WinkLingo
Log in

Downton Abbey: A New Era · 2022 — Chapter 15 of 18 · 1'35" · B2

Barber Asks to Kiss Mary, Explained: an object of desire

With the shoot nearly finished, the director Jack Barber tells Mary how much he owes her, then asks, "May I kiss you?" She turns him down without embarrassment, explaining that she is too old-fashioned to make her own wants the whole story, and that being wanted is a compliment she can enjoy without acting on it.

What happens

The shoot reaches its last big scene, but the extras refuse to work because they have not been paid, so Jack Barber asks Mary whether the household servants could fill in. Afterward he tells her he could not have managed without her, then asks if he may kiss her. Mary declines, gently and with humor.

Confessing feelingsAskingSaying noCoworkersB2fastbritishClean
IMDb ↗

Listen for

fed up withan object of desirewouldn't that be thrillingstand in

00:00 / 01:35
Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it

Phrase of the scene

an object of desire

被渴望的对象

女主人被导演表白后，说自己虽老，发现仍被人渴望还是令人开心。

For one summer, the old hotel became an object of desire.

Also in this scene

  • fed up with

    受够了；忍无可忍

  • wouldn't that be thrilling

    那岂不是很刺激

  • stand in

    临时顶替；代班

Everything marked in this scene

29 notes across 26 lines

Phrase · B1be just about to do somethingWe're just about to film our last set piece, the-the dinner when
Phrase · B2a set pieceWe're just about to film our last set piece, the-the dinner when
Soundabout to film

liaison

We're just about to film our last set piece, the-the dinner when
Phrase · B2give someone upBenson realizes he must give her up and rushes off to London.
Phrase · B1rush off to a placeBenson realizes he must give her up and rushes off to London.
Phrase · B1do a wonderful jobMolesley's done a wonderful job.
Phrase · B1be fed up with somethingI told you the extras were fed up with not being paid, and I don't blame them,
Phrase · A2wait for somethingbut I'm still waiting for the money.
Phrase · B2do something too drasticWell, they won't do anything too drastic. Won't they?
Phrase · B1come into workThey say they're not coming into work.
Phrase · A2how can I help?But how can I help?
Phrase · B2stand inCould your servants stand in?
Phrase · B1get through somethingI could never have got through any of this without you.
Grammar · B2could never have got through

could have done

I could never have got through any of this without you.
Phrase · A2if that's trueIf that's true, then I'm glad.
Phrase · B1May I kiss you?May I kiss you?
SoundMay I kiss you

liaison

May I kiss you?
Phrase · B2too old-fashioned to do somethingI'm afraid I'm too old-fashioned to believe that what I want is the only thing that matters.
Phrase · B2the only thing that mattersI'm afraid I'm too old-fashioned to believe that what I want is the only thing that matters.
Grammar · B2too old-fashioned to believe

too ... to structure

I'm afraid I'm too old-fashioned to believe that what I want is the only thing that matters.
Soundold-fashioned to

elision

I'm afraid I'm too old-fashioned to believe that what I want is the only thing that matters.
Phrase · A2not at allHave I offended you? Not at all.
Phrase · C1an object of desireNothing is nicer for an old married woman than to find she's still an object of desire.
Grammar · C1Nothing is nicer for an old married woman than to find

comparative with nothing

Nothing is nicer for an old married woman than to find she's still an object of desire.
Phrase · B1had better not do somethingWell, you better not tell your husband when he gets back.
Grammar · B1when he gets back

time clause with when

Well, you better not tell your husband when he gets back.
Phrase · B2hit someone on the noseHe might, uh, hit me on the nose.
Phrase · B2wouldn't that be thrilling?Mm, wouldn't that be thrilling?
Phrase · C1fight for someone's favorsTwo gorgeous men fighting for my favors.

Barber Asks to Kiss Mary, explained

What's really going on

The scene turns a business crisis into a small, warm comedy of manners. Barber is a visitor from the film world, dependent on Mary and plainly drawn to her, and he says as much: "I could never have got through any of this without you." The kiss is asked for politely, in the formal register of an earlier age, and refused in the same key. Mary's answer is the heart of it: "I'm afraid I'm too old-fashioned to believe that what I want is the only thing that matters." She does not pretend to be unmoved; she simply declines to let desire decide. Her follow-up, that it is nice for "an old married woman" to still be "an object of desire," turns the refusal into a gift, letting him keep his dignity and herself keep the compliment. The flirtation ends intact because both know the rules.

Theme

RomanceBarber's polite request and Mary's graceful refusal keep a mutual attraction alive without anyone acting on it.
MarriageMary refuses to let her own wants override the fact that she is a married woman.

What you'll learn

  • 'about to' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
  • 'fed up with' changes the pressure of the reply.
  • The surrounding lines set the social temperature.

Listen for

  • about to film — liaison
  • May I kiss you — liaison
  • old-fashioned to — elision
I'm afraid I'm too old-fashioned to believe that what I want is the only thing that matters.

Mary's reason for saying no: she was raised to weigh more than her own wishes, so wanting the kiss is not enough to justify it.

Nothing is nicer for an old married woman than to find she's still an object of desire.

She treats the proposal as a compliment rather than an insult, glad to be wanted even though she will not act on it.

I could never have got through any of this without you.

Barber's admission to Mary that the whole production depended on her help, the lead-in to his attempt to kiss her.

Two gorgeous men fighting for my favors.

Mary's mock-grand fantasy of having two handsome men compete for her attention, which turns the moment into play.

Questions about this scene

Why does Jack Barber ask Mary to kiss him?

He has come to rely on her through the shoot and is drawn to her, so he asks outright in a formal, respectful way.

Why does Mary say no?

She is married and too old-fashioned to believe that what she wants is the only thing that matters, so she refuses without pretending to be cold.

Is Mary offended by the request?

No. She says she is flattered, and jokes that being wanted is a lovely thing for an old married woman.

What does Mary mean by being an object of desire?

She means that still being wanted is a pleasant surprise at her stage of life, and she can enjoy the compliment without acting on it.

Downton Abbey: A New Era · 18 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 16a fool for loveViolet Tells Mary the Truth
Chapter 1who are we to argueViolet Gives Sybbie a French VillaChapter 2take a dim viewJack Barber Pitches Filming at DowntonChapter 3wouldn't hear of itHollywood Comes to DowntonChapter 4frighten the horsesThe Family Dines with Myrna DalgleishChapter 5eye someone upDinner at the Villa of the DovesChapter 6in a wayTom and Lucy Inherit the VillaChapter 7perform miraclesMary Saves the TalkieChapter 8On an impulseMolesley Pitches His Own EndingChapter 9trouble in paradiseMary Talks About Her MarriagesChapter 10more than capableRobert Learns Cora Is IllChapter 11in your handsMyrna Walks Off the SetChapter 12washed upThe Maids Talk Myrna DownChapter 13had in mindViolet Says Goodbye to TomChapter 14await developmentsGuy Offers Barrow a Hollywood JobWatching · Chapter 15an object of desireBarber Asks to Kiss MaryChapter 16a fool for loveViolet Tells Mary the TruthChapter 17what the blazesMolesley Proposes to BaxterChapter 18last the courseViolet's Deathbed Goodbyes
Chapter 15 of 18 · about 8 min to go