Now that a few days have passed since the Downton Abbey finale, let's dish a little about Season 3, shall we?
(For anyone who hasn't watched the full season yet- stop reading here and jump down below the second photo. I was the victim of a big spoiler myself and don't want to inflict the same on anyone else!)
(image via here)
(For anyone who hasn't watched the full season yet- stop reading here and jump down below the second photo. I was the victim of a big spoiler myself and don't want to inflict the same on anyone else!)
The spoiler I stumbled on ahead of time was, of course, Matthew's fate, so I watched the entire season knowing what was coming. Sybil, on the other hand,was much more of a shock. Although I'm sad to see both characters go, I think their departures set the stage for some interesting new story lines for Mary and Branson. My personal prediction is that Mary is going to take a more active role in running the estate, which would continue to reflect the evolving roles of women on the show.
I'm intrigued to see how Edith's romance plays out, although I wish that her editor's secret wasn't quite such a page ripped out of Jane Eyre. The downstairs characters also had their share of drama this season. I'm glad to see Bates out of prison, largely because I was getting bored by his scenes there. I love the way that O'Brien and Thomas are like two conniving pendulums swinging back and forth. When one is at his or her most devious, the other one reveals a more human side. They ultimately always switch places, so it will be interesting to see how that continues to play out next season. And is anyone else wondering whether Daisy will take up her father-in-law's offer to take over his farm?
Did I miss anything? What were your favorite moments of this season?
(one of Lady Violet's funnies lines, via here)
Other noteworthy things this week:
I'm intrigued to see how Edith's romance plays out, although I wish that her editor's secret wasn't quite such a page ripped out of Jane Eyre. The downstairs characters also had their share of drama this season. I'm glad to see Bates out of prison, largely because I was getting bored by his scenes there. I love the way that O'Brien and Thomas are like two conniving pendulums swinging back and forth. When one is at his or her most devious, the other one reveals a more human side. They ultimately always switch places, so it will be interesting to see how that continues to play out next season. And is anyone else wondering whether Daisy will take up her father-in-law's offer to take over his farm?
Did I miss anything? What were your favorite moments of this season?
(one of Lady Violet's funnies lines, via here)
Other noteworthy things this week:
As a final cap on Season Four, here's a Q&A with Julian Fellowes.
The Pride and Prejudice anniversary celebration continues with these Jane Austen stamps.
Paris, Line by Line looks like a sophisticated, grown up Where's Waldo.
A new book blog that's tackling an interesting project.
Orla Kiely's new fall collection gives a nod to The Best of Everything.
And just for fun, my new favorite Twitter feed suggests plots for Seinfeld if the show was still on the air today.
The Pride and Prejudice anniversary celebration continues with these Jane Austen stamps.
Paris, Line by Line looks like a sophisticated, grown up Where's Waldo.
A new book blog that's tackling an interesting project.
Orla Kiely's new fall collection gives a nod to The Best of Everything.
And just for fun, my new favorite Twitter feed suggests plots for Seinfeld if the show was still on the air today.
hello! i've not watched downton abbey until this weekend. knowing we were headed to a party for the last show, we watched the first two of season one the night before. it's fun - and really interesting to make the jump in time from the beginning to the end of the 3rd season.
ReplyDeletelovely maggie smith shot! happy weekend, n
I was typing and then my comment went -poof- missing. If you find it, feel free to delete it. Like you I was a victim of the major spoiler alert (Matthew), but besides being really sad about Sybill's death, I thoroughly enjoyed this season. I found Edith's editor's Jane Eyre rip-off incredibly tacky and cliche. Julian Fellows has got to know that his viewers are well read smarty pants. Also, the boy crazy, party cousin from Scotland annoyed me, but I better get used to it. It sounds like she is here to stay. Cheers.
DeleteI'm not a huge fan of the Scottish cousin either, but maybe she'll get better next season. At least she'll probably bring some flapper-ish fashions onto the show.
DeleteI like your theory about Mary running the estate. I read an article about why Julian had to kill off Sybil and Matthew, and I understand, but I really think it hurt the series. However, we will just have to see if he can write a great fourth season without Matthew. I also agree that he took the story about Edith's publisher's wife from Jane Eyre. But forgetting that, I do love the story line about Edith becoming a writer and that could really go in an interesting direction. Fun post!
ReplyDeleteEdith has become one of my favorite characters on the show. I find myself forgetting that she was cunning and not so likable in the first season.
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