Oh, I agree that the dialogue is sometimes difficult to understand. I used the closed captioning. I don't know if the CC is dependent on how you get your tv signal. We have DirecTv satellite. Phyllis, could you watch (re-watch) it via the internet on the Masterpiece website? Sometimes I do that in addition to watching on tv, to understand better what is going on... especially at first to sort out all the characters. I think those who didn't see the first seasons' shows would get more out of the current season by watching the previous broadcasts (if it's still available). One line I didn't catch was when Matthew's new fiancee' Lavinia & Lady Mary's beau Sir Richard were discussing something???? outside & were "caught" by Lady Rosamund. It seems there is more between the 2 than first apparent?? Here is a link that might be useful: Watch on line...

This show has such great settings, costumes, actors and scripts. I highly recommend it to anyone. DH and I both enjoy it as well as DD.

arcy - I think Cora was willing to cast her spousal net far and wide - remember she was (half?) Jewish, the daughter of a tradesman and from Cincinnati (no offense Ohioans) - so she wasn't exactly at the top of the Social Register. The following is from Wikia.com. The site gives a fairly detailed synopsis of the series. ............................... "Born Cora Levinson in Cincinnati on July 18[citation needed], 1868[1], she was the only daughter of the dry goods multi-millionaire, Isidore Levinson and his wife Martha Levinson, and had an Aunt.[2] Cora has a strained relationship with her mother[3]. As a young woman, she was brought to London in 1888[4] for her first season by her socially ambitious mother, in order to marry a member of the British nobility. During the season she met Robert Crawley, Viscount Downton, the future Earl of Grantham. Much to Robert's mother's chagrin, Cora became engaged to him and the two of them married on 16 February, 1890.[5] As part of their marriage contract, Cora's fortune was tied to the family estate to prevent it from going bankrupt."

I never got into this show. Friends greatly recommended it, so I watched one show. Like any soap opera, I was lost, had no idea who was who, what was going on. I would wait a couple years for the whole run to come out on DVD, then I'll binge-watch. Gossip wise, I heard Maggie Smith announced she was done with her role, in real time her character would be about 100 years old. So I guess since she's a main character, they decided to wrap it up on a high note.