Oh no! I watched the Golden Globes last night but plan to watch DA this evening at some point. I will come back and post my thoughts. But now I'm worried about Anna (thanks for not spoiling it).

My one thought about the kitchen, though, is that for how big the space is, it's really tight. I'll take a closer look tonight.

You're all talking about the servant's kitchen, right? What're you expecting -- a kitchen that looks like it was designed by GW'ers? :-)

LL-I got up and left when all that happened. I am so done with that show now. And it certainly did ruin any ''charm'' that kitchen had . . .

I was not super thrilled with the premier....even though we drove 1.5 hours in the snow storm to watch it. I did not care for yesterday's show, so I guess I better buy the DVD's so I can re watch the ones I DID like!

The last 2 seasons, I thought it was a shame it was so short, and now, unless it picks up, I will be glad it is short!

Sorry, Mr. Fellowes!

Nancy

You know, I love all the characters, the setting, the scenery, even the music -- but the stories/episodes have often left me unsatisfied. I was just telling my DD yesterday morning that I didn't think that the quality of the storylines often lived up to the potential of the characters. New characters appear for a short time, sometimes only for 1 episode, with the potential for a lot of continuing development, then are gone! It was bad enough to have killed off so many of the main characters already; last night's episode left me quite upset.

Oh no! I missed last season but heard about certain developments from last season. Dreadful to hear about Anna - sounds like I need to catch up but now I'm worried....

I was so upset, but it was really well done, from a dramatic stand point. I only started watching at the beginning of last season...but I will say that seeing Mary start standing up for herself last week was wonderful!

And, I was very surprised about what happened at the end of last season, until I read that the actor (you know who I'm talking about) got a very good opportunity elsewhere and decided to leave the show...it was not their idea to write him out. It did feel a bit contrived and last minute, so now I see why.

Haven't seen it yet but yeah, if this season isn't better than last I'm probably done, too.

Oh yeah I watched it and was riveted by the entire show. Some things that did hit my radar so far though this year:
=why so much time on Mr Moseley
=is Mary truly going to be so morose all season?
=why not spend more time with Maggie Smith, I LOVE her character and her funny comments
=the costumes on Edith have been fired up a notch!
=isn't it interesting to see the introduction of a vacuum and an electric mixer
=the butlers and footmen all bore me; their storylines are not very compelling to me

...after all it is just a high class soap. ;)
What struck me about the kitchen this week all of a sudden was the contrast between the dull, dreary kitchen atmosphere and the bright colors of the foods and the sparkle of the silver. I'm sure that's no accident.
Annoying as some of the plot lines are, I'm staying with it. It's entertaining (but yes, poor Anna!).
Fun thread LL!

I still like the show (so far!) although I hate what happened to Anna.

There are two things I love about that kitchen - the long wooden work table in the center and the cookware stand. Oh, and Mrs. Patmore. And Daisy. Ok, so that's four things. lol

I still like it - it's great entertainment (well, except the Anna thing -- I wouldn't call that "entertaining") for an hour on the treadmill! The women are much better characters than the men, aren't they?

My two loves combined into one--- GW and downton abbey! How awesome is this thread?
I am always looking at the kitchen and trying to pick out what I like and what I don't. I do love the people and what they are able to do with food in that environment. But it just looks so dark and dirty in there!
I have been satisfied with this season so far (and yes, was very disturbed by what happened to Anna). At the end of last season I swore I wasn't going to watch it anymore because I was so sad about the death. But I'm sucked right back into it! Lol.

I love Downton Abbey and look forward to an exhibit of the clothing that is worn on the show to be exhibited for the next year at Winterthur Museum in Delaware. As far as the storyline and Anna, I believe they are showing much of what life was probably like. We had the season where they went through Mrs. Hughes' concern for breast cancer. Now we have Anna's situation (respecting that some have not seen the episode yet). From what I understand we will see a lot more about how Anna has been impacted.

I must not be as TKO as I thought I was - I haven't noticed that much detail about the kitchen (?backsplash) except I wonder how Mrs. Patmore, Daisy & staff are able to pull off all those huge meals. Very disappointed with the end of last season but I still love the show.

I love the kitchen! The incident with Anna was portrayed very well, because I found it disturbing, too.

I agree that Julian Fellowes is trying to show the contrast between the drudgery of 'below stairs' and the opulence enjoyed above. Likewise Mr.Molesley's situation--he was a faithful employee for many years to the young 'his lordship', then when his services were (abruptly) no longer needed, the family hasn't seemed to feel any responsibility at all.

If anyone is interested, there is a well-done (IMO) documentary series, which deals with the reality of being of the serving class at that time in history, and the changes in the lives of both the servants, and the landed gentry, post WWI.

BTW, my all-time favorite scene was last season, when Robert, Lord Downton (oops, Lord Grantham), was in inapropriate black tie for a soiree, and Maggie Smith asked him for a drink, stating that she thought he was a waiter!

Here is a link that might be useful: Servants the True Story

This post was edited by mama_goose on Tue, Jan 14, 14 at 20:16

It is so ironic you brought this up. I love this show but can honestly say that the incident with Anna has bothered me so much. I don't think it was a good move for the show at all. Not sure why they went that route but I for one just hate it. As far as the kitchen, it's depressing for sure.

All caught up now.. poor Anna. Sickening creep.

Guess I'll keep watching. That Tom is kinda of a whiner, though.

Yes, Edith's dresses are absolutely stunning this season. I find myself pressing the pause button just to admire the intricate detail in the gowns worn by Mary and Edith.

Mama Goose- I love that line, too! :)

Here's a link and I'm pretty sure that line is part of the clip. LOL

Sis- I think this incident was so disturbing, because we knew that everyone was right upstairs....and that darn singer (although I liked the first song, from Room With A View) was making too much noise for anyone to hear Anna. Also, I heard a rumor (don't like spoilers) but someone said that 'he' was going to get his, if you know what I mean.

Here is a link that might be useful: Maggie Smith

LL, thank you for the clip.

I hadn't heard the rumor, but in the last scene, I don't think Anna was fooling her husband at all. After we saw a very hard side of him in the prison scenes, I'm sure he'll take care of things.

As soon as she left the group at the performance, I knew that something would happen, but the violence was shocking. Possibly another allusion from the writer, that those without money or status, especially women, had no power in that life.

My thought was maybe something would happen about 9 months from Anna's incident. Not a rumour, just wondering.

This post was edited by romy718 on Wed, Jan 15, 14 at 0:30

I hope 'he' gets it in spades! And if Mary doesn't straighten up, I'll be forced to go over there and give her a good slap in the head. I hope the new "boyfriend" keeps encouraging her. and her father butts out! Lock her in her room and let her think about Matthew. Duh! And that poor baby. Mary. What a disappointment. Go Edith! Just go live with him. And I miss Shirley MacLaine. I was hoping she would have a bigger role.

I heard a rumor also. Is this the last year? I would think there would be at least one more. They're up to the 1930's?

I think it said this season is 1922. I really like the butler, especially in last week's episode. He seems more like a father in some ways than her real father. It's funny the butler and dad are SO alike, especially in their attitudes about class, but the butler seems more confident in Mary's ability.

I never have liked the kitchen...but the staircase is beautiful. I posted this on Building a Home forum, just to show off the stairs, but it's from the first episode this season. So sad...but then end is good! I was so happy to see Mary in something besides black.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link to staircase in Downton Abbey

I don't know about the kitchen; maybe it was state of the art for that time. Seems crowded when they are all working.

In the season premier, I thought the lighting looked odd. Lots of shadows on people's faces.

Maggie Smith--none better, just none better! (Except maybe Judy Dench.) Every time M.S. opens her mouth it's a classic remark! And the little under-her-breath side comments with Matthew's mother are wonderful. Those two understand and accept each other. I liked the statement that "it's a grandmother's job to interfere." She's a treasure.

I didn't love it as much as I loved the the first 3 seasons. Robert is beginning to look foolish. Cora is hardly there. Of course I adore Maggie Smith. I hope Mr. Bates doesn't do something foolish. And I wish both the new lady"s maid and the twit who has moved in with them would go away.
I wonder if Fellows will make the fictional family do what the real Duchess of Devonshire did, and turn DA into a functioning moneymaker. The Duchess restored her castle, made the farms work, allowed visitors and sold products. Mary can probably make that happen.
Does anyone remember Upstairs Downstairs. It's on DVD and it is still marvelous. (not the dumb update from 2 years ago) I still love James.

In any self-respecting soap opera, marriage is the kiss of death for a character's story line. Now that Anna and Bates are married they had to do something since Anna is such a beloved character ....the audience would not have stood her being shoved into the background. I was so hoping she would run upstairs, interrupt the concert, point at him and announce what he had done and the men would have dealt with him then and there but that would have never happened back then....women kept It to themselves and carried on...not much choice, especially for the working class. I do think there will be justice for Anna but it will unfold slowly and I think Anna will remain silent about it and we will see how she bravely copes with it.

The clothes will be at Winterthur? I'm checking out the website now for details!

And what happened to those babies? Last week the nanny got fired and then then babies just disappeared? It's starting to feel like an English soap opera for me now as opposed to the story of the family with some plot development. Too many characters flipping in/out each week. But that's just my take. There's lots to love about the show. I just hope they turn it around a bit and slow it back down to it's original flavor.

Love the worktable in the kitchen and as someone else noted, the introduction of various electrical appliances. Mrs Patmore is hilarious. I think this season is getting on towards end of the '20's judging by the costumes, speak-easys, and the ominous pull of Germany for Edith's boyfriend to get his divorce. My prediction is that he'll get stuck there when Hitler rises...or something to that effect.