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Friday, January 4, 2013

Downtown Arbys Sunday Sunday Sunday! The Return of the World's Most Lavish and Gratifying Soap Opera

Posted by David Schmader on Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 1:46 PM

According to NY Mag's Jerry Seitz, shit's back to being a tad more stately after last season's shameless theatrics/miraculous recoveries/never-ending misty-eyed death remembrances. (Fact: a character named Lavinia is going to die long before most other characters, and to get upset over this preordained death is folly.) Some choice bits of Seitz's review of Downton Abbey Season 2:

Here’s an easy Downton Abbey drinking game: take a sip every time a member of the Crawley family observes that times are changing...If you want to play that drinking game, you’d better stock up, because in season three, the times are changing faster than ever. In the premiere, butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) describes an “indoor picnic” party, with guests wandering the house instead of sitting at a candlelit table, as “the chaos of Gomorrah,” and his stricken face tells you he’s not joking.

About the addition of Shirley MacLaine as foil for Maggie Smith's Violet:

They’re the King Kong and Godzilla of sarcastic grandmas, and a scene in which Martha tries to bond with Violet as a fellow widow humanizes them both: Martha describes their husbands as having been “taken” from them, and Violet replies, “Lord Grantham wasn’t taken from me. He died.”

I am counting the minutes until Laura Linney welcomes me to Masterpiece Classic.

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Comments (15) RSS

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I kinda gave up on this show after the horrid horrid season last year. But I will give it a shot on Sunday. (I like Matthew Crawley....alot)

But spoiler alert...Maggie Smith is leaving the show this season. (Character no doubt dies)

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on January 4, 2013 at 2:25 PM

Please, universe, stop bombarding me with crap about Downton Abbey.

Posted by dwightmoodyforgetsthings

on January 4, 2013 at 2:30 PM

Is it a silly request to ask if any establishments are showing the premier? Is this show that popular?
I'm willing to wait until Monday and watch it on PBS.org, but it would be nice to hear the gasps along with fellow fans.

Posted by Enigma

on January 4, 2013 at 2:48 PM

Buttload of Downton stories on NPR in the last few days, if it's not too much of a muchness:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thisisnpr/2013/…

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/03/167528679/…

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/04/168594456/…

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/03/168539813/…

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story…

http://www.npr.org/2012/12/28/168212819/…

Posted by rob!

on January 4, 2013 at 2:58 PM

And Matthew is leaving as well. Just when they finally get married, too.

Posted by westello on January 4, 2013 at 3:03 PM

The Titanic sinks!

Posted by fletc3her on January 4, 2013 at 3:20 PM

Saw the whole season on streaming (shh) and it's pretty good, and yes, a main character dies -- in the last episode -- but I'm not sayin' who...

Posted by judybrowni on January 4, 2013 at 3:27 PM

@6 um, that happened already. Keep up.

I for one am sad about the prison shocker.

Posted by Will in Seattle

on January 4, 2013 at 3:32 PM

If you don't like spoilers do not look up Downton Abbey in Wikipedia, the brits are one season ahead and more major characters apparently die-damn skimming; it's right in the front page you don't even have to scroll down to see it!

Posted by Anglophile Schmanglophile on January 4, 2013 at 4:21 PM

Some good friends said, "Downton Abbey is the GOP version of the world. Revenge is the DEM version."

Downton=Saintly caring upper class
Revenge=Evil, self centered, rich folks

Posted by Dan B on January 4, 2013 at 5:01 PM

Hey, Dave. I've already seen Season Three and the Christmas special that aired in the UK on 2012/12/25 thanks to a friend in London. Wanna know what happens?

There are some interesting and sad things that happen during Season Three, but the Christmas Special is a jaw-dropper.

Posted by Bauhaus I on January 4, 2013 at 5:20 PM

@11 I just watched the Christmas special last night and it was far from a "jaw-dropper." To be fair, I already knew who was going to die, and during the course of the show, I thought of at least half a dozen scenarios to accomplish that, any one of which would have been more interesting than what actually occurred (spoiler alert: a car crash!!!!) I will not be watching Season 4, assuming there is one.

Posted by cheakamus on January 4, 2013 at 5:36 PM

Those of us who are hip to the Internet have already seen the third season. It was well done though, enjoy.

Posted by treefort on January 4, 2013 at 10:03 PM

Season 3 has been for rent at Scarecrow on PAL for ages.

Posted by Badger on January 4, 2013 at 11:26 PM

@5, I heard that as well. And to add to the rumor mill a friend of mine who works at the BBC said that Dan Stevens is a possible replacement for Matt Smith as the Doctor. But just rumor

Posted by Last of the Time Lords on January 5, 2013 at 4:44 AM