Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Rob James-Collier, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, Amy Nuttall, Allen Leech, Kevin Doyle, Matt Milne, Ed Speleers, Cara Theobold
Creator: Julian Fellowes
Genre: Period Drama
Rating: A
What to say about this season of Downton Abbey.... Going into the season, I knew that "Somebody will be born, and somebody will die" and that there would be a wedding - I hadn't read the full article where executive producer Rebecca Eaton had said as much, so I didn't know exactly who was getting married, but I had my guesses about that and about the birth, as well as a huge list of "I hope they don't kill X."
Downton opens with the preparations for the wedding of Matthew (Stevens) and Mary (Dockery), with Cora (McGovern)'s mother, Martha Livenson (Shirley MacLaine) sweeping in from America for it, to the great distaste of the Dowager Countess (Smith). Just to interject, the scenes between MacLaine and Smith were possibly the funniest scenes this season and I really hope that they find some excuse to bring MacLaine back later. Tragedy, however, strikes the family, and Robert (Bonneville) discovers that his attempts at investment have left almost entirely bankrupted the family. At the same time, Matthew has discovered that he has possibly inherited a large amount of money from Lavinia (Zoe Boyle)'s father, although he is certain that it is not ethical to accept it. Sybil (Brown Findlay) is still pregnant, and Tom (Leech) still a revolutionary, which leads to problems for the two of them. Edith (Carmichael), meanwhile, is determined to change her status as an old maid and has set her sights on Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst), despite the objections of both Sir Anthony and her family. Downstairs, things are no less chaotic; O'Brien (Finneran) has arranged to have her nephew, Alfred (Milne) hired, and Alfred struggles to meet the standards of Carson (Carter) and avoid the vindiction of Thomas (James-Collier). Daisy (McShera) develops a crush on Alfred, who in turn has feelings for new kitchen maid Ivy (Theobold), who likes fellow new footman Jimmy (Speleers), who isn't revealing who he likes but has also drawn the attention of Thomas. Mrs. Hughes (Logan) has found a lump which she thinks might be cancer, although she insists on keeping it a secret, telling only Mrs. Patmore (Nicol) - a secret which Mrs. Patmore struggles to keep. Anna (Froggatt) continues the struggle to find the evidence to prove that Bates (Coyle) isn't a murderer, while Bates struggles to survive in prison. Combining the upstairs with the downstairs, Isobel (Wilton) discovers that Ethel (Nuttall) has become a prostitute and sets out to save her. Oh, and while he doesn't get any big plot lines, Molesley (Doyle) has been upgraded to main cast.
I loved, loved, loved this season. It brought up all the issues that remained at the end of the 2011 Christmas Special, while also introducing issues specific to this season. The show seems to become more and more intricate as times passes, while still remembering to pay tribute to the little things that made this show great in the first place. I love the way the Crawleys come together to fight for what they want, while also fighting within each other. It seems like there is never really a point in this family where they're all getting along. I also really love how Tom fits into it all as well. It isn't simply a case of the Crawleys versus Tom, and right from the start he makes alliances and friends within the family.
Speaking of alliances, the alliance between Thomas and O'Brien is broken here. I wasn't really a fan of either character in the first two seasons, but I really love the war that the two of them carry out this season. When it was them against the world things just got boring after, but with it being them against each other I really got captivated. There are points when you even feel sorry for Thomas just because he seems so much on his own this season - O'Brien had her share of allies, but Thomas was all alone.
Two things that I didn't really like about this season. One is the story with Ethel. While I understood where Isobel was coming from, I think she tends to not think through the consequences of her actions. I did like the way the story was handled in the end, but getting to it was rather painful. The other thing was Edith. Poor Lady Edith. The girl is so desperate to not be an old maid anymore that she seems willing to throw herself at anyone - and her family seems determined to keep her as one. I love the character in general, but I'm anxious to see them do more with her. The second half of the season seemed to be interested in opening up things a bit more with her, but I'm not holding my breath.
What to say about this season of Downton Abbey.... Going into the season, I knew that "Somebody will be born, and somebody will die" and that there would be a wedding - I hadn't read the full article where executive producer Rebecca Eaton had said as much, so I didn't know exactly who was getting married, but I had my guesses about that and about the birth, as well as a huge list of "I hope they don't kill X."
Downton opens with the preparations for the wedding of Matthew (Stevens) and Mary (Dockery), with Cora (McGovern)'s mother, Martha Livenson (Shirley MacLaine) sweeping in from America for it, to the great distaste of the Dowager Countess (Smith). Just to interject, the scenes between MacLaine and Smith were possibly the funniest scenes this season and I really hope that they find some excuse to bring MacLaine back later. Tragedy, however, strikes the family, and Robert (Bonneville) discovers that his attempts at investment have left almost entirely bankrupted the family. At the same time, Matthew has discovered that he has possibly inherited a large amount of money from Lavinia (Zoe Boyle)'s father, although he is certain that it is not ethical to accept it. Sybil (Brown Findlay) is still pregnant, and Tom (Leech) still a revolutionary, which leads to problems for the two of them. Edith (Carmichael), meanwhile, is determined to change her status as an old maid and has set her sights on Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst), despite the objections of both Sir Anthony and her family. Downstairs, things are no less chaotic; O'Brien (Finneran) has arranged to have her nephew, Alfred (Milne) hired, and Alfred struggles to meet the standards of Carson (Carter) and avoid the vindiction of Thomas (James-Collier). Daisy (McShera) develops a crush on Alfred, who in turn has feelings for new kitchen maid Ivy (Theobold), who likes fellow new footman Jimmy (Speleers), who isn't revealing who he likes but has also drawn the attention of Thomas. Mrs. Hughes (Logan) has found a lump which she thinks might be cancer, although she insists on keeping it a secret, telling only Mrs. Patmore (Nicol) - a secret which Mrs. Patmore struggles to keep. Anna (Froggatt) continues the struggle to find the evidence to prove that Bates (Coyle) isn't a murderer, while Bates struggles to survive in prison. Combining the upstairs with the downstairs, Isobel (Wilton) discovers that Ethel (Nuttall) has become a prostitute and sets out to save her. Oh, and while he doesn't get any big plot lines, Molesley (Doyle) has been upgraded to main cast.
I loved, loved, loved this season. It brought up all the issues that remained at the end of the 2011 Christmas Special, while also introducing issues specific to this season. The show seems to become more and more intricate as times passes, while still remembering to pay tribute to the little things that made this show great in the first place. I love the way the Crawleys come together to fight for what they want, while also fighting within each other. It seems like there is never really a point in this family where they're all getting along. I also really love how Tom fits into it all as well. It isn't simply a case of the Crawleys versus Tom, and right from the start he makes alliances and friends within the family.
Speaking of alliances, the alliance between Thomas and O'Brien is broken here. I wasn't really a fan of either character in the first two seasons, but I really love the war that the two of them carry out this season. When it was them against the world things just got boring after, but with it being them against each other I really got captivated. There are points when you even feel sorry for Thomas just because he seems so much on his own this season - O'Brien had her share of allies, but Thomas was all alone.
Two things that I didn't really like about this season. One is the story with Ethel. While I understood where Isobel was coming from, I think she tends to not think through the consequences of her actions. I did like the way the story was handled in the end, but getting to it was rather painful. The other thing was Edith. Poor Lady Edith. The girl is so desperate to not be an old maid anymore that she seems willing to throw herself at anyone - and her family seems determined to keep her as one. I love the character in general, but I'm anxious to see them do more with her. The second half of the season seemed to be interested in opening up things a bit more with her, but I'm not holding my breath.
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