Downton Abbey: A Journey to the Highlands
Downton Abbey: A Journey to the Highlands
ITV
17 February 2013
Historical Drama
DVD
B+
It's one year later (1921) and most of the Crawley family and some of the servants are visiting relatives in Scotland, specifically the dowager's sister's daughter, Susan, and her husband, Hugh "Shrimpy" MacClare, Marquess of Flintshire (Phoebe Nicholls and Peter Egan, both of whom would return in the fifth season). Rose the flapper is their daughter and doesn't get along with Susan, while Susan and Hugh are unhappily married. The dysfunctionality of this side of the family is contrasted not only with the close-knit if sometimes quarrelsome Crawleys, but with the beauty of the Scottish scenery and the fairytale castle the MacClares live in.
Back at Downton, a fair helps nudge along some short-lived "romances," most of them one-sided: Dr. Clarkson proposing to Isobel, who seems to be either oblivious or too firm-minded; a flirtatious grocer courting Mrs. Patmore, mostly for her cookery; and still grieving widower Tom Branson being chatted up by new maid Edna Braithwaite (MyAnna Buring, who would be back the next season, despite Edna's dismissal here). Also, Thomas, while still being the jerk we want him to be (I laughed hard at his insult of Mrs. Patmore), chivalrously comes to the rescue when drunk and reckless Jimmy is being beaten up. Jimmy can't return Thomas's feelings but they agree to be just friends.
Other things happen, from Mr. Molesley getting drunk when O'Brien outsmarts her Scottish rival to Mary going into labor a month early. But the biggest thing of course is that Matthew dies. I can't say I saw it coming, but I will admit that his joy at his son and heir, and his still growing love for Mary, followed by too many shots of him driving down a narrow country road, led me to believe he would at least be seriously injured. Nope, looks like the poor chap is dead and somehow everyone will have to carry on without him for the second half of the run.
Officer David G. Robinson would later be a Uniformed Padre (presumably not from San Diego).
I would've gone with a B but the scenery of course kicks this up to a B+. The average for the season is a B, which I doubt they'll maintain without both Sybil and Matthew, but I've been wrong before.
ITV
17 February 2013
Historical Drama
DVD
B+
It's one year later (1921) and most of the Crawley family and some of the servants are visiting relatives in Scotland, specifically the dowager's sister's daughter, Susan, and her husband, Hugh "Shrimpy" MacClare, Marquess of Flintshire (Phoebe Nicholls and Peter Egan, both of whom would return in the fifth season). Rose the flapper is their daughter and doesn't get along with Susan, while Susan and Hugh are unhappily married. The dysfunctionality of this side of the family is contrasted not only with the close-knit if sometimes quarrelsome Crawleys, but with the beauty of the Scottish scenery and the fairytale castle the MacClares live in.
Back at Downton, a fair helps nudge along some short-lived "romances," most of them one-sided: Dr. Clarkson proposing to Isobel, who seems to be either oblivious or too firm-minded; a flirtatious grocer courting Mrs. Patmore, mostly for her cookery; and still grieving widower Tom Branson being chatted up by new maid Edna Braithwaite (MyAnna Buring, who would be back the next season, despite Edna's dismissal here). Also, Thomas, while still being the jerk we want him to be (I laughed hard at his insult of Mrs. Patmore), chivalrously comes to the rescue when drunk and reckless Jimmy is being beaten up. Jimmy can't return Thomas's feelings but they agree to be just friends.
Other things happen, from Mr. Molesley getting drunk when O'Brien outsmarts her Scottish rival to Mary going into labor a month early. But the biggest thing of course is that Matthew dies. I can't say I saw it coming, but I will admit that his joy at his son and heir, and his still growing love for Mary, followed by too many shots of him driving down a narrow country road, led me to believe he would at least be seriously injured. Nope, looks like the poor chap is dead and somehow everyone will have to carry on without him for the second half of the run.
Officer David G. Robinson would later be a Uniformed Padre (presumably not from San Diego).
I would've gone with a B but the scenery of course kicks this up to a B+. The average for the season is a B, which I doubt they'll maintain without both Sybil and Matthew, but I've been wrong before.
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