This last season has been a killer. I feel like I must watch it, but also cannot wait for each episode to conclude.

the last one with the rather ridiculous storylines around Matthew and Lavinia...

Last week with Lord Crawley arguing for investing with Ponzi was funny.

The storyline is so ridicules to me. The Bates saga pushed me over. No way would the elite be that vested in a servant, let alone a servant who is also a felon.

but, whatever. This is teevee. It's fun for no other reason than to watch Maggie Smith. Though there very well may have been some close friendships between the 'aristocracy' and their 'servants' and perhaps the more egalitarian presence of Cora helped.

I hope if there is a Season 4, they change up the formula a little bit.
I'd like to see "Patrick"- the wounded potential heir - come back. I'd also like to see Edith happy.

And, odd question: why do Anna and Mr Bates have a cottage to live in when they're at work 18 hours a day? They have no personal lives. It would be easier for them to just still live at Downton, IMO.

In a large British country house at that time, married servants were rarely permitted to live in the main house. Naturally, with so much work to do, and so little free time, the other servants and estate workers were not only your work colleagues, but also your friends, and so you lived, in some ways, in a peculiar little bubble. Servants married servants. When this happened a cottage on the estate would often be provided for the couple.

Similarly, housekeepers were rarely married, and the 'Mrs' prefix, was something of a courtesy title.

They're on duty seemingly from 6am til 11pm. What's the point of having to "go home" to a cottage when you get 7 hours there to sleep & that's it? It would be more convenient to still live onsite, IMO.

but sadly, and rather ridiculously perhaps, convenience gave way to convention.

Then again, as a married couple they might want a little bit more space from the rest of the servants and the workplace, and then the possibility of starting a family of their own might arise. It was generally considered that the best solution was the cottage on the estate.

A Brit friend dropped it on me and its been a source of gall to me for a couple months now. Especially since I've seen the foreshadowing, and that pisses me off even more.

Glad it'll be done just so I can vent about it!

I agree, the Bates storyline is getting old. However, I'm suspicious (probably by nature) of anyone who is that freeking GOOD. I'm sure it will turn out that Bates did, indeed, murder his wife. I've avoided any spoliers. 2 1/4 hours to go for this time zone and all will be revealed -- or there will be one whopper of a cliff-hanger. Either way, I'll miss Downton until the next series begins.

If you remember, she went to see him shortly before her death and it was not a pleasant meeting.

or maybe tomorrow...

AND, Doctor Zhivago on TCM!

That's all.

is Downton Abbey still on?

My understanding the huge bombshell drops right at the end...

Yes, the shocker was at the very end.

seemed like he was really getting DA into good shape.

Question, though - does it end with that, or do you know that Mary knows?

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She doesn't know yet.

I've read a bit about season 4; seems the first few episodes are devoted to dealing with what happened tonight...

f*ck.

another torturous year for us here in the US.

Unless you can watch the British episodes online whenever they air.

Did you ever get into that show?

Just do PBS, TCM, MSNBC, and C-SPAN!

and Shirley MacLaine will be back. They also said that all the other actors signed on for 2 more years, except Maggie Smith. She only signs 1 year contracts. She's 78, so I can't say I blame her.

Sucks.

He was such a good guy. So supportive of Edith, too. Like a breath of fresh air in that stodgy family.

since it was announced some time ago that Dan Stevens chose not to return. (I thought the same with Maggie Smith but apparently she will return, according to "60 Minutes.&quot .

For a while we thought he was going to be accidently shot during the hunt. And then, as he was driving, we remembered the way "Lawrence of Arabia" started and it was clear.

At least he saw his son.

And then, our local Public TV had to come on with its stupid pledge break! Have they no decency?

First season he came to save the estate. To marry one of the daughters so that Downton Abbey will stay in the family.

Second season he was severely wounded in the war, also got engaged to Lavinia who, conveniently died from the flu epidemic, and rediscovered his true love of Mary.

Third season he received money from Lavinia's family that he invested in Downton to save it. He also sired a son, a heir, so the estate can continue to stay in the family. He also finally got Lord Grantham to accept his suggestions for more efficient operations.

So what was left for him to do next season?

This season was a "Christmas Special" in the U.K. and the producer really did not want to end on that sad note, wanted to "kill" him at the beginning of next season, but Stevens just wanted out. Did not want to come again.

that quit a good series just drop out of sight. Most - not all - maybe he will be one of the lucky ones, but I doubt it.

It's a limited run, I'm not sure how long it goes. He's co-starring with Jessica Chastain.
He's never been the most interesting character at Downton for me anyway. I love Hugh Bonneville and am always ready to root for Edith...but I'm really much more interested in the downstairs people. Mrs. Hughes, Carson, Daisy and Thomas, especially.

Quitting a t.v. series in Britain is much more accepted. In U.S. it is the kiss of death to the actor's career but Britain has a different model. Almost all their series last only a few years (usually 5 years max.) no matter how successful. They prefer to end a series without "jumping the shark", so I think he and the other one that quit will be fine.