Hello, Downton fans!! Here is the second installment of my new series: Downton Top Ten!
The first post was where I made my list of my Top Ten Favorite Characters from Seasons 1-3. Of which I had definitely more than 10!
Today’s list started out as my Top Ten Favorite Dowager Countess Quotes Seasons 1-3. Well the list grew so long while I was re-watching my DVD’s, I changed it to just Season 1-2. But would you be surprised if I told you that when I finished my list that I had 16 favorite quotes from Season 1 and 12 favorite quotes for Season 2?
There was no way I could pick ten favorites from 28 and eliminate 18! So I decided that Lady Violet will just have a Top Ten list for every season and we will just have to deal with it! 😉
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10. [In response to Sybil canvasing and having opinions]
Lady Mary: I was only going to say that Sybil is entitled to her own opinions.
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: No! She isn’t until she is married. Then her husband will tell her what her opinions are.
~~~
9. [About the refurbished room in Crawley House]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Mmm. It always seemed rather dark when my mother-in-law lived here. But then she made everything rather dark.
~~~
8. [On starting dinner on time for Mrs. Patmore]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Oh, is her cooking so precisely timed? You couldn’t tell.
~~~
7. [the effrontery of some servants!]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Oh, by the way, I was right about my maid. She’s leaving to get married. I mean, how could she be so selfish?
~~~
6. [Hearing a new middle class phrase for the first time]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: What-what is a weekend?
~~~
5. [Chastising her son for his…niceness]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Why do you always have to pretend to be nicer than the rest of us?
~~~
4. [Love her delivery on this one!]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Well, Rosamund, I’m afraid your meddling has cost Mary the only decent offer she’ll ever get.
Lady Rosamund: I’m sorry, Mama, but you know me. I have to say what I think.
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Why? Nobody else does.
~~~
3. [When accused by Mrs. Crawley for influencing Mary against accepting Matthew]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Well, I shall pretend it. I told her to take him. Your quarrel is with my daughter Rosamund, not me. So, put that in your pipe and smoke it.
~~~
2. [insults = compliments?]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: You are quite wonderful the way you see room for improvement wherever you look. I never knew such reforming as you.
Mrs. Crawley: I take that as a compliment.
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: I must’ve said it wrong.
~~~
1. [This whole interchange is adorable and hilarious!]
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Good heavens, what am I sitting on?
Matthew Crawley: A swivel chair.
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Oh, another modern brainwave?
Matthew Crawley: Not very modern. They were invented by Thomas Jefferson.
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: Why does every day involve a fight with an American?
Matthew Crawley: I’ll fetch a different one.
Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham: No, no. No, no, I‟m a good sailor.
~~~
What do you think of my top 10 Dowager Countess quotes for Season 1?
What are some of your favorite quotes from Season 1?
*If you can, please be careful to not share any spoilers of Season 4 in your comments. Thank you!
**image credits – pbs.org
Meredith, you definitely chose all her great lines! I am loving your Downton Abbey posts! My favorite Dowager Countess line is: “Why do you always have to pretend to be nicer than the rest of us?” I’ll admit I use this line on my husband quite a bit!!:) haha
Thank you, Kelli! I’m so happy people are enjoying this series! It is one I hope to revisit each year during Downton Abbey season! 🙂
Excellent choice! She is just so hilarious!
hahahahahahahahah, Love all of these! I also love the one about the gentlemen wearing black tie and not white tie for dinner– she asked Robert for a drink and then says “Oh excuse me, I thought you were a waiter” or something like that, I will have to look it up! SHE IS HILARIOUS!
Yes, Betsy! That scene is hilarious – she says it so innocently and ironically! I think that may be Season 3? and it is for sure on my list. 🙂
LOL I have loved Violet from the first moment she complained about the glare from those awful electric lights. Great list, I don’t know how you managed to narrow it down!
Mrs Crawley: “What should we call each other?”
Lady Grantham: “Well, we could always start with Mrs Crawley and Lady Grantham.”
I could listen to Violet be condescending all day long!
I know, right? She makes quite an excellent first impression! It was very hard to narrow it down – the comment about the electricity and “vapours seeping” as well as her introduction to Mrs. Crawley were on my long list, but unfortunately didn’t make the Top Ten!
Pretty much everything she says is pure gold! 🙂
I love the dowager as well. It’s her delivery of course. I love the scene with the light bulb like the other comment and the swivel chair. I can certainly see why you are having a hard time narrowing it down.
LOL! Dame Maggie Smith is just incredible, isn’t she! 🙂
Great choices!! I love love love her “All is well” after she let’s Mr. Mosley’s dad win the rose contest! That gets me every time.
Yes, that is such a touching moment!! I love it too!
LOL LOL! I like Lady Violet so much! And I laugh myself with her “what is a weekend?” 😉 it’s obvious she doesn’t have a job, she doesn’t need it and for this reason she doesn’ t care about this middle-class matter!. Thanks for this fun post!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Teresa! There will definitely be more like this one! 🙂 Yes, love that she has no idea what a weekend is. 🙂 Too funny!
I adore Lady Violet and it’s hard to choose just one of her delicious lines-a particularly good one from season one is “Don’t be ridiculous,an Englishman would never dream of dying in someone else’s house!”
It is indeed hard! First I had to eliminate 6 quotes from my Season 1 favorites (because I had 16 instead of 10) and then I had to put them in order and choose which was my favorite! Not an easy task when everything she says is quotable and priceless! I do love the Englishman quote (it was in my 16 list) – she is deliciously snobby!
Wishing Dame Maggie Smith long life and great parts! Love the quotes you picked and this season’s are just as great!
Hear, hear, Carole! I adore her! She definitely continues to have the best lines in Season 4! 🙂
Here, here, from me too, Carole and Meredith! I absolutely adore her!
Thanks for your lovely posts, Meredith, they always brighten my day 😀
Are you following Downton as Facebook Posts? The DC is just as funny there as on the show.