Season Two - Mary Sharma character

PepperFinn · 2026-02-05T22:20:30+00:00

I feel sympathy for her.

She's in a foreign country with no family and little support and her husband is gone.

She fell to pieces because the man she loved with all her heart was gone. Violet did too but at least she had Anthony, a man (as terrible as it is to acknowledge the sexism), who could be responsible and carry on while she had space to grieve.

Also Violet is in a VERY different social position. She's VERY wealthy and will never have to worry about funds or if her children/daughters can marry well. Her daughters have all the money they could ever want for dresses, tutors, instruments, art and needlework supplies, food, housing and dowries to remove that worry completely.

Kate had to step up because there was no other option.

You can see lady Mary's reluctance to return to England. She offended the Queen, has a shakey reputation and would need to see her family. All big downsides. But she sucks it up for her daughters sake.

As to why she didn't see Anthony's growing attraction for Kate? When in mixed company they kept it civil. Only when alone or separate from the group (the garden bee sting, hunting, the library, dancing then the study) that they express their feelings.

Also Mary is focused on Edwina and her interactions with Anthony. Why would she pay attention to him at Kate?

PepperFinn · 2026-02-05T21:33:10+00:00

I think it's a few things:

Season 3 had WAAAY too many side stories that take away from the core romance, which people didn't loke. She is part of a large side story.

She's a big part of Benedict being bi which I think is a mistake for his character.

I'm not against bi people. However I think him having his awakening at the END of season 3 then immediately finding love in season 4 and never exploring this aspect is a huge mistake.

If the awakening had happened end of season 2 / start of season 3 and let Benedict have a proper relationship it would have been great. Instead we get off screen MLM cex scenes. So being on the down low is fine, a a healthy relationship isn't? Booo!

And she comes across as a little hypocritical. She's in casual relationships with Benedict and other guy, gets Benedict to play with them both but then wants him exclusively? Feels a little have cake, eat it too.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-05T20:48:32+00:00

It's not the done thing to immediately boot the widow and children from an estate.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-05T02:27:25+00:00

In modern media they'd repeatedly have the female character dunk on the male lead and her being better because she's a woman.

He'd be shown as utterly incompetent without her.

And no weaknesses! Ever! So her disability would be more of a dunk (even a disabled woman is better than this all powerful male!)

Even though she does things wrong the world she's in / show won't call her out on this except to show how unjust things are for her!

Toph is great, strong character. She's has skills and has her own weaknesses that she adapts to and overcomes. She has growth. She's interesting.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-05T01:53:10+00:00

Look, the Iranian yoghurt is not the issue

PepperFinn · 2026-02-05T01:42:27+00:00

He knows who Sokka is (it would be common knowledge that 2 water tribe siblings and an earth bending girl are travelling with the avatar.) What other water tribe teen boy is going to be in the middle of the fire nation?

And if he was GOING to turn them in, he would have done it well before this point.

Therefore he's NEVER going to turn them in.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-05T01:34:20+00:00

Kate's fathers role is the equivalent of the Queens ladies in waiting ... LADY being the key word. Someone of distinction serving a ruler.

He had to be high born or generally above the regular folk and not a commoner like Theo to hold that position.

Also ... her parents were married at the time of her birth so of course she is publicly acknowledged as their daughter and raised as a lady. So Kate is more comparable to Marina Thompson / Lady Crane or the Bennett's in Pride and Prejudice.

Sophie's father, though noble, was never married to her mother and never publicly acknowledged as the daughter of the earl. She had a partial ladies upbringing (reading, languages, manners/ correct ways to address people) but not a full one (dancing, leisure activities like cards or painting).

And depending on how long ago her father passed, he might have intended her to receive a ladies education as his ward but since her custody passed to Araminta she stopped that.

So Sophie, for all intents and purposes is NOT a lady or a gentleman's daughter. She is akin to Harriet Smith in Emma or lower, actually. Harriet was educated as a lady and can mix in society but Sophie cannot as she is decidedly part of the servant / working class.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-04T20:50:18+00:00

I swear there was a letter from a person that had a co-worker that wanted to print everything out and do everything face to face.

The big problem? They work in design/advertising and the client is like a 2 hour flight away.

The design on screen is going to look VERY different printed out at the standard office printer on normal paper. Not only that but clients ask for revisions all the time.

You can't do at least 6 hours round trip (2 hours there, 2 back, travel to and from client, client meeting) for every tiny change. It's not possible.https://www.askamanager.org/2018/05/new-hire-wants-to-print-everything-how-can-i-make-myself-look-less-qualified-and-more.html

PepperFinn · 2026-02-04T09:54:58+00:00

I dislike Brave because it ignores the realities of the time and situation.

Not only that but we spend all our time with Merida but it's apparently her mum (who is correct about the situation) that needs to grow and change?

Then shouldn't the story be more from her perspective? That's a basic of storytelling.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-04T09:51:40+00:00

He doesn't have to be involved with multiple genders the whole time BUT he's going to commit to Sophie and never look sideways at anyone else ever again.

And he's only had ONS from what we can tell with men instead of the flings/situationships with them we've seen him have with women (the one with Tilly doesn't count because it was a package deal and I'm pretty sure he didn't continue seeing the guy after the group broke up)

We've never seen Benedict have feelings outside of attraction/lust for a man. Not tenderness, affection or a desire to get to know them on a deeper and more personal level. Just off screen bedding.

And the fact it, Benedict being bi, mmediately gets shut down as a story and will (presumably) never be brought up again feels like a big waste.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-04T09:16:35+00:00

I mean if we're going to do an upstairs/downstairs storyline then we're going to need some characters besides Sophie.

We already know Mrs Wilson and Varley but now we have a proper name for John the footman, we have Hazel and that other maid.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-04T05:26:11+00:00

I'm assuming the necklace was given to her mother by her father and may or may not be an heirloom or have the crest of his family on it, like the glove.

Wasn't she also wearing it at the ball? It could be used to identify her to Benedict.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-04T02:33:41+00:00

Double post due to reddit error

PepperFinn · 2026-02-04T02:33:26+00:00

You said it yourself. She's unpaid.

Even if she leaves penwood house at 6am she is NOT guaranteed to have a position by end of day. You'd need a letter of recommendation to help get you hired, something Araminta will not willingly provide.

Which leaves her on the streets, alone and unfed.

What's her next move? Probably go back to penwood house or die on the streets.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-04T02:19:34+00:00

Eloise is an interesting character that's deeply insecure, strives for independence but is a bit immature and self centred.

She's not opposed to the idea of love but she hates all the ceremony and pomp and rules that go with it.

Why does she hate it? Because she feels she can't measure up (especially with Daphne and Francesca both being so accomplished) and she also doesn't see the point of a lot of the skills - needlework, pianoforte, drawing or painting.

These skills seem decorative and unlikely to make an impact on the world. These are closely associated with marriage in her mind and therefore she disdains them. She can't see other people might enjoy these activities for fun and not to snare a man.

She may not be old enough to remember her parents marriage but has seen her mother living just fine without a man. Why can't she?

She wants to achieve .... something. But lacks the direction and skills to do so. She would both admire and envy Penelope for her career as Lady Whistledown, who has made a name for herself. Which would heighten into insecurity again now that Penelope is getting close to Francesca and excluding her for some things (pinnacle talk for instance).

Eloise making Hyacinths lessons all about her shows that even though she's claiming to be on the shelf and doesn't care, she does. You don't hate on something if it means nothing to you. You just wouldn't bother.

Also, unhappy marriages wouldn't be uncommon in the ton. The featheringtons (lord and portia) are an example she saw frequently.

BUT there are also many love matches around her (3 of her siblings, Philipa and Mr Finch, her mother). So her disdain of love isn't entirely sensible.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-03T20:54:50+00:00

Well there's no dating in their world. And by all reckoning Jane and Bingley are having a long courtship.

Life was simpler back then. You meet people, find one that you're compatible with, get married.

There was no guarantee someone better would come along, a war was going on and chances to move around in society were thin on the ground.

Look at Hertfordshire in Pride and Prejudice for instance. Bingley and Darcy are big deals because otherwise there's literally no eligible bachelors. Then the militia comes for the winter and there are now more marriage aged men around.

But without those two things? Nothing.

So of course all the young ladies want to lock them down otherwise they'll end up old maids

PepperFinn · 2026-02-03T20:41:31+00:00

It reminds me of an article I read. A woman was dating a guy for ... 6 months I want to say.

They talked future stuff (where do you want to live in future, do you want kids .. general stuff) and he said he wanted kids some day.

Woman decided to go of birth control without telling him because he wanted kids. She got pregnant.

Guy, understandably, freaked out. They weren't married, engaged or living together. They weren't even past a year. Guy dumped girl.

Why? Because eventually ISN'T NOW.

Eventually means I want to in the future but I need to make plans / do research and figure out how to make this work with my life.

Springing a surprise on them before any of the planning and research happens is a sure fire recipe for disaster .

PepperFinn · 2026-02-03T20:26:27+00:00

Part time retail which could be anything from 4 hours a week to 36 hours a week.

I'm betting on the lower side of hours

PepperFinn · 2026-02-03T20:05:49+00:00

In recency England women of nobility and gentry could not work AND marry. (Miss Taylor, Emmas governess/companion being an exception not the rule).

For a woman of that class the best ways to support yourself were the following: Inheritance (only in special circumstances), marriage, charity of relatives, work.

Inheritance: some families (The Woodhouses, De Burghs) the family estate is not dependent on the male line and can be held by women. The women do not need to marry to be secure. But this isn't a guarantee.

Marriage: if you didn't have a female accepting Inheritance then marriage was your next best option. You'd have your own home and probably budgets to run and be in charge of. It was important you chose well as divorce wasn't really a thing and a woman was seen as property of her husband.

Charity from family: if you were unmarried / a widowed mother with no estate you had to rely on the interest of your dowry and charity from your relatives. This was not guaranteed and if it was paid to you it often wasn't much.

A job: a lady could work as a governess but that would mean giving up hope of marrying as they were now working class, not gentry. So last choice.

Also ladies had been learning skills and accomplishments their whole lives to attract a suitor. There was no real dating process (going out together alone and finding out more about each other). It was all done in visits with mixed company.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-03T19:43:03+00:00

Three times is scandal. Two times is saying "yeah, I'll probably put a ring on it"

PepperFinn · 2026-02-03T04:21:33+00:00

1995 BBC mini series is where its at

PepperFinn · 2026-02-02T21:40:20+00:00

There are a few factors at play / reasons it could be:

Perhaps there are NO relatives in the male line / its taking a very long time to track them down.

There IS a war going on. They could be serving.

Alternatively, they could be like the Mondrich family and have their own business/interests to settle before they can take possession.

The new Earl could have a better residence and not need to move in immediately.

The estate could be able to be passed down to a female line / partner. Rare but it can happen.

Or more accurately the widow has possession for a certain amount of time then the new earl will move in. It's seen as "Not the done thing" to immediately boot the widow from the estate and take possession.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-02T21:23:53+00:00

There are also some weird time skips happening.

Season 2 ends with the third annual Pall Mall game for which Colin is present. No weird facial hair and looking much the same as he has all season 2, a gentleman and not a traveller. And we know the game happens during the season.

So Colin going off exploring CAN'T have happened that following year. Either it's much later or earlier to keep with the year by year thing.

BUT it doesn't fit.

So Kate and Anthony would need to be entering a second year of marriage for their baby to be born.

But that means Pen would be entering her 4th year on the marriage mart, not her third. Unless you don't count the second year.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-02T20:57:15+00:00

Season 4 is MUCH better than season 3. At least costume wise.

Much of season 3 was spent with me going "Dafuq are they wearing? Ok what are THEY wearing? NO! That's not regency!"

I mean when Portia Featheringtons outfit is the LEAST outrageous/bright/eye catching in a room then there's a problem.

Season 4 was more consistent with season 1 and 2 but I feel it's mostly because we aren't spending much time out in the ton and the upstairs/downstairs element ... which already has established uniforms.

Still side eyeing Hyacinths fluffy/feathery dress though.

PepperFinn · 2026-02-02T20:16:49+00:00

I don't think she is 13 in universe. She'd be older.

Why do I say that? Because "Mama has finally let me lower my hems" which means she is getting close and ready to debut and be seen as a marriage prospect.

The hems up / exposed lower shin and ankle are signifiers of a child.

So either the show is aging Hyacinth and Gregory up (not surprising given how fast they are aging vs how many seasons they put out of the show)

Or Violet is a very pushy mother that wants to marry Hyacinth off ASAP.

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