The pace at Downton has slowed of late, what with the passing of Matthew and the transformation of Mary into a beautiful walking corpse. Thankfully, the show itself isn't entirely lifeless, though it's still a little lacking in the madcap plot twist department.
I'll mention the Ivy-Alfred-Jimmy-Daisy-possibly now Rose polygon briefly because it happened but still failed to get me caring about it. I'm not even sure who likes who really, just that there seems to be a lot of furtive glances and whispering about it. I also add Rose in now because Jimmy accompanied them to the dance and then caught her dallying with her bit of rough before dinner. Jimmy was an interesting character last series when he was the target for Thomas' affections, but he seems to have been reduced to wallpaper so far. Maybe a fling with Rose will liven the place up? Give them both something to do? Romances on Downton have certainly started for less and yes I'm totally grasping at straws here because the episode left me very little to go on ok?
Speaking of potential romances, might there be a possibility of a Mary-Branson relationship in the offing? Or a Mary-Tom relationship... I'm with the Dowager, it's too difficult. Anyway, now that Dame Maggie has instructed Tom/Branson to be Mary's instructor in the ways of the estate, the pair are about to spend a lot of time together and in TV Land, that's tantamount to getting engaged. Not to mention all the knowing grins that Tom/Branson was exhibiting throughout the episode.
Well there's that and the fact that it would royally get up Lord Grantham's nose, a man already campaigning fervently for 'Git of the Year'. I'm aware it would have been completely anachronistic for Mary to chuck her no doubt expensive Sauvignon Blanc right in his face at dinner, but I was totally gunning for it. However, whilst Lord Grantham may have given a wonderfully contradictory speech (remember when he was campaigning for Mary to inherit the estate?), it was left to the deceased Matthew to steal the show in the most convenient plot development since Miss Lavinia Swire felt a bit ill.
From the moment Lord Grantham began reading the letter, I knew it was going to be a moment of pure Downton gold. And it did not disappoint. "I suddenly realised..." Did you now Matthew? How very prescient of you. Speaking positively, whilst it may have been hilariously convenient, it also wrapped up the whole issue of Mary's inheritance neatly and quickly because I don't think anyone could have been bothered with another Series One entail plotline running all the way through it. On the other hand, it was terrible writing. Just terrible. Nuance has never been one of Downton's strong points, but if there was ever a moment for it, that was it.
It was left to the below stairs crew to get the nice storylines this week as Carson finally came around to forgiving his old friend in a lovely station-set scene with Grigg (though I was half-expecting a 'Daddy! Oh my Daddy!' moment a la Jenny Agutter). The story of Alice was quaint stuff, the type of story you'd expect to hear over tea and scones and therefore proper Downton stuff. I also enjoyed the Molesley-Mr Baaates storyline though Thomas' meddling with the Baaates family is getting a tad dull. Where's Miss O'Brien when you need her?
Oh and Edith is well on her way to become 'the other woman'. Brilliant. There's never a dull moment is there?
- Becky
You can read Becky's review of the previous episode here.
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First of all a quick recap; if you remember the Christmas Special, one that was lacking in cheer or you know, anything that happened, there were a few clues as to where this series was headed. The big issue, and practically the only thing that happened in the special, was Matthew Crawley's rather horrific and graphic death at the hands of bad driving and an ill-timed fork in the road. Oh the symbolism. Mary had just given birth, Branson had to deal with advances from a wayward housemaid and the family had visited Scotland and Miss O'Brien manoeuvred her way into a new job. I can't really remember if anything else happened, but if it did, it's probably not important. That or one of the characters will tell us explicitly what we need to know.
Was Downton always so obvious? So neon-lit "here's an upcoming plot point/historical reference/danger on the horizon" flashing neon sign obvious? I mean, I know it's always been less than subtle and that's part of its charm, but this episode just seemed determined to whack you across the head with one of Mrs Patmore's copper ladles every time something significant cropped up. Some of my favourite examples included "he's in the workhouse and yes, it's every bit as something you'd read in a Charles Dickens novel". Thanks Mrs Hughes. There was also Edith's speech about how everyone hated the Germans, Mrs Patmore's statement about her being the old and Daisy being the new and just about anything that the Dowager Countess said.
This may have just been me noticing how obvious everything was in this episode, but it did just seem a tad more telegraphed than usual. Like I said, it's always been par for the course in Downton and Julian Fellowes throws more than enough at us in this series opener to keep us occupied. Grieving was the major theme in this episode with Mary moping around and doing even less emoting than usual, Isabel Crawley was doing something similar and Branson was doing his level best with Carson and Mrs Hughes to get everyone back and functioning again. Branson (I should really start calling him Tom soon) and Mary look like they're set to be quite the team and I'm intrigued to see where that goes.
Below stairs, we had Thomas doing his usual scheming. With Miss O'Brien gone, I was worried that Thomas wasn't going to have to scheme all too much, but it's good to know he's back with a sneer and some casual manipulation. Only this time, it turned out he was actually right about the villainous Nanny West who happened to casually abuse baby Sybby when she thought no one was looking. Elizabeth McGovern's Cora was particularly fierce in this moment and I liked seeing her do something other than placate the rest of the family, which she seemed to do a lot last time around.
The dynamic between Daisy and Mrs Patmore continues to be one of the highlights with this episode seeing them get to grips with an electric whisk. Also, Mrs Hughes and Carson continue to dance around the romantic question, but let's face it, if this series doesn't end with at least one of them acknowledging the other, Fellowes may have a mutiny on his hands. The rest of the romance in the episode was confined to the Ivy-Alfred-Daisy-Jimmy love quadrangle continues but I must admit, I switched off whenever they came on screen. I don't know enough about the new people to care just yet, but I did like the Mrs Patmore reveal.
We also seem to be getting a more feminist angle going in Downton this time around and not anachronistically considering we are now in the 20s. Though we're yet to hear a big hint of rebellion, Edith is well on her way with the prospect of 'living in sin' with her publisher chap. Oh just go for it Edith, you deserve it. Even if it does mean moving to Germany. Elsewhere, there's another hoo-ha about Mary's inability to inherit because of her gender, not to mention the return of the manipulative Edna Braithwaite to Downton. I love MyAnna Buring, she's a great actress, but Edna was a terrible character in the Christmas special and I'm not holding out much hope for the future.
Largely the usual Downton intrigue, if just a little more obvious about its context than it ever seemed before. I didn't really miss Matthew, something which I'd never thought I'd say, but at least we still have Branson.
- Becky
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The fifth episode of Downton Abbey is both one of the most dramatic so far, and naturally therefore, one of the best. I usually try to avoid major spoilers for my reviews but be warned, there is one massive spoiler here that it would be impossible not to discuss.
The house begins preparing for the arrival of Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) and Tom's (Allen Leech) baby while Matthew (Dan Stevens) and Mary (Michelle Dockery) are still longing for the pitter-patter of tiny feet (Oncoming Tragedy Klaxon). Daisy (Sophie McShera) is taking being someone's superior a little too seriously and is yelling at the new kitchenmaid a lot while Anna (Joanne Froggatt) has discovered the evidence that could lead to a pardon for Mr Baaates (Brendan Coyle). The new footman, Jimmy (Ed Speelers) finds himself in a rather compromising situation with the amorous Thomas (Rob James-Collier) thanks to O'Brien's (Siobhan Finneran) plotting. Then as complications start with Sybil's pregnancy, Lord and Lady Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern) are forced to make a decision that could jeopardise Sybil's health and the baby. How they managed to keep this one secret is anyone's guess, but the episode was so much better for not having a clue about what was just around the corner.
The sense of foreboding was slow to creep up in this episode, most of the focus was on how happy everything was going to be once the next generation of the Downton dynasty arrived. The construction of the episode was one of its strongest points with ebbs and flows that constantly made you question the outcome, particularly once the baby had been born. Then, there was that scene between Sybil and Cora in which the daughter pleaded with the mother for her help with carrying out her husband's wishes for the child. Suddenly, the third daughter's future looked pretty certain and not in a rosy, everything's going to be all right kind of way and in one of the bravest moves the show has ever made, we saw the departure of Sybil, who was possibly one of the most beloved characters.
It's a brave plot point for two reasons; firstly, as I mentioned last week, it shakes up the well-worn path that Downton has been treading this series. We all felt safe because we always knew that everything would always be all right, because it always had been. Well that's now completely out the window and you get the feeling that, for the remaining episodes at least, anything goes. Minor characters have always been dispensable (the footman William for example) but up until now it was always safe to assume that the main characters would survive; Matthew magically recovered his ability to walk and do, erm, other things while Cora survived Spanish flu. Secondly, it's going to make the family dynamic all the more interesting. After all, who is going to defend Branson now that Sybil isn't around? I strongly suspect that the usual family loyalties are going to start shifting. And when I said I was all for seeing more of Branson, killing off his wife was not exactly what I meant but it nevertheless promises an interesting plot-line for the former chauffeur.
The death scene itself was slow and heart-wrenching, from Branson and Cora's pleas for Sybil to stay with them to Lord Grantham's disbelief at the sudden turn of events, and the scenes that followed just added to the tragedy. I personally could no longer hold it together after the brief scene between the Dowager Countess and Carson in which the usually formidable Countess weeped openly, just for a second. Maggie Smith has always been the standout performer in Downton but this moment was so well-judged and so measured that it made an already galling episode even more so. With people group-grieving everywhere, it would have been easy for one actor to pantomime it and try and outdo the others, but each member of the cast gave a great performance in the final scenes of the episode, particularly James-Collier showing a rare moment of compassion in Thomas and Leech, as the grief-stricken husband.
It's the biggest upset we've yet had on the series and it has set up some very interesting narratives for the rest of the series. With Branson now the only link to Lord Grantham's grandchild, there's naturally going to be even more conflict. Elsewhere in the episode, there's other troubles on the horizon with Mary and Matthew most obviously with their baby struggles but also with the estate itself. Something tells me things are only going to get worse at Downton now. And let's face it, none of us would have it any other way.
- Becky
You can read Becky's review of Episode Four here.
Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
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With Downton Abbey now safely in the possession of Matthew Crawley and Lord Grantham, attention is turned to getting the house in order with the arrival of a new footman. Meanwhile, Branson lands himself in hot water both sides of the Irish Sea with a loyal Sybil following in his wake.
Continuing with its weekly well-dressed melodrama, Downton Abbey has slipped back into everyone's lives like a warm, sequinned comfort blanket of tears, romance with a patchwork of Maggie Smith's one-liners. It's never been challenging viewing but last night felt like the show had relaxed into itself and was simply treading the well-worn path of previous episodes of light comedy followed by Lord Grantham shouting at someone in a belligerent manner.
This someone was of course Tom Branson (Allen Leech) this time around, facing the Lord's fury after his political activities get him into trouble with the authorities, forcing him to abandon Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) in Ireland and run away to safety. It's the most interesting plotline of the episode and I'm a big advocate of any development that involves more Allen Leech. It also gave us one of the funniest scenes in the series so far as the Dowager Countess proceeded to side with Branson for the most hilarious reasons; namely that she didn't like the castle he was alleged to have helped burn down. But poor Branson, he just can't keep his mouth shut can he? But then again, he would be a much less interesting character if he did. And with that, we get to one of my gripes with this episode.
Downton has always been a fairly conservative show and maintaining or recovering the status quo has always been one of the key tropes across the series; Mary and Matthew should be together-Lavinia gets in the way-Lavinina dies of Spanish flu-Mary and Matthew get married is a classic example (and one I do keep coming back to because it's hilarious). Now we have Sybil and Branson's socially unacceptable marriage, they leave for Ireland and look set to make a life together outside of Downton. But that simply cannot be! It's just far too leftfield for the residents of Downton to cope with. So Mr Fellowes, master of convenience, gets Branson into trouble with the Anglo-Irish and Lord Grantham comes to the rescue by imprisoning his wayward daughter and the former chauffeur in the house. We're back to where we were in the last series, with everyone back at Downton.
But wouldn't it have been far more interesting to have Branson and Sybil remain in Dublin and have the Crawleys go and visit them? Just think about it - the Dowager Countess bulldozing her way into Anglo-Irish negotiations with all the subtlety of an elephant but all the wit of Oscar Wilde. This is the roaring 20s after all, everything is going a little topsy turvy but short of the fashion, you can't tell that Downton even made it through the First World War. Martha Levinson kept going on about how the Crawleys can't cope with change, but we don't see them getting a chance to; everything just goes back to normal. I want a big shake-up, the kind of upheaval that the loss of Downton hinted at (though was of course conveniently averted).
Thank God then for Edith (Laura Carmichael), new footman Jimmy (Ed Speelers - from the film Eragon. Remember that? No me neither) and the ever-schemeing Thomas (Rob James-Collier). The first meeting between Jimmy and Thomas prompted both me and my friend to predict a future dalliance between the pair or at least provide O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran) with an opportunity for revenge so it'll be interesting to see where that goes. Meanwhile, Edith has soldiered on after the heartbreak of being left at the altar and gone all feminist on us. Hurrah! Maybe Edith will get a happy ending after all?
Elsewhere in the episode, Daisy (Sophie McShera) has her hopes of love with the new footman whose name I still haven't learnt because of a pretty new kitchenmaid (the same kitchenmaid she's begged for from Mrs Patmore (Lesley Nicol). Oh Daisy), The Anna (Joanne Froggat) and Mr Baaates (Brendan Coyle) storyline continues to be a bit of a snorefest as something goes awry with the pair's letters and they pine over each other for a little while before getting their letters back and pining over them instead. And Mrs Crawley (Penelope Wilton) helps Ethel (Amy Nuttall) give up her son to his grandparents which was actually quite sad.
Tune in next week for more corseted shenanigans!
- Becky
You can read Becky's previous Downton Abbey reviews here.
Follow Becky on Twitter @beckygracelea
Or follow her blog beckygracelea.wordpress.com
