Three Up
1. Mrs. Hughes. Now that there's a wedding date, it seems like the Abbey will host at least part of the event, either in the servant's hall (thanks for nothing, Lord Grantham) or upstairs (thank you, Lady Mary). Or will it? Mrs. Hughes is very determined to have her wedding be something independent from the Crawley family, come hell or Carsten's sense of duty. It's nice to see her stand her ground.
2. Anna Bates. Turns out her inability to carry children to term is a physiological problem, one that can be addressed by surgery when she's next pregnant. Not only does this remove her continuing guilt over not being able to give her husband the family he wants, it also frees all of us from the interminable gloom that hangs over these two.
3. Lady Edith. The kidnapping of her daughter aside, it was another episode where Edith continued the path towards independence. She got into it with a stroppy editor, and looks closer to making London her permanent home. It would be entertaining if, in the end, Edith winds up with the happy ending while Mary get stuck delaying the inevitable at home.
Honorable Mention: Mr. Mason. He wasn't in the episode, but I get the sense that much of what transpired is going to help him land on his feet once he loses his tenancy.
Three Down
1. The Drewe Family. Speaking of losing one's tenancy, the Drewe's are out after Mrs. Drewe kidnapped Marigold during a livestock fair. And while it's hard not to feel that Mrs. Drewe was done wrong in the affair, it's not a defense to abduction. I do feel bad for her husband, who got caught up trying to do his best for everyone but wasn't quite up to the challenge.
2. Thomas Barrow. Continued concern over his position at Downton leads Tom to interview for a position at another house. Turns out they want one man to do about a half-dozen jobs, which Thomas is not interested in doing. He's also continuing to get the cold shoulder from the new (footman? underbutler? I have no idea what the guy's title is), who was warned about Thomas and is taking the warning seriously.
3. Lady Mary. She's facing a little resistance from the tenants about being the estate manager, more for her station than her gender, I think. She's handling that OK. The real problem here was that she didn't fully understand how difficult it would be for Mrs. Drewe to see Marigold, and it's hard not to think she inadvertently caused the kidnapping. She does help Anna sort out her baby issues, so it wasn't all bad where children were concerned.
Honorable Mention: the oldsters. are we really going to have the senior set spend this entire season squabbling over the local hospital? What a waste of Lady Violet's bon mots.
Showing posts with label PBS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PBS. Show all posts
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Sunday, January 03, 2016
Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 6 Episode 1
One last go 'round with the world's favorite northern English household. Let's see how this ends up!
Three Up
1. Mr. & Mrs. Bates. The ongoing saga of who killed Mr. Green has (apparently) come to a conclusion, as a woman (another victim of Green's) has confessed to the killing and there's a witness to corroborate her story. This frees them up to plan for the future again, and while Anna is concerned that Bates will be unhappy at their lack of children (she's had several miscarriages), Bates appears sincere when saying he has everything he wants. The news even gets the Crawleys to come downstairs and break open some quality bubbly!
2. Mrs. Hughes. She's been putting off her wedding to Carson, concerned that she won't be able to meet his expectations in the bedroom as she's older and not what she once was. She gets Mrs. Padmore to raise the issue with Carson, and once the awkwardness subsides he confirms that he wants a full marriage, and that his love for Mrs. Hughes will see things through. Carson thinks she's going to call things off, but she confirms that she's in for the long haul.
3. Lady Edith. She seems to be the one person on the show who is embracing change and the possibilities of the future. She's kept Gregson's publishing firm, but is having issues with an editor who doesn't like working for a woman. She's also kept his London apartment, and with the tenants moving out the idea forms that she could keep the apartment for herself and have a place to stay when in town on business. A chat with her aunt also raises the idea that Edith could bring Marigold with her, as in a place as big as London there would be less notice of an unattached woman raising a child. So maybe this will be the season of Edith?
Honorable Mention - Lord Robert. He gets to ride a hunt rather than attend a hospital board meeting, celebrate the exoneration of the Bateses, and in between gets rid of a blackmailer (more on that anon). He's also becoming accustomed to the idea that the old way to running the household will have to change (more on that anon as well). It's a pretty good outing for the Earl of Grantham, all things considered.
Three Down
1. Rita Bevan. A chambermaid at a Liverpool hotel, Miss Bevan knows that Lady Mary and Lord Gillingham had an assignation, and she intends to get paid for her knowledge. Miss Bevan says she wants Mary to pay her 1000 pounds, or else she'll go to the papers. Mary says no, but has no plan other than not pay and ride out the scandal should the press run with the story. But daddy comes to the rescue, paying off Miss Bevan with 50 quid while getting her to sign a confession to blackmail, which will go to the police should the story come out. So while she technically didn't fail, Miss Bevan certainly came out on the bottom of this transaction.
2. Lady Violet and Isobel Crawley. Going back to that hospital board meeting, it turns out that the big hospital in York is looking to take over the village hospital. Lady Violet got this information from a friend on the York hospital's board, but hadn't shared it with anyone before the meeting. This gets under Isobel's skin, as she thinks Violet is trying to conserve her power by withholding the information to gain time to block the move. Isobel (backed by Lord Merton) thinks the merger would be a good thing, while Violet (backed by Dr. Clarkson) wants to keep things local. Will this conflict cause a permanent rift between them?
3. Daisy Mason. The owners of a neighboring estate are selling up, and as part of that their tenants have been given notice. This means that Daisy's father in law may wind up having to leave the farm his family has tended for generations (assuming that the new owners don't take the tenants back on). This all comes to a head at an auction of the goods from the main house, when Daisy decides to confront the new owner in front of everyone at the auction. This puts the new owner in much less of a mind to bring Mr. Mason back, and puts Daisy's job in jeopardy. Lady Cora intercedes to keep Daisy from getting fired (which was Carson's preference), but she's still likely caused her father in law to be cast out with no prospects for the future.
Honorable Mention - Miss Denker. Lady Violet shares the prospect of staff reductions at Downton with Denker, and asks her not to share this with anyone as no plans have been made. Feeling a little too secure in her position, Denker wastes no time telling the Downton staff, and gives Spratt the business by adding that he's the most expendable member of Lady Violet's household staff. This leads Spratt to ask Lady Violet if he can get reasonable notice of when the cuts will be made so he can prepare, and mentions that he heard about the cuts from Denker. Lady Violet manages to turn this into a conversation with Denker saying that it may be Denker who gets let go, which puts a fright in Denker, as she doesn't know that Lady Violet said that without any intention of letting her go. Always a hoot, that Dowager Countess.
Three Up
1. Mr. & Mrs. Bates. The ongoing saga of who killed Mr. Green has (apparently) come to a conclusion, as a woman (another victim of Green's) has confessed to the killing and there's a witness to corroborate her story. This frees them up to plan for the future again, and while Anna is concerned that Bates will be unhappy at their lack of children (she's had several miscarriages), Bates appears sincere when saying he has everything he wants. The news even gets the Crawleys to come downstairs and break open some quality bubbly!
2. Mrs. Hughes. She's been putting off her wedding to Carson, concerned that she won't be able to meet his expectations in the bedroom as she's older and not what she once was. She gets Mrs. Padmore to raise the issue with Carson, and once the awkwardness subsides he confirms that he wants a full marriage, and that his love for Mrs. Hughes will see things through. Carson thinks she's going to call things off, but she confirms that she's in for the long haul.
3. Lady Edith. She seems to be the one person on the show who is embracing change and the possibilities of the future. She's kept Gregson's publishing firm, but is having issues with an editor who doesn't like working for a woman. She's also kept his London apartment, and with the tenants moving out the idea forms that she could keep the apartment for herself and have a place to stay when in town on business. A chat with her aunt also raises the idea that Edith could bring Marigold with her, as in a place as big as London there would be less notice of an unattached woman raising a child. So maybe this will be the season of Edith?
Honorable Mention - Lord Robert. He gets to ride a hunt rather than attend a hospital board meeting, celebrate the exoneration of the Bateses, and in between gets rid of a blackmailer (more on that anon). He's also becoming accustomed to the idea that the old way to running the household will have to change (more on that anon as well). It's a pretty good outing for the Earl of Grantham, all things considered.
Three Down
1. Rita Bevan. A chambermaid at a Liverpool hotel, Miss Bevan knows that Lady Mary and Lord Gillingham had an assignation, and she intends to get paid for her knowledge. Miss Bevan says she wants Mary to pay her 1000 pounds, or else she'll go to the papers. Mary says no, but has no plan other than not pay and ride out the scandal should the press run with the story. But daddy comes to the rescue, paying off Miss Bevan with 50 quid while getting her to sign a confession to blackmail, which will go to the police should the story come out. So while she technically didn't fail, Miss Bevan certainly came out on the bottom of this transaction.
2. Lady Violet and Isobel Crawley. Going back to that hospital board meeting, it turns out that the big hospital in York is looking to take over the village hospital. Lady Violet got this information from a friend on the York hospital's board, but hadn't shared it with anyone before the meeting. This gets under Isobel's skin, as she thinks Violet is trying to conserve her power by withholding the information to gain time to block the move. Isobel (backed by Lord Merton) thinks the merger would be a good thing, while Violet (backed by Dr. Clarkson) wants to keep things local. Will this conflict cause a permanent rift between them?
3. Daisy Mason. The owners of a neighboring estate are selling up, and as part of that their tenants have been given notice. This means that Daisy's father in law may wind up having to leave the farm his family has tended for generations (assuming that the new owners don't take the tenants back on). This all comes to a head at an auction of the goods from the main house, when Daisy decides to confront the new owner in front of everyone at the auction. This puts the new owner in much less of a mind to bring Mr. Mason back, and puts Daisy's job in jeopardy. Lady Cora intercedes to keep Daisy from getting fired (which was Carson's preference), but she's still likely caused her father in law to be cast out with no prospects for the future.
Honorable Mention - Miss Denker. Lady Violet shares the prospect of staff reductions at Downton with Denker, and asks her not to share this with anyone as no plans have been made. Feeling a little too secure in her position, Denker wastes no time telling the Downton staff, and gives Spratt the business by adding that he's the most expendable member of Lady Violet's household staff. This leads Spratt to ask Lady Violet if he can get reasonable notice of when the cuts will be made so he can prepare, and mentions that he heard about the cuts from Denker. Lady Violet manages to turn this into a conversation with Denker saying that it may be Denker who gets let go, which puts a fright in Denker, as she doesn't know that Lady Violet said that without any intention of letting her go. Always a hoot, that Dowager Countess.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 6
Three Up
1. Lady Mary. Mary kind of hits the trifecta in this episode, as she adopts a controversial new haircut (a bob), gets to flaunt it (and her riding prowess) in front of Gillingham and Blake, and gets to be annoying about Edith finally learning that Gregson is dead. Almost a perfect episode for her.
2. Mrs. Hughes. She and Carson go with Mrs. Patmore for the final walk-through of the cottage she's buying with the money she inherited, which leads Carson to talk with Mrs. Hughes about buying a place for them to make rental income and eventually retire to. It's not clear if that's meant to be a personal proposal or strictly business, but it's the closest Mrs. Hughes has come in years to seeing her unrequited feelings for Carson be reciprocated, so let's take it.
3. Joseph Molesley. With Miss Bunting gone, Daisy is on the fence about continuing her studies. Molesley won't let her quit, and loans her a history book so she can continue. Molesley had designs on becoming a teacher but couldn't due to financial issues, so it's good to see him get a shot to live this out in some respect.
Honorable Mention: Prince Kuragin. He shares a moment with Lady Violet when she visits him to tell him that his wife is still alive. He talks about how much he wanted Lady Violet from the moment they first met, which might be an unusual topic of conversation given the news about his wife, but it's good to see him energized about something. That it may put Lady Violet in a bit of a state is a bonus.
Three Down
1. Thomas Barrow. His health continues to decline, so Baxter forces him to see Dr. Gregson, which means the doctor has joined the circle of people who know about Thomas's tastes. Anyway, it turns out that the anti-gay cure was simply saline, with the source of Thomas's illness an infection from the unclean needle used for the injections. On top of this, the investigation into Green's death reaches Baxter thanks to a letter Thomas wrote to Scotland Yard saying that Baxter has knowledge about his death. So he's been a total jerk and yet still gets kindness from Baxter, which just makes him more miserable.
2. Lady Edith. Finally learning of Gregson's death pushes Edith over the edge, as after a period of mourning she gets Marigold from the Drewes and takes off, only saying goodbye to Branson. We have no idea where she's heading, but at least she can finally be with her daughter.
3. Lord Robert. He continues to keep Cora at length given the whole Simon Bricker issue, and he's pretty much as insufferable as he's been all season. The issue with Cora gets resolved when she tells him to move back into their bedroom, unless he can say that he's never misled a woman about his intentions. He remembers his kissyface with one of the maids, and moves back into the bedroom. Also, Isis continues to be listless, which can't help his disposition.
Honorable Mention Anna Bates. Bates discovers Lady Mary's diaphragm stashed in the drawer that Anna hid it in so it wouldn't be found in the big house. This leads Bates to think that Anna is using it to avoid being impregnated by a murderer. This leads to a lengthy discussion about the device, and Anna swearing that it's not hers. He eventually says he believes her (not sure that's 100 percent true), but as a bonus we learn that Bates thought about killing Green, and even bought a ticket to London to confront him, but he didn't go. Which means Lady Mary burning the ticket actually destroyed the evidence of his innocence. So maybe Lady Mary isn't the big winner this episode?
1. Lady Mary. Mary kind of hits the trifecta in this episode, as she adopts a controversial new haircut (a bob), gets to flaunt it (and her riding prowess) in front of Gillingham and Blake, and gets to be annoying about Edith finally learning that Gregson is dead. Almost a perfect episode for her.
2. Mrs. Hughes. She and Carson go with Mrs. Patmore for the final walk-through of the cottage she's buying with the money she inherited, which leads Carson to talk with Mrs. Hughes about buying a place for them to make rental income and eventually retire to. It's not clear if that's meant to be a personal proposal or strictly business, but it's the closest Mrs. Hughes has come in years to seeing her unrequited feelings for Carson be reciprocated, so let's take it.
3. Joseph Molesley. With Miss Bunting gone, Daisy is on the fence about continuing her studies. Molesley won't let her quit, and loans her a history book so she can continue. Molesley had designs on becoming a teacher but couldn't due to financial issues, so it's good to see him get a shot to live this out in some respect.
Honorable Mention: Prince Kuragin. He shares a moment with Lady Violet when she visits him to tell him that his wife is still alive. He talks about how much he wanted Lady Violet from the moment they first met, which might be an unusual topic of conversation given the news about his wife, but it's good to see him energized about something. That it may put Lady Violet in a bit of a state is a bonus.
Three Down
1. Thomas Barrow. His health continues to decline, so Baxter forces him to see Dr. Gregson, which means the doctor has joined the circle of people who know about Thomas's tastes. Anyway, it turns out that the anti-gay cure was simply saline, with the source of Thomas's illness an infection from the unclean needle used for the injections. On top of this, the investigation into Green's death reaches Baxter thanks to a letter Thomas wrote to Scotland Yard saying that Baxter has knowledge about his death. So he's been a total jerk and yet still gets kindness from Baxter, which just makes him more miserable.
2. Lady Edith. Finally learning of Gregson's death pushes Edith over the edge, as after a period of mourning she gets Marigold from the Drewes and takes off, only saying goodbye to Branson. We have no idea where she's heading, but at least she can finally be with her daughter.
3. Lord Robert. He continues to keep Cora at length given the whole Simon Bricker issue, and he's pretty much as insufferable as he's been all season. The issue with Cora gets resolved when she tells him to move back into their bedroom, unless he can say that he's never misled a woman about his intentions. He remembers his kissyface with one of the maids, and moves back into the bedroom. Also, Isis continues to be listless, which can't help his disposition.
Honorable Mention Anna Bates. Bates discovers Lady Mary's diaphragm stashed in the drawer that Anna hid it in so it wouldn't be found in the big house. This leads Bates to think that Anna is using it to avoid being impregnated by a murderer. This leads to a lengthy discussion about the device, and Anna swearing that it's not hers. He eventually says he believes her (not sure that's 100 percent true), but as a bonus we learn that Bates thought about killing Green, and even bought a ticket to London to confront him, but he didn't go. Which means Lady Mary burning the ticket actually destroyed the evidence of his innocence. So maybe Lady Mary isn't the big winner this episode?
Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 5
Three Up
1. Lady Rose. Struggling to get from a shop to the church that's hosting the Russian refugees, Rose is assisted by Atticus Aldridge, a young lawyer whose family emigrated from Russia in earlier times. She eventually learns from the refugees that Atticus' family emigrated during the pogroms. That Atticus is Jewish doesn't seem to faze Rose at all, and it's clear that the two of them are hitting it off, which is nice to see for once.
2. Tom Branson. While he's sad to see Sarah Bunting leave the village (she's taken another job, though her rough relations with the local gentry can't have helped), he is happy that she's reminded him of who he is. It's good to see Tom gaining some direction, even if it means he's going to move to America.
3. Baxter. She finally tells Molesley about her past, and he's as understanding as you might expect. It also helps Baxter continue to get out from under Thomas's influence, so a win-win for Baxter.
Honorable Mention: Charles Blake. He apparently has a plan for getting Tony Gillingham to finally give up on Lady Mary. And if it means he gets a shot with her, so much the better.
Three Down
1. Lady Edith. Things continued to deteriorate with the Drewes, and the situation is made worse when Lady Rosamund visits and learns that Marygold is no longer in Switzerland. And then the dowager countess learns of her secret great granddaughter, which just turns things up to 11. But we may finally learn that Gregson is dead, which is... good news?
2. Lady Cora. The inevitable advance by Simon Bricker comes to pass when he comes back to Downton to finish his work on that painting. Making it worse is that Robert, who has returned early from a dinner, catches Cora and Bricker in their bedroom. Cora wanted no part of Bricker's plan, and even to the extent that she can get Robert to believe that he still blames her for what's happened and being too blind to see it. There's a modicum of truth in that - Bricker's been walking the line of being appropriate with a married woman for quite a while - but she's taking too much of the blame, I think.
3. Tom Barrow. His anti-gay treatments aren't going well, and everyone at Downton is noticing that he's in a bad way. He continues to say he's fine, but that's obviously untrue. Whether or not he'll admit to feeling poorly before he collapses is to be seen.
Honorable Mention: Isis. Random mention of how she's feeling poorly. Hopeful that it's puppies, but concerned it's something worse.
1. Lady Rose. Struggling to get from a shop to the church that's hosting the Russian refugees, Rose is assisted by Atticus Aldridge, a young lawyer whose family emigrated from Russia in earlier times. She eventually learns from the refugees that Atticus' family emigrated during the pogroms. That Atticus is Jewish doesn't seem to faze Rose at all, and it's clear that the two of them are hitting it off, which is nice to see for once.
2. Tom Branson. While he's sad to see Sarah Bunting leave the village (she's taken another job, though her rough relations with the local gentry can't have helped), he is happy that she's reminded him of who he is. It's good to see Tom gaining some direction, even if it means he's going to move to America.
3. Baxter. She finally tells Molesley about her past, and he's as understanding as you might expect. It also helps Baxter continue to get out from under Thomas's influence, so a win-win for Baxter.
Honorable Mention: Charles Blake. He apparently has a plan for getting Tony Gillingham to finally give up on Lady Mary. And if it means he gets a shot with her, so much the better.
Three Down
1. Lady Edith. Things continued to deteriorate with the Drewes, and the situation is made worse when Lady Rosamund visits and learns that Marygold is no longer in Switzerland. And then the dowager countess learns of her secret great granddaughter, which just turns things up to 11. But we may finally learn that Gregson is dead, which is... good news?
2. Lady Cora. The inevitable advance by Simon Bricker comes to pass when he comes back to Downton to finish his work on that painting. Making it worse is that Robert, who has returned early from a dinner, catches Cora and Bricker in their bedroom. Cora wanted no part of Bricker's plan, and even to the extent that she can get Robert to believe that he still blames her for what's happened and being too blind to see it. There's a modicum of truth in that - Bricker's been walking the line of being appropriate with a married woman for quite a while - but she's taking too much of the blame, I think.
3. Tom Barrow. His anti-gay treatments aren't going well, and everyone at Downton is noticing that he's in a bad way. He continues to say he's fine, but that's obviously untrue. Whether or not he'll admit to feeling poorly before he collapses is to be seen.
Honorable Mention: Isis. Random mention of how she's feeling poorly. Hopeful that it's puppies, but concerned it's something worse.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 4
Three Up
1. Lady Violet. The dowager manages to stick her oar in for pretty much every story line, between needling Isobel about Lord Merton's proposal, commiserating with Edith about her troubles, trying to keep Robert from getting too worked up over Sarah Bunting, and helping to find the Princess Kuragin (she's apparently in Hong Kong).
2. Daisy Mason. She's moved from math on to history, and while that causes a slight hiccup in the kitchen it does seem that Daisy is quite inspired by her studies, and is effusive with praise for Miss Bunting when called upstairs to answer if her studies are causing problems (for the most part they aren't). Her increased confidence leads her to write a letter on behalf of Mrs. Patmore to get her nephew included in a war memorial, and as much as Daisy says she may be a cook for the rest of her life that's looking increasingly unlikely.
3. Isobel Crawley. Lord Merton finally makes his intentions known and pops the question to Isobel, stating that his motivation is romantic rather than pragmatic. He asks Isobel to think about it rather than answer immediately, and she accepts (and is clearly moved by his admission of love). Otherwise, Isobel hasn't changed much, vocally supporting Daisy's new-found confidence through education (and, by extension, supporting Miss Bunting and Tom). The liberal streak still lives in the future Lady Merton.
Honorable Mention: Simon Bricker. The art critic returns to Downton to further study the painting he came to see the first time, and is even more effusive in his praise for Lady Cora. He is a shameless flirt with her, and when he almost gets caught manages to save things by directing his comments towards the painting. He's walking an even thinner line than previously, but is getting to further both this career and his personal interest in Lady Cora, which he's clearly enjoying.
Three Down
1. Lady Edith. On the good side, we learn that we're closer than ever in learning what happened to Michael Gregson. On the bad side, it's clearer now than before that he got mixed up with some brownshirts, to a possibly permanent end. Edith doesn't really want to know what happened, as she feels that not knowing allows her to keep him alive by thinking he is only missing. On the daughter front, Mrs. Drewe strongly rebuffs a visit, with Mr. Drewe following up to tell Edith that his wife thinks Edith is unsettling Marigold. So Edith is even further separated from those she loves, and the advice from her grandmother to learn how to put things behind her doesn't help.
2. Tom Barrow. Tom returns to Downton saying his father has rebounded, but it becomes clear that Tom's time away wasn't related to his father at all. Baxter, hearing distress, finds Tom with a syringe, and based on what Baxter later sees in a magazine Tom dropped in a hallway, he's taking some sort of treatment (guessing that he's trying to "curse" his attraction to men). Tom's clearly in a difficult place, and is refusing to take help from the one person who seems sympathetic to his plight.
3. Sarah Bunting. For all of the success she's having downstairs she's flaming out upstairs, as her every utterance rubs Sir Robert the wrong way And in this episode she does seem to be taking pointed shots at Lord Grantham, questioning his feelings towards the servants and even if he knows Daisy's name. This eventually causes Robert to explode, saying he wishes that she never returns to Downton just before he storms out of dinner. For whatever good she may be for Daisy (and for Tom), you have to think Miss Bunting will be keeping to the village for a while.
Honorable Mention: Joseph Molesley. There are plenty of contenders here (from Tony Gillingham for his refusal to believe Mary is rejecting him to his former fiancee, Mable Lane-Fox, encountering Mary at a fashion show), but the honors here goes to Molesley, who finds that being first footman isn't everything it's cracked up to be when he gets tasked with every bit of extra work that seems to crop up. He eventually asks to not hold the title, to which Carsten agrees. And he seems to take some added pleasure at that, which kind of annoys me. Molesley brings a lot of this on himself, but it does seem like Carsten takes a little too much joy out of knocking him down.
1. Lady Violet. The dowager manages to stick her oar in for pretty much every story line, between needling Isobel about Lord Merton's proposal, commiserating with Edith about her troubles, trying to keep Robert from getting too worked up over Sarah Bunting, and helping to find the Princess Kuragin (she's apparently in Hong Kong).
2. Daisy Mason. She's moved from math on to history, and while that causes a slight hiccup in the kitchen it does seem that Daisy is quite inspired by her studies, and is effusive with praise for Miss Bunting when called upstairs to answer if her studies are causing problems (for the most part they aren't). Her increased confidence leads her to write a letter on behalf of Mrs. Patmore to get her nephew included in a war memorial, and as much as Daisy says she may be a cook for the rest of her life that's looking increasingly unlikely.
3. Isobel Crawley. Lord Merton finally makes his intentions known and pops the question to Isobel, stating that his motivation is romantic rather than pragmatic. He asks Isobel to think about it rather than answer immediately, and she accepts (and is clearly moved by his admission of love). Otherwise, Isobel hasn't changed much, vocally supporting Daisy's new-found confidence through education (and, by extension, supporting Miss Bunting and Tom). The liberal streak still lives in the future Lady Merton.
Honorable Mention: Simon Bricker. The art critic returns to Downton to further study the painting he came to see the first time, and is even more effusive in his praise for Lady Cora. He is a shameless flirt with her, and when he almost gets caught manages to save things by directing his comments towards the painting. He's walking an even thinner line than previously, but is getting to further both this career and his personal interest in Lady Cora, which he's clearly enjoying.
Three Down
1. Lady Edith. On the good side, we learn that we're closer than ever in learning what happened to Michael Gregson. On the bad side, it's clearer now than before that he got mixed up with some brownshirts, to a possibly permanent end. Edith doesn't really want to know what happened, as she feels that not knowing allows her to keep him alive by thinking he is only missing. On the daughter front, Mrs. Drewe strongly rebuffs a visit, with Mr. Drewe following up to tell Edith that his wife thinks Edith is unsettling Marigold. So Edith is even further separated from those she loves, and the advice from her grandmother to learn how to put things behind her doesn't help.
2. Tom Barrow. Tom returns to Downton saying his father has rebounded, but it becomes clear that Tom's time away wasn't related to his father at all. Baxter, hearing distress, finds Tom with a syringe, and based on what Baxter later sees in a magazine Tom dropped in a hallway, he's taking some sort of treatment (guessing that he's trying to "curse" his attraction to men). Tom's clearly in a difficult place, and is refusing to take help from the one person who seems sympathetic to his plight.
3. Sarah Bunting. For all of the success she's having downstairs she's flaming out upstairs, as her every utterance rubs Sir Robert the wrong way And in this episode she does seem to be taking pointed shots at Lord Grantham, questioning his feelings towards the servants and even if he knows Daisy's name. This eventually causes Robert to explode, saying he wishes that she never returns to Downton just before he storms out of dinner. For whatever good she may be for Daisy (and for Tom), you have to think Miss Bunting will be keeping to the village for a while.
Honorable Mention: Joseph Molesley. There are plenty of contenders here (from Tony Gillingham for his refusal to believe Mary is rejecting him to his former fiancee, Mable Lane-Fox, encountering Mary at a fashion show), but the honors here goes to Molesley, who finds that being first footman isn't everything it's cracked up to be when he gets tasked with every bit of extra work that seems to crop up. He eventually asks to not hold the title, to which Carsten agrees. And he seems to take some added pleasure at that, which kind of annoys me. Molesley brings a lot of this on himself, but it does seem like Carsten takes a little too much joy out of knocking him down.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 3
Three Up
1. Lady Violet. The dowager gets wind of Lady Mary's salacious vacation - Spratt saw Mary and Gillingham while in Liverpool for a relative's wedding - and she gets to read her the riot act about stepping out and how in her day that didn't happen until orders came from on high (one's mother). We learn later, however, that Lady Violet had an admirer in a Russian prince who is now a refugee. The pair are reunited at a tea Lady Rose put together for the refugees, which gives the dowager a little more context for Mary's assignation (not that Violet engaged in any hanky panky, just that she understands the impulse a little more than she let on). She even gets to slip in another dig at Lord Merton and Isobel, so a good outing all around.
2. Baxter. Baxter finally comes clean with Lady Cora as to why she stole from her former employer - she was under the influence of a man who left her holding the bag after he split with the booty. She never put the police on him as she wanted to put the entire thing behind her. Lady Cora winds up letting her stay. We also learn that Baxter knows Thomas's family pretty well, enough to express concern over the ill health of his father (which he doesn't take well, saying his dad treated her better than him, and it may be untrue to boot). We also get another moment of Baxter getting advice from Molesley, further the possibility of their relationship developing into something more intimate.
3. Daisy Mason. Her studies with Miss Bunting are apparently going well, as we see Daisy at the start of the episode flitting around the kitchen, chirping about where she might have wound up had she been able to go to school until she was 14 rather than only going until she was 11. There's some talk about her taking an examination, which sees like it will happen in short order. Interestingly, her success has seemed to put a spark in Thomas, as he makes a phone call about a self-improvement course (not that she knows about this). Daisy still has to work hard in the kitchen, but you can tell she's thinking more and more about life outside of it.
Honorable Mention: Prince Kuragin. While he's been holding himself apart from the other refugees in York, Lady Rose does get him to come out of his shell a bit, especially after she mentions she's currently living at Downton. As noted above, he seems to have taken a shine to Lady Violet back in the 1870s, when she and her husband went to St. Petersburg for a wedding (turns out the Earl of Grantham was part of the household of the groom, the young Prince Albert). He is genuinely pleased to see her again, even finishing the story of how Lady Violet came in possession of a fan during one of the balls. There is a tinge of sadness, though, when he mentions he does not know if his wife is alive (the assumption being that she didn't get out).
Three Down
1. Lord Robert. The season-long campaign of being an ass continues. To start, Robert rejects out of hand a plan to build 50 houses on or near the estate, complaining of not wanting to see modern houses (by which I think he means anything built after 1800). He then goes to London to surprise Lady Cora (who's gone down to see that art historian again to talk about paintings), only to have to cancel plans when she dines with the historian. He suspects the historian wants more than her opinion on paintings, and while Robert's not wrong he comes across as saying Cora has no opinions that the historian would want to hear. It's needlessly cruel, and his attempts to apologize the next day are rebuffed. He's also immediately cross when he sees Sarah Bunting at the tea, and while her outspokenness almost leads to the abrupt end of the tea he's still kind of an ass about her. He's becoming less able to deal with the present by the minute.
2. Lady Edith. Her attention to Marigold comes to a head, with Mrs. Drewe finally putting the kibosh on further visits (at one point she literally thought Edith had ran off with the child). This causes obvious distress, as Mrs. Hughes notes it's a blow to someone who has little enough love in her life as it is. Edith also casually asks Mary to show the sketches from her trip around, clearly not believing any were made. Mary is seen leafing through some later in the episode, so Edith doesn't get the pleasure of blowing Mary's cover, either.
3. Lady Cora. In some ways this is a good episode for her, as we get to see her demonstrating knowledge about something she cares about and gets to talk about herself and how she wound up in England looking for a husband (short version: a new money partly-Jewish family in New York City climbs up the social ladder more quickly if they marry into European aristocracy). What turns this into a negative isn't just Robert's dismissal of her intellect, but the way Cora notes that a night out in London is past her now, and as much as her art historian would like to keep the night alive and meet again in the future, neither are really in the cards. Cora has accepted her role as an older, country-dwelling countess, and we can see some of the regret in not having a more exciting or fulfilled life.
Honorable Mention: Anna Bates. In some ways she had a worse episode than Lady Cora, as she has to hide Lady Mary's birth control (and the book that inspired the purchase) in some corner of her cottage (ripe for Mr. Bates to discover in the next episode or two, I'm sure) and continue to keep the secret about Lady Mary's trip. Now throw in the police investigation into the death of Green, as there's now talk among Gillingham's household staff that Green spoke of not getting along with Mr. Bates. Bates is able to put together enough of an alibi to satisfy the local cop, but Anna (and Mrs. Hughes) fear that a more skilled officer may be able to determine that, even with the alibi, Bates could have had time to get into London, off Green, and get back to Downton. I fear Anna is going to worry her way into getting Bates caught.
1. Lady Violet. The dowager gets wind of Lady Mary's salacious vacation - Spratt saw Mary and Gillingham while in Liverpool for a relative's wedding - and she gets to read her the riot act about stepping out and how in her day that didn't happen until orders came from on high (one's mother). We learn later, however, that Lady Violet had an admirer in a Russian prince who is now a refugee. The pair are reunited at a tea Lady Rose put together for the refugees, which gives the dowager a little more context for Mary's assignation (not that Violet engaged in any hanky panky, just that she understands the impulse a little more than she let on). She even gets to slip in another dig at Lord Merton and Isobel, so a good outing all around.
2. Baxter. Baxter finally comes clean with Lady Cora as to why she stole from her former employer - she was under the influence of a man who left her holding the bag after he split with the booty. She never put the police on him as she wanted to put the entire thing behind her. Lady Cora winds up letting her stay. We also learn that Baxter knows Thomas's family pretty well, enough to express concern over the ill health of his father (which he doesn't take well, saying his dad treated her better than him, and it may be untrue to boot). We also get another moment of Baxter getting advice from Molesley, further the possibility of their relationship developing into something more intimate.
3. Daisy Mason. Her studies with Miss Bunting are apparently going well, as we see Daisy at the start of the episode flitting around the kitchen, chirping about where she might have wound up had she been able to go to school until she was 14 rather than only going until she was 11. There's some talk about her taking an examination, which sees like it will happen in short order. Interestingly, her success has seemed to put a spark in Thomas, as he makes a phone call about a self-improvement course (not that she knows about this). Daisy still has to work hard in the kitchen, but you can tell she's thinking more and more about life outside of it.
Honorable Mention: Prince Kuragin. While he's been holding himself apart from the other refugees in York, Lady Rose does get him to come out of his shell a bit, especially after she mentions she's currently living at Downton. As noted above, he seems to have taken a shine to Lady Violet back in the 1870s, when she and her husband went to St. Petersburg for a wedding (turns out the Earl of Grantham was part of the household of the groom, the young Prince Albert). He is genuinely pleased to see her again, even finishing the story of how Lady Violet came in possession of a fan during one of the balls. There is a tinge of sadness, though, when he mentions he does not know if his wife is alive (the assumption being that she didn't get out).
Three Down
1. Lord Robert. The season-long campaign of being an ass continues. To start, Robert rejects out of hand a plan to build 50 houses on or near the estate, complaining of not wanting to see modern houses (by which I think he means anything built after 1800). He then goes to London to surprise Lady Cora (who's gone down to see that art historian again to talk about paintings), only to have to cancel plans when she dines with the historian. He suspects the historian wants more than her opinion on paintings, and while Robert's not wrong he comes across as saying Cora has no opinions that the historian would want to hear. It's needlessly cruel, and his attempts to apologize the next day are rebuffed. He's also immediately cross when he sees Sarah Bunting at the tea, and while her outspokenness almost leads to the abrupt end of the tea he's still kind of an ass about her. He's becoming less able to deal with the present by the minute.
2. Lady Edith. Her attention to Marigold comes to a head, with Mrs. Drewe finally putting the kibosh on further visits (at one point she literally thought Edith had ran off with the child). This causes obvious distress, as Mrs. Hughes notes it's a blow to someone who has little enough love in her life as it is. Edith also casually asks Mary to show the sketches from her trip around, clearly not believing any were made. Mary is seen leafing through some later in the episode, so Edith doesn't get the pleasure of blowing Mary's cover, either.
3. Lady Cora. In some ways this is a good episode for her, as we get to see her demonstrating knowledge about something she cares about and gets to talk about herself and how she wound up in England looking for a husband (short version: a new money partly-Jewish family in New York City climbs up the social ladder more quickly if they marry into European aristocracy). What turns this into a negative isn't just Robert's dismissal of her intellect, but the way Cora notes that a night out in London is past her now, and as much as her art historian would like to keep the night alive and meet again in the future, neither are really in the cards. Cora has accepted her role as an older, country-dwelling countess, and we can see some of the regret in not having a more exciting or fulfilled life.
Honorable Mention: Anna Bates. In some ways she had a worse episode than Lady Cora, as she has to hide Lady Mary's birth control (and the book that inspired the purchase) in some corner of her cottage (ripe for Mr. Bates to discover in the next episode or two, I'm sure) and continue to keep the secret about Lady Mary's trip. Now throw in the police investigation into the death of Green, as there's now talk among Gillingham's household staff that Green spoke of not getting along with Mr. Bates. Bates is able to put together enough of an alibi to satisfy the local cop, but Anna (and Mrs. Hughes) fear that a more skilled officer may be able to determine that, even with the alibi, Bates could have had time to get into London, off Green, and get back to Downton. I fear Anna is going to worry her way into getting Bates caught.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 2
Three Up
1. Mary Crawley. No title for her this week, as she's off on her assignation with Tony Gillingham, disguised as a week of sketching with a friend. And she's gotten to this point with minimal work, between getting her friend to cover for her and sending poor Anna Bates to get protection for her. To her credit, Mary does give a fairly well-reasoned speech about how she needs to be sure that she's completely compatible with Tony, as she wants to marry again but absolutely does not want to divorce.
2. Lady Edith. She's continuing to spend time with her daughter, and has finally found a way to normalize that relationship to the extent one can - she's going to back up her personal support with finances, etc. as some sort of godmother. This does not necessarily sit well with Marigold's adoptive mother - she's still on the fence about Edith's presence, and shares Lord Grantham's concern that Edith will lose interest - but it seems to suit Edith's need to be close to her daughter. And with others thinking it's a way for her to distract herself from Gregson, they're thrown even farther off the scent as to the real connection between Edith and Marigold.
3. Isobel Crawley. The work of the Dowager Countess to get Lord Merton interested in someone of the appropriate station seems to not have worked, as he's still interested in Mrs. Crawley. Lady Violet continues to try to run interference between the two, but a visit to Lord Merton's estate to visit the gardens keeps things alive. The dowager is going to have to break out her finest cutting remarks, as her regular ones aren't quite working.
Honorable Mention: Mrs. Hughes. Her relationship with Carsten looks like it's going to take a hit when they disagree on the location of the village's war memorial, but when the location winds up being where Mrs. Hughes favored Carsten notes that one of the benefits of the location (which he didn't favor) is the the two of them are back on the same page. She's clearly pleased by that.
Three Down
1. Tom Barrow. While his position is secure, the loss of James makes him realize that he's lost the closest thing to a friend he has at the house. And now that he doesn't have the power of Baxter that he used to have, he doesn't even have a source for information that he can use against others. Even Molesley gets the upper hand on him at one point when discussing Baxter. Anna does reach out to him at one point, but he's seemingly comping to grips with being alone in the house.
2. Lord Robert. Mostly small issues - he's against the original location for the war memorial (though he wins that one), and is resistant to having a wireless set (though he relents after renting a set to listen to a speech by the king) - but he comes off as a dick in a couple places. He's flippant about Edith's interest in Marigold (he also thinks she'll tire of her), and is openly rude about Branson, Sarah Bunting and the return of Branson's leftist leanings (he as much as says he's parroting Sarah, which ignores pretty much all of Branson's political past). He also grouses about a visiting art historian flirting with his dog - missing that he was actually flirting with Cora.
3. Mrs. Drewe. As much as she appreciates Edith's interest in Marigold, her increased presence (and financial backing) isn't sitting as well as it could. She's concerned about Edith losing interest, but also that Edith is trying to muscle in on areas that are already covered (noting, for example, that Marigold already has a godmother when Edith suggests that sort of role for herself). I fear this conflict is going to continue to build over the course of the season.
Honorable Mention: John Bates. He's not in the episode much, but when a policeman comes to visit Carsten at the end of the episode, asking about the death of Green and revealing that there's a witness, we all know who is going to be in the middle of the investigation.
1. Mary Crawley. No title for her this week, as she's off on her assignation with Tony Gillingham, disguised as a week of sketching with a friend. And she's gotten to this point with minimal work, between getting her friend to cover for her and sending poor Anna Bates to get protection for her. To her credit, Mary does give a fairly well-reasoned speech about how she needs to be sure that she's completely compatible with Tony, as she wants to marry again but absolutely does not want to divorce.
2. Lady Edith. She's continuing to spend time with her daughter, and has finally found a way to normalize that relationship to the extent one can - she's going to back up her personal support with finances, etc. as some sort of godmother. This does not necessarily sit well with Marigold's adoptive mother - she's still on the fence about Edith's presence, and shares Lord Grantham's concern that Edith will lose interest - but it seems to suit Edith's need to be close to her daughter. And with others thinking it's a way for her to distract herself from Gregson, they're thrown even farther off the scent as to the real connection between Edith and Marigold.
3. Isobel Crawley. The work of the Dowager Countess to get Lord Merton interested in someone of the appropriate station seems to not have worked, as he's still interested in Mrs. Crawley. Lady Violet continues to try to run interference between the two, but a visit to Lord Merton's estate to visit the gardens keeps things alive. The dowager is going to have to break out her finest cutting remarks, as her regular ones aren't quite working.
Honorable Mention: Mrs. Hughes. Her relationship with Carsten looks like it's going to take a hit when they disagree on the location of the village's war memorial, but when the location winds up being where Mrs. Hughes favored Carsten notes that one of the benefits of the location (which he didn't favor) is the the two of them are back on the same page. She's clearly pleased by that.
Three Down
1. Tom Barrow. While his position is secure, the loss of James makes him realize that he's lost the closest thing to a friend he has at the house. And now that he doesn't have the power of Baxter that he used to have, he doesn't even have a source for information that he can use against others. Even Molesley gets the upper hand on him at one point when discussing Baxter. Anna does reach out to him at one point, but he's seemingly comping to grips with being alone in the house.
2. Lord Robert. Mostly small issues - he's against the original location for the war memorial (though he wins that one), and is resistant to having a wireless set (though he relents after renting a set to listen to a speech by the king) - but he comes off as a dick in a couple places. He's flippant about Edith's interest in Marigold (he also thinks she'll tire of her), and is openly rude about Branson, Sarah Bunting and the return of Branson's leftist leanings (he as much as says he's parroting Sarah, which ignores pretty much all of Branson's political past). He also grouses about a visiting art historian flirting with his dog - missing that he was actually flirting with Cora.
3. Mrs. Drewe. As much as she appreciates Edith's interest in Marigold, her increased presence (and financial backing) isn't sitting as well as it could. She's concerned about Edith losing interest, but also that Edith is trying to muscle in on areas that are already covered (noting, for example, that Marigold already has a godmother when Edith suggests that sort of role for herself). I fear this conflict is going to continue to build over the course of the season.
Honorable Mention: John Bates. He's not in the episode much, but when a policeman comes to visit Carsten at the end of the episode, asking about the death of Green and revealing that there's a witness, we all know who is going to be in the middle of the investigation.
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Three Up, Three Down: Downton Abbey, Season 5 Episode 1
It's 1924. Who's having a good year one episode in?
Three Up
1. Lady Mary. The semi-surprise visit by Tony Gillingham leads Mary to admit that she loves him, but wants to be as happy with he second husband as she was with her first, so she wants to play it slow. In response to that, Gillingham invites her on a week away where they'll get to know each other - in every sense of the word. This appeals to Mary, who suggested such a course of action to Anna (in a theoretical sense). She agrees to their assignation, saying no one must ever know. Which means it will be common knowledge by episode 4. Still, Mary's getting what she wants here.
2. Tom Barrow. He's on thin ice with Lady Cora after Baxter spills her big secret - she's a convicted felon due to stealing jewelry from a former employer, for reasons as yet unexplained - but his role in discovering the fire and saving Lady Edith puts him back in Cora's good graces. Another one of Tom's nine lives spent, but he's going to get some mileage out of this.
3. Lady Violet. As much as she's friends with Mrs. Crawley, and as much as Mrs. Crawley denies she has any interest in Lord Merton (who is still sniffing around), the Dowager Countess arranges a luncheon where she manages to steer another dowager aristo toward Lord Merton and isolate Mrs. Crawley with Dr. Clarkson. And while two parties in one day tuckers her out, she does manage to get off a couple of witticisms during the charged conversation at Lord and Lady Grantham's anniversary dinner, which Sarah Bunting does her best to ruin with her strident opinions.
Honorable Mention: Baxter. Her secret is finally out, but she takes Molesley's advice and tells Lady Grantham before Tom can (Tom is pressuring her for dirt on Mr. Bates, related to his day out where we believe he committed murder). Lady Cora is shocked, and is frustrated that Baxter isn't sharing more background as to why she stole from her former employer, and why she was unable to return what she stole. But Lady Cora has had no beef with Baxter, and isn't prone to sacking her straight off. She may still fire Baxter - and with Tom's good fortune with the fire he may have an opening to influence things - but Baxter is safe for now, and is a freer woman to boot.
Three Down
1. Lady Edith. Michael Gregson is still missing, and their love child continues to live with a family in the village. Edith apparently spends some time with the family, doting on their youngest, leading the wife to think that Edith fancies her husband. He has figured out why Edith is so interested, and they begin to work out an arrangement whereby Edith can continue to see her daughter. Still, she's despondent over the situation, and flings a book that belonged to Gregson across her bedroom. It manages to catch on fire, which causes the blaze that is confined to her room. Whatever light may be at the end of the tunnel for Edith is still a long way off.
2. Jimmy Kent. A former employer of Jimmy's continues to write letters to him, and she gins up a reason to stop at the abbey (and even fakes car trouble so she can spend the night). She passes a note to Jimmy at dinner inviting him to her room (which Carsten sees, but Jimmy is able to dodge giving the note to Carsten with an assist from Tom). He does go to her room, and is caught there by Lord Robert as he's going door to door raising the alarm. After the fire, Lord Grantham asks Carsten to let Jimmy go, but give him a good reference to cover for how he got the sack for getting in the sack.
3. Lord Robert. The generational (and ideological) shift is giving Lord Robert trouble, from the new Labor government to Sarah Bunting nearly ruining his anniversary dinner to a group from the village choosing Carsten over him to chair a war memorial committee. Throw in the fire and discovering the help rogering a guest and it was a tough episode for Lord Grantham. The only reason he doesn't finish higher is that the committee (or Carsten) asks Lord Robert to serve as the project's patron, helping to save face. He also has a bit of a talk with Tom about Sarah and his political past which I think helps to frame their relationship a bit, even if its ending was a bit sharp.
Honorable Mention: Spratt. Lady Violet's butler doesn't like serving the common folk. He continually snubs Dr. Gregson when serving other aristocrats, and has to be put in his place by Lady Violet on more than one occasion. You would think that one talking to from her would be enough, but his prejudice is apparently a little too entrenched.
Three Up
1. Lady Mary. The semi-surprise visit by Tony Gillingham leads Mary to admit that she loves him, but wants to be as happy with he second husband as she was with her first, so she wants to play it slow. In response to that, Gillingham invites her on a week away where they'll get to know each other - in every sense of the word. This appeals to Mary, who suggested such a course of action to Anna (in a theoretical sense). She agrees to their assignation, saying no one must ever know. Which means it will be common knowledge by episode 4. Still, Mary's getting what she wants here.
2. Tom Barrow. He's on thin ice with Lady Cora after Baxter spills her big secret - she's a convicted felon due to stealing jewelry from a former employer, for reasons as yet unexplained - but his role in discovering the fire and saving Lady Edith puts him back in Cora's good graces. Another one of Tom's nine lives spent, but he's going to get some mileage out of this.
3. Lady Violet. As much as she's friends with Mrs. Crawley, and as much as Mrs. Crawley denies she has any interest in Lord Merton (who is still sniffing around), the Dowager Countess arranges a luncheon where she manages to steer another dowager aristo toward Lord Merton and isolate Mrs. Crawley with Dr. Clarkson. And while two parties in one day tuckers her out, she does manage to get off a couple of witticisms during the charged conversation at Lord and Lady Grantham's anniversary dinner, which Sarah Bunting does her best to ruin with her strident opinions.
Honorable Mention: Baxter. Her secret is finally out, but she takes Molesley's advice and tells Lady Grantham before Tom can (Tom is pressuring her for dirt on Mr. Bates, related to his day out where we believe he committed murder). Lady Cora is shocked, and is frustrated that Baxter isn't sharing more background as to why she stole from her former employer, and why she was unable to return what she stole. But Lady Cora has had no beef with Baxter, and isn't prone to sacking her straight off. She may still fire Baxter - and with Tom's good fortune with the fire he may have an opening to influence things - but Baxter is safe for now, and is a freer woman to boot.
Three Down
1. Lady Edith. Michael Gregson is still missing, and their love child continues to live with a family in the village. Edith apparently spends some time with the family, doting on their youngest, leading the wife to think that Edith fancies her husband. He has figured out why Edith is so interested, and they begin to work out an arrangement whereby Edith can continue to see her daughter. Still, she's despondent over the situation, and flings a book that belonged to Gregson across her bedroom. It manages to catch on fire, which causes the blaze that is confined to her room. Whatever light may be at the end of the tunnel for Edith is still a long way off.
2. Jimmy Kent. A former employer of Jimmy's continues to write letters to him, and she gins up a reason to stop at the abbey (and even fakes car trouble so she can spend the night). She passes a note to Jimmy at dinner inviting him to her room (which Carsten sees, but Jimmy is able to dodge giving the note to Carsten with an assist from Tom). He does go to her room, and is caught there by Lord Robert as he's going door to door raising the alarm. After the fire, Lord Grantham asks Carsten to let Jimmy go, but give him a good reference to cover for how he got the sack for getting in the sack.
3. Lord Robert. The generational (and ideological) shift is giving Lord Robert trouble, from the new Labor government to Sarah Bunting nearly ruining his anniversary dinner to a group from the village choosing Carsten over him to chair a war memorial committee. Throw in the fire and discovering the help rogering a guest and it was a tough episode for Lord Grantham. The only reason he doesn't finish higher is that the committee (or Carsten) asks Lord Robert to serve as the project's patron, helping to save face. He also has a bit of a talk with Tom about Sarah and his political past which I think helps to frame their relationship a bit, even if its ending was a bit sharp.
Honorable Mention: Spratt. Lady Violet's butler doesn't like serving the common folk. He continually snubs Dr. Gregson when serving other aristocrats, and has to be put in his place by Lady Violet on more than one occasion. You would think that one talking to from her would be enough, but his prejudice is apparently a little too entrenched.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
For Old Blogs That Be Forgot
I've been pretty neglectful of the blog of late, so in these last minutes of 2013 I figured I'd write about the new shows I've picked up for the year. Which is pretty easy, actually, as the only new show I'm watching is The Blacklist, which I've enjoyed for something that's been sort of silly in that overhyped international treachery sort of way that 24 employed so often. James Spader's been fun to watch, and there have been some interesting villains of the week (favorite so far: Robert Sean Leonard as a biotech genius turned mass murderer). I do like that they're taking their time with the standing plot lines (the basis of Reddington's interest in Liz Keen, the potential secret history of her husband, and the identity of the people who are watching the Keen house).
I did try watching Marvel's Agents of SHIELD but couldn't get into it. Not sure if it's because I'm approaching it as an outsider (having not read the comics or seen the movies) or because it's all a bit too ludicrous. Still, I didn't hate it, and hope it sticks if for no other reason to keep networks open to this sort of programming.
I have also seen a couple of episodes of The Crazy Ones and The Millers. I feel like I like the former more than the latter, but haven't quite gotten motivated to follow either.
We did also watched a couple of episodes of Genealogy Roadshow, a PBS series that takes the Antiques Roadshow approach to finding out if everyday people are related to someone famous, or someone involved in a major historical event. I found it a little glib, between the host (who adds nothing but a layer of unctuousness) and the genealogists who don't always explain their findings that well or in enough detail for my taste. This needs a serious retooling before I'd watch it again.
The last new show I'll mention isn't something I watch specifically for me. It's Peg + Cat, a PBS animated show from the Fred Rogers Company that follows a girl (Peg) and her cat as they have math and science-related adventures. It's a very different series than Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and offers some amusement for adults from the catchy songs to witty asides. This may actually be the best new show I've seen in 2013.
Oh, and I did watch the live version of The Sound of Music. Audra McDonald deserved better.
Anyway, happy New Year! Hopefully more posting in 2014.
I did try watching Marvel's Agents of SHIELD but couldn't get into it. Not sure if it's because I'm approaching it as an outsider (having not read the comics or seen the movies) or because it's all a bit too ludicrous. Still, I didn't hate it, and hope it sticks if for no other reason to keep networks open to this sort of programming.
I have also seen a couple of episodes of The Crazy Ones and The Millers. I feel like I like the former more than the latter, but haven't quite gotten motivated to follow either.
We did also watched a couple of episodes of Genealogy Roadshow, a PBS series that takes the Antiques Roadshow approach to finding out if everyday people are related to someone famous, or someone involved in a major historical event. I found it a little glib, between the host (who adds nothing but a layer of unctuousness) and the genealogists who don't always explain their findings that well or in enough detail for my taste. This needs a serious retooling before I'd watch it again.
The last new show I'll mention isn't something I watch specifically for me. It's Peg + Cat, a PBS animated show from the Fred Rogers Company that follows a girl (Peg) and her cat as they have math and science-related adventures. It's a very different series than Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and offers some amusement for adults from the catchy songs to witty asides. This may actually be the best new show I've seen in 2013.
Oh, and I did watch the live version of The Sound of Music. Audra McDonald deserved better.
Anyway, happy New Year! Hopefully more posting in 2014.
Monday, October 07, 2013
Catching Up
So with summer gone and the new TV season starting up, a quick look back on what I wasted my time with over the past few months:
Under the Dome - we're about halfway through this, and I'm not particularly impressed. Too exposition-heavy, odd moments of illogic (a meningitis outbreak that can be cured in hours using one dose of antibiotics, no one finds that strange?), and not particularly great acting (though the guy playing James "Junior" Rennie could probably make a career out of playing sociopaths). But it's interesting enough for a summer series, I suppose. It is picking up a bit now that the thing that's apparently causing the dome has been discovered.
Hell's Kitchen/MasterChef - I found the former more watchable this time around if only for the casting of perhaps the most incompetent group of one gender in the show's history (the men, who proved almost incapable of winning a team challenge). The latter is much more watchable this time around, not sure if it's the contestants or the (relative) streamlining of the tryouts. It's not the Walmart product placements or the Glee-themed episode, which pretty much proved that Jane Lynch will appear in anything (as if Celebrity Game Night didn't do that already).
Masterpiece - after working through Mr. Selfridge (kind of not worth it, unless 14 episodes of Jeremy Piven given license to overact is your kind of thing), we got what appears to be the last season of Inspector Lewis (boo) and the first season of Endeavor, a Morse prequel series that I've enjoyed quite a bit. Neither have particularly long runs (3 and 5 episodes respectively, I think), so easy to cover if you're so inclined.
The Killing - you may have noticed that I tailed off of the weekly coverage, thanks in part to a move and in part to the show not really having three characters who have an "up" episode every week. Turns out the show's been cancelled (for good this time), which isn't helping me finish the season. Don't think I'll miss the show per se, but I will miss Joel Kinnaman's performances as Stephen Holder. Here's to hoping he gets the higher profile role he deserves, but soon.
American Ninja Warrior - modeled after a Japanese show, it features a variety of folks (many of whom are either rock climbers or devotees of Parkour/freerunning) trying to conquer obstacle courses in the hopes of conquering the final one (which has never been done). It's not something we'd have tuned into, but the oldest boy found it one rainy weekend afternoon and it quickly became his program of choice. I fear future trips to the park will be ruined as he finds that none of them have a salmon ladder or warped wall. Also problematic is the change from G4 to Esquire Network, as the show went off air for a few weekends, but it appears to be back, for better or worse.
Under the Dome - we're about halfway through this, and I'm not particularly impressed. Too exposition-heavy, odd moments of illogic (a meningitis outbreak that can be cured in hours using one dose of antibiotics, no one finds that strange?), and not particularly great acting (though the guy playing James "Junior" Rennie could probably make a career out of playing sociopaths). But it's interesting enough for a summer series, I suppose. It is picking up a bit now that the thing that's apparently causing the dome has been discovered.
Hell's Kitchen/MasterChef - I found the former more watchable this time around if only for the casting of perhaps the most incompetent group of one gender in the show's history (the men, who proved almost incapable of winning a team challenge). The latter is much more watchable this time around, not sure if it's the contestants or the (relative) streamlining of the tryouts. It's not the Walmart product placements or the Glee-themed episode, which pretty much proved that Jane Lynch will appear in anything (as if Celebrity Game Night didn't do that already).
Masterpiece - after working through Mr. Selfridge (kind of not worth it, unless 14 episodes of Jeremy Piven given license to overact is your kind of thing), we got what appears to be the last season of Inspector Lewis (boo) and the first season of Endeavor, a Morse prequel series that I've enjoyed quite a bit. Neither have particularly long runs (3 and 5 episodes respectively, I think), so easy to cover if you're so inclined.
The Killing - you may have noticed that I tailed off of the weekly coverage, thanks in part to a move and in part to the show not really having three characters who have an "up" episode every week. Turns out the show's been cancelled (for good this time), which isn't helping me finish the season. Don't think I'll miss the show per se, but I will miss Joel Kinnaman's performances as Stephen Holder. Here's to hoping he gets the higher profile role he deserves, but soon.
American Ninja Warrior - modeled after a Japanese show, it features a variety of folks (many of whom are either rock climbers or devotees of Parkour/freerunning) trying to conquer obstacle courses in the hopes of conquering the final one (which has never been done). It's not something we'd have tuned into, but the oldest boy found it one rainy weekend afternoon and it quickly became his program of choice. I fear future trips to the park will be ruined as he finds that none of them have a salmon ladder or warped wall. Also problematic is the change from G4 to Esquire Network, as the show went off air for a few weekends, but it appears to be back, for better or worse.
Monday, August 10, 2009
New on TV: Three for the Nerds
There's a trio of new shows I've been watching this summer, and while they have little in common, all appeal to the inner (or outer) nerd, one each on public, network and cable TV.
Taking them in that order, we'll start with PBS' Time Team America, a kind of History Detectives spin-off where a team of archaeologists visit sites and give the researchers regularly at the site three days of extra help, often using tools not readily available to the regular team.
The typical story arc of an episode is as follows:
Day 1: arrive at site, dig some trenches, use the geophysical instruments to survey.
Day 2: use the survey results to dig more trenches. Find random bits of pottery no bigger than your thumbnail. Survey some more, as a decent chunk of yesterday's data is inconclusive.
Day 3: Dig a bit more, and hopefully find something other than pottery. Maybe a post hole.
As this suggests, the biggest problem with the show is the lack of actual finds. While that's probably true of how archaeology works, it does not make for particularly riveting television. The host, who is also the team's artist (do archaeology teams regularly employ artists?), tries to pull things together and add background by interviewing various people with a connection to the site. He's also not the most dynamic person; at times it's like the show is being hosted by a somewhat annoying TA.
I'm also not a fan of the team's logo - which appears in the credits and on their vehicles - or the use of Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" as theme music. That'd have been a great choice if the show debuted in 2005.
Moving to network, we have Defying Gravity, a multinationally-produced series that ABC picked up for a summer run. Set in the 2050s (with flashbacks from approximately 5 years before the show's present), we follow the eight person crew of the Antares as they set out on a six-year mission to visit seven planets. The only problem is that there's something calling the shots on the mission that is not part of the International Space Organization. To this point it's only referred to as Beta, and it's monkeyed with the make-up of the crew and has taken one other member back to an ill-fated mission to Mars.
Add into the 2001: A Space Oddysey mix some notable romatic entanglements, including a married couple split up by Beta's shenanigans and a flight engineer (played by Ron Livingston) who had a one-night stand with another crew member (before she became an astronaut) but who is having regular booty calls with a different crew member. The show was apparently pitched as Grey's Anatomy in space, but I don't think we're quite at the point where the show is Grey's Astronomy. It's still too much involved with the oddities, from an Indian crew member who went on an unscheduled EVA with his statue of Ganesha after getting bumped to the aforementioned female member of the one night stand hearing baby cries (care to guess how the one night stand ended?). Odder still, none of the other crew seem suspicious that she keeps on asking them if they've heard something when no one else has.
It's not a great show, but it's good enough for the summer.
Finally, we have SyFy's Warehouse 13, which follows two Secret Service agents as they go about the country to claim objects of unusual power, which then gets stored in the title location, which is somewhere in South Dakota. The agents have a Scully and Mulder sort of relationship, only not as entertaining. They also seem a little slow, as in at least a couple of cases I managed to sort out what they needed to do before they did. Considering I only watched three or four episodes before removing it from my recording list, that's not so good.
I did like Saul Rubinek as the warehouse administrator and CCH Pounder as the program's shadowy leader, Mrs. Frederick (she should be on every episode). There's also a bit of a steampunky vibe to the show, from computers using manual typewriter keyboards to personal communicators in tin cases called Farnsworths, but there weren't enough of those elements to keep me watching.
Oh, and in a related noted, the rebranding of the Sci-Fi Channel to SyFy doesn't do anything for me. I suppose it loosens things up so they can show crap like the ECW and Ghost Hunters, but I fear that this is the start of a slide that sees the network go from something that covers a niche pretty well to one that, in an attempt to find a broader audience, loses identity.
Taking them in that order, we'll start with PBS' Time Team America, a kind of History Detectives spin-off where a team of archaeologists visit sites and give the researchers regularly at the site three days of extra help, often using tools not readily available to the regular team.
The typical story arc of an episode is as follows:
Day 1: arrive at site, dig some trenches, use the geophysical instruments to survey.
Day 2: use the survey results to dig more trenches. Find random bits of pottery no bigger than your thumbnail. Survey some more, as a decent chunk of yesterday's data is inconclusive.
Day 3: Dig a bit more, and hopefully find something other than pottery. Maybe a post hole.
As this suggests, the biggest problem with the show is the lack of actual finds. While that's probably true of how archaeology works, it does not make for particularly riveting television. The host, who is also the team's artist (do archaeology teams regularly employ artists?), tries to pull things together and add background by interviewing various people with a connection to the site. He's also not the most dynamic person; at times it's like the show is being hosted by a somewhat annoying TA.
I'm also not a fan of the team's logo - which appears in the credits and on their vehicles - or the use of Coldplay's "Speed of Sound" as theme music. That'd have been a great choice if the show debuted in 2005.
Moving to network, we have Defying Gravity, a multinationally-produced series that ABC picked up for a summer run. Set in the 2050s (with flashbacks from approximately 5 years before the show's present), we follow the eight person crew of the Antares as they set out on a six-year mission to visit seven planets. The only problem is that there's something calling the shots on the mission that is not part of the International Space Organization. To this point it's only referred to as Beta, and it's monkeyed with the make-up of the crew and has taken one other member back to an ill-fated mission to Mars.
Add into the 2001: A Space Oddysey mix some notable romatic entanglements, including a married couple split up by Beta's shenanigans and a flight engineer (played by Ron Livingston) who had a one-night stand with another crew member (before she became an astronaut) but who is having regular booty calls with a different crew member. The show was apparently pitched as Grey's Anatomy in space, but I don't think we're quite at the point where the show is Grey's Astronomy. It's still too much involved with the oddities, from an Indian crew member who went on an unscheduled EVA with his statue of Ganesha after getting bumped to the aforementioned female member of the one night stand hearing baby cries (care to guess how the one night stand ended?). Odder still, none of the other crew seem suspicious that she keeps on asking them if they've heard something when no one else has.
It's not a great show, but it's good enough for the summer.
Finally, we have SyFy's Warehouse 13, which follows two Secret Service agents as they go about the country to claim objects of unusual power, which then gets stored in the title location, which is somewhere in South Dakota. The agents have a Scully and Mulder sort of relationship, only not as entertaining. They also seem a little slow, as in at least a couple of cases I managed to sort out what they needed to do before they did. Considering I only watched three or four episodes before removing it from my recording list, that's not so good.
I did like Saul Rubinek as the warehouse administrator and CCH Pounder as the program's shadowy leader, Mrs. Frederick (she should be on every episode). There's also a bit of a steampunky vibe to the show, from computers using manual typewriter keyboards to personal communicators in tin cases called Farnsworths, but there weren't enough of those elements to keep me watching.
Oh, and in a related noted, the rebranding of the Sci-Fi Channel to SyFy doesn't do anything for me. I suppose it loosens things up so they can show crap like the ECW and Ghost Hunters, but I fear that this is the start of a slide that sees the network go from something that covers a niche pretty well to one that, in an attempt to find a broader audience, loses identity.
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