bransonette:

That moment in the 3rd gif where he looks at Matthew, the only other person he trusts in the room, and Matthew has no comfort to give him, because they both know this is the end.

thequietworld:

My headcanon was always that Sybil was Cora’s secret favorite. In her younger life, I imagine Cora was actually a bit like Mary— a young internally free-spirited woman who yearned for a kind of freedom, but was reeled in by pragmatism, a pragmatism which led her to securing the position of countess and a marriage to a man who in the beginning, did not love her. She found love, but there is always something about Cora that has and never will quite fit into the aristocratic mindset. Sure, we can chalk it up to her being American~, but for me it was always something more than that. She’s always a woman who was more roleplaying than embodying the position of a true Countess. 

It’s why I believe Sybil was secretly really her favorite. Mary was difficult— Mary had to be brought up as an aristocrat and Cora very pragmatically tries to do best by her, but again, that lifestyle and its workings aren’t her strong suit. Edith, she loves, but Edith was, well, Edith. And Sybil— Sybil sort of represented something. I think Sybil represented something to all of the Crawley women. She represented freedom, kindness of spirit, the ability to make decisions and move forward and not second guess. I think Cora always had a secret feminist side to her. She watches her youngest make a cake, and she knows in that moment that her daughter can do anything. Like, it’s just a cake, but it means so much more to her than just that. It’s what it symbolizes. Cora always supported Sybil. She was on her side when Sybil wanted to marry Tom, she supported her after her marriage when she announced her pregnancy. What Sybil represented for Cora she also represented for Mary— “Sybil is the strong one”— she admired her courage, her strength, her tenacity. I feel like Sybil was that woman all the Crawley women secretly just wanted to be. And it breaks my heart now, this mother who loved her daughter so much, this mother who I think secretly, against her husband, was so proud of Sybil for flying from the nest and marrying the chauffeur. Now she’s lost her. Her favorite. 

I think what this episode is showing to me is that in the end, Sybil was a good character, but she always represented a lot more than she was actually properly developed. She stood for something, she stood for those pure, good things in life. It meant she could look at people in their meanest and see their goodness (Mary and Edith), it meant she could be what a mother always wanted to be (Cora), she could that person who was so earnest and passionate that you would just wait a lifetime to be with them (Branson).

In the end, I really will miss Sybil. Not just because she was a good and kind person, a part of the great Crawley sisters, but because she meant so much to everyone in some way. Even Thomas. And now in the wake of her death, we will watch that unravel.

Goodbye, my darling.

ehbiencherie:

madrasigirl:

elsie-hughes:

“I’ll be all right. I promise.”

“I would’ve taken her an hour ago”.

I can’t-

If nothing else, this whole sick episode really makes me feel so grateful for how far medicine has come these days.

Nothing could be worse than this, my lady