Downton Abbey Christmas special

[Anonymous]

So did you think it helped redeem some of the downsides of Downton's Season 2? I did. Loved the ending, sappy as it was. I only wish they hadn't filmed it July as there were leaves on the trees, which looked pretty silly in a show supposedly taking place in December.

I have decided to move to England so I can see Season 3 sooner.

[Anonymous]

I loved it too!

[Anonymous]

Loved it also.

Still mystified by the quick disappearance of the "Patrick" plot line. Does anyone think this will reemerge next season?

Another thought as I was watching this season. . . There is such a dearth of WWI stories in popular culture-- especially movies and TV. I've always found it a fascinating period in time, but WWII gets all the attention. Probably because the U.S. entered so late and was comparatively lightly affected, but there's so much material for good stories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Loved it also.

Still mystified by the quick disappearance of the "Patrick" plot line. Does anyone think this will reemerge next season?

Another thought as I was watching this season. . . There is such a dearth of WWI stories in popular culture-- especially movies and TV. I've always found it a fascinating period in time, but WWII gets all the attention. Probably because the U.S. entered so late and was comparatively lightly affected, but there's so much material for good stories.

If you like mysteries, try the Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford books by Charles Todd. Rutledge is an inspector in Scotland Yard and suffered shell shock in WWI. Like you, I didn't know very much about that time but this series the fills in a lot of the gaps, e.g., the life span of a British officers on the battlefield was something like 22 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So did you think it helped redeem some of the downsides of Downton's Season 2? I did. Loved the ending, sappy as it was. I only wish they hadn't filmed it July as there were leaves on the trees, which looked pretty silly in a show supposedly taking place in December.

I have decided to move to England so I can see Season 3 sooner.

Totally. Thrilled with the Christmas Special. Hope Season 3 continues the improvement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Loved it also.

Still mystified by the quick disappearance of the "Patrick" plot line. Does anyone think this will reemerge next season?

Another thought as I was watching this season. . . There is such a dearth of WWI stories in popular culture-- especially movies and TV. I've always found it a fascinating period in time, but WWII gets all the attention. Probably because the U.S. entered so late and was comparatively lightly affected, but there's so much material for good stories.

Ugh. Patrick was the weakest story line this season. So bizarre that they brought him in and then he was gone in a flash, almost as if Julian Fellowes, et al knew how stupid it was and wanted to hustle him out of there before the episode even ended.

As for WWI, my impression from school (not to mention War Horse, Downton Abbey, etc.) is that the combat was so horrific (with the mustard gas, etc.) that it has been hard to put it into popular works.

[Anonymous]

It was glorious -- redeemed all the contrived plotlines and clunky dialogue of the earlier episodes this season.

Favorite moments:
the writers' restraint in not having Lord G. cave in and attend Sybil's wedding;

similarly, they didn't make Sir Richard into a total lout -- sure, he came pretty close, but in the end, he also told Mary he'd loved her;

Matthew clocking Sir Richard and then the fight coming to an immediate halt simply b/c Lord Grantham told them to "Stop this at once";

the Dowager Countess playing gal pal to Daisy;

Thomas pulling the wool over Lord G's eyes about Isis;

Mary confessing that her indiscretion with Mr. Pamuk was all about lust;

Matthew telling Mary he didn't need to forgive her.

Can't wait till next season -- and I don't think we've seen the last of P.Gordon.

[Anonymous]

The Maisie Dobbs series is a fun read about a woman detective right after WWI. There are several plotlines involving shellshocked soldiers, her completely disabled boyfriend, and the general fallout from WWI. Sometimes the series veers a little too far into the supernatural for my tastes, but I suppose this can be explained by the fact that the author is a British woman living in California.

[Anonymous]

Only thing I did not like was the spirit board at the end.

[Anonymous]

I also found this last episode to be redeeming for the entire season. So glad it turned around!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Only thing I did not like was the spirit board at the end.

As someone who has had very scary experiences with Ouija boards, this part creeped me out. Badly.

Loved the episode. It did redeem the horribleness of the season!

[Anonymous]

Is it just me, or did the actor who plays Matthew seem to be supressing a smile when he talked at the end about Matthew's miraculous recovery?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it just me, or did the actor who plays Matthew seem to be supressing a smile when he talked at the end about Matthew's miraculous recovery?

I know, huh? Like, "yes, it was soapy, wasn't it?" I hope season three ends up more like season one than two!

[Anonymous]

So did the first two seasons cover 8 years? Did the first one start in 1912 right after the Titanic sank?

So now it's 1920. I love the 20s. I wonder how many years Season 3 will cover.

[Anonymous]

I also enjoyed the new Upstairs Downstairs on Masterpiece last spring. I think there's supposed to be a second season, but haven't seen anything about this. Anyone know?