Downton Abbey - contains spoilers for season 4

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by decarus

Does anyone else think that huge chunks of the past episodes, not the most current episode, but some of the past ones this series have been cut out? Maybe i am not watching the full versions, but they have seemed like pieces were missing.

The one that aired in the US did have parts edited out. They combined episodes for some reason over here.

[decarus]

Well i don't think the second series has aired in the US yet. I just looked it up and it says next Sunday, January 8th, they will start airing, so the versions i have been watching have to be the UK versions and they just seem to have missing scenes. I will probably watch them again when they air in the US and see if they are different.

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by decarus

Well i don't think the second series has aired in the US yet. I just looked it up and it says next Sunday, January 8th, they will start airing, so the versions i have been watching have to be the UK versions and they just seem to have missing scenes. I will probably watch them again when they air in the US and see if they are different.

Oh, no, the second series hasn't aired here yet. I was referring to the first series. I'm looking forward to season two in January! Did they have a Christmas special for the first season as well as the second? If so I never saw that one.

[decarus]

Originally Posted by freelantzer

Oh, no, the second series hasn't aired here yet. I was referring to the first series. I'm looking forward to season two in January! Did they have a Christmas special for the first season as well as the second? If so I never saw that one.

No. There wasn't a Christmas special for the first season just for the second season.

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by decarus

No. There wasn't a Christmas special for the first season just for the second season.

Ok. Thanks for the info!

[Yoana]

They did feel disjointed to me, but I think it was just poor writing.

[HurrahforHermy]

I watched the entire first season on TV here in Argentina, and then my dad got the second season on DVD when he travelled to England! I'm on episode 4 right now, and I love it just as much as I loved the first season. The thing I like the most about this series is that the characters are all quite complex and realistic to a certain extent; they all have flaws, none of them are all good or all bad.
I was SO SO SO mad when they made Edward (the wounded soldier Thomas was bonding with) kill himself. THEY MADE THOMAS CRY. And his crying made ME cry, because I'm a pathetic baby. (I know I'm not supposed to like him, but he was being NICE for once. He was happy. And now he's even more resentful than before. Anyway...enough with my rambling lol)
Anna and Bates seem too happy...dangerously happy. What's going to happen?! (don't tell me!!!)

[decarus]

I am rewatching some of the first season of Downton and i forgot how nasty Mary is to Edith though nothing is as unforgivable, in my opinion, as Edith writing to the Turkish Embassy. I mean be nasty within the family, but always keep it in the family. The problem is that Edith is no match for Mary and Mary always ends up making her look foolish.

[HurrahforHermy]

Originally Posted by decarus

I am rewatching some of the first season of Downton and i forgot how nasty Mary is to Edith though nothing is as unforgivable, in my opinion, as Edith writing to the Turkish Embassy. I mean be nasty within the family, but always keep it in the family. The problem is that Edith is no match for Mary and Mary always ends up making her look foolish.

Yeah...although ruining her engagement was pretty bad too. Was that before or after Edith wrote to the Turkish Embassy? I can't remember...they are both pretty mean to each other though. I remember I really hated Mary in the first season, but somehow, I like her a lot more now. Edith is nicer too. I think they're too busy to argue now, what with the war and everything. They probably fought so much because they had nothing else to do, really, and they were bored.

[decarus]

Originally Posted by HurrahforHermy

Yeah...although ruining her engagement was pretty bad too. Was that before or after Edith wrote to the Turkish Embassy? I can't remember...they are both pretty mean to each other though. I remember I really hated Mary in the first season, but somehow, I like her a lot more now. Edith is nicer too. I think they're too busy to argue now, what with the war and everything. They probably fought so much because they had nothing else to do, really, and they were bored.

I never disliked Mary. She was extremely rude to Edith and to Matthew, but at least she knew it and it wasn't as if they didn't both have it coming. And also she at least felt bad about her rudeness to Matthew. I am not sure that Edith ever does feel bad about it all. For Edith to send a letter telling the story of the Turkish diplomat is so out of line that it is unimaginable to me that someone would do something like that. Mary has always been the more complicated character anyways and therefore more interesting to me. I haven't gotten to the ruining of Edith's engagement yet, but that would not seem as bad as attempting to ruin completely Mary's chances of getting married at all.

[Hes]

Casting news for season 3. Shirley Maclaine has been cast as Cora´s mother. I guess this means the Dowager Countess is getting competition in who is the wittiest.

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by Hes

Casting news for season 3. Shirley Maclaine has been cast as Cora´s mother. I guess this means the Dowager Countess is getting competition in who is the wittiest.

Yeah, I read that! I can't wait to see them butt heads.

[HedwigOwl]

Originally Posted by HurrahforHermy

Yeah...although ruining her engagement was pretty bad too. Was that before or after Edith wrote to the Turkish Embassy? I can't remember...they are both pretty mean to each other though. I remember I really hated Mary in the first season, but somehow, I like her a lot more now. Edith is nicer too. I think they're too busy to argue now, what with the war and everything. They probably fought so much because they had nothing else to do, really, and they were bored.

It was after Edith wrote the letter; ironically, when Edith ruined Mary's reputation, she also set in motion the de-railing of her own possible marriage. I think Edith was jealous of Mary, who always seemed to get more attention from nearly everyone. As the series has gone on, Edith has had more experience and therefore more understanding of the complexities of human nature and relationships, and is much less insecure.

[BurrowGhoul]

Many surprises in last night's episode.

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by BurrowGhoul

Many surprises in last night's episode.

I know! I didn't realize at first that it was the end of this season; figured it out when I realized it was two hours. Can't wait to see the Christmas special next week!

[MsBinns]

I just marathoned seasons 1 and 2 in about 4 days and WOW! I actually watched the first episode about a month ago and I had trouble getting into it. I decided giving it another go and I just fell in love with this show. For starters, I think it has a wonderful ensemble cast and well-written characters. I enjoy having a show where my feelings for the characters change so much. I didn't love Mary much through season 1 and thought she seemed quite selfish, but over the six years that have passed I think she has evolved a lot as a character (I especially liked her line "aren't all of us stuck with the choices we made?" which to me showed that she has grown up a lot and knows she was in the wrong). Branson, on the other hand, did the reverse. I liked him quite a lot when he first appeared, but I feel like he became more and more selfish as season two progressed. The only character I have always loved has been Matthew Crawley and I even wanted to smack him upside the head a number of times at the end of season two. I also warmed up a bit to Thomas this season. I certainly don't love him and I don't think he has changed his stripes completely, but I think they made him a bit more multi-dimensional this season rather than just the "bad guy". I would like to see him have some more redeeming moments in season three.

I also must say I love the historical references thrown into the show. The sinking of the Titanic, the Assassination of Franz Ferdinand and the buildup to World War I, the Marconi Scandal, the introduction of conscription in 1916, the Easter Rising, Lloyd George, the Execution of the Czar, the Spanish Flu, I could go on and on, but the history dork in me just loved these little references! I teach AP Comparative Politics and one of my students also told me how much they enjoyed watching and understanding terms we discussed in class like what "front benchers" means and talking about someone getting a "peerage". My only real complaint about the history is that there's not more reference to the political history, which I think Robert would be a bit more invested in. This is when the Labour party started to emerge, but I guess it wasn't until the twenties until they started to win elections so perhaps that is something to look forward to in season three.

Also, does Dan Stevens remind anybody else of Cary Elwes in the Princess Bride?

[freelantzer]

Originally Posted by MsBinns

Also, does Dan Stevens remind anybody else of Cary Elwes in the Princess Bride?

I never thought of that, but now that you mention it, yeah, he does resemble Elwes. To me Stevens got more handsome in season 2. I didn't really notice his looks in season 1. I'm not sure if I just started to like the character more, or if he really lost a little weight or what, but I thought he was cuter in 2.

I loved the Christmas special. There were places where I cried, laughed, and cheered. Looking forward to season 3.

[BurrowGhoul]

Originally Posted by freelantzer

I never thought of that, but now that you mention it, yeah, he does resemble Elwes. To me Stevens got more handsome in season 2. I didn't really notice his looks in season 1. I'm not sure if I just started to like the character more, or if he really lost a little weight or what, but I thought he was cuter in 2.

I loved the Christmas special. There were places where I cried, laughed, and cheered. Looking forward to season 3.

I think he's more handsome in the candid conversations with the actors than in the show. Maybe they've given him extra-good lighting.

[Goddess_Clio]

Originally Posted by freelantzer

To me Stevens got more handsome in season 2. I didn't really notice his looks in season 1. I'm not sure if I just started to like the character more, or if he really lost a little weight or what, but I thought he was cuter in 2.

Really? I supposed I'm just a sucker for guys with light blue eyes but I thought he was cute from the word go! I'm also generally a sucker for men in dark suits, hats and coats circa 1880-1920 Men certainly knew how to dress back then

His increased attraction in season 2 might have a little something to do with the fact that he's in uniform and uniforms make even just okay-looking guys pretty foxy And he started out more than just okay-looking so that uniform only enhanced his natural endowments.

[HedwigOwl]

Originally Posted by Goddess_Clio

His increased attraction in season 2 might have a little something to do with the fact that he's in uniform and uniforms make even just okay-looking guys pretty foxy. And he started out more than just okay-looking so that uniform only enhanced his natural endowments.

I saw the first episode again yesterday, where we first see Matthew. He looks like he lost a bit of weight around the face/neck from the first season to the second.