Photo Credit: ITV

With the holiday weekend, I feel like today is Monday and that I am not late with this post. So I’ll just keep thinking that and not feel bad for the tardiness. 😉 I can’t believe Downton Abbey is over! What am I going to post on Monday mornings now? Sigh.

The highlight of the entire show was Mary and Matthew finally getting together at the end. Originally I predicted that the good news would be that Bates was released and the cliffhanger would be whether or not Mary actually marries Sir Richard. Well, it turned out to be the other way around.

Anna & Bates – Anna and Bates’ story was the major cliffhanger. The two most heart wrenching and tear-inducing scenes were, first, when Bates was sitting alone in his cell, holding a photo of Anna and sobbing. The second was when he was declared guilty and Anna cried out. (Anna is an amazing actress!) I still don’t know whether or not Vera Bates killed herself and framed it to look like Bates (Gene Tierney style) or whether Sir Richard had a hand in her death. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

There seemed to be a lot of character development and maturity in this episode.

Daisy – Daisy has really grown over this episode. I love that she finally connected with William’s father and found someone to love her as a daughter. And I loved that he took her under his wing and gave her fatherly advice. Thankfully, she took his advice and had a mature conversation with Mrs. Patmore and bettered her station in life.

O’Brien – O’Brien seems to be coming around and I like her more and more. I was happy that she took no pleasure in playing a role in Mr. Bates verdict. I love that she called out Thomas for his callousness in regards to Bates ruin. We can only see if her slow conversion will continue or if she’ll go back to plotting with Thomas. (I don’t think Thomas will ever reform. We may understand his behavior better but I think he is just too good at being bad for the writers to change him.)

Lord Grantham – Lord Grantham may not be completely off the hook for his exploits with Jane but he is redeeming himself in my eyes. I am so glad that the secret of Mr. Pamuk is finally out in the open and I love the way he handled Mary in the situation. I think his indiscretions with Jane actually served to soften his heart and be more forgiving of the weakness of human nature. I loved that he did not care about the scandal that would come to Downton. He was more concerned that Mary not commit herself to a man she neither loved nor even liked. I also enjoyed the scene where he and Cora were speaking of Sybil and he kissed Cora, looked at her a moment, smiled and kissed her again. It was as if that loving spark he and Cora shared in Season 1 was being found once again.

My only wonder is how Lord Grantham would be fine with Mary running off and marrying an American cowboy but he still was upset over Sybil marrying a chauffeur. It will be interesting to see if Sybil and Branson do return to Downton with their new baby. I’m sure Branson will feel awkward being waited on by his old friends. I also wonder if the upcoming Catholic storyline will have to do with the folks in Ireland.

Edith – Will I ever be able to type Edith’s name without “Poor Edith” automatically coming out. I want that girl to find some happiness! She has paid for her past sins and she truly has a loving heart. When will she find a proper suitor? Will it be Anthony Stallan? Will the Patrick return? Will she decide to join the convent? Who knows.

Mrs. Crawley – I was so glad to see that the “tenacious but lovable” Mrs. Crawley was back and not the “new & annoying” Mrs. Crawley. She was the voice of reason to Matthew as he continued to brood and stubbornly refuse to let himself love Mary, which leads us to the final and best story of the night.

Matthew & Mary – You could feel the tension building as Sir Richard was ready to explode every time he saw Matthew. It is no wonder that it finally came to blows. I don’t know which was more enjoyable, seeing them duke it out or hearing Granny’s best line of the night when Sir Richard said he wouldn’t see her again, “Do you promise?” She was in rare form tonight!!

I am so glad they did not make us wait until Season 3 to see Mary and Matthew finally get together. Especially since Matthew was starting to get on my nerves with his “we don’t deserve to be happy” melancholia. Come on, Matthew! It is time to turn off The Smith’s soundtrack (as much as I love them) and play New Order’s True Faith. (What I am listening to right now. Yes, I am a child of the 80’s.)

I don’t think I appreciated the final touching scene with Matthew and Mary the first time around. (It was sort of hard to get into the mood while trying to get a crying, cranky baby to sleep) but last night I rewatched it while the rest of the house was asleep. I was touched by the tenderness, even though my mind kept thinking, “What in the world is Mary doing outside without a shawl or a jacket? And why isn’t Matthew offering his jacket to her? I know I’m inexperienced with snow since I live in Cali but isn’t snow supposed to be cold??”

However, I finally pushed those thoughts out of my mind and enjoyed the scene. My favorite part was when Mary told Matthew he would have to propose properly, down on one knee etc. I love that look he gave her. I see it often in Brian when he looks at me. It says, “Sometimes you drive me crazy, girl, yet I can’t seem to live without you and as ridiculous as this request is, I am going to do it anyway because I love you…” Swoon. Okay, maybe I was reading too much into it but that’s what screamed out to me. 😉

Okay, my computer time is up for the morning so I’ll stop here. I leave you with a little tidbit of news from AceShowbiz.com about the upcoming Season 3.

“Downton Abbey” has just wrapped its second season in the U.S., but talks about the upcoming chapter have been brewing. In a recent PBS chat session, Brendan Coyle confirmed what people might have predicted of his character after seeing the second season finale as saying, “He [John Bates] begins series three in prison.”

While he refused to reveal more details of Mr. Bates’ future, the BAFTA Award nominee was willing to share other tidbits from the upcoming season. “There is a wedding…or two?” he teased before adding, “Shirley MacLaine is amongst us….the scripts are superb…stick with us.”

Talking further about the addition of MacLaine to the cast ensemble to play Lady Grantham’s mother, Coyle gushed, “This casting is ingenious…she is much loved here, her scenes are brilliant and I can assure you she will be a dazzling addition to Downton Abbey.”

The upcoming third season of “Downton Abbey” will be set in the 1920s. This era will affect the the characters, in fashion, entertainment, travel, work as well as society. According to The Hollywood Reporter, fans can expect to see slim low-waisted flapper silhouette as corsets are no longer trending. The ladies will additionally style their hair in bobs and flapper spit curls.

In entertainment, the characters may enjoy cocktails which at that moment make their debut in London’s first night clubs. Ragtime jazz will play in dance halls, as the characters will dance the Black Bottom, the Shimmy and the Charleston. Two new inventions, gramophone and the crystal radio, will add pleasure in their lives.

In language, the characters will be using new slang and phrases such as “bee’s knees” (the ultimate compliment), “cat’s meow” (another top compliment), and “giggle water” (alcohol). In society, women will enter workplace as they are not only limited to domestic duties.

“Downton Abbey” season 3 will begin filming this spring and will premiere in U.K. in September. It, however, will not air on PBS until early 2013.

Let the countdown begin, my friends!

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