Ha, yes, I think Season 1 worked for me so much better than Season 2 because there was no pressing reason why they shouldn't gad about spending money and wearing nice dresses. Season 2 made Mary look rather useless (which, of course, she is made to be) in the face of her sisters' efforts. And Branson is just a wretched character because, as you say, I think the writers have no idea what he's actually about. I mean, if he's pro-Irish Independence, what is he doing in England? If he's an anti-war brotherhood-of-workers communist, why aren't they showing that? Instead, he just comes off as a half-hearted stalker - which could also be interesting, if the writers gave Sybil five minutes to question it!

Daisy, O'Brien and Thomas, though, I really liked them. Along with Mrs Padmore and her painfully old-fashioned ideas about war, which she seemed to cling to more desperately after the news about her nephew.