Andorra

To be honest, I think Julian Ovenden has way to much of a tight schedule to be much in the last episodes.

This week he's filming somewhere (he also posteda pic out of a plane a few days ago). If it is with Jasom Stratham, it is probably the movie "Spy" which is currently filming. He can't have a big part if he just films a few days and we know he has to be in London next week for the start of the rehearsals for his new musical play "A night with Reg".

I can't speak for Musical (never did one), but I worked at the opera and when we had rehearsals for a new production, we he rehearsed every day for about 5 weeks. Premiere of "A night with Reg" is on July 31st. I don't see how he will be able to do much filming for Downton during that time.

This week they filmed in Ealing, so this week doesn't count. But next week or the week after that, they'll have to go to Highclere, since the filming there must stop July 10th the latest. Monday after that the house opens for the summer to the public.

So all scenes for Episode 7/8 and the CS that take place in Highclere will be filmed in the next 2 or 3 weeks and it's just these weeks that JO will have his rehearsals.

I don't think the first picture of Edith with a child that they release of 5th season will be with some random child. It also is definitely not Sybbie. She is way too young for Sybbie who is played by an almost 5 year old. Also we've seen pics of Fifi Hart who plays Sybbie and she doesn't look like that little girl.

I think the girl is about 1.5 years old. We know Edith's daughter is played by twins, which means they must be under 2 years old otherwise they could have cast one child to play her.

I think this is Edith's child and she goes and visits it at Drewe's farm.

Andorra

BTW, the pictures from the hunt are from Episode 1 or 2. I posted this:

In the old Spoiler-thread in March, a few days before they started shooting for Episode 3 and 4.

SannraB

It`s risky by JF to create two sides concerning Mary admirers. With Matthew they all had agreed, now they are split. I just hope that there' ll be a satisfactory solution for all at the end.

I personally can not stand Gillingham. I find him boring and not very diverse. Blake is a strong character, as well as Mary is. He brings Mary to reflect on her life and to see things differently. She needs that, especially with regard to her new position in life.

But I must say, just towards the end of season 4, all admirers have a bit annoyed. Mary could not take a step without them. As a man, I would have shown pride and an left her alone, until she's ready for more.

If it' s not Blake, I think it would also be okay if it' s not one of the three, but a completely different person who is liked by all fans.

And because of the rumors: Many are artificially set to make it more exciting. I would not be surprised if there are as many photos of Mary and Blake, as there are of Mary and Gillingham. The only question is, what belief / delusion you want to convey ...

Andorra

Looks like they're still in Ealing this week. Charlie Watson, who plays the Hallboy has complained today about the early morning call after a sleepless night . They were filming in Ealing last week, too.

So I guess it will be Highclere next week and the week after that and then they must wrap up there, because the house opens to the publick for the summer.

Daisy Lewis is expected in Romania tomorrow. So it's safe to say she won't film any Highclere scenes for Episode 7, 8 or the CS!

I'm really happy it looks like Sarah Bunting is gone for good!

Andorra

They're filming in Highclere at last! The head of the chef of Highclere tweeted two pictures of the filming.





Source: twitter

northboundtrain

Yeah, I agree. I think he thought that he needed to draw the audience in with the question of which suitor she'll choose. But I wonder if he realized that, in presenting Mary with several options, he was going to end up causing division in the audience?

Then again, I'm sure most viewers will keep watching regardless of which man she'll choose. I don't like Tony or Evelyn, but if she chooses one of them I'll keep watching. And when I've talked to friends and family members about the show, some of them have even had trouble remembering which man is which, and/or don't remember their names.

So I think maybe the number of fans who care deeply about one man over the other two are in the minority.


I agree, Tony's terribly boring. That was another reason why I was pretty convinced that he wasn't going to be Mary's choice -- even the majority of critics appeared to agree that Charles got the most personality out of the three suitors. And like you, I feel that he's the best choice to draw Mary out and help her "believe in the future."

Ultimately, if JF's vision for the show is Mary entering into a union with a forward-thinking man who has one foot in the new world (his ideas to save Downton) and one foot in the old one (his lineage), as Matthew did, then Charles is the best choice.


I actually could have done with things going a little more slowly -- I was initially a little disappointed that in the season finale Charles indicated that he wanted to court Mary, because I wanted the slow-burn between them to drag out longer.


If it can't be him (though I want it to be so badly!), yeah, I'd want someone else, because Tony and Evelyn don't cut it for me by any stretch of the imagination.


Another good point.

puffball7

I'm not sure about Julian Ovenden not being able to be on DA due to doing a theatre show, because Samantha Bond (Aunt Rosamund) was on the One Show tonight, promoting the musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels that she is in at the moment at the Savoy Theatre in London. They talked about her having to juggle doing the show whilst still filming for Downton.

She said that when she finishes the show at night a driver picks her up and takes her back to her hotel to get some sleep, then the Downton driver arrives at 6.10am to take her to the DA film set. She said that she's been doing this for about the past 2 months.

So it could be possible that they might do a similar thing with JO if he's still in the story?

And, I don't know if anyone remembers, but Allen Leech was in a play in the West End at the beginning of series 2 filming and he said he had to do both for a few weeks until the play finished it's run, which he said was interesting because the play involved him consuming quite a lot of lager each performance, which meant he was either drunk or hung over on set for the first couple of episodes!

So it might be possible that Charles Blake is still in the picture?

lipsticklullabies

Some of you have probably already seen it, but there's a teaser trailer out:



It's just a new Carson monologue about change (lol how surprising) over bits from the credits/the theme tune but press season's really beginning to kick off!

Andorra

The problem is not when you're DOING the show. But Julian Ovenden is REHEARSING the show. They don't do that in the night. They do it over the day. Usually for 5-6 weeks and between 9am and 4 pm. He's "starring" in the show, so he will be in almost every scene. Since it is a musical it is not only stage rehearsals, but also musical rehearsals. They're all not held in the evening. They're not POSSIBLE to be held in the evening, because the theater has ongoing performances every night.

It's about an hour drive to Highclere. Even if he finishes at 3pm in the afternoon with his rehearsals, he can't start filming before 5pm in the evening (and that's not counting afternoon traffic in London). I think that's impossible.

They also can't film in Highclere over the weekend, since it's in the show's contract that Friday, Saturday and Sunday are free from filming there, because they rent it out for weddings.

So I honestly don't see how he can be in Episode 7 or 8. The CS could be possible, since his premiere is July 31st, so he could film after that. But where? The Highclere scenes must be over then, because they wrap filming there in Mid July.

Maybe the CS won't be in Downton and the family is going away again. That could be possible. If Blake is in the last episodes, it can't be only a very short cameo with one or two scenes. Chris Carr came back for Episode 8 last year and only shot the scene with Mary on one day. I guess that is possible for JO, too even through rehearsals. But that's not what you'd expect for the decided love interest, isn't it?

My bet is that the choice isn't Charles Blake. Julian Fellows doesn't write the show around the actor's schedules. Tom Cullen said he had to "clear his schedule for Downton for half a year" in 2014. I bet it's in their contract that they can, of course, accept other projects when they have a break in the show, but they can't demand to be written out because of other projects. I think that is possible for Hugh Bonneville or for EMG, but for a completely new cast member who is just in his second season with the show? I doubt it.

SannraB

Well, i don't really know what JF had in mind when he decided going that way. Maybe he wasn't brave enough to write only one character. Don't forget, Marys new love interest will replace Matthew! Many fans would feel like that und they would compare the "new one" with the "old one". And i bet the new love interest would loose against Matthew very early, because Matthew had been too important. So, what if JF would have choosen only one guy as "the one" and then nobody could stand him? That's a risk. So he gave us three guys to decide. I hope this wasn't the masterplan, because we can't decide as a majority.

I don't know if they are in a minoritiy, because it's a typical womenlike behavior. When you are watching DA you automatically ask yourself "Who would i choose?". I think that's a genetical reaction But i agree, i'll also continue watching DA, no matter what kind of decision she'll make.

Mary and Charles are very similar in their character. Both are very dominant and proud. They need someone to challenge and, what is more important, they need someone who changes them. Mary needed Matthew not because he was a Yes-Man, he was an antagonist, who changed her in a very positive way. And with Blake it's the same. Gillingham can't do that, he doesn't want to fall in disgrace that much.

I felt similar. It had been too much at the end. But well...i hope we'll get more good moments in S5. The Problem is, that Mary isn't in love yet. Neither in Gillingham, nor in blake, nor in Napier. Wenn Mary falls in love with someone and she realises it then she starts to get closer, not before. She has to conquer the man not the other way around.


Yes that would be the best way. But we don't give up hope.

Andorra

I think - if one of the suitors is going to "win" - Julian Fellows will make him shine somehow in the upcoming series. No way will he allow half of the Mary fandom to be disappointed.

My guess is actually that it will neither Blake nor Tony. I think Tony will fall in love with Rose. She's young, beautiful, lively and they showed chemistry in the CS. She would make him happy and he would be a slightly amused, indulgent husband who would accompany her to parties etc.
I think they would make a very cute couple. We know Shrimpy will come back and that Rose is going to leave Downton. What better way than to marry her off to Tony? They could return for a CS in a later season and would be mentioned now and then by the others.

Also Mary's "I might have done something that I might regret for years to come" would come true. She's attracted to Tony and doesn't like the fact that she is. It would be a great storyline when for once there was man she can't have in the end.

Blake will leave disappointed IMO.

And the dark house could be Napier. He was so overlooked in season 4 and still he was the only one of the three suitors, who had his own Music-theme for example, while Blake and Gillingham shared one. He also was the only one who interacted a bit with the rest of the family (Violet and Cora) and he was the only one who gave Mary space and went to France instead of pursuing her actively.

I'll go with Allen Leech and say: My bet is on Napier

mrs. g

https://tv.yahoo.com/news/watch-down...182147508.html


new season teaser

puffball7

[QUOTE=Andorra;76698836]The problem is not when you're DOING the show. But Julian Ovenden is REHEARSING the show. They don't do that in the night. They do it over the day. Usually for 5-6 weeks and between 9am and 4 pm. He's "starring" in the show, so he will be in almost every scene. Since it is a musical it is not only stage rehearsals, but also musical rehearsals. They're all not held in the evening. They're not POSSIBLE to be held in the evening, because the theater has ongoing performances every night.

[/QUOTE

Good point, didn't think of that!

NikNak

SannraB

Yes, otherwise it would be implausible.

Hey, that's an extraordinary idea! I've never thought of it. But why not? They would make an attractive couple and they would integrate well into society. Rose is still very young, but I can imagine that he will guide her well. Don't forget, Tony must marry soon, he said it himself...

What I've asked myself: When was the time when Tony fell in love with Mary? It happened very quickly, which was the decisive moment?

It's so crazy because i first rooted for Evelyn. But he somehow got invisible during the fourth season. He isn't that fast forward as Tony or Charles are and he doesn't seem to convince Mary yet of the seriousness of his feelings.
But well...maybe this is the right plan and he'll have great moments in season 5! It's too early to say something yet because we need more details and scenes first. But i think they'll make a good couple.
What irritates me is, that Brendan Patricks hasn't been mentioned in the cast yet. So i'm a bit confused. I hope he'll still be in the series.