DA's series 2: The Ghost of 1914 - OR - Does Matthew have a mean streak? (part 8 - epi 2.06)

[maryme2]

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Despite Mary's best efforts, Matthew uses the best part of episodes 2.06 and 2.07 to accuse her of turning him down in favour of Carlisle, express ingratitude for her help, bully her for making him feel like a cripple, punish her for not choosing him when she could, and give her the impression that he wouldn't like her either if she was different (playing on her insecurities). And he becomes very hung up about Carlisle in particular. VERY. HUNG. UP.

Sacrifice should be rewarded

In the opening scene of 2.06, Mary pushes Matthew's wheel-chair through Downton Park. Matthew's facial expression is grumpy all the way through.
Mary: «I shall have arms like Jack Johnson if I’m not careful.»
Matthew: «I’m strong enough to wheel myself.»
Subtext: Then don't push me if you are so worried about your arms. / I wouldn't like you with masculine arms. So stop pushing me. / I find your «help» a nuisance anyway. I'm strong enough to wheel myself.
[They meet two soldiers, one of who walks aided by a cane. Matthew nods, then looks the other way, grumpy.]
Matthew: «I keep thinking about William. How he should be here. Not exactly instead of me, but sacrifice should be rewarded. He was the brave one.»
Subtext: [This may be a bit over the top, but I can't get it out of my head, considering Carlisle's reaction] I keep thinking about Lavinia. How she should be here. Not exactly instead of you, because you are my nurse, but as my official wife. Sacrifice should be rewarded, and she was the one, apart from William, who mentioned anything about sacrifice. She was the «brave» one.
Mary: «You were both brave. And I don’t think we can “should” about things that happen in war. It just happens. And we should live with it.»
Subtext: We were both «brave», i.e. prone to self-sacrifice. Don't judge me for my engagement with Carlisle, it was an instance of «force majeure». And I don't think anyone has a right to demand anything from anyone. I'm doing what I can. Talking of brave - where is Lavinia anyway? I'm pushing your chair! I have to live with my lot and you have to live with yours.
[Carlisle and Robert watch them from the house window.]
Carlisle: «Ought I to be jealous?»
Subtext: I don't think they are talking about William. / Ought she to be jealous? Be careful what you wish for...
[Robert doesn’t reply.]
Robert: «I’m sorry, what were we talking about?» 
Subtext: I'm sorry, what are they talking about?

Suppose Carson won't do it

The engagement plot thickens with Mary's visit to Haxby Park - because the house and the estate very much symbolise Mary's dilemma, as well as Matthew's: Carlisle can buy her the house and the estate her father could never leave her, because the entail has tied the estate as well as her mother's money to Matthew's title. The situation is explicitly discussed in episode 1.04:

Robert: «If I had made my own fortune and bought Downton for myself, it should be yours without question. But I did not. My fortune is the work of others who laboured to build a great dynasty. Do I have the right to destroy their work or impoverish that dynasty? I am a custodian, my dear, not an owner. I must strive to be worthy of the task I’ve been set. If I could take Mama’s out of the estate, Downton would have to be sold to pay for it. Is that what you want? To see Matthew a landless peer with a title but no means to pay for it?»
Mary: «So I’m just to find a husband and get out of the way?»
Robert: «You could stay here if you married Matthew.»
Mary: «You know my character, Father. I’d never marry any man that I was told to. I’m stubborn. I wish I wasn’t, but I am.»

When Mary and Carlisle visit Haxby Park in 2.06, it is significant that she herself refers back to the dichotomy between new and old money set up by her father: «Your lot buys it. My lot inherits it». Matthew doesn't know about this conversation, but he is well aware of the truth behind it. Matthew has been embraced by Mary's «lot» and is now a bonafide member of the establishement, who inherit. As the rightful heir to Downton and the title Earl of Grantham, he could have inherited a nicer estate than Carlisle could have bought for Mary, it would have come complete with furniture and paintings. Unfortunately, however, she wouldn't have been able to keep the estate after Matthew's death - while she would have inherited Carlisle's millions, entail-free, as well the their estate, regardless of the question of children. No doubt, this fact is at the back of Matthew's mind when Mary tells him about Haxby Park after her return.

As it happens, Mary is unenthusiastic about the house («But mainly, it’s just big»), and Matthew is immediately (gleefully) interested in seeing her face when she says that: «Can we stop? I’d much rather see your face when we talk». She has probably wheeled him around for a while already, talking, but now he suddenly minds that he can't see her face? To Matthew, Haxby symbolises Carlisle's shortcomings as a «provider», and now he is obviously intrigued to hear her talk in negative terms about what Carlisle's money cannot «buy» her - compared to what he could have offered her during his lifetime. So he starts to «question her motives», as it were («So will you buy it?»), shaking his head and waving his arms, and guilt-trips her by suggesting that her desire to take Carson with her may be construed as a selfish act that will upset her father and incur his anger («I don't envy you telling your Papa»). The effect on Mary is that he feel insecure that the deal might not come off:

Mary: «Suppose Carson won't do it?»
Subtext: Carson might not even love me enough to come with me in spite of his loyalty to my father. If you are so moralistic, he will certainly be.

Matthew: «Considering that he would open his veins for you, I don't think there's much doubt.»
Subtext: Carson can't be bought! If he comes with you it's because he loves you! It would be an enormous sacrifice he would be willing to make for your sake, equivalent to opening his veins, but there is no doubt he would do it because he loves you so much. There are people who make sacrifices for love... You of all people should know that. I would have stayed at Downton as a country solicitor for your sake, in 1914, even if I had been disinherited. So you could stay close to your family...

[I'd like to point out that Mary's 2.07 assumption that Carson would follow her to Haxby out of love, and her sharp reaction at his refusal («How disappointing of you. And I always thought you were fond of me»), which turned many viewers against her - that this disappointment is a direct consequence of Matthew's theatrical and idealistic «open his veins» suggestion from 2.06. As a matter of fact, Mary's gut feeling about Carson here is exactly right. The reason she was his favourite since childhood was that he considered her a kindred spirit with regard to etiquette and propriety (such as her insistence on paying interest for money borrowed), and the reason he planned to go to Haxby with her was to help her set up her own household with proper Downton etiquette, as he admits himself in 2.07: «You see, I think I can help her in those early years, when it's important to get it right. And if I can help her, then I must». Carson's chief interest lies always in proper etiquette - never Mary as a person. And if he can influence the etiquette at the house of the earl's eldest daughter, he must! It is Matthew who is painting Carson in a flattering light with his melodramatic sacrifice metaphor here.]

«I don't have to marry him, you know» - Another reverse proposal

The following part of the conversation may appear cryptic taken by itself, but it resurfaces in the Christmas Special with slightly different wording. Luckily, this helps a great deal to illuminate and clarify the subtext Matthew seems to read into Mary's lines in this episode. For the second time since his injury, Mary attempts a reverse proposal, only for Matthew to turn her down by questioning the sincerity of her offer. But this time with a vengeance: He pushes her into marrying someone else, or he won't see her again. Luckily, it will be Mary's own stubbornness which will surely prevent her marriage to Carlisle after this conversation, considering that she will never marry any man she is told to, but Matthew's threats lock her in an unhealthy engagement, which already pains her a great deal and which she may have to prolong indefinitely. Matthew leaves her no other options if she wants to save their current relationship. Moving forward - she will be separated from Matthew, moving backward, calling off the engagement - she'll never see Matthew again either. And he refuses to make her another offer himself - because he refuses to believe that she loves him.

Mary: «I don’t have to marry him, you know.»
[CS: Matthew: «You don't have to marry him, you know». ... Mary: «I do have to marry him. ... If I told you the reason, you’d despise me, and that I really couldn’t bear.»]
Subtext: Remember that I do not want to marry him! I'm a woman, Matthew. I have to live somewhere. Downton won't be my home when Papa dies. I have to find a husband and get out of the way. Where else can I go, if you don't want me? I don't want to leave Downton. The people I love are here, I'm safe here. Didn't you once say that you wanted me to be safe? Give me an excuse to stay. If you don't love me anymore, I accept it. I've blown my chance. But I don't want to marry any other man - even if you won't marry me. You make it sound like I demand a lot of sacrifices from people. I can make sacrifices, too. I'd break up with Carlisle for your sake. You can't even imagine what the consequences would be! He would no longer protect me against attempts to publish my scandal - I'd be notorious, a laughing stock, an outcast, Papa won't talk to me again - but I don't care if the reward is to be with you on any terms. How can I bear to lose you twice? Don't you understand? I wanted to marry you in 1914! But I also wanted you to want to be with me! I couldn't have said yes without telling you about Pamuk. That's why I hesitated. I wanted to be sure what kind of man I confided in, I admit that. God knows, your losing the title might have made it easier for us. I would have felt more confident that you would still want me if you knew. Back then, it wouldn't even have been too much of an inconvenience for you, no one knew outside the family back then. And if you had despised me despite losing the title yourself, it might have been easier to part ways with a solicitor heading for Manchester. But it was never my intention to hesitate to tell you about Pamuk only for you to leave me nevertheless. I ended up ruining everything, and I'm still paying for it. But now your injury has given me a chance I've never had. To come clean about Pamuk without feeling guilty. Let Carlisle publish my scandal. It couldn't come out at a better time for either of us - because I wouldn't «wrong» you the way you are now. It was only lust, Matthew. I'd redeem myself to you by devoting my life to you. I've already had my lover, so don't feel sorry for me for that reason. I'll gladly settle with the fact that we'll be childless - if you accept me as the woman I am just as I accept you for who you are. I don't care what people say as long as you are on my side. If Carlisle should threaten to ruin me, then let him. It's nothing to me. The only ruin that I recognize is to be without you.

Matthew: «Yes, you do. If I thought for a moment that I was an argument against your marriage, I should jump into the nearest river.»
[CS: Matthew: «But why? Not to prove you’ve broken with me, surely? We know where we stand. We’ve no need for...gestures.»]
Subtext: Aha! So you don't love Carlisle either. But you chose him over me, back in August! Well, I am an argument against your marriage, but not in the way you think. That's why I force myself not to dwell on that thought for even one moment. Otherwise it would kill me. Because you can't see the real reason why I should be an argument against your marriage - love! I could have given you all that material and emotional security you need, and more than Carlisle, but you didn't even consider that option for a couple of hours? You had to take the next train to London? To prove that you didn't love me enough to spend your life with an impotent cripple. You felt that I was good enough for Lavinia but not good enough for you? And now you've lost your enthusiasm and you come back to me, the future heir of Downton - because I am second best? You make it sound as if I was guilt-tripping you and you give in («don't have to»), but don't pretend I'm envious and that I really want you to break up! Far from it! I don't want a woman to stay with me because she feels that she has to. If you don't want me out of love, I don't want you without love, it's as simple as that. That's how I roll. I insist that you go through with your marriage now that you've broken with me romantically. You owe me that! At least have the decency to keep up pretenses! I sense that you may want to end your engagement for my sake but I would never accept it. Not now. Not without your love. I'd sooner die. If you don't go through with your gesture, I'll be reminded of the real reason for your past engagement every day. I can't even bear to think of it. It would kill me.

Mary: «And how would you manage that without my help?»
Subtext: Well, aren't we lucky that you can't walk! Because you are obviously an argument against my marriage, which is why I can already picture you following up on your threat. Let's just imagine that you are an argument. What will you do now? You are not strong enough to wheel yourself, obviously. So how do you get into your river? Don't expect me to assist you in your suicide, because I don't want you dead.

Matthew: «Well, I’d get you to push me in.»
Subtext: I do admit that I am - in theory - an argument against your marriage to someone else, which is why I can imagine this assisted suicide scenario. Actually, I do believe that you'd secretly prefer it if I was dead, even if you don't admit it. I can picture you pushing me into that river. You keep reminding me that you are my nurse and that's exactly my problem. That you seem to consider it a job, not an act of love. Because whatever your motives were for getting engaged to Carlisle, you did it to prove to me that you didn't love me when I was crippled. I couldn't bear the idea that I could ever be a nuisance to you. In that case, I would do what Lavinia will do in 2.08, and make you assist in my sacrificial suicide. Don't be mistaken: I do have the power to make you let me go, and furthermore, if anyone ever pushes me to the edge, figuratively speaking, it's you. So much for guilt-tripping.

[They chuckle at the prospect for some sinister reason that I don't understand]

Matthew: «Seriously, I can only relax because I know that you have a real life coming. If I ever thought I was putting that in jeopardy, I’d go away and never see you again.»
[CS: Matthew: «You don't have to marry anyone. You'll always have a home here as long as I'm alive.» -- Mary: «Didn't the war teach you never to make promises?»]
[CS: Mary: «In Mama’s phrase, I am “damaged goods” now. Richard is, after all, prepared to marry me in spite of it, to give me a position, to give me a life. ... He’ll keep my secret if I marry him.» -- Robert: «Once I might have thought that a good thing.»]  
Subtext: Let's pretend for a second that Carlisle was not an issue, that you were not engaged to be married. One of your own arguments was that I had a full and normal life coming. I could give you that, according to your own words. But I can't believe that your definition of a real life is what I can offer you. That you find it acceptable - despite your fine words when you first told me about my paralysis. I'm convinced that you'll always be on the look-out for something more. The reason I'm so tense is that I always have this danger hanging over me, that you would suddenly leave me to start a real life. Look at you, you're stunning! You'll never be out of offers! I cannot feel safe for one second that I in my present condition will always be an argument against you finding someone else, healthy. How long would you stay? I could never be sure. The insecurity would kill me. If you should ever force me to imagine myself in the situation, perpetually anxious about your leaving, if you ever jeopardize my tranquility of mind, I'd leave you forever. It's 1912 to 1914 all over again! Will she accept me, won't she? You know I'm not much good at building my life on shifting sands. I can't be sure, not of you or of anything, it seems. Those few weeks in summer 1914 have taught me that.
 / The only way I might find your rejection of me palatable is that you chose life and children over me. I could live with that. Possibly. But if you tell me now that you aren't even interested in that, what was behind your choice to walk out on me, get on the next train and get engaged to Carlisle in the first place? Except to signal that you didn't want to be with me? That I wasn't man enough for you anymore to have romantic feelings for me? And now you're telling me that you consider an unmarried life without status and without children better than you would have considered a future married to a cripple? That's the best compliment I ever got. Get away from me, woman. I can't even think about it. If you ever confront me with that prospect again I have to break off all contact with you.
/  I have already decided that you will have a «real life» coming by not choosing me, and I'm not interested in verifying if this is really true - contrary to what I signalled in 2.04 after the concert. I no longer care to get to know Carlisle better. I know he is a nice chap. And if I had an inkling that my presence in your life would put a strain on your marriage, I would leave you two alone instead of taking on Carlisle and protect you.

Mary: «You don’t mean that.»
Subtext: This is horrible, you can't be serious! So you are abandoning me to Carlisle, too? If I told you about Pamuk now, would you still force me to marry Carlisle so he can keep my secret and give me a position, give me a life? Would you have considered that a good thing? You are already putting my real life in jeopardy - because you force me to give up my idea of a real life. If I had been able to tell you about Pamuk in 1914 without the risk of you walking out on me, I would have accepted you right away, I wouldn't even be in this situation. I am already dealing with your threat. It has been hanging over me since 1914. You care nothing about my feelings anymore? If I am safe? If I am happy? Tell me that's not true. You don't even want to know why I suggest that I don't have to marry him? You don't even ask me any questions? I'd tell you if you asked me! Aren't you even curious about my motivation?

Matthew: «But I do. I am the cat that walks by himself and all places are alike to me. I have nothing to give and nothing to share. If you were not engaged to be married, I wouldn’t let you anywhere near me.»
Subtext: No. I'm dead. I can't allow myself to feel anything anymore. I am the cat that walks by himself and curiosity kills the cat, as they say. That's why I can't make any inquiries. That's what my previous metaphors meant. I'm no longer someone you can confide in because I can't handle information about you. I don't think there's anything comforting to learn about your motivations for throwing me over, quite the contrary. So don't start. I cannot handle anything deeper than smalltalk. I have to repress every volatile thought and every volatile emotion, or they would turn on me. If you were here with me and not formally engaged to be married, this would bring up so many hopes and so much regret and rage and anxiety that it would make me suicidal. I would have to break off all contact with you in order to keep going. Therefore, I threaten to leave you forever if you break off your engagement. In fact, I've left you already, spiritually.

Matthew repeats three times that he would sooner disappear from Mary's life than put up a fight, verbally or other, to prevent her marriage to someone else. In fact - under the pretext that he wouldn't want to be responsible for stealing away the life she ought to have - he also threatens her in no uncertain terms that if she should confront him with any information that might disturb his blissful ignorance about her motivations or her prospects concerning her marriage, he would break it off with her. Curiosity kills the cat - this does indeed seem to be Matthew's motto. This, of course, makes it impossible for Mary to confide in him about anything important, and she basically loses him as a friend.

I wouldn't really know what to make of it, but I find it interesting that Matthew nevertheless disentangles Mary more and more from Carlisle and comes physically closer and closer to her in his worst-case scenario. In addition to that, he always pictures himself as being able to walk. While his first threat consists in suicide by jumping into a river in case she doesn't marry Carlisle (only for Mary to remind him that he is in a wheelchair), his second threat consists in walking out of sight in case she doesn't plan «a real life» (with some undisclosed husband), and his final threat is the threat of walking around like a cat while remaining out of reach, but possibly within sight - in case she isn't engaged. Thus he allows her to stay physically near him (as she is now) as long as she remains engaged. Which is obviously the state of affairs he prefers best - her being perpetually engaged and him pretending that he wants her to.

To finish off the conversation, Matthew checks with a suspicious look how Mary reacts to his final «threat». Does he play mind games with her? Is that his new mode of communication? Threatening to abandon her if she doesn't do what he wants while secretly hoping that she might do the opposite? No wonder he wanted to see her face when they talked. Maybe he hopes she doesn't take him seriously. Maybe he wants her to defy him - because defiance is love, in his eyes?

While I'm a bit fuzzy on the details of Kipling' story, I also note that Matthew mentions the qualities which hitherto have been very important to Mary, i.e. that he can offer her a good argument, that he would be concerned if her life was in jeopardy, and that he has a lot to give and to share. Does he say that he withholds these qualities from her now because she is making his life difficult? Or that they are gone now that he is paralysed and feels rejected? Or that he doesn't want to remind himself too much of these other qualities she used to appreciate, because that would make the fact even more galling that Mary has turned him down because she overvalued the importance of his being able to walk round the estate on his two legs and sire a string of sons to continue the line?

A great improvement on the current situation

I think that's just what it is, as a matter of fact. Because if the whole Patrick subplot in 2.06 had any discernable purpose, I'd say it was to lead up to Matthew's little tantrum in the library. It starts with Carlisle's innocent (as if) claim that he's «not quite on top of this. Who’s Patrick Crawley?» Matthew, who is terribly clever - as opposed to Sir Richard - and very much on top of things, volunteers to answer: «The man who would displace me as heir. If he’s alive, then I’m no longer the future Earl of Grantham.» When Matthew says that, he looks incredibly pleased! He hasn't looked so smug since episode 2.04. He wouldn't mind being disinherited and going back to living on his wits (which could mean a career and property of his own). He looks delighted. Isobel is in shock. So why on earth should Matthew's mood change from smug to angry and self-loathing in only a matter of seconds? Why would he suddenly throw a tantrum, leaving Mary in tears as she looks at him in shock? «Well, he seems a nice enough chap. He’s not very pretty, of course, but he can walk ‘round the estate on his own two legs and sire a string of sons to continue the line. All in all, I’d say that’s a great improvement on the current situation. Sybil, could I prevail on you to take me back to my room?»

Quite simply because, in the meantime, Mary has told her mother that fake-Patrick «isn't like anything to look at», causing Edith to be incredibly helpful: «What’s the matter? We were all so fond of Patrick. You were going to marry him, for heaven’s sake! Aren’t you glad if he survived?» Basically, Edith claims that Mary was fond of Patrick once, that she was as good as married to him, and that she now might not be glad if he survived - coinciding with the fact that he isn't like anything to look at. [How anyone can claim that Edith has in any way changed her brain circuitry since series 1, eludes me to this day!] Sir Richard kindles the fire by framing Patrick as a potential suitor («Dear me, should I be worried?»), only for Mary to rule out any chance of her hooking up with fried-Patrick: «Certainly not. This man is a fake and an imposter, and I think it’s a cruel trick to play when Matthew’s been through so much».

That does it for Matthew! Using his disability as an excuse for her position against Patrick, Mary would rather think of her old flame as dead than deal with him the way he is now? She would even give up on the chance to secure Downton Abbey only she doesn't have to be with a guy who isn't like anything to look at? Carlisle has no reason to be jealous of a man who isn't like anything to look at? Mary is making an effort to prevent a well-bred man from laying claim on the title and on her because he isn't like anything to look at? She'd forget about their engagement, her obligation? She'd forget about her fiancé's kindness and his intellectual qualities because he isn't like anything to look at? She'd pick a life with Carlisle over all this? When she's just told Matthew that she isn't keen on marrying Carlisle anyway? And that's supposed to be a cruel trick to play on him? Because he has been through so much? What about Patrick? Mary has the impertinence to introduce the idea of obligation (her obligation to Matthew) and yet she cancels it out at the same time (her former obligation to Patrick), with reference to the fact that the man she felt obliged to has changed for the worse?

The thing is - while Edith is of course grossly misrepresenting the facts when she postulates that Mary was fond of Patrick and that she was going to marry him - Matthew doesn't know that! He hasn't met Patrick. He hasn't met fried-Patrick. All he knows is what he has just learned from Edith (or is at least been reminded of): That he was not the first «love» in Mary's life who was simultaneously the heir her father's estate, and that Mary would be unwilling to take back her former fiancé, whom she was so fond of, because he isn't like anything to look at anymore. She doesn't even seem glad that he has survived - because he got crippled in the war.

This is of course a lot to chew on for Matthew, and it shakes his confidence in Mary's past feelings for him to the core. It reinforces his belief that Mary had always been primarily after his position rather than his personality, it reinforces his belief that she is marrying Carlisle for his money, and it reinforces his belief that she threw him over in August because he would no longer have made a proper figure as the future Earl of Grantham now that he was an impotent cripple. The reference to Patrick's looks might even bring back the memory of Pamuk, whom she so evidently preferred in 1.03 - a stunning man, excelling at country sports, riding and hunting while Matthew was on a church tour with Edith. Should Matthew even feel grateful that Pamuk is dead, or else Mary would never have transferred her affections over to him? Like he should probably thank the real Patrick for being dead, because otherwise he would never have come into a position to attract the attention of Lady Mary Crawley in the first place?

Most importantly, Mary's preference for Carlisle over a former lover who has been maimed in the war really reinforces Matthew's prejudice concerning Mary's feelings for him as she walked out on him to have some tea in 2.05, namely that she had lost any romantic feelings for him in the wake of his injury. He seemingly had no function in her life anymore, so she moves on. What Matthew advised Lavinia to do back then, after hearing Mary's seemingly dismissive reaction to his injury («Blub all you like, and when Lavinia is here, you can make plans»), when he told Lavinia «Think of me as dead! Remember me as I was» - Mary is actually doing that to her former fiancé - deliberately! Yet again, it must seem to Matthew that he correctly anticipated Mary's reaction. In 2.05, he asked Lavinia to feel the same way about him that he expected Mary to feel when she left him for some tea. Romantically, he felt, he was dead to her after his return from the front as a cripple. Dead like handsome Pamuk, whom she had taken a shine to and whom she obviously grieved over when he passed away.

And now the Patrick situation brings back all those hurtful memories from 2.05. Mary «feelings» for Patrick have obviously drowned with the Titanic, and what might have been left was burned at Passchendaele along with his face. In the meantime, she has smoothly transferred her affections first from her beloved Patrick to Matthew and later from Matthew to Carlisle - and now she uses her pity for a crippled Matthew as an argument against her marriage to the crippled heir to Downton. «If I thought for a moment that I was an argument against your marriage, I would jump into the nearest river» - the irony of Matthew's apparent suicide threat from earlier on becomes apparent only now! Because he himself was once an argument against their marriage, because he wasn't like anything to look at in his wheelchair. Crippled Matthew was an argument against Mary marrying the future earl of Grantham. He got injured, jeopardizing her chances at a «real life» for the second time since 1914, and she immediately got on the train to finalise their break-up by getting engaged to Carlisle. And now Matthew would rather be dead than be reminded of it. Just as the real Patrick must prefer to have drowned rather than witness being turned down because he isn't like anything to look at.

So Matthew throws a minor tantrum and fraternises with fried-Patrick, his mangled stand-in. Acknowledging that there is an emotional bond between him and Mary («My dear»), even if it's only based on pity, Matthew asks her to reconsider («don’t be too quick to decide. You never know. This might be a blessing in disguise»), before winding himself up with a multi-layered statement: «Well, he seems a nice enough chap. He’s not very pretty, of course, but he can walk ‘round the estate on his own two legs and sire a string of sons to continue the line. All in all, I’d say that’s a great improvement on the current situation.» Matthew's speech isn't really addressed to Mary. In fact, he doesn't look at anyone. Neither is there a sense of triumph or relief in his words, which one might expect if he really wanted to go back to the life he had before 1912. On the contrary, every aspect of Matthew's monologue conveys the feeling that he frames himself as a loser in the current situation, and that he is giving up - quite the opposite of his demeanour only a moment ago. In fact, his despondency very much echoes his resignation from 1.07 when he told his mother that it would be better for him to return to Manchester now that Cora's pregnancy put his prospects into jeopardy and made Mary hesitate to give him an answer to his proposal. Should he be grateful for the death of Grantham's unborn son, too? Because without his death, Mary might never have regained her interest? Now as then, Matthew removes himself from the entire Downton-universe: «Sybil, could I prevail on you to take me back to my room?» He doesn't want to be the heir if there is so much cynicism attached to the position.

The exact meaning of Matthew's angry soliloquy hinges on what he means by «current situation». The current situation is that Mary is engaged to be married to Carlisle. She'll have to move to Haxby which is not a particularly pretty house, and she doesn't seem to care much for neither the house nor Carlisle as a person, else she wouldn't have volunteered to break off her engagement. At the moment, Mary is also still living at Downton pushing Matthew's wheelchair - and she doesn't want to leave him. The current situation is that Matthew is an heir who is bound to a wheelchair and who will die childless. After his death, the estate would pass to some unknown distant relative, since his line ends with him.

Now, however, Matthew suggests that Patrick's return would constitute a «great improvement on the current situation» at least as far as Mary is concerned (because she is the one he officially addresses). But why should it be a «blessing in disguise», rather than obvious? Who is «he», the nice enough chap? What is it that Mary shouldn't be «too quick to decide»? That fried-Patrick is an imposter? That it would be unacceptable to accept an imposter even if it would solve a problem? That it would be unacceptable to dismiss the real heir to the title due to scruples and guilt towards Matthew, who was already near-stripped of the title once before - when he's «been through so much»? Does he interpret Mary's statement as her feeling sorry for having turned him down in 1914 when his prospects had changed, so now he can at least keep the estate, thank you very much?

It's interesting that Matthew doesn't only lash out at Mary - judging from the fact that he doesn't look at anyone in particular (In fact, Mary is the one who problematizes her father's energy in the Patrick case as a «waste of time and money», as well as a «cruel trick to play» on Matthew). He lashes out at Robert, too, at the entire family, even his mother - for forcing him into this role of future heir which makes it impossible for him to be sure that he is liked for his personality alone. So he seems to suggest that the entire family should accept fake-Patrick's story - regardless if he is an imposter or not. They need someone who wants to become the heir, and they have a volunteer. Which would rid them of an inconvenience and Matthew of a burden. He would be stripped of the title and could leave Downton.

With respect to Robert's successor, Matthew is deliberately non-picky: Fried-Patrick is a «nice enough chap», he will do - no more (a slap in the face for Robert, who always calls him «chap»). The next Earl of Grantham, not very pretty, of course, but a man who can walk around the estate and who can sire a string of sons to continue the line. A great improvement on the current heir - or the current Earl? For Matthew, this «praise» of his replacement is also an acknowledgement of the burden of the task of being an earl - being a moral role model, keeping the estate afloat financially, and keeping the line alive by siring sons. A burden which has been heavy enough for Robert, as Matthew knows all too well. Marrying for money, no male heir, three disgruntled daughters. Naturally, Robert is shown with his eyes closed, listening with great pain as Matthew delivers his rant.

But then, Mary doesn't perceive of Patrick as a suitor anyway. Certainly not. She'd rather marry Carlisle - although she'd prefer to stay with Matthew at Downton. After all, her stated reason for opposing fried-Patrick is that she doesn't want Matthew to lose Downton. Which would allow her to stay on as well, as long as he needs a nurse. And just as much as Matthew seems to encourage everyone to be cynical and accept fake-Patrick's «paper trail» to fill the vacancy of a fertile heir apparent, he seems to encourage Mary to go through with her marriage to Carlisle. Maybe he is the blessing in disguise, even if she has to leave Downton and Matthew. Carlisle seems a nice enough chap (second best), he and Haxby are «not very pretty, of course» (compared to himself and Downton), «but he can walk ‘round the estate on his own two legs and sire a string of sons to continue the line». Which were probably Mary's reasons for picking Carlisle over him, when she left him in 2.05.

As it happens, Carlisle's money is his «legs». He can buy Mary an estate of her own, which she wouldn't lose after his death, and they can have children. Matthew couldn't have done all that. He was right in 2.05 when he claimed that it isn't just the walking which makes him a poor match compared to other men. «I don't care if you can't walk», Lavinia said back then, and he would have hoped to hear Mary say the same earlier. «I know you don't, and I love you so much for saying it», he would have answered, if it had been Mary - and he certainly would have loved her, preferably in every first floor room at the Great House - if it had just been the walking! Because, as long as his love life hadn't been affected by his injury, Matthew's love would have been his weapon against Carlisle's money. «Your lot buys it, our lot inherits it.» The line of inheritance. And he would have sired sons to continue the line, alternatively one of their daughters might take a shine to the next heir (wouldn't be the first time)... But the awful truth is that it isn't just the walking which is affected, and now Matthew has lost his trump card against Carlisle and his money. He couldn't even secure Mary throughout her own lifespan, if he should die first. Her mother's inheritance is tied up in the entail and there won't be any children. Now Carlisle can be both her wallet and her lover siring children to keep their estate in the family after his death. Of course she'll prefer him. The frustration in Matthew's voice as he goes on and on suggests that it is indeed Carlisle he is primarily concerned with.

There is, however, a third scenario covered by Matthew's rant: What if he suggested - between the lines - that Mary shouldn't be «too quick to decide» that Carlisle has no reason to worry?

Evidently, Patrick would be a more fitting Earl of Grantham than Matthew inasmuch as he can walk 'round the estate and sire sons to continue the line - but how would that benefit the present family, unless Mary married him? Unless she ditched her multi-millionaire Carlisle? Who was the reason why she ditched Matthew. What a revenge that would be - via Patrick! Because Carlisle can't give her Downton! He can't walk 'round the estate on his own to legs because he doesn't live there. He can't sire a string of sons to continue the line because he has no hereditary title to pass on anyway. Patrick a.k.a. the rightful heir to the title could give her access to Downton and the opportunity to remain a member of the aristocracy. That's a great improvement on her current engagement with Carlisle. Way to insult a rival! And way to guilt-trap and take revenge on Mary, appealing to a fiancée's sense of moral commitment, like Lavinia appealed to his own sense of obligation in 2.05 («I'm not saying it will be easy, for either of us. But just because it isn't easy doesn't mean it isn't right»). Basically, Matthew envisions that Mary repents her abandonment of him by ditching Carlisle and sacrificing her life to the family values she has internalised, by spending an unhappy married life with fried-Patrick for the sake of continuing the dynasty.

Of course Matthew knows that Mary won't do it, but he uses his speech to remind her of what she's giving up in terms of personal comfort by sticking to Carlisle - and what she has given up, in a way, when she turned him down in 2.05. Because, while Patrick could give Mary access to Downton, so could Matthew. A similar freak. He too could have made her Queen of the County - unlike Carlisle. He's probably even nicer than Patrick, who is only a «nice enough» chap in his opinion. He's not very mobile, of course, but he's at least very pretty - as opposed to both Patrick and Carlisle. And marrying Patrick wouldn't have been a guarantee that she can stay at Downton after his death either, because Patrick can't guarantee her sons. She might as well have chosen Matthew in 2.05, but she didn't. The element of unjustified hope, a hope that he might recover after all (which I elaborated on in the previous INTERMISSION chapter), his veiled appeal to Mary that she should take a chance with him («You never know. This might be a blessing in disguise») - this may add another layer to Matthew's argument. Anyway, the sarcastic tone of his voice is a strong indicator that he truly doesn't believe Mary would ever seriously consider being with him on any terms until the rest of his life.

Eventually, having implicitly cast himself as an argument against Mary's marriage to either Carlisle or fried-Patrick, and dismissing his own argument in the same breath, Matthew follows up on his earlier threat and «walks out» on Mary: «Sybil, could I prevail on you to take me back to my room?» He can of course follow through on his threat without her help, because he can always prevail on others to push his chair.

Also Matthew's next moment of self-deprecation is preceded by a reference to Mary's beau. After a second Patrick-discussion which ends on a positive note for everyone but Edith, Matthew receives smiles and pats on his shoulder as the family starts to disperse. His facial expression seems to relax, too, but he is quickly reminded that Carlisle is very much a fixture in Mary's life now. In fact, Carlisle is expected at Downton for the Armistice ceremony the next day, and now Mary tells her father that he will be joining them for dinner already this evening. She and Matthew glance at each other as she leaves the room, and Matthew's face looks slightly frustrated. «I meant what I said the other day», he tells Robert, «It’ll take a man who’s more than I am now to follow you. So don’t think about me». Meaning that he didn't mean any of the bits about Robert. The rest - apparently - he meant. About Mary. And that, with Mary moving on with her life, it's no fun to become Robert's successor.

Dinner brings a surprise guest: Carlisle comes in with Lavinia in tow - dressed in the same symbolic shapeless yellow Carlisle-blackmail dress she wore in 2.03. The moment at the dinner table is all about facial expressions. Matthew looks at her in surprise and disbelief. Lavinia says: «Sir Richard said you were expecting me but - are you?» Matthew and Mary's eyes seem to lock immediately, although it's only her face we can see. From her reaction, we sense that he accuses her with looks alone, and that she is on the defensive. After all, Lavinia came with Carlisle, Mary knew that Carlisle was driving up, so did she... With her eyes, Mary signal to Matthew explicitly that she had no idea. He looks at Lavinia a second time, his eyes almost welling up with tears, before his face takes on an angry and frustrated expression. He turns his head the other way, casting a resentful glance in Mary's direction. No matter if Mary knew or not (and he may not even believe her), Lavinia wouldn't have returned to Downton without Carlisle, who is evil. And Carlisle wouldn't have been in a position to pull a maneuvre like that if his relationship with Mary hadn't been as advanced as it is - if they had never become formally engaged the same day she learned about Matthew's injury. From this moment until the end of episode 2.08, Carlisle and Lavinia have amalgamated in Matthew's mind. Carlisle's existence in Mary's life is the reason for Lavinia's continued existence in his own life, against his orders. When he thinks about Lavinia, he is invariably reminded of Carlisle. They are practically the same problem.

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