There are 3 kinds of dramas:
Oh,
Oh my,
and
Oh my God.
Downton Abbey is absolutely OH MY GOD.
Episode 4 has so much drama, so many different scenes, (I timed a Lady Mary and Anna scene where Mary is preparing to go to London to see Sir Richard Carlisle, 55 seconds) so many incredible one liners and cliff hangers and tear jerking heroics that I had to watch it twice.
It is WAR, 1918 and in the heat of battle William pushes Matthew back into a trench and saves his life. We cut to Daisy in the kitchen feeling some one has stepped on her grave, cut to Lady Mary at tea, dropping her cup suddenly feeling very cold. These women have the sixth sense for their men. Downton receives the news both men are injured and the tears start to flow. Violet, the Dowager Countess goes to work to get William transferred from a hospital in Leeds back to Downton. Dr. Clarkson is stonewalling her and in frustration as Violet leaves she says "It always happens when you give these little people power. It goes to their head like strong drink."
Bates and Anna go together to church to pray for both Matthew and William, quite an image with the two of them at the alter. Bates tells Anna he didn't want to take her to the alter this way to which she replies: "I would rather have the right man than the right wedding." Good girl.
When Matthew is brought into Downton, Lady Sybil picks up his clothes and Lady Mary's charm for luck falls out of the pile. This naturally is what kept Matthew alive. Oh, it's all so juicy. And these are fictional characters, right? Well, maybe not, maybe these are based on real characters from Lady Almina Victoria Marie Alexandra Wombwell, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon's life. How is that for a name?
O'Brien, up to her usual trouble making, WRITES to Mrs. Bates to tell her Bates is back at Downton Abbey and she, Mrs. Bates shows up to blackmail him. MORE TROUBLE. Won't she ever go away and leave Anna and Bates alone to be happy??????
Cut to Lavinia arriving to be at Matthew's side.
Cut to William in a huge bedroom upstairs in Downton Abbey asking Daisy to marry him now, before he dies, and she will be a War Widow and be protected. Ah, chivalry is so genuine when it is genuine.
Cut to Lady Mary at Matthew's bedside as he wrenches out of her what his condition is, and in the most angelic way Mary then tells Matthew he and Lavinia can make plans.
When she gets up to leave her shattered face exposes how much she loves him.
OH, God, romance. I am definitely in tears by now.
Cut to Lady Mary traveling to London to request that Sir Richard Carlisle, newspaper man, the one she has agreed to marry, squash the Mr. Pamuk story Mrs. Bates is threatening to expose. When he agrees and Lady Mary offers to "pay him back" his response is "as my future wife you're entitled to be in my debt." OH my my my here we go. MORE BLACKMAIL.
Of course Lavinia saying "I'll die if I can't be with him" isn't a good omen, and the look on Lord Robert's face when he realizes there could be no heir from his heir isn't exactly happy either.
Oh, there is so much to review. So many good tidbits. It's like every scene is eye candy, so much red in the drawing room, so many fabulous paintings, drapes, furniture.
I must go watch it again. Mrs. Hughes was being kind to Ethel, wasn't she? And I cannot tell you how it ends. It's too sad. Go watch episode 4 on the PBS website and tell me what you think. I'm obsessed.
Take the quiz again, and tell me which character you love the most.
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