Bates before revealing his past. Screencap: Me

The one thing that threw me off with this episode is that it’s suddenly two years since Bates has been working there, when nothing in the scripts leading up to Episode 6 have indicated any really big shift forward in time. I think this leap was done in order to “show” us that Bates and Anna’s relationship is more far along than we originally assumed it was. Anyway, this is really the only clumsy thing about this episode, so I thought I’d get it out of the way first.

Well, I guess there’s another clumsy thing that I forgot to mention. This happened a few episodes ago, but what made Matthew like Mary? What about her, aside from being (excuse my English) a bitch, wanted to make Matthew ask for her hand in marriage in Episode 6?  Also, it’s a little funny to wonder why these two like each other and if Edith could have had  a chance with Matthew when watching the show from a 21st century perspective–from today’s perspective, it’s uncouth to marry your cousin, no matter how removed they are from the family. (I read that Matthew is their third cousin, twice removed.)

Anyway, this episode is centered around one of the women’s rights rallies/riots happening in town. Sybil and Branson are attending, but it soon gets to be too much for a Lady to be out in, and Branson whisks her away for fear of her safety. (Isobel, who also happens to be at the rally, wants Sybil to be safe as well.) When Sybil’s father finds out, though, he’s mad, especially when he finds out that all of the women (save for his mother) were in on it. Lord Grantham basically forbids Sybil from going back to the rallies because of the politics involved. He might be open-minded, but he’s not really a liberal. Women’s rights threatens the aristocracy because if women’s rights gets passed, then other things, like limiting the gap between the haves and have-nots, might be put up for a vote. Then, what prominence or importance would Downton Abbey have?

Needless to say, Sybil goes back to the rallies by tricking Branson into thinking she has some other business to attend to. The rally turns nasty, and thankfully Matthew was at his practice. He meets up with Branson and Sybil right as the riot starts –and when Sybil gets knocked out cold. They take her to Matthew’s house where his mother can patch her up. Mary is also taken to the Crawley House in order to see her sister and take her home. However, Mary is once again given the cold shoulder by Matthew when he puts all his attention toward Sybil and not her (again, she’s being a spoiled brat. Her sister was hurt, for goodness’ sake!). In any case, Branson is barely hanging onto his job; Sybil has threatened to run away if her father fires Branson for something that was her doing.

Sybil at the rally. Screencap: Me

This episode is pretty much “Mary’s not hot stuff anymore,” because Edith manages to charm Sir Antony away from Mary, proving to Mary that she’s got competition when it comes to entertaining possible suitors. Good for Edith. However, that Sir Antony’s a little old for her. He should be thinking about that all of the time. I would, if I were him, but I guess he’s not since he did ask her out on a date.

Edith and Sir Antony. Screencap: Me

We learn more of William. In fact, we see Mary bonding with him on a certain level. I guess since she’s got nothing better to do–all of the men in her life are occupied–she decides to talk to him. We later find out that William not only comes from a good home, but his mother’s also near death. His mother doesn’t want him to know she’s ill, but Mary thinks it’s best for him to go be with her. She arranges some time off for him, out of the kindness of her heart.

O’Brien and Thomas rope poor Daisy into their scheme of getting Bates sacked. They pin Thomas’ theft of the wine on Bates and gets Daisy to tell a fake story to Carson about seeing Bates with the wine. Thanks to William (“There are no lies in our [his parents'] house,”) Daisy comes to her senses and tells Carson the real truth. O’Brien and Thomas are on the ropes now, but Bates tells Carson, Anna, and Mrs. Hughes in private that his past might get him fired anyway; in the past, he was a drunkard and was arrested for theft. He hasn’t touched a drop of wine because of his former alcoholism. He puts forward his resignation, and Carson says he’ll mull it over after conferring with Lord Grantham.

Meanwhile, we’ve learned that Mrs. Patmore does have cataracts, but she probably won’t want to get any treatment in order to save the eyesight she does have. Also, Gwen gives Sybil a lesson in the social hierarchy of England, saying that the haves can expect to get what they want because they expect it. The have-nots, however, never expect anything to happen to them. However, Sybil promises that she will find Gwen a secretarial job.

Finally, the Dowager Countess finds out about the, to quote The Help‘s Minny Jackson, “Terrible Awful” that Mary has been a part of. At first, the Dowager Countess is horrified, but Lady Grantham says that she couldn’t turn her back on Mary, even with the Terrible Awful. Eventually the Dowager Countess decides not to turn her back on family, either.

The Dowager Countess’ reaction to the Terrible Awful. Screencap: Me

One last thing that I noticed–Branson is basically Harry Spargo (Neil Jackson) from the 2010 revival of Upstairs Downstairs . They both are political radicals, they both form attachments to one of the ladies of the house, and they both are a part of rallies,  giving out pamphlets, and the like. I’m not saying it’s a good or bad thing, but there are a few characters who are basically counterparts to other characters on either incarnation of Upstairs Downstairs. Like, for instance, Mrs. Patmore is like Mrs. Bridges from the original 1971 version of Upstairs Downstairs.

Anyway, another good episode. I’m almost to the climax of the first series, Episode 7!

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Molesley’s father’s fabulous roses. Screencap: Me

This episode, centered around the Downton flower show, had two big storylines: Mary being a spoiled brat and the tag team of Thomas and O’Brien trying once again to get Bates, the easy target, out of Downton.

Mary is used to being thought of as The Chosen One. Because she’s the oldest, she’s basically grown up with the idea that she’s going to keep the image and heritage of Downton going. She’s basically in line to be the next Dowager Countess. Luckily, she was born with looks. Unluckily, she boasts it, as well as her ability to entertain men, in middle sister Edith’s face. As Elle Woods would say, Edith’s “not completely unfortunate looking.” Edith isn’t what one could call “classically beautiful” like her sister, but she’s not ugly in the least. She’s not that ugly that Mary should rub her own looks in Edith’s face, because Mary’s a bit ugly in the personality department. However, her ugliness in character causes Edith to divulge in her own store of ugliness when, after getting the truth of the Pamuk incident from Daisy (thanks to the scheming of O’Brien),  she decides to tell the Turkish Embassy about what happened to Pamuk.What does O’Brien have to gain from this? Not much, in the long run. She wanted to know what Daisy knows, and she’s always up for mess. She lives for mess, so it would be in character for her to start discord with anyone.

Edith’s letter to the Turkish Embassy. Screencap: Me

A developing storyline with Edith, however, is that she is intent on stealing Sir Antony Stralland away from Mary. Stralland is being thrown at Mary as a possible suitor, and just to spite Edith, she starts entertaining him. However, Mary, being flighty, throws away Matthew’s advances in the process. As her own father said, she can be such a child. It does seem like she wrestles with being responsible and being a brat, because after Matthew leaves in a huff, she mentally kicks herself. And when he quickly speaks and walks away from her at the flower show, she feels what it’s like to not be wanted. She finally gets a bit of the bad karma she’s put out directed back at her, and it’s going to get even worse when the rumors about her and Pamuk start coming.

Mary mentally scolding herself. Screencap: Me

Meanwhile, Thomas is in trouble. He’s been nicking the wine–something that’s been going on ever since the first or second episodes–and now the one person he told about the Pamuk situation–a valet to another highfalutin–blabbed about it all over London. In order to get the heat off him, O’Brien tells him to frame someone else for stealing. Of course, the scapegoat being used is Bates.  They decide to steal one of the prize snuff boxes from the study, and when Anna tells Bates that they must have put it in his room, they decide to turn the tables on them and hide it in one of their rooms. It works–in order to keep their jobs, Thomas and O’Brien put the snuff box back in the study before Carson sees them. They’ve been outwitted for now.

The minor subplot for this episode is another battle of wills between Isobel and the Dowager Countess. While the Dowager Countess thought she won the prize for “the best bloom in the village” because of her gardener’s skill, Isobel–as well as most of her family–inform her that she wins because she’s who she is. She “wins” it out of fear, even when someone else is better. This year, Molesley’s father’s roses are up for contention, and Isobel weighs on the Dowager Countess’ conscience about letting Molesley’s father win. She eventually does the right thing and lets the man win, even though her name was written down as the winner. Isobel wins this round.

The Dowager Countess being gracious in her self-appointed defeat. Screencap: Me

Mrs. Patmore’s eyesight issues finally come to light when she sends out a salty pudding. She’s losing her sight to cataracts. She’s also told by Carson that she owes Daisy an apology for how she treats her. Mrs. Patmore’s fear is real–if she doesn’t have a job as a cook, what can she do?

Bates and Anna’s relationship is finally getting out in the open in the sense that the two are actually discussing their feelings. However, Bates says that he can’t be with her because of something in his past. Anna–as well as the rest of us–are led to believe that he’s married, but he states that’s not it. The development of their relationship is good, however, I will say that for the lines to make it seem as if they have discussed the feelings toward one another before is a little weird. Anna starts out saying that it seems like he won’t accept her feelings for him when, in fact, we’ve never seen him do that before, not until this episode.

Gwen and Sybil go to town to see about Gwen’s next secretarial interview. They have a lot of trouble coming back, but they eventually make it back to Downton Abbey (I’m glad there was no O’Brien finding out), but Gwen doesn’t get the job.

We are also introduced to Aunt Rosalind, Lord Grantham’s cousin in London, through letters. We’ll meet her soon, I’m sure.

Something I’ve been thinking of–what if O’Brien is a lesbian? I mean, I’m not trying to make everyone gay in this show, but it would answer a lot of questions about her. She seems to enjoy her job as a lady’s maid a little too much. Doesn’t she give a weird look to or about Lady Grantham in the first episode? And why else would she be so comfortable about all aspects of Thomas? She never questions him about how he knows what he knows about Pamuk, which obviously involved getting a little closer than a first footman should be. She knows that he made advances on him, though. She’s got to know, she’s O’Brien. She knows everything there is to know about gossip. And the fact that she’s a schemer goes back to my “women in prison” theory I’ve been using on Thomas. Again, I don’t know if this true, and I’m not trying to make every messy person gay, but she fits the “warden of a women’s prison” stereotype.

Also, I keep forgetting to mention that Isobel belongs in the pantheon of saint-like characters in this show.

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Mary looking dour and pensive. Screencap: Me

This episode is another “calm before the storm” episode, having seen most of the first season now. It’s a little weird recapping episodes that I’ve already seen. Anyway, the story’s big plot points include:

Mary feeling the pressure and guilt. Mary is a little bit of a spoiled brat, but she’s also a little bit of a caged bird. She wants to be both the rightful heiress of Downton and she also wants to be her own woman, free from the pressures of marriage and inheritance, etc. She’s also still bogged down by the death of Pamuk. Matthew tries to talk to her at the local fair, around which our episode is centered around, but she doesn’t feel like talking. I suppose I wouldn’t feel like talking either, but Matthew has already been slighted by her before, so this is just considered another slight by him. Another reason why Mary isn’t keen on marrying is that she doesn’t want to be trapped, now that she realizes what her life really is. She wants more–she just doesn’t know how to go about attaining it (this is where she should take points from Sybil). Meanwhile, Edith think she still has a chance with Matthew. She really wants to prove herself as a viable candidate for marriage instead of being passed over all of the time.

Thomas keeps stealing Daisy away from William. As I said in the last recap, Thomas is only doing this out of spite. He can’t openly show love for any special person, because the love he would show would not be welcomed in public, so he decides to show love to no one. Instead, he finds solace in stealing love from others. And William, being a gallant, decent person, is like the nice guy who finishes last. He does get angry about it though, and his anger produces beautiful piano playing. I failed to mention that it’s established in the first episode that William comes from a good home with a caring family. He’s also very homesick. Along with Bates, Anna and Gwen, William’s one of the saints in the show. As Mrs. Hughes tells him, everyone likes William better than Thomas (this statement also provides further proof for my “he can’t love so he won’t love” theory, as well as my other theory that he has some kind of deep-rooted crush on William that he knows will never be returned).

William playing the piano. Screencap: Me

Mrs. Patmore tries to tell Daisy that Thomas is gay. She doesn’t get far, though. Any euphemism Mrs. Patmore tried to throw at her basically deflected. Also, she says a comment about Thomas to Daisy before this–more than that later.

A new chauffeur comes. The chauffeur that’s hired, Branson (Allen Leech) is an Irish separatist and Communist as well as a believer in the rights for women. He appeals to Sybil, who has a budding interest in politics as well. There’s a growing buzz among the women (except for the Dowager Countess) that women need liberation. However, Sybil is the one that really seems to walk the walk.

The Dowager Countess trying to find a loophole in the will. Since Matthew is a lawyer, the Dowager Countess goes to him to see if he can find a loophole in the will of her husband. Matthew feels he’s given her false hope, so he tells Lord Grantham that he can’t find any loophole at all. Throughout all of this, Mary takes her father’s hand-wringing to be that he won’t fight for her to have her inheritance and wants to see her married off. What Mary doesn’t realize is that everyone’s hands are tied when it comes to this.

Gwen doesn’t get the job. Gwen goes on her interview, but doesn’t get the job. She’s down, and she feels like she should stop trying, but Sybil tells her that they won’t give up and that Gwen’s problems are now her problems, too.

Gwen and Sybil. Screencap: Me

Isobel and the Dowager Countess go head-to-head over Molesley. Molesley has a rash on his hand, and Isobel thinks its really serious. She prescribes him some things from the hospital, only to find that it doesn’t work. However, the Dowager Countess finds out about his ailment and knows exactly what it is–a rash from a garden bush. The Dowager Countess wins a point in this game of wills in this episode.

Mrs. Hughes turns down a paramour again. A man that Mrs. Hughes used to see when she was younger, Joe Burns, met her at the fair and if he would marry her. He had asked this many years ago, but Mrs. Hughes turned him down because her job at Downton had changed her from being a simple farm girl. Burns married another woman, but now that he’s been a widower for three years, he thought he’d give Mrs. Hughes another try. However, she felt that her station at Downton was more important than leaving and settling down. It was a hard decision for her, but she turned him down again. It would seem that Carson likes her a bit in more than a professional way, but that might just be my reading of it.

I believe that’s it for this episode. I would like to point out two things–Bates, Anna and Gwen seem to be like a surrogate family, with Bates and Anna being the father and mother and Gwen being the daughter. I like it.

Bates, Gwen and Anna. Screencap: Me

Also, a crazy camera angle that showed a unique take on Mary’s mental state crowding in on her was really great. The angle, which showed her almost from her back, was genius.

I think, at least in terms of looks and personality, Thomas is like Anderson from Sherlock in another life. Speaking of Thomas, what Mrs. Patmore says when Daisy says that Thomas’s agility could make him an athlete–”What sport did you have in mind?”–is yet another innuendo-laden comment somehow relating to his sexuality. Either that or how “agile” he is at trying to get people into trouble. Did people make comments like this in such a tongue-in-cheek way in the early 1900s without people raising their eyebrows? Because no one is phased by Thomas in this show. Not even Lord Grantham, it would seem. I’m a little perplexed by that.

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Kemal Pamuk. Screencap: Me

Quick edit–I’ve been putting these screencaps in the “BBC” category and have tagged them with “BBC” when, in fact, the show is on ITV. Apologies–this will be corrected soon.

Episode 3 is, for me, when the show really starts. And, like quite a few shows, the main emotional thrust of the story starts with a death.

Mary’s potential suitor Evelyn comes to Downton with the Ottoman Empire Embassy attaché, Kemal Pamuk (Theo James). Mary–along with every other woman and Thomas–is smitten with him and practically throws herself at him, leaving poor Evelyn out in the cold. Mary doesn’t realize that she’s still immature when it comes to dealing with men, because she is not ready for when Pamuk tries to kiss her in an enclosed space. She doesn’t realize how in the weeds she is still. It’s only when Pamuk uses Thomas’ advances to blackmail him into showing him Mary’s room. More on the blackmail later, but after Mary realizes what she has conjured up in Pamuk and then starts to settle into the idea of a wanton night of passion, the unthinkable happens–Pamuk dies.

Mary is then forced to ask Anna and her mother for help. Lady Grantham is completely beside herself in anger due to Mary’s near miss with being publicly shamed forever (Mary’s still shamed forever in her own  mind, but at least no one will have to know–yet). Lady Grantham has promised not to let Lord Grantham know about Pamuk being in Mary’s room “for his sake…not yours,” and the three of them move the body back to Pamuk’s room so it can seem like he died peacefully in his room. However, Daisy sees the tail end of their journey back to Pamuk’s room.

Pamuk’s death, however, has put a large emotional strain on Mary, who has basically forgotten about Evelyn. She has learned a lot of things in a short span of time–1) that life is the same for both the rich and the poor; death comes to us all, and no amount of money or status can stop it, 2) that her life isn’t as rosy as she once thought it was; she’ll be a nobody unless she marries a monied person, 3) she has to find meaning to her life outside of the idea of marriage or being rich. In the short span of a day, she’s grown up from being a snotty, mean girl to a girl that is closer to being a mature woman. Too bad it took Pamuk’s death, though.

But did Pamuk really die of natural causes? He seemed to be the very picture of health and vitality. I think someone must have spiked something he ate or drank, because his death seems supsicious. If you’re reading this after having watched S2, then I’m sure you’re probably laughing at me being like, “Who could it be?” You probably already know. Just don’t tell me.

The death does show us a different side of Carson. We see him counseling Mary on her grief over the situation (well, as much of the situation as she’ll tell him), and he tells her that she’s his favorite. Personally, I don’t see why–I’d think Sybil would be his favorite. She’d be my favorite. But perhaps Mary’s Carson’s favorite because, at least up until the death, her thinking and manner was more like the Dowager Duchess, someone who knows they’re the elite and expect to be treated as such. Carson seems to live for the differences in status, and so does Mary, to an extent.

Quickly, before I start in on the blackmail portion–Edith is more smitten with Matthew than Mary is, however, we are beginning to see that Matthew does care a little for Mary. He wants to see if he can do anything for her in her time of need. Sure, it’s the polite thing to do, but he has another motive–to be close to Mary.

Mrs. Patmore is showing a struggle with her sight. She realizes that her sight’s going, but she finds it easier to blame Daisy for it simply because its easy. She needs a scapegoat in order for the rest of the staff not to recognize that her sight is getting worse.

Also, Gwen’s secret is revealed; she’s been taking lessons in order to be a secretary. She wants to leave service, and the nasty O’Brien reveals this secret to everyone. I don’t know what her problem is, but she’s a piece of work. No wonder she’s best friends with Thomas, although I feel like she’ll sell him out too, especially how she said “Your secret’s safe with me” when he told her about how he took Pamuk to Mary’s room. Anyway, Gwen finds a comrade in Sybil, who is all for people living to their full potential (unlike her grandmother, who feels that the elite have to do “what is best” for the poor people. Ugh). Sybil makes a point of writing out a letter of recommendation for Gwen, and soon after, Gwen is called in for an interview. Lastly, Bates tries to get the limp out of his leg, but to a painful degree. Eventually Mrs. Hughes finds out and tells him that he has to accept himself the way he is.

Gwen, Anna and her typewriter. Screencap: Me

Okay, the blackmail issue. This, and the extent of how much the rest of the staff knows about Thomas is interesting, both for different reasons.

Thomas reiterates my point of a person who feels like an outcast that wants to be loved as well as a person who is way too boy-crazy for their own good. To me, Thomas has a “women in prison” theme going on with his characterization. If you’ve read my review on the film Women’s Prison, you might have read my analysis of the warden, Amelia van Zandt’s character:

Generally, “women’s prison” movies–a subgenre by itself–contain the erroneous stereotype of a lesbian. Generally, the lesbian stereotype in these films contain levels of sadism, masochism and not being at peace with themselves on some level. It’s almost like its written into the script that these women recognize something’s different about them even if they don’t understand what it is, and because of it, they act out in malicious ways. Also, the women are generally single, and their singleness is often pointed out in some kind of weird or direct way. Amelia van Zandt’s character combines all of these.

Thomas is essentially Amelia van Zandt. He doesn’t seem to hate himself consciously, but there’s a level of self-hatred there, mostly because he can’t have relationships that are out in the public, unlike William, who can outwardly show that he’s in love with Daisy. This is Thomas’ prime motive for stealing Daisy away from William. I also think he’s got distaste for William because he’s attracted to him a little, but he knows for a fact that William’s straight. Thomas does relish in having relationships, but he also doesn’t really know how to choose a good man to begin with (the Duke, Pamuk the blackmailer), so there’s a level of frustration there. He only picks men based on looks. He gets so careless with tactfulness when it comes to a beautiful man that he’ll risk his own job. This recklessness can be seen all over the scene where he caresses Pamuk’s face, or at least tries to. I imagine Thomas thought he was giving the right signals to Pamuk, but he obviously wasn’t thinking with his head.

Thomas being lured in by Pamuk’s charm. However, Pamuk is only for the ladies. Screencap: Me

Secondly, the fact that most of the staff know about Thomas’ inclination is a little weird for the time period, yes? For Bates to make the comment to Lord Grantham about Thomas cheering up once he saw Pamuk and for Grantham to not say anything is more than a little out-of-time, right? For Bates to even make the joke in the first place is a little strange. Combine that with O’Brien making an innuendo-laden comment to Thomas and Thomas himself for asking “Is that one mine?” when he sees Pamuk with Carson standing right in front of him is a little crazy to me.

Of course, one could argue that the people in Brideshead Revisited seemed rather open-minded. Yeah, that’s true, but I don’t know if that’s what Downton‘s trying to be. It’s trying to be current, but not that current, I don’t think. And even so, Brideshead still had the guise of “schoolboy dalliances” to fall back on.

“Is that one mine?” Screencap: Me

Anyway, good episode. And as a side note, the Dowager Countess’ hatred for America, free thought and the idea of capitalism/making your own fortune is growing stronger with every episode. How does she think her own fortune got amassed in the first place? This, coupled with her hatred of foreigners (and how they, according to her don’t have the decency to wait and die until they leave someone’s house), makes her both a silly character in that “Archie Bunker” sort of way and a look into how some British aristocracy probably thought (still think?) today. Historically during the time Downton is set, some Brits still felt that the British were supreme in everything and in every way. This ideology gets knocked down a peg once the two wars start, though, so it’ll be intriguing to see how the Dowager Countess changes as the show progresses, if at all. Right now, though, she’s purely Old Britain.

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Matthew and Isobel meeting Molesley. Screencap: Me

The second episode allows us to meet the third cousin, twice removed, to the Crawleys, lawyer Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and his mother, Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton). Matthew, someone who’s worked for a living, isn’t keen on being thought of as an heir to Downton, and he’s also not keen on being waited on by his new butler, Molesley (Kevin Doyle), who begins to feel useless not being able to do his life’s work. Matthew detests being treated like a titled person that he considers getting rid of Molesley. On top of all that, Mary also treats him as a commoner, someone not worth her time (this is partially due to her overhearing him tell Isobel how he thinks the whole Downton estate fiasco is a big joke). However, Matthew begins to settle in once Lord Grantham tells him that it’s okay to allow his butler to treat him like the entitled person he is because everyone has a role to play, and he has to allow people to play their part. This doesn’t ease any tensions between Matthew and Mary, but it does help Matthew let his butler and valet do his job.

One reason Mary hasn’t decided to give Matthew the time of day is because of a man she’s been writing to, The Hon. Evelyn Napier. He’s part of the aristocracy, something that Matthew isn’t, so for Mary, Evelyn’s far more suitable than some lawyer.

Meanwhile, O’Brien and Thomas discuss Thomas’ attempt to transfer to be Matthew’s butler and valet, but of course, that dream goes null and void once Matthew decides to keep Molesley. For Thomas to be so scheming, he sure acts a little too boy-crazy–he just wants someone to love him, I think. This leads me to believe that he’s not as vicious as he makes himself to be (but he does do it with great expertise, I must say).

Speaking of Thomas, Daisy has taken a shine to Thomas, not really realizing that 1) he’s gay, and 2) poor, stoic William really likes her. Daisy is either really young or really naive to immediately fall for someone as conniving as Thomas. I guess I can’t fault her–If I were younger and didn’t know he was gay, I might like him, too. He’s the bad boy of the group, and women seem to always get tangled up with the bad boy. But William is just as handsome, if not more so due to his congenial personality. Anyway, this bodes for bad things in the future.

Thomas dancing with Daisy. Screencap: Me

The Dowager Countess finds a formidable opponent in Isobel, who trained as a nurse. When she visits the hospital, she finds that one of the farmers on the Downton land has fallen ill with fluid in his heart. She implores the doctor to use a new treatment involving adrenaline to treat the patient, and while the doctor is scared to do it because he feels it hasn’t been tested enough, he becomes very ambivalent when the Dowager Countess, the president of the hospital, forbids him to do the treatment, all in the goal of keeping her post as the head woman in the area. However, when Isobel comes back and demands the doctor to use the treatment, using his conscience as bait, he relents and decides to go through with the treatment. When she sees the treatment in action, the Dowager Countess has a bit of a realization at the magnitude of the situation she was trying to block.  The quick action on Isobel’s part makes her the chairman of the hospital, much to the Dowager Countess’ chagrin.

Gwen is being rather secretive in this episode. We see she has some mysterious letters that she hides from everyone. Anna tries to find out why she’s being so cagey, but she can’t get the truth out of her.

Finally, Carson is outed as a former stage performer when his old stage partner Charles Grigg (Nicky Henson) comes around Downton trying to blackmail him for money and lodging. Carson thinks he’s about to be sacked because of his (to him) “shame,” but Lord Grantham says he never even thought of firing him, and in fact, he’s rather impressed by Carson’s past life on the stage. Even though Carson’s honor is saved, he still feels deflated and starts to doubt himself and his job. It takes Mrs. Hughes to put him back on track.

This event also brings Bates and Anna closer together; they are the ones that are witnesses to Carson revealing his shame and, due to their good souls, swear they won’t mention it again. We also witness the good nature of Sybil Crawley, who also tries to help Bates with the

Carson facing his past in the Lord Grantham’s study. Screencap: Me

Some thing of note–in this episode, Mary berates her mother a little for being an American who doesn’t recognize class structure. Mary is a little high and mighty in this episode, as well as the first one, but her sentiments about America are later echoed by the Dowager Countess many times in future episodes. It’s almost as if the show is doing a Captain Planet-type of thing by having the Crawleys represent old England and Lady Grantham represent America and how both countries merely tolerated each other back in the day. I’m sure I’ll write more on this aspect of the show later on.

Another thing of note–the class struggle. One of the most uppity people in this show, aside from the Dowager Countess, is O’Brien. She thinks that just because she’s a lady’s maid that she’s above everyone downstairs and that she has the right to talk about the upper class any way she wanted. She gets called out on this when Lady Grantham happens to be downstairs and overhears her. After Lady Grantham scolds her, O’Brien says to the others that Lady Grantham doesn’t care anything about her and how this is just a job to her. She’s only saying this because she’s hurt and embarrassed. But also, she’s saying this because she’s reminded of her station.

For those who haven’t seen the show, this is probably the last episode before the real roller coaster begins. Once it starts, it hits keep coming.

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The cast of Downton Abbey. Credit: Downton Abbey’s official Facebook page.

All right, so this is my first time recapping anything related to Downton Abbey. My first impressions when it comes to the show is that I understand why it’s such a highly-acclaimed show. The acting is fantastic, the subtleties are great, and the set/prop/costume design are all spectacular. And the theme song’s good too. All of it’s great, adding up to a grand time exploring the ins and outs of a rich family and their servants before World War I. Even the way the show introduces you to the home and its inhabitants with the camera weaving in and out of the servants as they go about their work,  is a great, orchestrated piece of art.

Since this is the episode that starts it all, we’re introduced to everyone through Daisy (Sophie McShera), the kitchen maid, and newly-hired valet John Bates (Brendan Coyle). Our main staff includes, aside from the two mentioned, are:

Butler: Charles Carson (Jim Carter)

Housekeeper: Elsie Hughes (Phyllis Logan)

Lady Grantham’s maid: Sarah O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran)

First Footman: Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier)

Footman: William Mason (Thomas Howes)

Head Housmaid: Anna Smith (Joanne Froggatt)

Housemaid: Gwen Dawson (Rose Leslie)

Housemaid: Ethel Parks (Amy Nuttall)

Cook: Beryl Patmore (Lesley Nicol)

The staff works for the Crawleys, an old-monied family that lives in Downton Abbey, a rich estate. Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) is the head of the family and his wife, Cora, the Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), is his American wife. It is alluded to in Episode 1 that he has married Cora for less-than-honorable reasons–mainly, it seems he married her strictly due to her money, because her money was what would keep the estate going. They have three daughters, Lady Mary Josephine (Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) and Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay). Lord Grantham’s mother, Violet, the Dowager Countess (Dame Maggie Smith), is used to ruling everything surrounding Downton, including the business concerning the house itself.

The show begins with a tragedy, the Titanic. On board the ship were Lord Grantham’s first cousin and his cousin’s son, who was supposed to marry Mary in order to keep the estate running. While their deaths are a tragedy, it’s compounded with the fact that Lord Grantham’s father tied up the estate in such a way that no money would be able to go to a woman. It would have to go to a man. Grantham’s cousins were supposed to ensure that nothing would happen to the estate, and now with their deaths, the future of the estate hangs in jeopardy.

Things seem to turn up when The Duke of Crowborough (Charlie Cox) decides to pay his respects to the Crawleys. However, he’s not really there to ask for Mary’s hand in marriage. He’s there to pay a visit to Thomas, who is his lover. Thomas thinks that he’ll be able to work for the duke in order to be with him, but the duke has other ideas. To him, Thomas was nothing more than a fling, and he only really wants him for carnal desires.

(L-R) Thomas and the duke. Screencap: me

Poor Thomas, but it also serves him right since earlier in the episode, he and O’Brien were conspiring to get Bates, a man Crawley knew from the army, fired from his job as valet, a job that Thomas really wants. Bates has a bum leg due to a war injury, so it’s almost too easy for Thomas and O’Brien to set Bates up to fail. But Crawley, being a sympathetic and unusually open-minded man for the old-money crowd, decides that he can’t let Bates go back out on the street. He keeps him on, which is good, because this helps set up the relationship that has been threatening to happen between Bates and Anna. Both Bates and Anna are probably the most saint-like of the servants, so they immediately became my favorites.

(L-R) Bates and Anna. Credit: Downton Abbey’s official Facebook page.

What I really like about this show is that it seems fresh. I guess it should since it’s being filmed in today’s time, but compared to either incarnation of Upstairs, Downstairs, this show seems to have a different verve to it. Not taking anything away from either version of Upstairs, Downstairs, but I always felt it was a little slowly-paced for me. I’m not sure why. I still like it though. However, Downton Abbey seems to have all of the drama of Upstairs,  Downstairs, but it cuts to the point quicker, if that makes any sense. I guess “fresh” is the only real way I can describe it. I suppose one could say it’s sexier.

Overall, it’s a very good show. If you haven’t watched it yet and you’re a fan of period dramas, then please go and watch it!

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Credit: Lucasfilm

Week of 1/15

SI Literary Prize (for unpublished fiction by black and Asian women residing inthe UK)

A Conversation with Eric Scheig, Star of APTN’s “Blackstone”

American Holocaust of Native American Indians

Michelle Obama Tired of  “Angry Black Woman” Stereotype

Quileute Nation Featured at Smithsonian but Work by Twilight‘s Jacob Black Will Not Be Included 

Why Your Support of Red Tails is Important For Black Hollywood

Latest still of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit

Week of 1/23

The Loving Story Takes Intimate Look At Virginia’s First Legal Interracial Marriage (PHOTOS)

 Site for Benedict Cumberbatch’s new film, Phoenix

Complete List of the 84th Academy Awards Nominations

Request for Native American Short Film for Use on PBS Pilot

Red Tails hits mark with Tuskegee Airmen

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EDIT: Some new pictures, courtesy of godiseven.tumblr.com! click here, here, and here to see the scans.

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Yes, I haven’t written about Sherlock in a long time, but I will (eventually) get back to it now that Season 2 is about to get underway. Until then, here are some promo pictures from Cumberbatched (originally from the BBC):

As I wrote on ShockYa, PBS has stated Sherlock will be back in the spring of 2012, so get ready, because the game’s about to be afoot again!

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Yes, I haven’t written about Sherlock in a long time, but I will (eventually) get back to it now that Season 2 is about to get underway. Until then, here are some promo pictures from Cumberbatched (originally from the BBC):

As I wrote on ShockYa, PBS has stated Sherlock will be back in the spring of 2012, so get ready, because the game’s about to be afoot again!

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A week or two ago, I posted about the live Black History Month special “The Motown Sound”. Well, in case you missed it, here’s the embedded performance, via PBS. Enjoy!

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.

Watch the full episode. See more In Performance at The White House.