Well, here it is, we’ve come (nearly) to the end of another season. It’s not terribly surprising that, in a season pretty much dominated by two colours, blue and purple, the final episode should be awash in those two hues. Check it out:
Although there was some movement on the Branson front (we all know we’re going to see that woman from the speech again, right?), this episode was really about the women. Mary and Isobel got a chance to show what they were made of, Rosamond showed numerous times how awesomely supportive she is, and Edith made an extremely difficult and painful decision. Two of them, actually.
We’re getting close to the end of the season, which means a lot of what can be said about the costumes has been said and I’m at risk of sounding like a broken record. Still, there were a few things I noticed this week.
For the upstairs folk, this episode was a fair bit about reconciliation and people coming together in general (except where Violet and Isobel were concerned, and we’ll get to that), a fact reflected rather beautifully in their clothes.
Downstairs, it was about class distinctions, both between servants and those in service industries and rich folk vs. poor (or working class, at least).
There weren’t quite so many striking looks this week, which was slightly quieter after the upheaval of last, but there were definitely a few things I noticed:
Characters developing ‘signature’ colours
Characters exhibiting their belonging through their clothes
Characters continuing to be tied together through their outfits
I feel a little strange just jumping into a post that’s essentially all ‘pretty clothes!’ without talking a little bit about what happened this week. I’ve had a few more days to digest it, and I’ve come to a few conclusions:
1. It was jarring as hell, and felt really out of step with most of the show
2. Somehow, it made me feel both angry and kind of dirty
We have colour again! Now that most of the household has moved past the 6-month mourning period, they get to wear clothes that don’t make you want to fall asleep in your pudding. True, Cora, Mary, and Isabel are still working the blacks and lilacs, but everyone else gets to branch out a little. Thank god.
Let’s not kid ourselves: sartorially speaking, this was Edith’s episode. Our favourite neglected sister is really nailing it, style-wise, isn’t she? We’ll get to that. First, let’s check in with a few of the other Downton folks.
Well, we’ve come to the end, folks. This shall be the last Borgias-related post ever (unless these people succeed, which would be great). Sigh. I shall miss it. I loved these crazy kids. Ah well, life goes on.
Naturally, the show’s focus was mostly on the Borgias themselves, and those closest to them, but, admirably, there were quite a few very interesting peripheral characters, both male and female, who were permitted to be interesting and complex. On the ladies’ side, we had a guilt-ridden wife who became a nun, a rather sad lady who went completely insane, and an adversary so badass, she actually won the respect of the men whose asses she was kicking. And they all did it while beautifully dressed, of course. Let’s have a look.
Unlike the lucky ladies, the men of The Borgias tend to have a fairly set uniform, and you only really sit up and take notice when they change out of it. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some interesting things going on, costume-wise.
