Masterpiece Theater shows (PBS)

[MFWalkoff]

reminds me of earlier in the season, when Shirley Maclaine was on and they threw that disastrous dinner party. Robert was dressed in a dinner jacket instead of tails, and Lady Violet asked him, "Can you get me a drink? ... Oh I'm sorry! I thought you were a waiter!"

[Florimel]

Who but Maggie Smith can get away with the things her character says and is still adored by her audience? She was the same in Gosford Park and even some of the time as Minerva McGonagall. Her list of superb performances, both comedic and dramatic, is unmatched for me, though there are a few who come close.

[Debb70]

One thing I like about Maggie Smith is her ability to say as much with a facial expression as she does with words. Her face can say it all and most of the time, it's so funny.

There is another actress who does that with her expressions. Her name is Grace Zabriskie. You will recognize her face. She's been in lots of things. She appeared for years as Lois Hendrickson on HBO's Big Love. She stole the show IMO.
Here's a photo of her.
Grace Zabriskie - IMDb

[echo226]

... Why does Edith get treated so miserably? ...

Edith is the middle child and it seems she has identified herself as the black sheep ... and anyone who does that starts acting like the black sheep and thus becomes just that.

This is, of course, just my opinion.

[echo226]

Did you catch the part where Grandmother referred to Sybil's husband by his last name, as they do the servants, and Robert corrected her? She didn't recoil, but politely made the correction. Grandmother may be a piece of work, but she has class and is fair IMO.

She "backhandedly" referred to it when she recommended Tom Branson for the Estate Manager's position. She said that at least they'd be able to call him "Branson".

[ladygreco]

Who do you think will step in for Matthew in running DA next season? With Branson and Lord G on the same page, they need someone with a little business savvy to fill the gap.

[CCL]

Not really. They have that adviser (lawyer?) from London to advise on particulars, and he seemed a modern-minded fellow. As Matthew was modernizing for a year before his death, I would think most projects would be well under way and it is just a matter of completing them, which Robert and Tom could do, with advice from their advisor/experts. I mean, Matthew had no business experience really when he took the reins. Though I guess Mary's new suitor, when he inevitably arrives, could play a role. I've heard they're considering Tom Ellis, who's certainly dishy enough.

[Imperfect1]

Further discussion about Matthew's death and a little spoiler dropped about season 4:
'Downton Abbey' Creator Julian Fellowes On When He Wanted Matthew's Death To Happen

Looks like

Not sure how I feel about that. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Thanks so much Critical, for putting this info into a Spoiler link. And, speaking of Spoilers, I'd like to make a PLEA to those posters who post coming events without putting them into Spoiler links ---- this is so especially important nowadays because so many shows are now available on-line, ahead of their TV airing. PLEASE, PLEASE be careful to put this kind of info into Spoiler links. There are so many of us who just do not want to know in advance, what is going to happen. And for me, it completely ruins the experience when I know bad news in advance. And so, it was very hard for me to watch this last episode of Downton Abbey because I had unfortunately read someone's post upthread, which casually mentioned that Matthew was killed off in the last episode. OMG! I didn't know that, and once I found out --- it was excruciating watching those last scenes with Matthew --- especially the one with him holding the baby. I literally had tears running down my face. Yes, of course I would have been equally sad even if I had not known all of this in advance, but the experience of watching the episode was completely ruined for me --- because for the full hour and a half, I kept waiting at every turn, for Matthew to be killed -- and couldn't really concentrate on (and enjoy) everything else that was going on in the story.

[CCL]

People who have watched the show in advance, like Critical and MFW, have been respectful with regards to spoilers. Once the show has aired on the East Coast it is considered "fair game." I didn't see anything posted about Matthew's death that was not in spoilers before the airing. But maybe I missed it. PBS is considering airing the show in the US at the same time as it airs in the UK for the fourth season, which would be excellent.

[sunnydayz]

I didn't see anything spoiled here about Matthew's death either. Although, I did have a friend post their disappointment on another site, that DA had killed off one too many likable characters for their liking, so I was a nervous wreck the entire show wondering who was about to be killed. I can appreciate how you felt while watching, Imperfect1.