I suppose they think something improper went on between us.Downton Abbey: A New Era · 2022 — Chapter 13 of 18 · 1'59" · B2
Violet Says Goodbye to Tom, Explained: had in mind
On the surface, Violet and Tom trade gentle memories in her sickroom. Underneath, she is putting her affairs and her family in order before the end. "You weren't quite what we had in mind for Sybil, but we got past it," she tells him — an old disapproval finally laid to rest.
What happens
In the final stretch of Downton Abbey: A New Era, Violet Crawley is confined to her bed. Tom Branson, the widower of her granddaughter Sybil, sits with her. They talk about the family's plan to gather at the French villa each summer, and Violet recalls the miniature portrait and the man who once sent it to her.
Listen for
had in mindall over for meNever mindgo on
00:00 / 01:59Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
had in mind
心里设想的人选
老人向汤姆坦白，他当年并不是家里为西比尔设想的那个人选。
We had someone else in mind for the role.
Also in this scene
- all over for me
对某人来说已经结束
- Never mind
没关系；算了
- go on
发生（尤指不光彩的事）
Everything marked in this scene
30 notes across 36 lines
You're such a bad liar, Tom.I'd never have got anywhere if I were as rotten a liar as you.hypothetical condition
I'd never have got anywhere if I were as rotten a liar as you.We're going to try and meet at the villa every year.liaison
We're going to try and meet at the villa every year.We hope you'll come and find out. Oh, no.No. That's-That's all over for me.Never mind.I am happy to have known you, Tom.liaison
I am happy to have known you, Tom.I think we got on pretty well in the end, don't you?You weren't quite what we had in mind for Sybil, but we got past it.You weren't quite what we had in mind for Sybil, but we got past it.nominal clause with what
You weren't quite what we had in mind for Sybil, but we got past it.And that's life, isn't it?Getting past the unexpected.Getting past the unexpected.non-defining relative clause
And perhaps learning from it, which I think we can say we've done.You've been a good friend to me through the years, Violet.You've been a good friend to me through the years, Violet.liaison
You've been a good friend to me through the years, Violet.Maud's back in the family, and everyone's happy.Did you sit for it?No, we... we went for a walk in the town one day, and there was a shop where a man was taking photographs.relative clause with where
No, we... we went for a walk in the town one day, and there was a shop where a man was taking photographs.They must have copied it from that.Montmirail sent it to me in London with a silly scribbled letter.Of course, I should have burned it.We'll leave you to rest.Violet Says Goodbye to Tom, explained
What's really going on
Violet has spent the film being corrected and losing her grip on a world she once ran. This quiet exchange is her settling accounts. "You weren't quite what we had in mind for Sybil, but we got past it," she tells Tom, admitting that the family once judged him unworthy of her granddaughter and that time proved them wrong. She also praises him as "a good friend through the years" and reports that he is finally "settled," with Maud back in the family — she is blessing the life he built after Sybil died. Tom answers with honesty rather than flattery, which is exactly what she wants. When she refuses to join them at the villa, "That's all over for me," it is not self-pity but a clear-eyed acceptance that her travels, and her life, are winding down.
Theme
Family loveViolet finally accepts Tom as family and blesses the life he built after Sybil died.
Death & griefAware her life is ending, Violet looks back on an old love and says a quiet goodbye to those she leaves.
What you'll learn
- 'get on' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'have in mind' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
Listen for
- try and meet — liaison
- happy to have known you — liaison
- good friend to me — liaison
You weren't quite what we had in mind for Sybil, but we got past it.You were not the husband the family pictured for Sybil, yet they eventually let go of that objection and accepted you.
I am happy to have known you, Tom.A farewell: she tells Tom plainly that she values him, before she dies.
I'd never have got anywhere if I were as rotten a liar as you.A teasing comeback: honesty, not smooth talk, is what got him ahead, unlike her.
You're such a bad liar, Tom.She sees through his polite denial and calls it out affectionately; closeness, not scolding.
And that's life, isn't it?A shrug of acceptance: unexpected things happen, and you learn to live with them.
Questions about this scene
Why does Violet tell Tom he wasn't quite what they had in mind for Sybil?
It is a late confession. The family once thought Tom, a former chauffeur, was beneath Sybil, and Violet is now admitting they were wrong and that they made their peace with the marriage long ago.
Is Violet dying in this scene?
Yes. A New Era is set in 1928, and these bedside talks, first with Tom and later in the film, are Violet's long goodbye. Her illness shapes the whole ending.
Why does Violet refuse to join the family at the villa?
She says "That's all over for me." Too frail to travel and near the end of her life, she accepts, without self-pity, that such trips are behind her.
Why does Violet say she should have burned the miniature?
The little portrait came from the Frenchman she once loved, and she had sent it back rather than keep it. She calls it something she should have destroyed for discretion and for her family's sake.
Why does Tom say he'd never have got anywhere if he were as bad a liar as Violet?
She has just teased him as a bad liar, so he fires back: his honesty, not charm, is what won him his place. It is affection dressed up as a joke.
Downton Abbey: A New Era · 18 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 14await developmentsGuy Offers Barrow a Hollywood Job
Chapter 1who are we to argueViolet Gives Sybbie a French Villa
Chapter 2take a dim viewJack Barber Pitches Filming at Downton
Chapter 3wouldn't hear of itHollywood Comes to Downton
Chapter 4frighten the horsesThe Family Dines with Myrna Dalgleish
Chapter 5eye someone upDinner at the Villa of the Doves
Chapter 6in a wayTom and Lucy Inherit the Villa
Chapter 7perform miraclesMary Saves the Talkie
Chapter 8On an impulseMolesley Pitches His Own Ending
Chapter 9trouble in paradiseMary Talks About Her Marriages
Chapter 10more than capableRobert Learns Cora Is Ill
Chapter 11in your handsMyrna Walks Off the Set
Chapter 12washed upThe Maids Talk Myrna Down
Watching · Chapter 13had in mindViolet Says Goodbye to Tom
Chapter 14await developmentsGuy Offers Barrow a Hollywood Job
Chapter 15an object of desireBarber Asks to Kiss Mary
Chapter 16a fool for loveViolet Tells Mary the Truth
Chapter 17what the blazesMolesley Proposes to Baxter
Chapter 18last the courseViolet's Deathbed GoodbyesChapter 13 of 18 · about 11 min to go