A New Era for Downton Abbey

Beautifully acted, wonderfully filmed, and with a musical score that is gorgeous, Downton Abbey A New Era is worth your time and money. Of course, Maggie Smith gets in her quips but the movie belongs to Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery. No spoilers here. Go see it on the big screen.

Favorite TV Couples

It seems only appropriate to take a look at some of our favorite television couples on Valentine's Day! Let's start with one that's been debated ever since the end of the series: Monica and Richard on Friends. This was the real love affair that should have lasted. Tom Selleck's character brought charm and confidence, and he was the perfect foil to Monica's anxiety and her overbearing need to control every circumstance. Chandler and Monica? Well, they was almost as bad an idea as Joey and Rachel.

He didn't' deserve her.

Fast forward a few years. Castle's greatest strength was always in its relationship between witty playboy novelist Richard Castle and the beautiful, smart detective Kate Beckett. The drama was good, the backstory compelling, the supporting cast first class, but the tension between Kate and Castle commanded center stage. Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic brought depth to what could have been stereotypical characters. It's too bad that their bad blood in real life ruined a great television show!

He didn't honor her.

Who didn't love Lucy? Desi Arnaz certainly did on the show- but in real life his "romantic connections" beyond his marriage eventually doomed it to failure. When will we learn it never pays to break our marriage vows? Lucille Ball remained a beloved icon all of her days for good reason. She was funny, smart, talented, and a great business woman. A woman ahead of her time.

Bringing out each other's best.

The Crawleys of Downton Abbey are high on the television couples list. Matthew's strength and kindness - with a determination to do what is right- played magnificently against Mary's often shrewd, cold, seemingly heartless pragmatism. Like true love always does in a marriage, the best traits are brought out in each partner as they walk down their road together. However long or short it may be.

He worked hard to get her.

Wade and Zoe. Season One of The Hart of Dixie certainly makes you think it will be "Golden Boy George Tucker" who will win her affections. My wife and I really enjoy this take on Doc Hollywood as we love the South with all its peculiarities. Some of the supporting characters are our favorites on the show, but I was always rooting for dark horse Wade Kinsella to win Zoe's heart.

It took him awhile to see who she was, but he got there.

I'm still pissed that NBC cancelled this show. (Yes, I meant to say that!) Timeless was one of the best series to hit the airwaves in years. Lucy and Wyatt. You knew it was going to happen, Ma'am. You really did. It's too bad a pending cancellation caused the writers and producers to rush the story line. And it robbed viewers of what should have been years of great historically based time adventure stories. Sometimes television's modern business demands for instant profitability are worse than those from Rittenhouse. 

He grew up, too.

Marlo Thomas did have a career before playing Rachel's mother on Friends. She and Ted Bessell, played Donald and Ann Marie to 50's/60's relational sensibilities (wise man, childlike woman) but there was a sweet relationship there where each brought more to the relationship than what was seen at first glance. No worries, friends, television would attempt to correct this problem, eventually swinging the pendulum to the other end of the extreme. Men became buffoons and women the wise keeper of sanity and the family unit. One day, they will get it right and present a balanced realistic view of what each partner contributes.

My favorite TV couple? The one who sits on our couch watching these shows! None of these women remotely compare to my beautiful and wise wife! My Valentine's Day blind date years ago. Happy Valentine's Day to my one true love...

Counting Down to Downton

The series may certainly be over in the U.K., but here in the good old United States,we cannot wait for the final season of Downton Abbey to begin! Having picked it up in Season Two by watching the series on DVD, we weren't sure we enjoyed the series. All it took was episode three for us to go from"It's ok" to "I can't wait to watch more!" Michelle Dockery and Dan Stevens were great fun to watch as Mary and Matthew, as was just about every servant found  downstairs. 

We certainly missed  Matthew as well as other characters that were sent off- particularly Siobhan Finneran's evil Mrs. O'Brien and Lady Sybil, played by Jessica Brown Findlay. With all the changes the series went through, the show faltered only so slightly at times, while Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess sharply kept things from becoming maudlin even in the worst of times.

One week and counting- and then farewell begins...

Downton Abbey: The Drama Continues

Compared to Season Four, this year's Downton Abbey has seemed to rebound- and by a large margin. Gone is the dreariness after the loss of Matthew and Sybil. It's replaced by the return of a fresh and sassy Mary, a determined Edith, and a newly feisty Cora. The men tend to fall into place as usual- especially Mary's suitors- but good old Tom appears to be on his way out. Can it really happen? Will he really leave jolly old England for the States? Stay tuned.

The Return of Downton Abbey

OK, I admit it. I really enjoy Downton Abbey. Television rarely has an evening drama so engaging and never one with Maggie Smith in it. So, what's not to like? And it returns tonight for season six in the States.

My friends in Scotland don't think much of it, but then they are used to living in an area with such grand and quaint and charming homes. The entire mix of lower, upper, and middle class houses combined with lush greenery and a history full of grand tradition.

Confession time: I like the television show enough that I sometimes read ahead... and you'll never guess what happens this year!

Downton Abbey Season Four Wrap-Up

To quote Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities as a very appropriate way to wrap up Season Four of Downton Abbey: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." 

Aside from the expected story line of how Lady Mary will survive her beloved Matthew's death, the fourth year of the series seemed to play out like an elongated cruise on television's Love Boat. It seemed everyone was eventually bitten by the bug- even Thomas Barrow, who seems more in love with himself than ever.

As perhaps expected, the most powerful performances came in episode one. Michelle Dockery's deft handling of Mary's widowhood was surpassed only by Penelope Wilton's subtle and extremely moving portrayal of a mother grieving her only son. Not to be outdone, Maggie Smith's delicate engagement of Mary with a rare confession of love for her granddaughter ranks right up there with the best the show has offered this year.

The Daisy/Ivy/Alfred triangle has run its course and much silliness ensued before it ended. Mrs. Hughes, it seems, has turned into quite the plotter, by necessity manipulating circumstances to save the day. Even though she found herself in the middle of what could be a great storyline, Lady Edith continues to bore, yet it seems to be more of the writer's fault than that of Laura Carmichael. Of course, Cora is always silly, more than a bit naive to everyone around her, and her husband the Earl of Grantham continues his downhill slide into insignificance. Let's not talk about Rose, but I will say that Gary Carr as Jack Ross deserves an extended time on the air.

The "Desire of Suitors"- well, it is a quite well chosen description. Evelyn Napier never stood a chance. The name betrayed him from the beginning. Tom Cullen's Lord Gillingham is charming, kind, but overly enthusiastic much too early. Clearly, Mr. Blake is the lead contender for Mary's affections, positioned as the one with a backbone but a good heart- shades of Matthew. Yet, I'm rooting for Tony. I'd love to see him do and say something unexpected to win Mary's respect and help her realize she doesn't know everything about him. 

Rumor's of Michelle Dockery's departure persist. I do hope she hangs around long enough to bring a satisfying ending to the show.  It's her wit, her resilience, and her dedication to taking care of the estate that make her appealing and propel the reason for watching. At this point in the series, should she leave, the cast and story would be lost without her. 

(Photograph by Nick Briggs.)

Downton Abbey Season Four Tonight

The long wait is over! Sure, Karen Carpenter has always been a guilty pleasure, but now, Downton Abbey takes first place as the guiltiest pleasure ever. My wife and I did not love the first few episodes of Season One, but by episode four, we were hooked.

Season Two is my favorite thus far. The World War I angle was fascinating to watch. Season Three was full of drama- ending with the most unexpected and unwelcome surprise.

What will Season Four hold? Most likely, Downton will continue to draw in viewers with its mix of wit and melodrama. Tom Branson, excellently played by the gifted Allen Leech, pulls us American common folk into the world of the aristocracy he once served. It's a compelling and intriguing storyline. Certainly, the story most viewers are curious about is that of Lady Mary. As a new widow and young mother, I'm betting Michelle Dockery's portrayal is spot on. So, grab a cup of tea tonight, enjoy a scone or two, and enjoy the return of a cultural phenomena.

Shocker: Matthew Crawley Dead in Vehicle Turnover!

Television rarely gets interesting these days. The avalanche of reality shows and trash that focuses on the poor life choices of teenagers just doesn't hold my attention. I know I am the wrong demographic. What are you going to do?

PBS' Downton Abbey has to be one of the few exceptions. Clearly, I'm not the right demographic either, but I got hooked about three weeks ago. Friends had been saying what a great show it was, so one afternoon, my wife and I decided to jump into Season One, Episode One and see what the fuss was all about.

It was a better than average show, but there wasn't much to keep me involved, I thought. We decided to watch one more episode. Then something clicked. Hugh Bonneville's benevolent Robert instantly caught my attention. (And isn't this role for him the last thing you expected after seeing him as Bernie in Notting Hill?) His eldest daughter Mary, played wonderfully by Michelle Dockery, was the least likable lead I remember in a long time, but there was something there. With a large cast, it was difficult to pick a standout.

But there she was: Siobhan Finneran as O'Brien, the nastiest, most deceitful chamber maid ever. So evil that she makes other villains quiver. Every scene she enters rivets us to the screen, the perfect counterpoint to Mr. Bates, and we were hooked, catching up all the way to the finale of Season Three. 

What about the now lost Matthew Crawley? He became quite the country gentleman in the hands of Dan Stevens, and we came to admire him a lot. His depth was based more of what he did not say than what he did, making him an intriguing character. During the war or when he stood up to Robert in remaking the estate was when his true strength of character come out. Seemed as if writer Julian Fellowes was starting to know what exactly to do with such a nice guy.

Now he's dead and gone, and Mary's left to find another man to tumble with. Will the storyline and the other characters be enough to keep us watching? Time will tell. We've dropped Grey's Anatomy from our list as its creator lost her way years ago. Perhaps Julian will learn from Shonda Rhimes' mistakes. Season Four better be good.