Yesterday afternoon, while the rest of the country was in breathless anticipation of the Super Bowl, I began to watch the first of two episodes of the HBO series, Treme, which takes place in post-Katrina-and-the-federal-flood New Orleans. At game time, I continued on with the next episode of the series. The story turned sad in quite a surprising way to me, so startling that, for a while, I could not believe what had happened. I don't want to spoil the story, because I hope some of you will consider watching the series, since it is the best expression of the soul of the city of New Orleans that I have ever seen in a movie or TV drama.
Spoiler alert! Once again, I made the wrenching transition from New Orleans to Downton Abbey and post-World-War-I England. Of course, the Crawley family is still grieving the death of Lady Sybil, and there's a row about the baptism, with Tom Branson wanting his child baptized Catholic. Poor Lord Grantham seems to be out of touch with the rest of the family on just about every level. It seems only Carson stands with him to maintain traditional values. The Crawley ladies won't follow him when he appears at a ladies luncheon at Mrs Isobel Crawley's house and orders them out because the cook, Ethel, is a former prostitute, and he doesn't want their reputations besmirched. Says the Dowager Countess of Grantham: "It seems a pity to miss such a good pudding." And that settles the matter, Lord Grantham leaves alone. The good news is that the tedious story of Bates in prison for a crime he didn't commit has come to an end, and he will be return to his post as Lord Grantham's valet. Unrequited love abounds amongst the younger staff in the servant quarters, and the times they are a-changin' for the family and the staff.
Did you find the horrible "Mr (Rev Fr) Travis" just a bog-standard-for-English-lit *horrible Anglican cleric*, or do your hackles rise (like mine do) that RC-convert Fellowes is taking sides? [If they'd had the RC priest to dinner at the Dowager Countess's friend the Duchess of Norfolk's castle, he wouldn't be any less prejudiced!]
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Treme . . . but I have heard about the plot-twist at the end of S1 {{{Mimi}}}
JCF, I would not say the horrible Mr Travis is my idea of a bog-standard Anglican cleric, and, though you and Cathy both think Fellowes may have an ax to grind, I didn't even think of that during the show.
DeleteAs far back as the reign of Henry VIII, the Duke of Norwalk was a powerful RC force. I know that because I'm reading a bio of Thomas Cranmer right now.
I think the way the First Lady's maid is pushing the poor First Footman in to the clutches of the Lord's valet is a horrific set up.... There was a hint in the preview that with the return of Bates, the current Lord's valet is demoted --given all the dastardly schemes he has wrought, I am hopeful HE is fired and cast out in to the street. He is such a slime ball.
ReplyDeleteMy Superbowl Sunday consisted of church and church and a visit to the hospital. Then we watched Korean drama on the internet --and I discovered the score to the game in headlines on my homepage as I settled in to bed.... such is life.
margaret, Sarah O'Brien is a piece of work, with her scheming and mischief-making. The gay Thomas is probably headed for a load of trouble with his unwanted attention to Jimmy, which O'Brien eggs on with the intention of getting Thomas fired. And I expect Thomas will not be pleased when he loses his post as milord's valet. The series truly is a soap opera, but I've come to care about the characters.
DeletePoor New Orleans with the loss of power. The powers that be wanted the city to shine in every way.
I'm with the Dowager Countess of Grantham on the pudding issue. I thought gay Thomas was O'Brien's bestest buddy? I'm obviously behind the times (haven't watched any of it since series 1). It always bothered me that the only gay character is a horrible person.
ReplyDeleteCathy, O'Brien's nephew Alfred works at Downton now, and she's trying to smooth the path for him, and, of course, with O'Brien, it's usually at the expense of someone else, that someone being Thomas now that they have fallen out. Yes, I'm sorry, too, that the one gay character is horrible.
DeleteI haven't seen Thomas do anything horrible *recently*. I'm pissed at O'Brien: I thought she learned her lesson after causing her Ladyship's miscarriage in S1? It's not just a situation of favoring her nephew: what w/ England's homophobic laws, she could get Thomas *sent to prison*! [And not for anything he deserved, as perhaps in situations passed. Of course, had anything happened to sweet Isis (yellow lab) last season, I'd want Thomas strung up me self. But NOT for being gay.]
DeleteThomas and O'Brien go back and forth, but, all too often, their worse selves take over. I wish the gay character was nicer.
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