At least she looked beautiful?
Reminder: These reviews are of the third season of Downton Abbey, which is currently airing in Britain and will air on PBS in 2013.
Poor Edith. She just can’t win, can she? It can’t be easy to be the kind of girl who says “Good afternoon” to her husband-to-be at the altar. A lot happened in the third episode of Downton Abbey, both good and bad.
After a lot of drama and indecision, Sir Antony decided to call off his wedding with Edith…at the altar. Yikes. Being jilted at the altar is a terrible thing for anyone, even in 2012. For a woman in 1920, it’s absolutely tragic. I still don’t understand why everyone was kicking up such a fuss about the marriage, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the soapy melodrama of seeing Edith left devastated and alone. Not that she deserved that, not at all – but it does make for good TV. You knew it couldn’t end well when she spoke of how happy she and her sisters all were and suggested a photograph. The girl just can’t have anything.
The issue of the estate was resolved a little too simply – Lavinia had written to her father on the day she died, so he named Matthew as third in line to be heir knowing everything that had happened between Matthew and his daughter. That made it easy for Matthew to accept the money, make Mary happy and remain at Downton. Lord Grantham wouldn’t accept the money outright though, he and Matthew will both be heads of the house. So hopefully that will make for some difficulties.
And more good news – Mrs. Hughes does not have cancer. Again, a storyline that was resolved rather quickly. The season is moving at a brisk pace, and the previews for what’s to come have me excited. After all, Sybil is pregnant and Tom is a bit unpredictable. I can’t wait to find out what happens with that.
The one thing that doesn’t seem to be moving quickly is the Bates storyline. I’m not as interested in his life in prison as I thought I’d be, and I’m ready to see some proof that Vera committed suicide and framed Bates.
What did you guys think of the latest Downton Abbey installment?
Poor, poor Edith is right. Her devastation was almost palpable… Where did Cora’s mother go? Was she a ghost?
I know people will disagree, but I really like how quickly major plots are activated and resolved. It appeals to the 1980s Dynasty fan in me.
She went back to New York before Edith and Antony got engaged, so she couldn’t be there for the wedding.
I wasn’t betting on the drama of the wedding, but boy was I happy to watch it go down. Shame for Edith, but I’m excited to see how/if the family recruits a more suitable suitor.
I was crying for poor Edith and she was such a beautiful bride, way more beautiful than Lady Mary. That dress was so beautiful and although it was a little over the top, I loved watching her veil float down. My guess is that Edith is going to start helping those lady hookers reform their lives and play some sort of role with Ethel the former maid (who I don’t care about at all, but I do think in those times, that girl, strapped with an illegitimate child would have little other choices).
I really don’t get why Sir Antony had this change of heart, I know he struggled with the idea of strapping down Edith, but THAT much? I think that guy is a gentlemen and he wouldn’t, if he got to the altar humiliate her. After all he is an English gentlemen. In hindsight the Vicar should have gone and talked to him.
Like you, I don’t care at all about Bates’ life in prison and every time they show him and his roommate I am groaning about it. I wish they would not devote screen time to this.
In general I think things are resolved rather quickly at Downton, each season is only 8 episodes, 9 if you count the Christmas special and each season covers about 2 years. I thought Matthew’s money was resolved too neatly but I was not up for Mary and Matthew’s constant squabbling and the thought of that whole family squeezing into that house with only 7 servants is more than I could bear!
Can’t wait to see the revenge that O’Brien has in store for Thomas, I like these two much better when they are not on the same side.
The veil was a stunning image. I agree, O’Brien vs. Thomas is always a good time.
I love the series and season is a good as ever! Personally I would have liked a gay storyline around Thomas like in the first season! Nothing happened after that and in that period of time being gay was very dangereous although the servants acted on it like being normal which it surely wasn’t in those days! So maybe in the next two season they will tackle that! I loved the dropping of the veil by Edith while running upstairs! Very dramatic and also the rolling in and out of the massive carpet! One of the best shows on TV at the moment!
True, but maybe it’s so taboo that none of them are comfortable enough to acknowledge it?
I think Mrs Hughes DOES have cancer, but she’s chosen not to tell anyone the truth because she didn’t like the sympathy she was getting from everyone when they THOUGHT they knew she was sick.
That is a very good guess! I won’t be surprised at all if that’s the case.
Lady Edith being jilted leaves open the door for Patrick Gordon to return and fall in love with her. The writers have said “Burned Man” will return in season three. If true, he could come back and make his claim on Downton. Now wouldn’t THAT be interesting?
Ooh, that’s very exciting!
I honestly wanted to jump into the show and punch Antony in the face for being such a coward. Though Edith, with her constant jealousy of her sisters and her lame attempts at seducing Matthew in series one, really turned me off her character, series two and three have completely turned my opinion around. She’s a lovely and endearing person and so far I’ve enjoyed her marriage plot line more than any of the other stories this year. It was disheartening to see Edith in such despair, but Laura Carmichael played it so well. And much in Edith’s endearing style, she got up and got dressed! I loved that scene! It summed up Edith’s never-give-up attitude that’s part of what’s made her the one to watch.
However, unlike Dana, I sincerely hope Edith does NOT join Mrs. Crawley’s ridiculous halfway house. That plot so far has been incredibly messy and I despise Ethel. To involve Edith in it would be criminal.
A plot line involving her with Patrick might be interesting though.
I agree with Missy York; it seemed to me that Mrs Hughes had Ms. Patmore tell Carson a very kind lie.
I wonder if Mrs. Hughes has also lied to Ms. Patmore? She did insist on going into the doctor’s office alone. I think maybe she’s keeping the bad news all to herself.
I don’t know. Maybe we’re all just being paranoid. I hate that I read that ” a couple will get married, a baby will be born, a well-known character will die,” on the wiki page for the show. A couple’s been married, the baby will likely (hopefully) be Sybil’s… so all that’s left is the death, and there are so many possibilities!
by the way, how old is Antony supposed to be? And what exactly did happen to his hand (I’ve seen all the episodes, but I can’t remember what happened). Why does a bad hand mean (to every one else) that Edith would end up nursing him in his dotage?
I think he’s supposed to be at least the same age as Robert Crawley, possibly older. I feel like marrying a man the age of your father wouldn’t have been that uncommon in 1920 England, but maybe I’m wrong.
In reading up on him, I’m reminded that he was originally invited to Downton as a prospect for Lady Mary. So it’s interesting that the family was so against him then marrying Edith. I guess because Mary was “damaged goods”.
His arm was injured during the war. I don’t know why it was such a big deal, other than I know being considered “crippled” was looked down on much more back then.
About Antony, Jill you bring up a good point, he was a prospective match for Lady Mary so it really can’t be his age can it? If he was injured in the war, which presumably meant he was off in combat someplace, then he would have to be younger than Robert, no? They didn’t want Robert in combat during the war presumably because he was too old right? Well then I think Antony would have to be younger than Robert. So it’s the arm? An arm doesn’t prevent him from having children the way Matthew’s injury (had it been real) would have prevented that. Hmmmmm.
Now burned guy coming back, although I was not at all moved by that story line last season and I really do love Edith and Antony together and would like to see her happy, still though, a return of burned guy would mean a fight for the place of heir, pitting Lady Mary and Lady Edith against each other as each would stand by their man. And Matthew putting up the money to save Downton and becoming it’s 2nd master makes it a very sticky situation. Good tv!
And can they just let Bates out of jail already? Find the damn proof that Vera committed suicide already. This plot is becoming Season 3′s Sir Richard, no?
Yeah, I suppose that means the injury has more to do with it? Or a combination of that and that Mary with a tainted reputation was seen as even less desirable than poor Edith.
Great point about the return of the burned man. That will make for excellent TV! I think Anna will discover that Vera framed Bates soon, so hopefully that storyline heats up.
Some very interesting observations here!
I guess when Anthony was being paraded for Lady Mary, the whole situation (marrying off the girls within their own social stratum) was more desperate. Also he still had both hands. I was really bummed about his jilting Edith. Her character has transformed so believably and sympathetically; she’s my favorite so far in Season 3.
I’ve seen a lot of enthusiastic comments about the 1920s fashions, but I find it’s actually a let-down. Edith looks great in the drop-waist dresses and waved hair, but I don’t think it suits Mary AT ALL. (or, for that matter, Sybil or Cora) The hair style interferes with her awesome eyebrows and cheekbones. I absolutely hated her wedding dress — such a disappointment!! I feel like I need to re-watch Season 1 just to see her in empire waists and those marvelous up-swept hairstyles.
I agree that burned guy would make for some seriously good soapy drama, though to be perfectly honest I found him so hard to look at (great make-up job!) that I sort of hope he doesn’t come back.
Maybe his face will have improved by then? ;p
So we’ve already had 7 episodes, but I had to come back to ask about this one. Doesn’t anyone else suspect that Sir Antony might have jilted Edith because he is gay? She had already made it abundantly clear to him that she didn’t mind his age and his injury. So the way that he left her was extremely mysterious. He seemed to want to protect her from some much worse fate in store if she married him, and to protect himself too–maybe from a platonic, passionless marriage??
Interesting theory. Since I don’t remember anything really indicating he’s gay, I always figured it was more because he knew Edith’s father was against the marriage and felt he’d never really be accepted into the family and would end up just making Edith’s life more difficult.
It’s true that nothing indicated it. But it’s the kind of thing, in that era, that would have normally been more closeted than Thomas is. I just wondered because Antony seemed to have an overwhelmingly strong reason that he could not explain to Edith….