5 Favorite Moments on Downton Abbey

Once again it's that sad time of year where one season of Downton Abbey has finished and now we must wait nine more months to see the next season of Downton Abbey. And to top it off, there are rumors that season six may mark the end of this wonderful show. I know that it must come to an end one day, but I sure hope it's still a few years away.

While there are always lots of simultaneous story lines in Downton Abbey, here are a few of my favorite moments.

But beware, there are SPOILERS ahead!


1) Don't go Tom!

Tom Branson has come along way since his days as the chauffeur for the Crawley family. He is now a valuable member of the family whose opinion is often sought by Lord Grantham. Who would have thought that just a few seasons ago? Tom's late wife, Sybil, was always my favorite character on the show and when they killed her off during childbirth, I was crushed. Now that Tom is a single father he is trying to determine the best future for him and his daughter. Will that mean moving to America? I for one, sure hope he doesn't leave. After his brief romance with Miss Bunting, a local school teacher, some of the socialist firebrand that we saw in the first season was back. It was good to see that side of him again. I'd hate to see him go now.

2 ) Lady Edith's secret revealed

As usual, there weren't too many episodes where I did not utter the phrase "poor Edith" while watching Downton Abbey. In season five we are sure that Edith will finally have some happiness to only have her love, Michael Gregson, disappear in pre-world war II Germany. And to top it off, she discovers that she is pregnant. While she still struggles with feeling like the outcast in her family, she now realizes that she has something to fight for - her daughter Marigold. This being 1920s England, she can't acknowledge the child as her own, but now most of her family knows the secret and her daughter will now be a part of her life. And with the death of Michael, she has inherited his publishing business, which will make her an even more independent woman. So maybe next season I won't have to utter "poor Edith" anymore!

3) Lady Violet's scandalous past

Who would have thought that the Dowager Countess would have such a scandalous past? The discovery that she almost left her husband, the current Lord Grantham's father, for a married Russian prince when her children were very young was quite a surprise. Lady Violet is such a stickler for propriety, that her affair of the heart came out of left field for me. However, I did find it refreshing to see her as more than just the sour old granny with her wicked one-liners. This season we also got to see Violet's fear of losing Isobel Crawley as a companion and friend, when Isobel contemplates accepting Lord Merton's marriage proposal. After their many years of clashing ideas, it was nice to see that there is genuine affection between the two.

4) Daisy's continuing education

We've slowly seen cook's assistant Daisy, grow and mature over the years, but this year really put her on a path of personal growth. Daisy always showed a capacity for learning and for questioning the way things worked, but after meeting Miss Bunting she sees that with education her future can be whatever she makes of it. She doesn't have to work in the kitchen the rest of her life. Daisy has always been the voice of reason and now that she is learning more about the world, she is learning even more about herself. I can't wait to see where this takes her!

5) Mr. Carson's marriage proposal!

After last season ending with Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes holding hands while navigating the waves at the seaside I was hoping for a romantic storyline for these two great characters. But as season five progressed I wasn't so sure if anything would transpire. I should have known better. This is Mr. Carson we are talking about here! Everything has to happen in a proper time and place for him. I should have also seen it coming when Carson suggested to Mrs. Hughes that they look into buying a small house that they could run as a bed and breakfast when they retire, but I admit, that kind of slipped by me. When Mrs. Hughes admits that she has no money to invest because of taking care of her invalid sister, Mr. Carson shows his true colors by admitting that he bought a house in both of their names admitting his feelings for her in this gesture. I think they are a sweet couple and it's lovely to see people of a "certain age" still getting to experience love and romance.

Season six can not come fast enough for me!

-- Request any season of Downton Abbey from the Catalog here.

--Post by Tracy

The Great Experiment

The date was January 16, 1919, and the Eighteenth Amendment had just become a reality.

Prohibition -- the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution -- legally banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors. Often referred to as "The Great Experiment," it had its roots in the previous century, championed by the Anti-Saloon League (an Ohio organization founded in 1893). The League had their work cut out for them: in 1909, there was one saloon for every three hundred Americans. There were more saloons than schools, libraries, hospitals, theaters, parks, or churches. (Location was a factor, however; the city of Chicago had more saloons than the entirety of the South.) Interestingly enough, the Anti-Saloon League consisted of members who, generally speaking, favored progressive politics such as votes for women, an end to monopolies, better working conditions, and immigration aid.

Before Prohibition, there was the Webb-Kenyon Act, which was passed in February 1913. Overriding a veto from President Taft, the law regulated the transportation of liquor from "wet states" to "dry states" (that is, no transporting liquor from the states that sold it to the states that did not). Four years later, Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; by January 1919, forty-six of the forty-eight states had ratified the amendment (Rhode Island and Connecticut being the two hold-outs). Despite ratification, however, many states failed to actually adopt state Prohibition, including Pennsylvania (as well as California, Illinois, New York, and others).

From the beginning, Prohibition had its work cut out. Many large cities outright rejected state or municipal liquor bans. The states where Prohibition proved unpopular often decided that the federal law was a federal matter, and so left the law's enforcement to the federal government. And while Prohibition did not prove costly (about a quarter of what states were spending on their parks department), it had the side effect of cutting funding in its own way -- in 1914, before the Amendment had been passed, one-third of the federal government's revenue came from liquor licenses and taxes on domestic liquor sales.

Then, too, were other (unexpected) side effects. Bootlegging, the illegal manufacturing and selling of liquor, became a booming business. As it was also an illegal business, it was organized crime who benefited from bootlegging the most; it's estimated that Chicago's Al Capone earned $60 million a year alone, thanks to the bootlegging operations and speakeasies he controlled. Those living in large cities were generally the most vehement protestors of Prohibition, and law enforcement and politicians alike were bribed there to look the other way. Once the Great Depression took hold, the popularity of Prohibition slipped even further. When Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for presidential office in 1932, his campaign included the repealing of the 18th Amendment. (Roosevelt won the election).

Ultimately, Prohibition was reversed with the 21st Amendment, proposed and enacted in 1933. The Great Experiment was at an end.

More on the History of Prohibition:

-- The 18th and 21st Amendments - Complete with scans of the original amendment, newspaper articles, and more.

-- Prohibition: Facts and Summary - From the History Channel.


From the Catalog:

-- Last Call: The Rise And Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent.

-- The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet by Garrett Peck.

-- Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal. For YA readers.

-- Prohibition: A Ken Burns Documentary [DVD]


Other Reads (from the Catalog):

-- Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol by Iain Gately.

-- Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol by Ann Dowsett Johnston.

-- Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp



-- Post by Ms. B 

Musing on Season 4 of Downton Abbey

Once again it's that time of year - the end of another season of Downton Abbey. And, once again, we have to figure out how we are going to survive until next January! So, to keep us going for another 11 months I'm going to share what I thought were the highlights of the season.

Beware there will be some spoilers!


1. Mary and her two (or more) suitors!

The recently widowed Mary is slowly beginning to return to normal. But some people are pushing her a little too hard or at least Mary thinks so. Her family want her to be involved with the running of Downton for the sake of her son. And ther is old friend, Tony Gillingham, who is pushing for her to take a chance on love. Mary thinks she's not ready, but to her surprise a new acquaintance, Charles Blake, has also taken an interest in her.

I really enjoyed seeing the Mary that Matthew loved coming around again. She is still amazed that any one could love her so she is quite shocked and somewhat flattered by all of this attention. But I'm so glad that they haven't rushed her into another marriage and that whoever she chooses (or maybe doesn't choose!) will seem natural and right. My choice is Charles. He sees her as an intelligent and strong woman, especially with her committment to saving Downton. Tony, on the other hand, puts her on a pedestal. Charles will challenge her, like Matthew did. My favorite moment for Mary this season was seeing her making scrambled eggs for her and Charles after their night of saving the new pigs!



2. Daisy saying goodbye to Alfred and turning down a job in America

Over the years Daisy Mason has become one of my favorite characters. I sometimes think she is the wisest person in the entire house! She does sometimes let her feelings get a little out of control, but she really showed her worth when she finally faced Alfred after he left to become a chef in London. When Alfred comes back to Yorkshire for a visit, after Ivy turned down his marriage proposal, Daisy is given the day off so she doesn't run into him. But after a visit to her father-in-law she realizes that she needs to face Alfred one last time. She does so with grace and kindness. I don't think any of the Crawley family could have handled it any better.

And to finally showcase her new maturity, Daisy turns down a job as a cook in America, but encourages Ivy desire to take the job instead. You might think that Daisy just wants to get rid of Ivy, but she's actually quite happy to support Ivy's dreams of adventure. I don't think any of us would have thought Daisy would be so kind towards Ivy at the beginning of the season. She really has grown into a lovely young woman!

3. Tom the Outcast

If Tom Branson would have left England for America I might have considered quitting Downton Abbey. Was it not bad enough that my favorite character, Tom's wife Sybil, was killed in season 3?! The romance of Tom and Sybil was probably not that usual in England at the time, but it was a hard one not to be caught up in. But now that poor Tom is left to raise their daughter alone with a family that doesn't quite know what to make of him, you can't blame him for thinking of starting a new life in America. But luckily for us we start to see a bit more of that socialist chauffeur that we all loved. He's going to political meetings again and maybe he's even found a new love.

We begin to see a different attitude towards the aristocracy from Tom too that I'm sure he never thought he would have. One of the many things Downton Abbey does well is to portray characters as more than one dimensional. They are never all good or all bad. Through's Tom's eyes we see the silliness of the life of privilege, but we also see their human side. We then know why it's hard for Tom to leave these people.


4. Poor Edith

Hardly has there been an episode where I did not utter the phrase "Poor Edith." She is the poor, over looked middle child. Until she finally decides that only she could turn her life around does she find someone who loves her. But since this is Edith, misfortune still seems to find her. Now Michael, her beloved, has disappeared and she finds herself pregnant and unmarried. In 1922 this is not happy news. It was sad seeing her Aunt Rosamund talking her into going to the Continent to give away her baby when you knew it was not what Edith wanted for her child. We still don't know the whereabouts of Michael, but I was thrilled to see Edith take control of her life once again when she makes arrangements  to have one of the tenant farmers raise her daughter. This will definitely be a story line I'm looking forward to next season.


5. Paul Giamatti!

There isn't much to say about this other than one of my favorite actors was on one of my favorite shows! To find out why this makes me so happy, click here.


And just to finish it off, probably my favorite image of the whole season:

Mrs. Hughes and Carson at the seaside -- the beginning of a new romance?

From the Catalog:

- Downton Abbey -- season one [DVD]

- Downton Abbey -- season two [DVD]

- Downton Abbey -- season three [DVD]

- Downton Abbey -- season four [DVD]

- Downton Abbey: Selections [CD]

- Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection [CD]



--Post by Tracy