. It was a wedding present from a frightful aunt, I have hated it for half a century."

[@anthonylagano2371]

Such a great actress. My favorite character of the series . She has some witty lines in Agatha Christie’s Evil Under the Sun . She says to Diana Rigg regarding their chorus girl days ..” You always could kick your legs up higher than the rest of us girls …and wider “. Classic Maggie 😎😎😎

[@m.layfette6249]

"Terrible idea she doesn't know anyone under a hundred."

[@juliag.5114]

under* a hundred

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

actual question, does "under a hundred" mean the British nobility/aristocracy in general???

[@mpb3481]

@@user-ix1rp9ff3p Under a hundred years old meaning she only knows very old people.

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

@@mpb3481 thanks for the reply I asked because the number could mean anything; and as I prowled thru the Internet, there was a (in)famous American society list called "The Four Hundred" connected with the Astors

[@m.layfette6249]

"When may she expect an offer to appear on the London stage?"

[@1997nick]

Isobel: "I think she's splendid." Violet: "I think she's cracked."

[@lessolomon231]

Needs updating--they saved her best two beauties for her death bed scene. "Everyone is talking so much I cant hear myself die"......then as she is taking her last breath "I dont want to be one of those people who say their goodbyes then never get in the car and leave"

[@terminallumbago6465]

Three. Her interaction with Maud was great too. “Maud, what are you doing here?” “You won’t believe me, but I shall miss you.” “Or have you just come to check I’m on the way out?”

[@user4488]

I love Lady Granthams witty humor, she reminds me of my grandmother.

[@annehunt787]

They left out my favorite, “Edith, dear, don’t be defeatist. It’s so middle-class.”

[@davidbrewer9030]

An excellent example of great actors combined with great writing.

[@carolineandrews7231]

Maggie Smith is a star like no other. How incredible she is as The Dowager. The Dowager has the wit and tongue of sharp steel ,and is outrageously outspoken and opinionated. And how superbly Maggie Smith reveals her wise and caring side as well.

[@2009grifin1]

I finally watched this series for the first time along with both movies and thought it was very likely one of the best viewing experiences of my life.

[@kristoffsayswhat]

The icon, the legend and she is the moment.

[@patriciaa4451]

My favourite line is "what is a weekend?"

[@aszechy]

"Does it ever get cold on the moral high ground?"

[@joannedenney5608]

I have a favourite season 1/season 2 line, when the Dowager drops in to visit Cora unannounced: "Good afternoon, dear" "Good afternoon" "There's no need to be so prim, I come in peace" hahaha

[@christopherstreet2214]

I really want a series that is about the dowager countess and her journey … she narrates with a mix of the current and new cast

[@starshinedragonsong3045]

Yes! Yes! YES!!!

[@clarisahernandez5280]

I'm thinking a prequel of how she became Lady Grantham.

[@cindilouwho8681]

Even my husband, who has not seen Downton, knows and thoroughly enjoys the Dowager’s most savage bits. This woman is a legend.

[@mariannezeno3888]

I cried at the end of the latest movie. She was my favorite!

[@stephaxil]

I want to add Isobel: 'I shall take that as a compliment...' Violet: ' ...I must have said it wrong.'

[@anthonysmith6558]

Maggie Smith ! Downtown abbey owes its success in no small part to this beautiful lady and her talents.

[@jeannearrington3970]

She will be greatly missed in any future Downton productions

[@m.layfette6249]

😥💔🎬

[@edanemorp1635]

So sad to think the New Era would be the last Downton production in which we’ll see cousin Violet😢.

[@m.layfette6249]

@@edanemorp1635 There's always the Downton Abbey Prequel. Of a younger actress shall play the Dowager Countess, but her voice and spirit will Always endure. 💜

[@user-ix1rp9ff3p]

@@m.layfette6249 eager to see how a younger Violet would be decked in "the bustle [late Victorian to early Edwardian], the crinoline [middle Victorian/Second Empire], and the leg of mutton sleeve [early Victorian]."

[@thomascoffin3273]

There IS no Downton Abbey without Maggie Smith.

[@Nicole91093]

Every line she delivers I crack up😂 love her!

[@cunajo1]

"Can there be a 'Downton Abbey' without the Dowager Countess?" That is the question now being asked by far-sighted executives as "A New Era" approaches the 100 million mark in revenue.

[@msbelldrum]

Her wisdom, charisma and wits are off the charts. The Dowager (or shall we say Cousin Violet =) is my favourite character in the show.

[@Eugeniadella]

She is the brightest jewel of the crown..... I cannot express how much I adore this actress.... 💕💕💕💕

[@logotrikes]

This woman is just brilliant. Irreplaceable even...

[@meechmushrooms]

"Why do you always talk of me as if I were a salmon?" Idk why but that line kills me… especially when she does that little chuckle! 🤭🤣

[@anthonysmith6558]

My favorite? Near the top, just so many to be clear cut. One thing for sure, Maggie Smith is the best!

[@meechmushrooms]

@@anthonysmith6558 She's awesome for sure! Her comedic timing is 👌

[@christyandhistory]

The Dowager Lady Grantham was always my favorite character. Maggie Smith was perfect in this role.

[@danbev8542]

I believe Julian Fellows, in trying to convince Maggie Smith to take the role, promised her the best lines. It appears he kept that promise!

[@caroleverist3192]

She is priceless as the dowager a very talented lady her timing is impeccable

[@mothmagic1]

Her straight faced delivery of some of the lines shows what a brilliant actress she is. I'd be in fits of laughter trying to deliver some of them.

[@erinrow399]

“It’s delicious” when sprat tries to get denke in trouble over broth. I die of happy every time I hear her say it.

[@melportolan5653]

I love the progression of her friendship with Tom

[@BeautyDiva100]

Dame Maggie Smith was given some of the best lines of the entire series.

[@xs10086]

Maggie Smith is the greatest actress in our time.

[@anyviolet]

Number one should have been: Isobel (paraphrased) "you didn't want to help Ethel and her little Charlie -- if you'd had to sell Charlie to the butcher to be chopped up as stew to achieve your ends, you would have" Violet: "Hmm well, happily it was not needed"

[@danjames4086]

3 words...'Do you promise?' Absolute perfection

[@ronnie7075]

Dame Maggie Smith is a Treasure, a living Treasure. This role was made for her.

[@Linda98671]

She is marvelous and I never ever get tired of her quips! Bless her heart.

[@thedavidj1996]

“Oh you two are dressed for a barbecue” and “oh I’m sorry, I thought you were a waiter” kill me every time 😂😂. Side note everyone sleepin on the comedy from Cora’s mother too. Her delivery is always perfect.

[@kbeautician]

One thing about the Dowager…she has smoke for EVERYONE.

[@axnyslie]

My favorite is missing here "If I could choose between principle and logic, I'd take principle every time! Just tell Cora I do not wish to see her face until I am used to having a traitor in the family!"

[@Kimdinh2311]

She is the best Granny that anyone could wish for

[@gardeninginthedesert]

"Do you think any of them know what the others are playing?" Jazz. I don't get it either.

[@nigelmansfield3011]

I've loved Dame Maggie Smith ever since 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brody'.

[@ivanahavitoff7308]

Well if I'm going to the the theatre I must change. Yes I would.

[@SamsungSamsung-tm9eu]

Мэгги Смит бесподобная в этом сериале:ее ирония,остроумие - высший класс актерства.Творческих успехов прекрассной актрисе!

[@missladyanonymity]

I know this isn't a comeback, but from the community post last month, my favourite line from the dowager countess is: "But I never cared for James. He was too like his mother, and a nastier woman never drew breath."

[@abenaasare.5738]

that's one of my favourites too!

[@morbius109]

6:06 - I loved that line. You could tell the Dowager didn’t care much for Lady Flintshire, lol.

[@thoughtfortheday7811]

Gawd bless Dame Maggie, she's fabulous!

[@LeDespenser1]

“….really, it’s like living in a second rate hotel…” 😂

[@johnmurray9526]

The delivery of her lines. The straight put downs and sarcasm is golden!

[@celeste7301]

Nothing will ever beat the waiter joke.