Lady Edith Comes Back Swinging

It seems you can't keep a Crawley down long. After her most recent setback, Lady Edith, the middle and often forgotten daughter of Lord and Lady Grantham has listened to her grandmother Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, and stopped whining and done something.

That something (stop reading here if you haven't seen the third episode from this season) is write a letter to the editor of the paper to tout her support of woman's suffrage. Who knew she could be such a force to be reckoned with? Well, her older sister Lady Mary knew, but Lady Mary can give as good as she gets, so Lady Edith has painfully discovered more than once.

Lady Edith

Actually, as I think about the series, creator and writer Julian Fellowes, has managed to create three sisters who act according to their birth order so well. Lady Mary is the traditionalist, her father's pet. She will do anything to save Downton Abbey. Lady Sybil, the youngest, is the wild one. She ran off and eloped with the chauffeur who is a revolutionary seeking a free Ireland. Then there is Lady Edith, the middle child. Jealous of her oldest sister and all the attention paid to her as the first child of the family. Barely tolerating her younger sister, Lady Sybil, and all her antics. In fact, if she had to say a kind word about either of her sisters, I think her face would disintegrate. Lady Edith does spend much of her time whining about how forgotten she is. How nothing in the house is ever about her. Well, until the second episode of this season, and we know that didn't turn out as planned.

The sisters' relationships is one of the most fascinating aspects of the show for me; though I could add many items to that list.

TV Show Review: Downton Abbey Season 2

When we last left the residents of Downton Abbey, news of Great Britain entering World War I had just reached the Crawley family. Season 2 opens in 1916 with Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) finding himself at the front, along with his superior, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens).

Back at Downton Abbey, second footman William (Thomas Howes)  is trying to show kitchen maid Daisy (Sophie McShera) how much he loves her, while bemoaning being left behind because his father won't allow him to sign up. John Bates (Brendan Coyle) has survived many things over the past few years, but nothing is as bad as the return of his bitter wife, who seems hell bent on keeping him from his true love, housemaid Anna Smith (Joanne Froggatt). Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) decides to become a nurse while drawn to the house's very political chauffeur. Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) is eager to contribute to the war effort, and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) weighs what she is willing to pay to keep her secret.

As much as I loved Season 1 of Downton Abbey, Season 2 is even better. The action of the front, the upheaval of all the lives at Downton Abbey, the continued interference of Violet Crawley, Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith), the house being infected by the Spanish Flu, and so much more leaves me eager for Season 3. The superb storytelling continues from creator Julian Fellowes. I haven't been this excited over a television show since Dawson's Creek went off the air.

New characters and familiar faces combine to create a fabulous historical that draws viewers in. It's not a surprise the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honored Masterpiece with a Golden Globe Award for Downton Abbey at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. The series took top honors in the Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television category.

If you want to be ready for Season 3 when it comes out, you can purchase Season 1 and 2 on DVD of Blu-ray from PBS.

TV Show Review: Downton Abbey, Season 1

Gee, it's eight days into March and I am posting my first TV show review. I promise it isn't because I'm lazy. The deadlines are looming and the personal life is crazier than normal right now. My first review isn't even of a movie, though the family did see Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and I hope they will share their thoughts on it with me--at least more than saying it was fabulous.

I rarely hook onto the popular shows or see an overhyped movie. I haven't read a Harry Potter or Twilight book. I haven't seen more than 10 minutes out of any of the movies. I guess I'm not much of a follower.

One evening, however, I was looking for something to watch on Netflix, and Downton Abbey came up as a recommendation. I had heard how wonderful this show is, so I decided to try it out.

Downton Abbey revolves around the lives of the Crawley family and their servants. In the first episode, Robert Crawley, Lord of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), receives word the heir to the estate is considered lost after the sinking of the Titanic. A distant cousin, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), a self-made man, is next in line. Though not ready to live the Crawley ways, Matthew and his mother move onto the estate.

Downstairs in the servants' quarters, ambitious and angry Thomas (Rob James-Collier) and the conniving, malicious lady's maid, O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran), are kept in tow by the housekeeper, Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), and the butler, Mr. Carson (Jim Carter). With the return of John Bates (Brendan Coyle), an ex-solider who served with Lord Grantham in the Boer War, the many other servants, and a mix of meddling relatives, living at Downton Abbey is never boring.

I have to admit, it took me to two episodes to be fully captivated by Downton Abbey, but now I can't wait for Season 3. The storytelling from creator Julian Fellowes is phenomenal. While the setting is stunning, it's truly the lives of these well-portrayed characters that captures you. Lord Gratham is compassionate and has a strong sense of right and wrong. His wife, Cora, an American heiress, isn't thrilled about watching the family fortune being tossed away; especially since a lot of the money was hers. Their three daughters have such different personalities, there is bound to be some rivalry. Lady Edith resents all the attention paid to her older sister, Lady Mary. It causes her to do some truly awful things. Mary, not to be bested, makes sure payback is on the menu. Lady Sybil, the youngest daughter, is the rebel. She's fiercely political, and hates injustice of any kind. She yearns for a life outside of Downton Abbey.

What I truly enjoy the most about Downton Abbey, is that although a lot of nasty stuff takes place on the estate, the viewer doesn't get an eyeful or earful of vulgarity or obscenity. Yes, there are bedroom scenes, but they are handled modestly. There's a certain elegance to the show despite the evil elements that go on upstairs and in the servants' quarters. I also like that the servants' lives are as much a focus of the show as the lives of the Crawleys.

You can order Season 1 of Downton Abbey at Amazon or directly from PBS. Amazon also offers it as an instant video.