Downton Abbey - Season #2
ITV
Drama / History
18th Sept 2011 - 6th Nov 2011
8 Episodes
Approx. 50-60 minutes per episode
Viewed Jan 2013
C+
With the end of Season 1 ushering in the beginning of World War I, Season 2 sees the local hospital being overrun with new arrivals of badly injured soldiers from the war. Consequently, Downton Abbey is called upon to take on the burden of accepting the extra casualties and is transformed into a convalescent home for injured war veterans of high rank. With Season 2, then, we get emphasis on the idea of everyone doing their bit and making the necessary sacrifices to help the war effort.
From an historical perspective, Season 2 does a good job in showing how the working classes were gradually treated with more respect by the upper classes who had previously taken them a little too much for granted. Relationships forming between the two, then, and the barriers encountered is also explored in some depth. Still, although relationships do sprout up between them and although flings abound it was still not regarded as the "done thing" and any couple discovered in engaging in such activity were always frowned upon by the rest of society - so it always had to be a secret affair.
As before, the Granthams, Crawleys and the servants get their fair share of airtime. First off, despite Matthew being betrothed to another, the sexual tension and the bond between Matthew and Mary never goes away. Predictably, a romance between Sybil and the chauffeur starts to blossom and even Lord Grantham gets in on the act when he takes a little shine to one of the maids! Also on the relationships-across-the-class-divide front, we have one of the officers going for a bit of slap and tickle with one of the maids and even Edith gets in on the act with a bit of rumpy pumpy with a married local farmer - yep, they all seem to be at it!
The slimey Thomas Barrow returns thanks to getting himself discharged from the army with an effectively self-inflicted hand wound - and the long continuing saga of John Bates' relationship with Anna, along with his wife's continuing efforts to throw a large collection of spanners in the works, rages on and on. Daisy, with the interfering involvement of the cook, Mrs Patmore, digs herself a deeper and deeper hole by leading on the hapless William (who is going off to fight in the war) while Carson and Mrs Hughes try to keep everything ticking over.
With loads of sub-plots thrown in and side-issues piled on top of all this,
Downton Abbey turns into an enjoyable romp but it's only at around about episode 4 or 5 that things really start to hot up and get meaty. Still, in saying that, every scene is watchable and you always sense that something important is going to happen just around the corner. Once again, the blu-ray quality was superb with the house, grounds and costumes being displayed in all their finery and crystal clear radiance.
The Granthams
Robert Grantham - The lord of the manor has his heart in the right place and always conducts himself with utmost dignity. He always pronounces his words in deep tones and in a grand manner - even when he just tells his missus that he's just popping out for a walk or going upstairs for a lie down!
Cora Grantham - Lady Grantham stands out for her distinctive Marilyn Monroe type American accent and that wide-eyed, rabbit-in-the-headlights look that she puts on and that can often seem quite comical. Although she has an important role to play, you never get the feeling that she's a central character.
Violet Grantham - With her disapproving put-downs and sharp one-liners the mother of Lord Grantham, played by Maggie Smith, most certainly is a comical figure. Always impeccably dressed in her finery and extravagant clothes of the day, Violet ranks a 10 on the entertainment scale and always makes compelling viewing.
Mary Grantham - Usually serious and pensive, the eldest daughter, Mary Grantham, is torn between her secretly brooding love for Matthew and her upcoming marriage of convenience with some newspaper executive who is obviously a terrible match for her. With tension and suspicion abounding between them from the off, surely this relationship cannot last.
Edith Grantham - The plain-looking Edith, the second daughter, is cast as the one nobody wants but still has a little fling with one of the local farmers when she volunteers to help drive the tractor and work at their farm for a bit. She gains recognition when singled out as an outstanding carer to the soldiers when one of the dignitaries visits the house.
Sybil Grantham - The youngest daughter is the rebellious one who stands up for women's rights and who decides to train as a nurse to help with the war effort. She gradually falls for the lowly Irish chauffeur who strangely keeps his job after getting caught planning to pour gruel over an important dinner guest.
Servants
Mr Carson / Mrs Hughes - These two are the head servants who are responsible for making sure everything runs smoothly. They are respectable, honourable and have the best interests of the Granthams at heart.
John Bates - Mr Bates is far too honourable and self-sacrificing for his own good and makes appallingly bad decisions that continually have adverse effects on his own well-being. You wonder how on earth he got married to such a dragon but it's almost as if he revels in putting up barriers to his own happiness!
Anna Smith - The loyal but long-suffering wife-to-be of Mr Bates, Anna waits and waits for Bates' present wife to be out of the picture. It's an unusual match because they are so physically different (she is relatively young while he is a fat balding man with a limp) but each to their own I suppose.
Mrs Patmore / Daisy Robinson - This is the classic grumpy-cook-bosses-the-simple-and-down-trodden-parlour-maid situation. Patmore's interference with Daisy's relationship with William is out of order but the cook's comical presence makes up for it.
Thomas Barrow - The conniving and scheming Thomas Barrow returns to Downton Abbey after getting himself shot in the hand by the Germans. He continues to be the slimy pantomime villain he was and even worms his way back into the fold and hangs around like a rash. He does get some sort of come-uppance and it's very hard to symapathise with him.
Sarah O'Brien - The stony faced, unsmiling and emotionless Sarah O'Brien, Thomas's partner in crime, always seems to be be on the look-out for trouble. She continues to support Thomas in his sneaky plots and never changes that blank expression of hers.
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Downton Abbey is obvioulsy aimed at the discerning older audience but it's not exactly subtle. Almost everyone has a secret of some sort or, if not that, is involved in a secret relationship which must not be divulged. Still, this is not HBO and even though there is some fling going on around every corner you'll get no shots of boobs or bums here. It's something you can settle down to with your mum or grandmother and which won't cause any offence to anyone. A pleasant but not exactly a groundbreaking experience.
