Christmas at Downton

I'm sure by now you're all sick of hearing about Downton Abbey, but I couldn't resist one more post. I am happy--no, overjoyed--to report that the Downton Abbey celebratory season special did its best to stitch up the tears in the story fabric made by that awful series 2. My expectations were in low places after the series finale, but it didn’t stop me from watching the Christmas Special the day after it aired in the UK.

The plot involves four events: a Christmas celebration, a hunting party, Bates’ trial, and the Servants’ Ball. You’ll notice that only one of those is a remnant of the series 2 soap. The others are household events reminiscent of our dearly departed series 1.

Things the Christmas Special did right (spoilers ahead, obviously):

• Lady Rosamund. She’s such an awesome character and so well played by Samantha Bond that it makes me lament that she's barely showed her face before this. Hers was also the only story thread debuting in this episode, avoiding the plotcram that the beginning of series 2 suffered from. 

• Daisy. Not only did I like Daisy’s thread the best in series 2, but the way it resolved in the Christmas Special was fabulous. I adore her relationship with Mr. Mason. This episode was a real character developing moment for Daisy.
• Mary/Robert/Matthew/Carlisle/Pamuk. Mary, Robert, and Matthew actually started talking! And did something with their shared information! The break off was handled well, as were the reactions to Mary’s secret. In fact, I didn't even expect anything of this nature to actually happen in this episode. I thought the torture would be drawn out through series 3 with Mary marrying Carlisle and suffering, Matthew seeing her misery and suffering for it, and Carlisle ultimately being subjected to a melodramatic death or divorce, etc. I'm ecstatic that Julian Fellowes decided to nip that train wreck in the bud.
• Cora and Robert. Thank goodness their relationship isn’t stupid anymore. I LOVED the scene where Cora breaks the old (but so crucial) news to Robert. And Cora's Servant's Ball dress was lovely. Robert thinks so, too.

 

• Sybil and Branson. I know, they weren’t even in it--and that’s why! I needed a break from the annoyance.
• O’Brien to Thomas: “I don’t often feel selfless, but when I talk to you I do.” Good for you, Sarah!
• Edith. She wasn’t in it for long, but her scenes were solid and I hope they lead to future development.
• Isobel. This may be the only episode in the entire show, including series 1, that I cheered for Isobel. Bravo, way to give your son advice!
• The ending, the ending! It’s about. freaking. time. This seriously makes me as happy as the ending of North & South did all those years ago, and the progression to it was just right. Although, like North & South, there was one element of unreality. Mary would've been freezing her tail off (not quite as bad as the Victorian faux pas of making out on a train station platform)!

Things it did wrong:

• Not enough Dowager Lady Grantham. Now that I'm thinking of it though, I realize Violet did have several solid scenes--those with Daisy (delightful), Rosamund (impeccable), even Lord Hepworth. Perhaps it was the scarcity of zingers. Even when they're not exactly true to character, I relish Maggie Smith’s one-liners.
• Thomas. When is Robert going to stop letting the wool get pulled over his eyes? If Thomas’ character doesn’t do something different soon, I’m going to completely give up on him. He has such potential and it ends up being the same thing over and over. Although I very much enjoyed his scene with Violet.

Things it couldn’t fix:

• Anna and Bates. Even the likable actors can't make this anything other than the most boring story ever (in fact, their bland performances seem to confirm it), although it works well to set off the rest of the plot. 

When I said the Christmas Special mended some of the tears, I was particularly thinking of the fact that some of series 2's stupidest plot threads, Bates’ trial and Robert’s near-infidelity, both intersected with the conflict which has been part of the show since the beginning--Mary’s past mistake and Robert’s reaction to it. At least some use has been made of them.

I have some hope that Julian Fellowes will descend again from Mount Stupid for series 3, but I'm not going to hold my breath. My predictions are these:

• It’s wishful thinking to hope that Carlisle won’t exact his revenge. My guess is, it’ll be in a way that none of the Downton family ever foresaw. He’ll either come after the estate, or team up with “Patrick” to try to oust Matthew as the heir.
• Bates’ situation will be long, soppy, and boring until he’s acquitted at the end of the series.

 My hopes:

• More Rosamund. I don't care how, just use her.
• More Edith. Give her somewhere to go that isn’t a dead end, for once!
• More Anthony Strallan. He has such pretty blue eyes.
• Matthew and Mary won’t wait forever to tie the knot

Last, I'm going to gush a bit over Michelle Dockery. There's no shortage of actors whose careers I follow with a microscope, but it takes a lot more for an actress to impress me (the reason[s] why is another topic entirely). Michelle Dockery is superb. I could be biased because she's my age and looks to be almost my height, but I don't think so.

I haven’t seen her in anything other than Downton (and a distressing minute of screen time in the soulless film Hanna), but Lady Mary Crawley is a part that calls for a wide spectrum of attitudes and emotions believably coming from the same individual, and Dockery delivers far beyond anything that could be expected. In fact, she regularly out-acts Dan Stevens (and I’m by no means complaining about his skill, either) the same way Richard Armitage out-acted Daniela Denby-Ashe in North & South and James McAvoy put Anne Hathaway to shame in Becoming Jane (but what else could be expected when an American attempts to play Jane Austen?).

Here are a few things Michelle Dockery uses to full advantage:

• Voice. I've seen opinions that her delivery is flat, but it's perfectly in character. Dockery has a low voice, and she uses it to portray Mary's blunt nonchalance, even when, as the show progresses, that nonchalance is a thin cover up for the feelings battling underneath.
• Eyebrows. I've long had a thing for eyebrows, especially Aamir Khan's eyebrows. And Michelle Dockery knows that optimizing facial expression means working the eyebrows.
• Wit. Mary Crawford is the clear inheritor of her grandmother’s quick tongue, and although her remarks are of a different timbre, Dockery makes you believe she could one day be Maggie Smith and more.
• Posture. I could comment on her general gorgeousness, but much of the effect is created by how confidently (sometimes with a dual vulnerability) she carries herself in those costumes.
• Emotionally charged scenes. Like I said before, Dan Stevens is a fine actor, but she is the one to watch in their scenes together. Every frame registers a different one of Mary's subtle, conflicting, complicated thoughts and feelings as they are fleetingly etched on her face. And there's nothing forced about it. Her truthful performance makes Mary the most sharply defined and easily empathized with character on the show.

Michelle Dockery is primarily a stage and television actress but if it would do any good, I would write and beg her to make her bid for the big screen. My hope is that she will make an impression with her upcoming bit part in Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina (which I am looking forward to, despite my reserve about Kiera Knightley in the title role).

I'm not so concerned about Richard Armitage. Have you seen how brilliant (and musical) he is in the trailer for The Hobbit?

Finally, if your as much of a Downton junkie as I am, this website is hilarious.

*screencaps courtesy of Ravenclawwit