The episode vacillated between introducing new and interesting elements, resolving old and boring ones, or floundering around to resolve any complications that might have arisen during the hour. Let.'s begin with the interesting portions. Daisy heads off to the farm and is offered the tenancy from old William's father, who is just the type of sweet person that most people have known at one time or another in their life and who we treasure forever, because they seem to believe we're a whole heck of a lot more capable and wonderful than we know ourselves to be. The show has done a nice job of keeping the otherwise unobtrusive Daisy a part of serious plot lines. We're now seeing her as a cog in the continued rise of the women that is taking place at Downton. They also had a touching moment when Daisy recounted her earlier dance lessons with Thomas as she tries to teach Alfred to fox trot. I like how they are handling her character. Of course, we have the love pentagram with Iris, Daisy, Alfred, Thomas, and Jimmy Kent. It's a plot innovation that seems mostly believable and keeps things interesting without too much drama. The only false chord is Thomas believing O'Brien's statement that Jimmy is enjoying his company. Though his preening is in character, you'd have to think he's the stupidest man on earth to trust her when a week prior she was threatening to get him back. However, maybe having a character play Wile E. Coyote is good every once in a while. (As an aside, other than the scene with Carson kicking Jimmy and Alfred out, why are they allowed to sit around and flirt with the kitchen maids? Has the war changed things so much? The two guys sitting around flirting is I suppose a precursor to the modern restaurant scene of server and bar tender. And, knowing that the end point, from restaurant friends mind you, is recreational drug use and stealing booze, perhaps Carson had it right).
The show also hasn't yet completely gone off the deep end with Lady Edith turning herself into Virginia Woolf as I had expected. Apparently she's put the whole plan on hold. In part because of the Robert turns into an ogre plot line, but perhaps because someone told the writers that not every woman in England can be Virginia Woolf after one letter. Lady Mary also continues to be a pleasant surprise, talking ogre Robert (more on that later) down from his high handed position in regards to the estate and Cousin Isobel. She also exchanges a touching scene with Matthew, talking about how she'll love him forever. And, despite wanting to see it as entirely saccharine, these are the two characters we wanted to see together and it gives me some measure of pleasure to watch them lying in bed discussing the day with love as Lord and Lady Grantham used to do before he turned into an ogre.
We also have the interesting question of just who Jimmy Kent is in love with, and, as long as they don't make it Daisy I think we'll be in good shape. We also finally get a resolution to the inscrutable Bates plot. I feel like the writers of Donwton Abbey should have to sit down and watch the PBS episodes of Sherlock to figure out how to make a mystery interesting rather than interminable. Somehow, in a group of what appears to be fifteen guys, being watched by eight or so guards, so, two guys per one guard, Bates manages to sneak off and threaten his cell mate with further imprisonment if he doesn't get Mrs. Bartlett to change her story back to the original one. The only credit I'll give the show is for having that plot line end. It didn't work. They didn't manage to build something meaningful out of it, and all they succeeded in doing was making Anna look rather pitiful. Maybe she should have married Mosely. I jest. Anyhow, that plot wasn't working, and it was time to get Bates back home. Even if he doesn't add spice at least I won't have to watch him in prison wondering how he's made enemies, who the enemies are, and what the heck is in that small bit of paper hidden under his bed.
The episode also spends a great deal of time worrying over the new child's future religion. However, what is being illuminated is the problem in England and eventually in Ireland, which is all very fascinating. Except, wouldn't it have been even more fascinating to listen to the characters discuss religion a little, struggle with it a bit. Religion is now about as taboo as nudity on network television, and I would have been happy to have it treated not as yet another battle but as something closer to an authentic encounter, a struggle, belief or unbelief? Oh well. That's probably hoping for too much. The plot line was fine.
The final portion of the show dealt with the growing rift between Cora and Gargoyle Robert. Unfortunately, this rift was made even wider by the writers who have been systematically turning the pleasant Lord Grantham of season 1 into an elitist prig. And even though that is precisely what Cora calls him, and therefore a central plot line of this episode, at times, I fear they've gone too far. He constantly shuts down Matthew, despite depending on his money, takes advice from the arrogant famous doctor, discourages Edith, hates Tom, etc. They have done such a good job making him unpleasant that it's hard to believe him when he talks about how much he likes Sybil. It was beautiful moment...almost, hearing Lord Grantham saying he wants to rush inside to tell Sybil that her favorite roses are in bloom. However, we're given the impression this season that he'd have likely rushed inside to tell the gardener to keep things tidy before the Duke of Westchester arrives and then wiping his hands with hundred dollar bills. I'm not sure that turning Lord Grantham into a prig is doing the show a good service.
This all comes to a head when Violet convinces the doctor to fudge the truth a little bit when talking about the likelihood that Sybil would have lived with a c-section. Sadly, we're to believe that the rift between Cora and Robert was solely over this point and that the explanation gets everything back to normal. And yet, his priggishness has become so impressive by this point that it's hard to believe that his wife wouldn't have a caveat or more with him anyway. And, this is also a prime example of the writers being in too much of a rush to let characters, rather than actions resolve the plot. The difference is that characters, who are supposed to be like us humans, might struggle, vacillate, make up and then forget, essentially, remind us of who we are while the writers seem intent upon providing an action that will resolve all the troubles. Anyone who has ever been upset at a spouse or sig. other knows that the only way you really forgive all is if it happens quickly and you laugh about it. Otherwise. it ain't as easy as talking to the doctor.
well put, why did they change Lord Grantham
ReplyDeleteso quickly...a true disservice to his character
get out of the kitchen and do something with your lives...quit flirting!