Faith & Family Live! : Happy Valentine's Day!

Posted by Mary on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 1:58 PM (EDT):

YES! There was so much going on in D.A and what happened last week (with William dying) I just couldn’t take it anymore! I loved Lavinia, too! Poor Matthew. Although, I have always been rooting for Matthew and Mary. Oh, and I totally called what would happen with Lord Grantham and the maid. However, I loved that the writers made it a point to show how much self-control the past generations had over their weaknesses. He remained a gentleman and stood strong in his convictions.

Posted by Downton fan on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 11:12 PM (EDT):

Just had to comment regarding the idea that past generations had more self-control. That’s not really true; some people did and some didn’t much like life today.

The mores of the day weren’t as pure as the driven snow, either. One of the reasons those big country houses had a place for guests names on the door was so that they knew which room the attractive guest they were flirting with at dinner was staying and so they could easily identitfy which room was theirs, for a late night visit. It wasn’t loudly talked about but was quite accepted.

However, Lord Grantham was shown to slip, struggle and then choose the better, which makes him a much more interesting character, especially considering that he could have easily gotten away with it and even had staff support to help him cover it up, had he wished.

Posted by Betsy on Wednesday, Feb 15, 2012 4:23 PM (EDT):

Awesome! It was over the top, but fantastic! I am having a difficult time not being impatient until ech Sunday evening…get home from LifeTeen Mass, get the baby boys in bed, put our frozen pizza in the oven, and the hubby and I curl up to Downton! THANK YOU for your previous entry about it! We have been smitten… And Mary, I completely agree! I really wish that our generation could get that Self-Control back! Come on Holy Spirit! He’s great at providing it!

Posted by Rebecca Teti on Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 1:28 AM (EDT):

SPOILER ALERT: I dunno girls, I think it jumped the shark. It’s always been, if we are honest, rather low-brow as far as the actual story goes. I really think it’s the period costumes and the accents that make us love it. But this was a bit much, even for this soap opera. The “miraculous” healing, the wedding preparations made and then called off, the convenient death of the about-to-be-jilted fiance (and of a broken heart!), the near-death of Lady G, Lord G’s near-affair (which didn’t ring at all true to me…no chemistry between those characters), Matthew’s melodramatic declaration that now that he’s disentangled, he and Mary can never be together. (Hah! Preposterous words even as they were uttered.) And to me the most preposterous of all, because it was such an anachronism, Ethel’s decision to keep her baby rather than let the grandparents adopt it. I think it would have been more in keeping with the time, the ignominy of bastardy and the class system for her to give it up.

Posted by Ginny on Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 4:01 AM (EDT):

Love that Valentine!

I wouldn’t say it’s jumped the shark, rather that it felt like your typical season finale (I know there is an episode next week, but apparently it’s not officially a part of Season II) ... clearly the author wanted to wrap up certain plotlines and get others into a neat holding pattern. There was a heckuva lot going on, but I could understand the author wanting to edge things to a certain point before finishing, so I forgive him for it.

SPOILERS HERE TOO:
I think Matthew *had* to recover; if not, the author can’t do much with him in the story (an heir who can’t procreate, no more romantic tension between him and Mary, etc.). And though Ethel’s decision was pretty modern, I actually think it worked because she was always a character who challenged the status quo and felt she deserved more than her lot in life. (The grandfather was also such an odious man; what mom would want to see her son turn into someone with his arrogance and rudeness?).

The character I’d like to see more of is Edith. I hope she gets a break next season and has something good happen to her for once. I’m also intrigued to hear that Shirley MacLaine has joined the cast, playing Lady Grantham’s mother. Another Yank at Downton ... should be fun.

Speaking of which, my favorite line from this week’s episode was “If you are turning American on me, I’m going downstairs.” Made me laugh out loud.

Posted by Kathleen on Thursday, Feb 16, 2012 9:45 AM (EDT):

Yes, he went downstairs…to kiss the maid! I too am enjoying this soap opera. History footnote for us Catholics: where did the Granthams get their “Abbey” from? “A great carved jewel…and that, too, was stolen”. (Father Brown in G.K.Chesterton’s “The Stone of Meru”) LOL

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