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Rushfield Babylon

where it all went wrong
Writer, reporter, Idol chronicler, seer. Contact: rr at richardrushfield dot com

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  • February 7, 2012 3:45 am
    Complete Census of the Characters on Downton Abbey, In Light of Episode Five, Her Majesty’s Season Two.
(Ranked in order from most noble to most loathsome)
1.Carson.Pro: Man of SteelCon: Will soon be butlering for a glorified carnival barker
2.DaisyPro: The greatest artist of her age.Con: Must carry the burden for the rest of her days that they made her lie to William about liking him and then have to be married to him for six hours.
3. Violet, Dowager CountessPro:  The only woman on Earth for whom the word dignity still has any meaning apparently.Con: The dispatching of that horrible Crawley creature was too clever by half and surely she will live to regret letting her escape rather than putting an end to her.  You can’t just send a beast like that to go chase a ball down the hill and think you are done with her.  May well have been the critical mistake that brings down a thousand years of Grantham
4. Thomas:Pro: Having passed through the forge of letting himself get shot in the hand and having the one guy he liked die, there is now no force in the universe that can stop Thomas.Con: When he gets his hands on the wheels of power, he’ll likely kill off half of his own countrymen and destroy the entire planet in a needless war of conquest.  But the uniforms will be flawless.5. Lady EdithPro: Can so relate to amnesiac burn victims.  Especially when they can make her Countess and not Mary.Con: Needs to learn to stand up to farmer’s wives a little better.
6. O’BrienPro: Sees through these fools as though they were made of glass.Con: Keeps drifting into sentimental sympathies for all and sundry.  Heavy rests the head that wears the crown, O’Brien.  Keep the head up straight so it doesn’t topple off.
7.Vera BatesPro: A woman of panache and style.  The Joan Collins of Downton.Con: Dead.
8. Robert, Earl of GranthamPro: He may not be a soldier but he knows how to wear a uniform.  Sits and reads the newspaper like he was the Duke of Wellington himself.Con: No Earl of Grantham in my day would have let a bunch of indigent yobs set up a ping pong table in his study.
9. Sir RichardPro: Understands that blackmailing your fiance need be no obstacle to a happy union.Con:  Admire his moxie though we may, in the end, Carson poaching is unacceptable behavior in a gentleman.
10.Lady MaryPro: Has killed only one Indian consol in her bed.Con: Given the choice between the paperboy and full of himself old Matthew, I’d take the amnesiac burn victim any day.
11. Cora, Countess of GranthamPro: Shows very sound judgement in choosing O’Brien as her consigliere.Con: You would think she actually wants her daughter to marry a paperboy!
12. PatrickPro: Didn’t die on the TitanicCon: Didn’t fool me either with that I remember your mean governess line. Will have to do much better than that. 
13. Bates and AnnaPro: Would be impressive if Bates had indeed had the passion to kill someone.Con: The pair bave become the Jim and Pam of Downton.  Just go off and open a bed and breakfast together already.  Just please stop talking about it.
14.Lady SibylPro: Knows her way around a turban.Con: You’d think the silly thing had never seen an Irish chauffeur before
15. Mrs. HughesPro: Does her duty, that is all one can say.Con: Her unfortunate habit of stashing fallen women in ramshackle shanties will lead her to ruin.
16.MoseleyPro: Deserve’s a knighthood for hanging around the cottage with the Crawleys all day.Con: A coward and traitor to his country.
17. William the FootmanPro: DeadCon: Saved Matthew’s life.  Guilted Daisy into marrying him with his war and his dying.
18. Branson the Chauffeur Pro: Had the guts at least to try and put something gross in the General’s soup.Con: Bolshevik rabble.  Picked the least interesting sister to ruin.
19. Matthew CrawleyPro: At least he’s got a semi-legitimate excuse for being an insufferable bore now.Con: His dullness is a dangerous weapon, lulling innocent women into a stupor they can easily confuse with love.
20. Lavinia SquirePro: Wins the Dickensian Name Sweepstakes DebryCon: I’ve seen more compelling drips from my kitchen faucet.
21. Isobel CrawleyPro: Her line will die with Matthew.Con: Not soon enough
22. Dr. ClarksonPro: His moustache survived the war intact and with no lost vigor.Con: Take your ping pong table and get out already. View high resolution

    Complete Census of the Characters on Downton Abbey, In Light of Episode Five, Her Majesty’s Season Two.

    (Ranked in order from most noble to most loathsome)

    1.Carson.
    Pro: Man of Steel
    Con: Will soon be butlering for a glorified carnival barker

    2.Daisy
    Pro: The greatest artist of her age.
    Con: Must carry the burden for the rest of her days that they made her lie to William about liking him and then have to be married to him for six hours.

    3. Violet, Dowager Countess
    Pro:  The only woman on Earth for whom the word dignity still has any meaning apparently.
    Con: The dispatching of that horrible Crawley creature was too clever by half and surely she will live to regret letting her escape rather than putting an end to her.  You can’t just send a beast like that to go chase a ball down the hill and think you are done with her.  May well have been the critical mistake that brings down a thousand years of Grantham

    4. Thomas:
    Pro: Having passed through the forge of letting himself get shot in the hand and having the one guy he liked die, there is now no force in the universe that can stop Thomas.
    Con: When he gets his hands on the wheels of power, he’ll likely kill off half of his own countrymen and destroy the entire planet in a needless war of conquest.  But the uniforms will be flawless.

    5. Lady Edith
    Pro: Can so relate to amnesiac burn victims.  Especially when they can make her Countess and not Mary.
    Con: Needs to learn to stand up to farmer’s wives a little better.

    6. O’Brien
    Pro: Sees through these fools as though they were made of glass.
    Con: Keeps drifting into sentimental sympathies for all and sundry.  Heavy rests the head that wears the crown, O’Brien.  Keep the head up straight so it doesn’t topple off.

    7.Vera Bates
    Pro: A woman of panache and style.  The Joan Collins of Downton.
    Con: Dead.

    8. Robert, Earl of Grantham
    Pro: He may not be a soldier but he knows how to wear a uniform.  Sits and reads the newspaper like he was the Duke of Wellington himself.
    Con: No Earl of Grantham in my day would have let a bunch of indigent yobs set up a ping pong table in his study.

    9. Sir Richard
    Pro: Understands that blackmailing your fiance need be no obstacle to a happy union.
    Con:  Admire his moxie though we may, in the end, Carson poaching is unacceptable behavior in a gentleman.

    10.Lady Mary
    Pro: Has killed only one Indian consol in her bed.
    Con: Given the choice between the paperboy and full of himself old Matthew, I’d take the amnesiac burn victim any day.

    11. Cora, Countess of Grantham
    Pro: Shows very sound judgement in choosing O’Brien as her consigliere.
    Con: You would think she actually wants her daughter to marry a paperboy!

    12. Patrick
    Pro: Didn’t die on the Titanic
    Con: Didn’t fool me either with that I remember your mean governess line. Will have to do much better than that. 

    13. Bates and Anna
    Pro: Would be impressive if Bates had indeed had the passion to kill someone.
    Con: The pair bave become the Jim and Pam of Downton.  Just go off and open a bed and breakfast together already.  Just please stop talking about it.

    14.Lady Sibyl
    Pro: Knows her way around a turban.
    Con: You’d think the silly thing had never seen an Irish chauffeur before

    15. Mrs. Hughes
    Pro: Does her duty, that is all one can say.
    Con: Her unfortunate habit of stashing fallen women in ramshackle shanties will lead her to ruin.

    16.Moseley
    Pro: Deserve’s a knighthood for hanging around the cottage with the Crawleys all day.
    Con: A coward and traitor to his country.

    17. William the Footman
    Pro: Dead
    Con: Saved Matthew’s life.  Guilted Daisy into marrying him with his war and his dying.

    18. Branson the Chauffeur 
    Pro: Had the guts at least to try and put something gross in the General’s soup.
    Con: Bolshevik rabble.  Picked the least interesting sister to ruin.

    19. Matthew Crawley
    Pro: At least he’s got a semi-legitimate excuse for being an insufferable bore now.
    Con: His dullness is a dangerous weapon, lulling innocent women into a stupor they can easily confuse with love.

    20. Lavinia Squire
    Pro: Wins the Dickensian Name Sweepstakes Debry
    Con: I’ve seen more compelling drips from my kitchen faucet.

    21. Isobel Crawley
    Pro: Her line will die with Matthew.
    Con: Not soon enough

    22. Dr. Clarkson
    Pro: His moustache survived the war intact and with no lost vigor.
    Con: Take your ping pong table and get out already.

    1. soniasaraiya said: The consul was Turkish, not Indian!
    2. cornellnotetakingsystem said: …Don’t worry about Carson…
    3. richardrushfield posted this