Posted on 01/06/2013 1:57:11 PM PST by randita
The war is over, but intrigue, crisis, romance, and change still grip the beloved estate in the thrilling new season of Downton Abbey. Written and created by Julian Fellowes, with its all-star returning cast and Oscar-winning guest star Shirley MacLaine, Downton Abbey, Season 3 premieres January 6, 2013 on Masterpiece classic!
Post comments and predictions, please.
So true. Julian Fellowes is extraordinary. It’s the little details in the writing that give it such charm. Like “He’s too tall to be a footman!” And every word Maggie Smith utters. It’s just brilliant. How fun to find a thread here.
Yes. She is a delight!! :-D
It’s refreshing to see people who don’t want to take something they feel they’re not truly entitled to, i.e. Daisy not wanting to marry William because she didn’t really love him and didn’t think it was right to benefit from his soldier’s pension and now Matthew, who betrayed Lavinia and feels guilty accepting her father’s inheritance under those circumstances.
How different from people nowadays who think they’re entitled to everything they want and not have to work to earn it.
We truly have lost pride and honor as a bedrock of our community.
That PBS special sugar coated to some extent the situation- especially the family history. It is quite sordid.
I thought it was interesting that they spent nearly 500,000 in today’s dollars on an evening for the future King.
Apparently at least two of the floors of the house are in shambles.
It would take someone like Andrew Lloyd Webber to fix it back up. (or Russian or Saudi money)
He wants the house. He opposes the land development that the owners want to do to try to save their legacy.
Ironically, the woman who helped save Highclere ended up broke. She laundered money, had affairs, spent a lot of money on a court case sorting it out...and was disowned by her son.
Bet we don’t hear that on PBS.
Agree completely.
Thank you, my darling! :-***
Rush just mentioned this on his show. Said the last 90 seconds of the latest episode will leave your head spinning.
:-***
“Personalities”. You nailed it, that’s the word I was looking for. From the Lord down to Daisy, the kitchen maid, each character is utterly believable. Each character is essential and fascinating. I especially liked the way Matthew bailed out Tom and vice-versa, an incredible bonding between “classes”.
Sounds fascinating. Do you have a link for that history?
There were only 5 good minutes of entertainment in the whole 2 hour opener. It was when Shirley MacLaine sang “Let Me Call You sweetheart” to Maggie Smith! I laughed out loud.
The rest was pointless. The Anna/Bates thing is extremely boring and going nowhere.
Now that Mary and Matthew are married, there’s no more dramatic tension for that duo. What are they going to argue about besides money?
Sybil was the most beautiful and interesting, and now they are writing her out of the plot.
The downstairs folks are a bunch of stereotypical drones.
And not a really good-looking man in the whole cast!
It will never replace the original “Upstairs, Downstairs.”
My feelings completely! They follow such a rigid class system that many find abhorrent, and rightly so, yet at the same time, they are SO damn nobel and forthright. All of them, regardless of their social standing...well, except for likes of Thomas and O’Brien, and the Earl who drugged Benson.
I have a couple pithy comments on the Shirley MacLaine character, but I want to watch one more episode first.
Did you hear Rush say last week that he watches Downton Abbey?....AND THAT HE'S WATCHED EVERY SINGLE EPISODE FROM THE BEGINNING!
Atta boy, Maha Rushie, you da bloke.
Leni
bump
The British are coming!
The British are coming!
Leni
I’m there. Hope to see more of Ethel tonight. They are short on staff so maybe she’ll be hired back.
Well, Shirley MacLaine’s tenure was short lived. Wonder if she’ll be back at all.
Edith being jilted was no surprise. That guy was a real loser. Hopefully she’ll go on to better things.
The Matthew inheritance angle had an unexpected twist. So they stay at Downton after all - although I did like the country place.
Carson really got into a snit about Hughes. Why don’t those two own up to their love for each other?
I didn’t really get what was going on with Bates in prison. Anna’s interview with the neighbor of Bates’ wife was disturbing. We’re being led to think that Bates is really a baddie. Could be a feint.
Ethel’s not looking so good - VD perhaps? Guess she’s looking for someone to take care of her son as she knows she’s dying.
Cheerio !
Leni/MinuteGal
DVR-ing tonight due to the football game.
PBS has the full episode the next day on their website, IIRC.
Thanks for the reminder, actually.
We are “sheduled” to be on the chesterfield. The episode should be tickety boo.
:^)
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