Well. What on earth was that all about then? Did you enjoy this season of Downton Abbey? I sort of did, even though I thought it veered between Sunset Beach levels of preposterousness and cloyingly nauseating mawkishness.
I seem to recall people expressing surprise during the first series that something so good could be shown on ITV – this time, however, there could be no doubt that this was ITV fodder albeit of the most glitzy and entertaining kind.
Where to start on the final episode? And how to discuss it without spoilers?
There was an Awkward Confrontation in the drawing room between Sybil and Branson (who isn’t so nice now that I’ve seen him a few more times) and, well, pretty much everyone else. Sybil and the Formerly Hot Chauffeur are completely lacking in any discernible chemistry although she does her best, poor thing, to compensate with lots of slack mouthed dewy eyed staring up into his square face. This is not really enough to convince me that they’d risk social death to be together. I really think that in this case they should take a hint from Upstairs, Downstairs and have a few bunk ups in the garage while getting all political before going their separate ways.
I was really quite shocked (not really) by Lord G giving in to his incomprehensible passion for that housemaid whose name I don’t recall and nor does he, probably. What was that all about? And while poor Cora appeared to be at death’s door as well. Most ungentlemanly. Anyone think that her son will turn out to be the result of a long ago dalliance with Lord G?
Meanwhile, poor old Lavinia finally decided that she’d had enough of being a pallid excuse for a plot device and made a timely exit from Spanish flu but not before she’d delivered a guilt tripping final little speech to Matthew in a wavering voice that I used to reserve for calling in sick for work.
Matthew, for his part, managed to keep up what appears to be the Crawley menfolk’s tradition of snogging other women while their wives and fiancées are on the verge of death. This is not an endearing personality trait. However, he also afforded plenty of amusement by looking increasingly like Carlisle Cullen from Twilight (movies not books) as the minutes ticked by. Sadly for Lavinia however, it was all clearly down to gothic heavy handedness in the make up department rather than any vampiric transformation.
Speaking of vampires, in the face of such merciless caddishness on the part of the Crawley men and the increasing milquetoast patheticness of the men on the other side of the green baize door, I am starting to warm to Sir Richard and am now all in favour of Lady Mary marrying him and vanishing forever into his gilded lair, while Lady Edith, who has also grown on me in this last series, marries Matthew or the alleged heir, Patrick, who had a weird fake transatlantic accent that would put Joss Stone to shame.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Anna and Bates finally got married before, thanks to Lady Mary, having a wedding night in a room upstairs. The nation recoiled en masse at the sight of semi naked Bates then sniggered as Anna insisted upon calling him ‘Mr Bates’ even when they are in bed together. I didn’t actually want to see that. I don’t know why but I felt the same hot flush of embarrassed misery as I did the time I heard my mother having sex one night. It’s just, well, it’s BATES and we don’t want to see that. Still, looks like we won’t have to see it again thanks to last night’s cliff hanger.
During the first season, I absolutely loathed Edith, O’Brien and the dastardly Thomas but they are now my joint second favourite characters after the Dowager, who is so perfect in every way that if they ever kill her off I am never watching this show ever again. I’m also convinced that she has her very own super sharp script writer to write her lines (‘Don’t be defeatist – it’s very middle class’) for her while the rest of the cast make do with a bunch of depressed goth sixth formers who’ve been locked in a room with some Nancy Mitford books and a gallon of GIN and told to get on with it.
I’m glad though that Ethel, who I dislike very much, didn’t go all Jude the Obscure with her baby and in the end turned down what appeared to be the offer of a lifetime from his grandparents. I expect they’ll be back to offer more over Christmas.
In summary, I enjoyed it very much but I was also frankly perplexed by the whole thing. I’ll definitely be watching at Christmas for what I presume will be wedding bells for Ladies Sybil and Mary and a slow descent into sherry induced melancholia for Matthew before he locks himself into his room with the complete works of the Fields of the Nephilim and a bottle of absinthe. Which is what I felt like doing after watching last night’s episode.
What did you think? What are your predictions for the Christmas special and next series?
The time rushing around thing really confused me last night (maybe the only way to watch Downton is with red wine?) but otherwise it was a fun romp – can’t wait for the Christmas special, hopefully we will get some answers!
Series one was definitely better but I still enjoyed this run, mainly for the reasons you give above!
Dame Maggie is absolute class, there were some lovely frocks, a gorgeous setting, barrels of escapism and a bit of totty in the form of (pre-make-up) Matthew.
Sunday night telly at its best :-)
Claire. x
I don’t even care about the spoilers, I had to know! It all sounds so great and awful at the same time. Sad to hear that Bransen is now Formerly Hot Chauffeur and chemistry with Sybil is nil, those were the only two characters I didn’t want to strangle in the first season:-( January is too far away for those of us in the US.
If you want any specific spoilers – ask away! ;)
Well. exactly what can any of us say except repeat Melanie and say “what the heck was all that about!”? I personally was a bit sad about the ending but of course its all open for carrying the story on. Hopefully, at christmas we will all be enlightened. I don’t trust Mary’s husband to be though, even though it looks like after Matthews guilt tirade, Mary will fall for Richard a little bit – but I suppose it adds to the storyline and spans it all out a bit. Like Melanie and Claire, I totally agree – Dame Maggie an absolute star!
I can’t help but weigh in, so I shall, however, let me first say that I like your site, your witt, I’m sure I’d like your books if I read them and I absolutely adore the illustration on the cover of the third. I’m an actor, but a writer at heart and I’m desperately trying to complete my first novel ;) Now to Lord Crawley, my humble guess is that during the African War, he was stationed someplace where he met Jane. He already had all three daughters, as Freddy is just about 12 or so, but he met her, fathered a son and well, the man could not help himself but fall in love. As Lady Grantham admitted in the very first episode, the two did not marry for love. She wanted a title and he needed her money to save Downton. Oh, it’s all about Downton isn’t it? Now, he did not acknowledge Freddie as his son, but he makes sure Freddie does well, the money given to Jane was for him and she didn’t hesitate to accept for that very reason. She married a soldier, but he died. If Freddie ever finds out who his father is, Downton’s true heir will not be Mathew. However, for this Freddie would have to be acknowledged. If not by marriage, then by some other way. Now let’s suppose Patrick and Lady Edith marry. Patrick gets Downton and if he dies, his son, if he has one. Hence, Mathew is no longer in the picture as the heir and neither is his son if he and Mary have one. Shocks, what a wonderful world this is ;)
Apropos, I wonder about two things:
“After all, everyone walks down the isle with half the story hidden.” Ooooh I so wonder about what a wild one granny could have been. I do wish they would take a look back and we could see Cousin Violet as a young passionate foolish woman rolling around in hay with the footman ;O!
Second, I wonder if Bates has been molested yet ;PPP
Kisses to you all gals!
Katrin
I didn’t see the first series but heard all about it, of course. Watching this series I did rather wonder what the fuss had been about, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Knew Cora wouldn’t die as too Upstairs Downstairs, Edith will have to get together with Matthew , Mary has to marry Richard as they deserve one another (and she looked quite relieved to walk away from a troubled M last night, fickle thing) and I can’t believe Bates killed his odious wife but everyone loves a court room drama. Not sure how I feel about the Christmas episode. Just hope it is more cheerful than last night….
I watched against my better judgement, not qutie as hilariously dreadful as the opening episodes before I switched off, but still, as you say, mawkish, soapy and ridiculous. One cliche after another with acting perfomrances that took absoltuely no risks, pure paint by nunmbers from all involved.
I was one of those surprised that something ‘different’ had landed at ITV, something that didn’t star Robson Green or Caroline Quentin or inprobable police pairings but sadly this series has fulfilled every single ITV remit. It’s just a soap in pretty costumes, and not a very good soap at that.
With next series happening in the 1920′s, I shall be on my soap box begging people to go adn buy House of Eliott instead for true period drama that’s well written and acted.
It did seem as though they were trying to use up all the ideas they’d had in the one final episode. Poor oul Lavinia, she was destined to bite the dust.
Haha Madame Guillotine – loving your spoilers and review! My daughter and I also remarked on Matthew’s morph into Cullen levels of epic paleness (although have you seen the trailers for BreakingDawn1? The vamps look like they’ve been coated in milk of magnesia). And spot on re: Bates-in-Bed. Eeugh. Not necessary.
Expect we’ll tune in to the Christmas Special. Isn’t that UpstairsDownstairs coming back?
i think it would be great, if fellowes made richard the hero and matt, who’s well on his way to anti-hero, the anti-hero of DA. i hope matt takes to drink, and bitterly regrets losing mary for the rest of his life. years later, he can marry sybil, who I hope will soon learn that while she was fond of branson, she was never in love with him, and all she wanted was to spread her wings–or edith, who–like u–i couldn’t bear in series 1, but she’s grown on me this series. but whichever one of them he marries–and it had better be one of lady’s daughters, since he is set legally but unjustly to inherit her personal fortune, w/out which he couldn’t keep the estate–i want him still and always to deeply regret losing mary, who i hope will get over him permanently, prosper and live happily. she deserves so much better!
sir richard is poised to be become a peer, as his real life equivalents really did. i hope he is made an earl in fellowes’ narrative. it wouldn’t a bit matter if mary and richard had a daughter/s instead of a son, as he himself made his vast fortune and can leave it to his family, as he pleases. when he dies, mary and his children will be very rich indeed.
i think iain glen was v. handsome when he was a young actor. i don’t think puppy-faced dan stevens is a patch on the gorgeous young iain glen. for mary’s sake, it’s a bit of a shame he isn’t his younger self and doesn’t have more hair as sir richard, but if he’d be gd to her as her husband, then i’d be for him.
i don’t only have major problems w/ the series 2 matt, i had a huge problem w/ him walking out on mary in s1.
if he was going to mary L in s2 not only not loving her (he’s fond of her, speaks lovingly to her, but is, clearly, not in love w/ her), but while he is very much in love w/ another, just because he feels he has a duty to her for what she has not sacrificed but was willing, in the future, to sacrifice for him, then he should have married mary in s1, whom he loved and who loved him, but so far as he knew hesitated only bec. she wasn’t sure about being able to live a life for which she was so entirely ill-prepared by her upbringing, and, in my view, ill-suited also by nature, and who ought to have paused to consider whether she could have lived happily as the wife of a country solicitor, thereby making him also happy. if she were unhappy in her life w/ him, he couldn’t possibly have been happy. L was as ill-suited to be a countess (“don’t have it in me to be queen of the county”), as Mary was to be the wife of a country solicitor. L confesses this the day she dies. that neither girl by nature and upbringing could be just anything is not the fault of either girl. most of people r suited for somethings and not for others. and people do need to think about whether they can do it, before they take on anything.
also, i don’t think carlisle tries to control her in anything other than her dealings w/ matt. and he has v. gd. reason to be jealous and watchful there, given that they do cross the line, even tho’ they don’t intend to do so, just 3 days before his wedding.
also, i don’t think mary would have brought up their past, about them also being a show that flopped, if he hadn’t said, “u r my stick” the way he did. it’s both the words and the way he says it.
note also that she is surprised and rather hesitant to dance w/ him, when he asks, but he continues to hold his hand out to her to ask her to do so. i think being v. much in love w/ each other and being that close (unable to help it, they move increasingly closer still during the course of that dance, alone w/ each other–or so they think–and during their only real heart to heart conversation, even tho’ as the brilliant review at: http://blog.cymbal-rush.net/2011/11/12/downton-abbey-2-08/
so rightly pts out so much is left unlcear–e.g., for what, specifically, is he so sorry–which leads to the kiss) is what undid him.
that, i think, is what we r supposed to think. but matt is v. v. much a flawed character. and i think his behavior toward mary is deeply troubling. and has been so quite consistently. he has a lot of redeeming to do, if he is to be so blessed as to have her, in the end. otherwise, she’d be much better off w/ someone else, even sir richard, who we know has no intention of releasing her from their engagement, if he will not hurt her, when he is her husband, but will rather do what he can to promote her happiness.
———————-
official itv series 2 release on sir richard:
Sir Richard Carlisle. (Iain Glen).
Richard Carlisle belongs to the new Society that was expanding from the end
of the nineteenth century. He has made his money as a powerful and ruthless
newspaper proprietor, and while it suits him to let Mary think she can control
him, she is quite wrong. The aristocracy may still be powerful enough for Carlisle
to ape their manners and their houses and their clothes, but he does not feel the
need to defer to them and he is happy to crush them if the moment calls for it.
The Crawleys are under the illusion they can patronise him but they are severely
mistaken, as they learn to their cost.
AN INTERVIEW WITH IAIN GLEN
Iain Glen plays Sir Richard Carlisle, a wealthy newspaper tycoon who courts Mary after her split
from Matthew.
A wonderfully versatile actor who has previously starred in such diverse dramas as Game of Thrones,
Spooks, Doctor Who and The Diary of Anne Frank, Iain starts by describing his character: “He is an
inordinately wealthy newspaper proprietor with the power to make or break reputations. He finds himself in the enviable position of being the latest suitor to Mary. Mary’s family are initially wary of his new money.
But he is determined to belong there and do what he needs to become part of that family. She represents a world that he feels he should be part of.”
So does he really love Mary, one of the most popular characters from the first series? “Yes,” replies Iain.
“He nurses a genuine love for Mary. In her, he sees an independent woman with great spark and
intelligence, rucking up against the expectations of women from her class. He is willing to give Mary her
head.”
“The third person” in the relationship between Richard and Mary is, of course, her ex, Matthew. He
represents a potential spanner in the works for Richard. Iain says that, “It’s complicated, because Mary
harbours an unfulfilled passion for Matthew which will never go away. Richard gets to know about that and
feels threatened and wants to exorcise it from her. That is one of the threads of this series, and it comes
between them.”
Iain continues that in many ways Richard and Mary are very well suited. “At this point, we don’t
know whether they will get together, but any future marriage would have genuine passion. Richard cannot
be dismissed. They’re both independent, forceful, tough people. Their relationship is hot, not sexless.
They are suited to each other, but also fiery. There would be many an argument along the way. It could
go either way!”
The actor has relished working with Michelle Dockery who plays Mary. “She’s a wonderful person.
She’s great fun. We have a real laugh together – were both great gigglers. It sounds like a paradox,
but when the writing is very good, you become really dependent on the other actors to realise a scene.
“Michelle and I talked a lot about our screen relationship – I really value her opinion. She’s a marvellous
actress. You might think that she is tailor-made for the role of Mary, but she isn’t. She’s just made it seem
that way.”
The actor believes that viewers have been so drawn to Downton Abbey because of its marvellous subtlety.
“The first series struck such a chord because we live in a world where so much of public life is revealed.
Everything in modern life is so stated, not hidden.
the comment by “gwidhiel” on the review, which i have recommended above is absolutely true.
Personally, I love the sybil/branson romance and i think its obvious that they love eachother…..and gosh they have known eachother for like 5 years so I think they have alot of chemistry.
I mean, how would you feel if you were seen as being of a lower class and were constantly shouted at my others who were prejudice to you – branson had a right to be angry!!!!!
I’m not sure he did have a ‘right’ to be angry – no one shouted at him or behaved in a prejudiced way towards him before he announced his intention to marry Sybil and the staff at Downton are treated very well by the standards of the time (I grew up in a house not dissimilar to Downton, with staff so kind of know how they operate) plus it was his choice to enter service. ;)
I know lots of people that I have known for five years and longer that I have zilch chemistry with. ;)
I get the feeling that we are never going to agree though! :)
Yes but after Robert accused him of seducing Sybil i could see how it made him angry and afterall Lord G is the one who has been kissing the maid while married to Cora. ;)
I did phrase that badly, didnt I?! I also of course have known people for 5 years but have no chemistry with them but either way, i still see a spark between these two! Especially the way she looks at him after she says things about them being together! awwww! tehe. :)
And just like the saying goes….’You can’t choose who you fall in love with’…..
I personally don’t care about chemistry/lack of chemistry. I don’t really see Sybil as in love with him. I think they both come off as too young for a permanent attachment. While Sybil doesn’t care about class, I think she needs to learn to be more independent and servantless before she marries someone like Branson. I think Sybil is in her own way as independent in spirit as Mary and Branson comes off clingy and co-dependent. I think if Sybil is smart she will continue to pursue her own goals, and leave Branson behind. Maybe someday if they meet up and they are both more mature they can be together but right now there’s nothing.
I could see one wedding but two… maybe.
I also am disappointed that we got through the whole war in one season. I can see why they did that but we lost a chance to see a lot of the changes take place.
I think in general this season Mary and Edith have grown-up as opposed to last season when they were teenagey. Sybil still needs to grow up a little. I would like to see good things for both of them. Most disappointed in the earl. still I don’t really want Mary and Richard together. I think he’ll turn out to be more a villian at some point.