Downton Abbey, UPDATED for Season 3 starting on p.9

[Antonius Pius]

First *: Don't know, they've both been there a while and maybe they're just good mates. They both have character traits in common (not just smoking, but interesting that the 2 "baddies" on the staff are the only 2 smokers) which in a relatively small household staff will kinda draw them together.

Yeah, not really sure why, just that they both seem to want Thomas to get the job. There's no hint of them being related, just that they're always smoking and plotting together. Apparently it's quite a big step up to be valet to the earl, as O'Brien is the lady's maid of the countess. They seem to have no other agenda aside from wanting to oust the usurper Bates.

And you really shouldn't smoke, Arrowfan. Next you might want to take up plotting ;)

[Iskaral Pust]

I'm surprised by team Mary vs. team Edith, I just assumed we were all on team Sybil: the social conscience, not the waifish look of the other two and especially the voice. She just needs to add the expressiveness of Mary's eyes. Sybil's are a little too open and guileless.

Mary and Edith are both very flawed and their sibling rivalry and their self-centred outlook feel very real, but it's hard to really cheer either. I like that Edith's character has been elevated in season 2 with her volunteering and complicated by her interaction with Drake.

Back to Sybil's voice: Cora, Lady Grantham, has such an annoying voice: a timid, insipid breathy whisper. Sybil's voice is just a couple of octaves lower and is instead sexy, husky and breaking from a low speaking voice to a hoarse whisper.

The plotting by Thomas and O'Brien is over the top. The show relies on them too much to provide an antogonist. Thomas had an understandable conflict with Bates over the valet role, but why is O'Brien still carrying such a grudge on his behalf? I understand how competition and power dynamics can emerge in such a structured hierarchy, but I don't see enough motivation for O'Brien apart from conflict for the sake of conflict. She seems to careful of her prestigious status to risk it unnecessarily.

Poor old Mosley. He's basically there as a weak coward to make Bates look better by comparison.

[Antonius Pius]

I do wonder why in the world Elizabeth McGovern scored an Emmy nomination. They give her very, very little to do, and she often seems to be phoning in her performance. (To imagine what a young Cora might have looked like, BTW, check out Ragtime -- I stumbled across it the other day, frowned at the young actress who seemed rather familiar, and then it finally clicked as she was acting across from a (shockingly young) Brad Dourif.)

She's also in Once Upon A Time in America, as the grown up sister of Fat Moe (the ballerina star).

Noodles rapes her in the car

Once Upon A Time in America was on tv this weekend, and I knew I recognized her from somewhere, but I couldn't quite place her... IMDB came to the rescue, as usual.

[The Anti-Targ]

Forgot to mention my 2nd fav character, ahead of Sybil (sorry babe), Matthew's mom, she reminds me of my own mom. Now I need to watch the 2nd season so I can catch up with you all.

You're in England now, so it's M'mah or Mother, or if you want to be lower class about it you can say Mum or Mam. :-P

I too love the interplay between the dowager countess and Matthew's Mum.

In other news, Shirley Maclaine has been cast as Cora's Mom (it's oK in this context, given she's American IRL and in the show) http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2012/shirley-maclaine-downton-abbey/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fanpage&utm_campaign=pbs

Just watched the Christmas special. Good little wrap up to much of season 2's cliff hangers. Interesting how far they chose to take Anna and Bate's storyline in that 90 minutes.

[Bastard of Boston]

I just started this the other night. After 2 episodes, I'm definitely invested. Seems like I'm in for a fun ride. I just had to say, the actress playing Sybil is gorgeous. And, the Ice and Fire fanatic in me is trying to find a role for her on GoT...she has the Stark look, definitely.

I had to laugh when the Turkish rep died in Mary's bed. I knew she was a death trap as soon as I laid eyes on her.

[delete this account pls]

I liked the first season well enough, but had to quit on the second. The entitled, self indulgent twats of the 'upstairs' version of the show just became so damn loathsome. The breaking point for me was the episode where the house gets turned into a convalescent home for wounded soldiers, and with the exception of Edith and Sybil, the rest of the family wander around looking outraged at these minor inconveniences. That episode even made me hate Lord Grantham, the only Crawley I consistently liked until that point. So I'm out, unless the series ends in a violent servile uprising, and the final image is Lady Mary's severed head on a pike being waved back and forth before the camera.

[Arbor Gold]

Yeah Brady, I'm with you on this one, I really dislike season 2. I still watch it because my roommate loves it, but now I play Angry Birds and roll my eyes while its on.

[The Anti-Targ]

I just started this the other night. After 2 episodes, I'm definitely invested. Seems like I'm in for a fun ride. I just had to say, the actress playing Sybil is gorgeous. And, the Ice and Fire fanatic in me is trying to find a role for her on GoT...she has the Stark look, definitely.

I had to laugh when the Turkish rep died in Mary's bed. I knew she was a death trap as soon as I laid eyes on her.

Well hopefully you'll accept as a compromise that Rose Leslie (the redhead maid) is in GoT as Ygritte.

@ Brady & Arbor: Well if you were put off by the attitude of the upstairs lot at having their home turned in to a convalescent home I think perhaps the writers did their job well. Not sure why you'd hate on a show that causes you to be frustrated by the superior and entitled attitude of the English upper class.

[Arbor Gold]

Oh, sorry, I wasn't entirely clear...I'm mostly tired of all the soap opera drama and characters I don't give a shit about. Like, I cracked up at the end of that recent episode where Mary was singing, then what's his face comes back from being missing and he starts singing...so lame. In addition, I don't care about Bates, so all the drama with his wife just annoys me.

[Chise]

I liked the first season well enough, but had to quit on the second. The entitled, self indulgent twats of the 'upstairs' version of the show just became so damn loathsome.

Yes somehow, Matthew's mother is even worse!! The woman just loves to be THE CENTER of everything (moreso if its not her business) and to run businesses and houses that aren't hers! (like that time at the hospital in season1... )

[Jaqen Jay-Z]

It's great when Isobel (Matthew's mother) tells Cora that she's decided to leave Downton and Cora is like "okay, bye!" and you can tell Isobel did not expect that type of reaction at all. She wanted them to beg her to stay, hahaha. Serves her right.

[FacelessGirl]

Yes somehow, Matthew's mother is even worse!! The woman just loves to be THE CENTER of everything (moreso if its not her business) and to run businesses and houses that aren't hers! (like that time at the hospital in season1... )

She only feels important when she's in charge of something, it really is annoying.

[FacelessGirl]

It's great when Isobel (Matthew's mother) tells Cora that she's decided to leave Downton and Cora is like "okay, bye!" and you can tell Isobel did not expect that type of reaction at all. She wanted them to beg her to stay, hahaha. Serves her right.

I laughed with glee at her expression at the end. She DID NOT expect that. :lol:

[The Anti-Targ]

It's great when Isobel (Matthew's mother) tells Cora that she's decided to leave Downton and Cora is like "okay, bye!" and you can tell Isobel did not expect that type of reaction at all. She wanted them to beg her to stay, hahaha. Serves her right.

Yeah that was a LOL awkward moment. "I'm going." "OK." "I mean it." "I know." "I won't be coming back." "Yes, that's fine with me." "I'm really going to do it."

Kudos to Isobel for actually leaving.

[delete this account pls]

@ Brady & Arbor: Well if you were put off by the attitude of the upstairs lot at having their home turned in to a convalescent home I think perhaps the writers did their job well. Not sure why you'd hate on a show that causes you to be frustrated by the superior and entitled attitude of the English upper class.

I'm not sure I'd call it good writing if it made me stop watching the show. I don't think I'm just "frustrated" either. I was frustrated with the upstairs peeps in the first season, but they were occasionally amusing, or likeable (Lord Grantham and Sybill anyway). In the second season that frustration became general dislike. I dont like anything about Mary or Lady Grantham, and it's hard to invest anything in any of the character's problems when you know, right across the Channel, hundreds of young men are being killed in hideous circumstances every single day.

Also like AG, the extra soapiness of the second season was a bit too much for me. I don't think it's a bad show, it's a very well done soap, with awesome production values, but a soap only works if you give a shit about the characters and their problems, and I don't anymore.

[Bastard of Boston]

Well hopefully you'll accept as a compromise that Rose Leslie (the redhead maid) is in GoT as Ygritte.

Yes, that's actually one reason why I wanted to check the show out. I wanted a preview of Ygritte, and I think Rose will do a good job...she's definitely one of the most likeable characters on this show.

The show is innocent enough, but I can agree with the sentiment of those turned off by it. This show does seem to wallow in upper class propaganda, while portraying the help as just happy to be there -- but for a few exceptions, who happen to be the plotting "villains." Go figure. Ygritte is the only one who aspires for anything more, and she has to give disclaimers about how she's not ungrateful to be a boot licker, she just really likes to type. I liked King Shit (Lord Grantham)'s speech to Matthew about considering the implications of getting rid of the butler, but it's a turnoff to see some of these people revel in their status while maintaining this "altruistic"/patronizing attitude toward the servants. I threw a sock at my TV when Matty's butler got all giddy just because Matt finally allowed him to fasten the cufflinks. Psh. Eff the 1%.[/gets off soap box]

I don't think the issue is necessarily about the attitudes of the upper class. I get more annoyed with the servants. The show is too "We're one big happy family." It is what it is, though. It's a TV show, so I won't hold it to making any important social statements. Maybe I'm jaded by the fact that I didn't have to grow up in that social climate.

[Commodore]

Patton Oswalt's twitter feed for Downton Abbey is comedy gold

[ItIsKnown]

I just started this the other night. After 2 episodes, I'm definitely invested. Seems like I'm in for a fun ride. I just had to say, the actress playing Sybil is gorgeous. And, the Ice and Fire fanatic in me is trying to find a role for her on GoT...she has the Stark look, definitely.

Time for some Lyanna flashbacks! :)

[arrowfan]

OK, just finished season 2.

Pretty good. Not as good as the first season, but far better than I expected, some great moments in there. My fav character is still, by far, her ultimate ladyship the countess dowager. She steals every damn scene she's in and I'm beginning to think she made a deal with the writers... her lines are hilarious and awesome.

*spoiler alert*

Mary does well for me in season 2. And I'm generally concerned for her well being in S3, as she's in deep waters with that nasty printer she's betrothed to. Nevertheless, I do like the addition of him as a potential villain. I expect him to get more and more creepy.

What do you all think of Peter/Patrick Gordon? I was relieved to hear my lady - the dowager, give him no credibility at all even from the start. But, I'm wondering what the writers have planned for him in future. Will he return? It was an interesting addition to the storyline. Glad they didn't overdo it.

For the first time I genuinely felt pity for Thomas when his black market goods turned out to be a scam. He's too tasty of a character to toss out so it'll be interesting to see what happens with him.

Oh....after the penultimate ep of S2 I predicted exactly how the season would end... with Bates being arrested, cut to credits. :P

[Chise]

OK, just finished season 2.

Christmas Special, have you watched that too? because thats basically where most of my Mary rage intensified (then again, however will the writers give her a new lame flip-flop reason in season3?)