Downton Abbey - anyone excited?

[turnitup]

Im so ready for a good period drama,

can't wait

Jeez - 'hormonal women'. Matt Rudd, I care not what else you have written in your article, because that phrase makes me inclined to believe it's all going to be a pile of cliched toss.

(but good news about being quoted Squeaver...)

any kind and helpful person care to fill us in?
dh and I watching it for first time tonight.

I am feeling a bit left out on the DA front. We in the STV region don't have it shown. In the Scottish edition of the ST there was an article about how STV are depriving us of many a 'good' (how can we know, we never see them) drama.

I haven't got to Culture yet but will cheer myself up with your vicarious pleasures...

Poppyknot I know how you feel!

I've got Virgin TV so it 'saves' certain programmes including the ITV1 progs that we miss.

Is almost worth putting up with Virgin for this service. I am getting very fed up with Taggart and Billy bloody Connolly!!

Clayhead, will take you up on your generous offer to share Bates. (had a very nice dream where he was reading to me - hot stuff!!)

I just don't like Thomas and all of the stories that re love around him.

revolve

Thomas is looking more and more like a toad. Maybe it's the waistcoat and a shade of Wind in the Willows over him....

Oh I love the Dowager Countess! The look on her face when she explained what was really wrong with the butler/valet's hands was just classic.

I also liked the bit where the cook was trying to explain to the very naive maid that Thomas was "not a ladies' man"

But the cook looked completely spaced out this time! Normally, she's high on aggression, but here she was being positively nice to Daisy. Inconsistent characterisation, that, unless we're about to discover that Mrs Patmore is hopped up on cocaine every day for the big meals!

Re the cook

She gets stressed, cross and shouty when trying to get each major meal out of the kitchen and on to the table to a deadline, then she calms down and can be her normal self again.

Surely we can all recognise this cycle of personality changes. I think she is an imitation of Mrs Bridges from Upstairs/Downstairs.

Just that I hadn't seen her in repose before, and it was a bit odd!

Sorry, have never seen Upstairs/Downstairs, so didn't have Mrs Bridges to prepare me!

I see Lady Sybil is indeed getting cracking with the womens rights stuff. Trousers an excellent start! Also liked the dishy Irish chauffeur - they'll be ambulance driving together as I suspect he could be a CO.

Or she'll fall madly in love with him and follow him back to Ireland in time for the Easter Rising halfway through Series 3...

Well, if the other two are going to be left dowerless so they can provide for Lady MaryMaryQuiteContrary, the chauffeur seems a good match! He's got plenty of "go" - likes his driving despite its not being his ambition!

You've never seen Upstairs Downstairs ?

Are you very young (didn't see it first time round) and without all the cable/satellite channels showing re-runs ?

We're going away tomorrow to stay in cottage in the middle of nowhere, so I'm just hoping there's TV reception or things could get messy at Downton o'clock on Sunday. Deffo no wi-fi though, so will miss MN de-brief.

Just caught up with last week's this afternoon. Liking the new chauffeur: Irish, "political", early 1900s - something will be getting blown up soon methinks...

Maggie Smith still cracking me up. Matthew should marry the youngest sister - nicest one by far!

Surely it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the Mrs Patmore (the cook) is illiterate? Education was still limited at the time so is this such a big issue?

Is Bates married? Is that why he can't declare his love?

Ah, blind, I see...

watched it first time, actually i enjoyed it.

Am adoring Maggie Smith as Lady Grantham, she is an absolute old bag but hilarious with it. Loved the comment about sitting on a swivel chair as being another way she has to fight with Americans!

Anyone else getting fed up with it?

The nasty servants who know something bad about one of their "betters",
Matthew infatuated with Mary-why??-anyone think her reputation will be ruined & he will be the only one who will marry her?

Dowager Lady Grantham getting the better of the Crawleys?

And the flower show thing-where have I seen that before?

I'm loving it. I can't remember the last time I actually looked forward to a series.

And yes, I know it's all a bit hokey/not accurate but never mind.

That whole pre-war period (can you call 2 or 3 years a period?) is v poignant as well - all the plans they're making, all their worries about heirs/new jobs/the future which are likely to all be meaningless

What suzikettles said.
Maggie Smith steals every scene she's in - superb.