It's a good day as Anna's patience is rewarded and Edith gets some admiration from an unexpected quarter.Download Video Downton Abbey Series 3 Episode On ABC Family Tv Online Tv Live Streaming Video. Online Watch Downton Abbey Full Episode Watch Stream HD Video on Internet TV.Matthew refuses to back down over the estate management. Branson's plan for the christening causes some consternation, as does the sudden arrival of his brother.Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, the drama centers on the Crawley family and their servants. "The sun is rising behind Downton Abbey, a great and splendid house in a great and splendid park. So secure does it appear, that it seems as if the way of life it represents will last for another thousand years. It won't". In season 2, the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them has been changed forever, since the Great War was declared at the end of the last season."Now stop talking and kiss me before I get cross," Mary later admonished. But Matthew had something far weightier on his mind, with his dinner tails burned by the misadministrations of new valet Alfred just as a big 'do' was being planned to impress the Crawleys' American relation.
The way Mary was going on, you'd have thought the whole future of Downton was going to fly or fail on the fate of her husband's charred panel. Scintillating stuff, this married life business.
Mary and Matthew's vacant will-they-won't-they limbo land had been filled by Lady Edith and her reluctant suitor Sir Anthony - at least this week he stopped erming and aching long enough to tell her straight he was too old for her, and for her father to tell him to bugger off. This being Downton, they were engaged by the credits.
But this was all just colour to the main plot of the night, Lord Grantham's shirts going missing, much to Thomas's chagrin - this suspiciously soon after he'd shown new valet Alfred just who was boss, with unique advice on how to press a shirt, and burn a hole in a dinner jacket.
O'Brien's face was a picture as Thomas continued to undermine Alfred - the chasm between these two former conspirators can surely only end in tears, hopefully not those of the utterly loveable lady's maid, my constant favourite.
Edith was offering a newspaper column, but because this is Edith, she was at first treated dismissively by all but Matthew, and then overshadowed by Sybil’s death, ending all possible in-depth discussion about the offer.
There was Ethel’s hiring by Isobel, which could end terribly or be a surprising success depending on how well her cooking skills come on by next week.
Anna’s found the key piece of information that could prove Bates’ innocence. Trouble is, the woman who holds the information doesn’t like Bates. The race is on to get her to talk before she realises that she’s actually helping him — but a corrupt prison warden and Bates’ cellmate are out to scupper that plan.
The new kitchen maid sparked a love square downstairs; Daisy likes Alfred, who lives Ivy, who likes Jimmy, who likes Ivy. (Daisy is essentially the Edith-below-stairs right now.) Daisy reacted to Ivy’s presence badly, but hopefully Daisy is going to be a little nicer from now on, if only to stop Alfred from disliking her.
There was also a scheming O’Brien telling Jimmy to keep in Thomas’ good books if he wants to come out on top at Downton, which means he at least doesn’t object to Thomas’ obvious flirting, though he looks non-too-pleased by it.
(I have to admit that before Sybil’s death, I thought the character death spoiler for this series may have referred to Thomas getting killed Brokeback-style after making Jimmy uncomfortable.)
Before she died, Sybil asked Cora to make sure Branson and the baby were looked after. It’s impossible to imagine Cora not doing so, but does anyone else have the sneaking suspicion that all this talk about Matthew and Mary having a baby is actually leading up to Branson handing the baby over to them? I really hope that doesn’t happen.
I still find Mary to be obnoxious (seriously, couldn’t she have just lied when Edith asked if they may be nicer to each other, rather than saying ‘I doubt it’?), and I’d rather her have time to mellow out during her own pregnancy rather than be handed a baby to create an insta-family.
DOWNTON ABBEY is the kind of "Masterpiece Theatre" material that the British do with such finesse that one can only sit back and marvel at the sets, costumes, music, and above all, the performances that are all on an extraordinarily high level.
The moment the first series ended, I wanted to see more--so no doubt I'll be ordering my copy of Season 2. Central among the gifted performers are Maggie Smith (as the Dowager Countess Violet), Hugh Bonneville as the Earl of Grantham, and Elizabeth McGovern as Cora, his American wife. But all of the lesser roles are played to perfection with special mention for Brendan Coyle as John Bates, Joanne Froggatt as Ana, Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael.
The way Mary was going on, you'd have thought the whole future of Downton was going to fly or fail on the fate of her husband's charred panel. Scintillating stuff, this married life business.
Mary and Matthew's vacant will-they-won't-they limbo land had been filled by Lady Edith and her reluctant suitor Sir Anthony - at least this week he stopped erming and aching long enough to tell her straight he was too old for her, and for her father to tell him to bugger off. This being Downton, they were engaged by the credits.
But this was all just colour to the main plot of the night, Lord Grantham's shirts going missing, much to Thomas's chagrin - this suspiciously soon after he'd shown new valet Alfred just who was boss, with unique advice on how to press a shirt, and burn a hole in a dinner jacket.
O'Brien's face was a picture as Thomas continued to undermine Alfred - the chasm between these two former conspirators can surely only end in tears, hopefully not those of the utterly loveable lady's maid, my constant favourite.
Edith was offering a newspaper column, but because this is Edith, she was at first treated dismissively by all but Matthew, and then overshadowed by Sybil’s death, ending all possible in-depth discussion about the offer.
There was Ethel’s hiring by Isobel, which could end terribly or be a surprising success depending on how well her cooking skills come on by next week.
Anna’s found the key piece of information that could prove Bates’ innocence. Trouble is, the woman who holds the information doesn’t like Bates. The race is on to get her to talk before she realises that she’s actually helping him — but a corrupt prison warden and Bates’ cellmate are out to scupper that plan.
The new kitchen maid sparked a love square downstairs; Daisy likes Alfred, who lives Ivy, who likes Jimmy, who likes Ivy. (Daisy is essentially the Edith-below-stairs right now.) Daisy reacted to Ivy’s presence badly, but hopefully Daisy is going to be a little nicer from now on, if only to stop Alfred from disliking her.
There was also a scheming O’Brien telling Jimmy to keep in Thomas’ good books if he wants to come out on top at Downton, which means he at least doesn’t object to Thomas’ obvious flirting, though he looks non-too-pleased by it.
(I have to admit that before Sybil’s death, I thought the character death spoiler for this series may have referred to Thomas getting killed Brokeback-style after making Jimmy uncomfortable.)
Before she died, Sybil asked Cora to make sure Branson and the baby were looked after. It’s impossible to imagine Cora not doing so, but does anyone else have the sneaking suspicion that all this talk about Matthew and Mary having a baby is actually leading up to Branson handing the baby over to them? I really hope that doesn’t happen.
I still find Mary to be obnoxious (seriously, couldn’t she have just lied when Edith asked if they may be nicer to each other, rather than saying ‘I doubt it’?), and I’d rather her have time to mellow out during her own pregnancy rather than be handed a baby to create an insta-family.
DOWNTON ABBEY is the kind of "Masterpiece Theatre" material that the British do with such finesse that one can only sit back and marvel at the sets, costumes, music, and above all, the performances that are all on an extraordinarily high level.
The moment the first series ended, I wanted to see more--so no doubt I'll be ordering my copy of Season 2. Central among the gifted performers are Maggie Smith (as the Dowager Countess Violet), Hugh Bonneville as the Earl of Grantham, and Elizabeth McGovern as Cora, his American wife. But all of the lesser roles are played to perfection with special mention for Brendan Coyle as John Bates, Joanne Froggatt as Ana, Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael.