Julian
Fellowes certainly has not lost his flair for the dramatic, heroes and villains
galore! Episode 1 was drama-packed with commotion spreading all over including:
upstairs, downstairs, the Dowager House, the Crawley House, London, and even a
little drama spilling over into neighboring York. Mr. Fellowes’s drama hit the ground running,
literally, as Ms. O’Brien ran off in the middle of the night to join Lady Susan
in India. So glad she’s gone!!
Based on their actions last night I’m
going to try to rate each major character as either a hero or a villain. Brace
yourself, here it comes!
Robert How can one man be so
well-intentioned and still manage to get everything WRONG!?! He thinks he can
manage the estate, but he can’t. He thinks wrapping Mary up is good for her,
when everyone around him knows she needs to go on with her life. Robert’s
unwillingness to share management of the estate rose to the level of shameful
when he embarrassed Mary at dinner, with everyone present, by peppering her
with questions she couldn’t possibly answer. Grade: Villain.
Cora I am of two minds about Cora. On the
one hand, she is becoming a stronger female presence in the Abbey by asserting
her opinion more frequently. She is a
strong advocate for Mary with Robert, and the way she dismissed the evil
Dickensian Nanny West was brilliant! On the other hand, she remains clueless
about the true nature of the people working downstairs. She allows Thomas to buffalo her into
thinking that loyal Anna would damage a scarf.
Her hiring of Edna Braithwaite is exactly as Mrs. Hughes foretold: “a
ticking time bomb.” Grade: Undecided
Mary Mary starts off as a villain when
she allows herself to be consumed by grief to the point that she calls her son
an “orphan”, shocking for any mother. With
the help of Tom, Granny, and steadfast Carson she shakes off the shroud of gloom
and comes back eager to carry on Matthew’s work. I think she’s going to be
great at running the estate. As a side note, did anyone else think Mary’s hair
looked at times like Princess Leah from Star Wars with the two buns on either
side of her head, not a good look. Grade: Hero
Edith/Michael
Gregson Well their
romance certainly heated up last night!
Whereas Mary has been the one to wear elaborate gowns in seasons past,
Edith certainly made a splash last night with her mermaid-looking dress she
wore into the Continental (even showing some leg!!). She’s definitely coming into her own. If he’s
willing to become a German citizen for her, this marriage better work. Let’s
see, what can go wrong with this plan?
We’ll see… Grade: Undecided
Tom I love Tom (and not just because he’s
Irish). He’ll teach Mary everything she
needs to know and together they will become a formidable team in running the
estate. I also love the way he is with
little Sybbie (sp?) too. Grade: Hero
Cousin
Isobel/Mrs. Hughes Last
season these two teamed up to save the maid Ethel from an awful life. Last night they teamed up to save Mr. Griggs,
an old chum of Carson’s, from a life in the work house. I love how Mrs. Hughes was able to convince
Isobel to put her grief aside to help this man.
I especially love the scenes with Carson and Mrs. Hughes, she handles
him beautifully and was able in the end to help him “stitch up an old wound.”
Grade: Heroes
Carson Rock-steady Carson tries to be gruff
and intimidating (which he is to the younger staff) but his softer side was on
full display last night. Taking a great
risk by being frank with Lady Mary only to be rebuffed, but who does Mary go to
for a good cry, not papa, Carson. You
just knew Carson was going to show up at the train station to say good bye to
his friend. In the end he always does the right thing. Grade: Hero
Anna/Bates
How can these two be
anything but heroes?!? She’s kind to everyone, and he adores her for it. He can’t
bear the thought she might be sad so he arranges to give poor down-trodden
Moseley some money and make it look like he owed him. How romantic!! I think Bates will need his “prison education”
to protect Anna from whatever Edna and Thomas have planned for her.
Thomas/Edna
Braithwaite What is
it about Lady Grantham’s maids? Is the
position cursed? First we had the
scheming Mrs. O’Brien, only to be replaced by the duplicitous Edna
Braithwaite. As soon as you see her
hanging out with Thomas, it’s not good for any member of the household. Imagine picking on poor loyal Anna!! I hope
they’re found out and bounced out. Grade: Definite
Villain
Mrs.
Patmore She gets to
be a hero for sending Daisy a Valentine card to spare her feelings. Like Carson, her rough exterior hides a
softer gentler side.
Rose Trouble finds Rose wherever she
goes. It would be easy to call her a villain because she’s so self-centered and
irresponsible, and let’s not forget she unwittingly brings Edna back to
Downton. Still she’s young and hopefully
will mature before she causes too much more damage. Grade: Undecided
Daisy,
Alfred, Ivy and Jimmy
The four stooges. I still am eager to see if Daisy will end up at Mr. Mason‘s
farm. Grade: Undecided
The
Dowager Cousin Violet
I saved the best for last. Violet is clearly smarter than all the other
characters. Her mind is like a chess
board arranging people’s lives often without them knowing it. She’s miles ahead of Robert, and often puts
him in his place. For all her
interference though (grandparents are supposed to interfere), things always
work out for the best for as she says “I’m never wrong.” Grade: Hero
My favorite
line from the episode (there were lots): As Edith, Cora, and Violet talk about arranging
a job for Moseley, Cora dimly asks “As a servant?” To which Violet shoots back “No, as a Chinese
laundryman.” Love it!!
On to
Episode 2 …
Ta for now!
Spot on Lady Anne!
ReplyDeleteThank god Mary came out of her zombie stuper. That was some serious monotone and how did she manage to keep from staring? Loved Edith's mermaid number. I can't help connect with Rose. Every family needs a spitfire. Any guess who plays that role in my family? Anna and Bates love. Thomas- pah!
It has been verified that the Earl of Grantham is prominent in the family tree of Joe Biden.
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