u/Obvious_Progress_665

A gentle reminder that this man received a telephone call about wilted flowers, arrived with a replacement and witnessed the flowers burst into flames in front of him 😭😭.

Phil always felt that Jay didn't like him and so yeah he was visibly nervous around Jay since the first season, but I thought the show really addressed the issue well and worked everything out.

Phil told Jay boldly on the dude ranch that he has been a good father and a faithful husband to his daughter (debatable, but mostly true) and if Jay still had a problem, it was his problem now, or the mint jay-leps incident, or the post-massage talk about his career... I really thought that Phil had moved past seeking Jay's approval.

But then why on earth did Phil go back to thinking "Jay is so scary. I must impress Jay. Jay doesn't like me" as if they had just met in season ten and eleven?

Why does Mary choose Talbot over Tony Gillingham or Charles Blake?

Tony Gillingham is a dream suitor, a man with a proper title and an estate. Mary clearly enjoyed their time in Liverpool, and he doesn't seem like the sort of chap who would resent his wife being smarter or more spirited than him.

Charles Blake is essentially Matthew Crawley- he is upper middle class, heir to an estate and a title and possesses a sharp mind. He also gets along well with Mary.

Henry Talbot has none of these qualities. He's pleasant, yes, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that he's charming. Mary is quite pragmatic, and her opinion of not marrying down sounds very reasonable. Henry is ostensibly 'forty men' away from an Earldom, and his prospects are described as adequate at best.

Honestly, I think that if it weren't for the catalyst of Edith marrying Bertie and Tom's meddling, Mary would have made the sensible choice of choosing Charles Blake.