Good Afternoon Elegant Readers:
Downton Abbey is back with the Season Four premiere last night on PBS. My hubby and I have been watching since the beginning, following the Crawley Family who live at their English country estate during the 1910s and early 1920s. I so much enjoy period movies and television shows, like Downton Abbey. For me, watching Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice; and Manor House is a great way to spend a cold snowy day like it is today. With temperatures topping out at only zero today, I love to stay in the house, curl up with a warm blanket and watch a good movie filled with elegant women and sophisticated men.
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In the first three seasons, we have watched as Lord Grantham struggled keep his family in order and his estate in the family. We watched the on-and-off again love story of Matthew and Mary, the struggle for Edith to find love, and the untimely death of Lady Sybil.
Season Four begins six months after the tragic end of Season Three, when Matthew dies in automobile accident soon after the birth of his new-born son, George. We see that Lady Mary is deep in grief and is struggling to be a mother her son. A nanny has been hired to care for Lady Mary’s and Lady Sybil’s babies. Lady Rose is now at Downton; but is living a free-spirited, non-aristocratic life. Mrs. O’Brien has left to pursue another lady’s maid job. Mr. Mosley is struggling to find work now that he is not needed after the death of Matthew. Anna and Bates continue being happy in their marriage now that Bates is out of prison.
Some of the interesting things I found from last night’s episode:
* Lord Grantham continues to struggle to manage the estate as the death tax imposed on the death of Matthew has once again thrown the Downton into peril. Branson is working with the Lord to keep the estate moving forward.
* Mrs. O’Brien was gone. She was such a mean and evil person, especially with her relationship with Mr. Barrow. That relationship was quite twisted. But I still liked watching her because she added so much to the plots twists and turns.
* Lady Edith rekindles her relationship with a married man, who is determined to divorce his insane wife for Edith, even if it means leaving England and going to Germany.
* The new nanny did not last too long. When Mrs. Crawley overheard her call Lady Sybil’s baby a ‘cross breed’, I felt like I wanted to jump out of my bed and slap her real good but I kept my cool.
* Mr. Barrow is still pure evil, but I give it to him that he was right about the new nanny.
Questions remain as I wait for Episode Two.
* Who is the new Downton heir, now that Matthew has died? Is it his son, George or his wife, Lady Mary? The consensus is that it is Lady Mary. But how will she work with her father in running the estate?
* Will Lady Mary be able to let go of her grief to be able to love again?
* How will the new lady’s maid work out? Since she had previously worked at Downton and was trying to have an affair with Branson, will she try to pursue him again? Will she try to get the family turn against Anna?
Interesting that Branson can only confide in the Carson and Mrs. Hughes and cannot be real with the family?
* Will Lady Rose continue her unruly antics and cause more problems for Downton?
If you missed last night’s premiere, you can watch it by clicking here.
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