Downtown Abbey
Season 2 episode 4
Imagine a world in which you crossed Downton Abbey with
Glee?
I know!
Lord Grantham running around in a never-ending supply of
sweater vest, encouraging his girls as they get ready for regionals! Lady Viola
strutting around in a track suit, insulting Isobel and everyone else in sight
through a megaphone, while Cora reassures the servants with soul lifting power
ballads, as they all clean her house.
Luckily, this world will never exist. Instead, we have the
right and proper version of Downton Abbey, with only the one timely and
appropriate musical number. We begin with the Crawley sisters organising a
performance for the injured troops currently residing in their house. As it
goes hell freezes over and despite all other tragedies that grow to surround
them during the episode, Mary and Edith come to together to sing a song. The
musical swells, and everyone is captivated as Lady Mary, sings a song about a
love so strong that nothing else in the world could matter. Then Mary’s own
lost love walked in. Bravo! Encore! End scene
Ah, Downton Abbey.
All the drama and angst of a musical. Less of the
choreographed dance numbers.
With this musical moment in mind, I started thinking about
other shows that have memorable musical moments, which in my tired state
created the Gleeful Downton Manor illusion I mentioned above. So to honour that
to frame my review, I have taken the best parts of Glee, the music, and thought
of songs that may have been used during the main plots points of this episode.
That is if the creators of Glee, ever wanted to go back to England again after
they were done filming it.
So, if you were too busy crossing Mrs Matthew Crawley out on
all your notebooks, here’s what you missed on Downton Abbey: Europe’s at war,
nobody’s happy about it.
Hit me with your best
shot by Pat Benatar
Well that was fast. Last episode I was predicting an all out
brawl between Cora and Isobel, with no survivors, but no, Isobel tapped out
after the first round. It seems in the mythical land where fictional characters
live in-between episodes, slowly but surely, Cora the heiress, who has never
worked a day in her life, has become an impressive and effective caretaker. A
fact that causes Isobel to lose her mind. After being pushed more and more out
of any authority position, it all results in Isobel telling on Cora to the
principal, Dr Clarkson. Issuing an ultimatum, her way or the highway,
everybody else chooses the highway. So Isobel, the ever caring humanitarian, storms
off in a huff to a place where her help would be appreciated. I’m sure Cora and
Violet were heartbroken. Though, someone might want to have warned France.
Too Much Time on my
Hands by Styx
Isobel leaving to single handily stop the war left her
staff, Mr Moseley and Mrs Bird (Christine Lohr, last seen chumming it up with
Mrs Patmore before the war,) with an empty house and nothing to do. For people
whose entire lives were about serving others, this was the darkest timeline.
Since reorganising can get old after a while, both Crawley
house servants were looking for an outlet. Mrs Birds came in the form of an
injured farmer, who wandered into their house looking for food. Earlier in the
season we had seen the consequences of the men leaving for battle and now we are
shown the aftermath when they return. Former soldiers, who were poor before
they left, are now out of work and forced to beg for food.
Having discovered a treasure trove of hospitality, the
farmer does what any could guest would do, he tells a few dozen of his closest
friends. And so the super special secret soup kitchen is born. Well, sort of
secret, by the fact that Daisy and Mrs Patmore walked two metres into town and
saw what was happening and joined in. Since forcing Daisy into marriage is clearly
not enough to help the war effort, Mrs Patmore starts syphoning food off the
government, an act that sets of O’Brien’s spider senses. After a fact finding
mission, in which she literally goes into town and glares at the building,
reports all that she glared to her lady in chief.
But like all villains, O’Brien is put into her place by the increasingly,
wonderful Cora, instead of shutting down the venture, gets in and helps out
after ordering that they start using
Downton’s own food supply instead.
Lonely Boy by the
Black Keys
While Mrs Bird is feeding the poor, Mr Moseley is trying to
feed his ambition. With nothing but time Mr Moseley, volunteers his services at
Downton Manor. You can see the great
pride he has in his work and the unbridled joy he has about the fact he may
have the opportunity to be valet to Lord Grantham. But like everything else, it
is not to be. Was there anything more heartbreaking, then when poor Mr Moseley,
ran into the kitchen all excited to find everyone welcoming Mr Bates back. The
he took his shoe horn. Poor Mr Moseley, I really hope he gets a love interest
next season.
You’re My Best Friend by Queen
But I couldn’t stay sad for long ladies and gentlemen
because, BATES IS BACK. All right control yourself people. We witnessed the continuation
of a great Bromance this episode. Like all relationships, it’s had its ups and
downs, but they always find their way back. From Robert accepting the blame for
their fight and confiding in Bates how he was coping, you could see that they
had definitely broken through the great divide between employer and friend. Sorry
dust in my eye. Let’s move on.
Secret Love by Doris
Day
Oh Ethel. When I went to high school we had a program called
Choices, Decisions and Outcomes. Ethel may just have benefited from a class or
two. The moment you saw her flirting with Major Bryant, the pregnancy warning
lights flashed all around them, but I don’t think she could see them over his moustache.
Grenade by Bruno Mars
Lady Violet, the magical lady she is (it was the time at
Hogwarts) suddenly got the notion that Sybill must have a secret beau, despite
the fact that no one has mentioned anything of the sort before. It wasn’t long
after she shared this theory that Mary spotted Sybil and Branson in a heated
conversation, the kind that was probably more than watch the potholes.
Branson is clearly a smitten kitten, but I am finding his
approach off putting. There’s no romance, he just gets very forceful in his declarations
and barks at her than she must be in love with him. Just because the over the
top intense thing worked for Edward Cullen, that is no reason to use him as a
role model.
Where’d you Go – Fort
Minor
And now to the main percussion piece of the episode,
maestro.
After going on patrol, just because, Matthew and William mysteriously
disappear from the front. I’m not sure what was scarier about the situation,
the fact that they were missing or that fact that people just disappeared all
the time and turned up in random locations.
When Robert discovered that once again, he may have lost an
heir, in the first scene I can remember him sharing with just Edith, the
heartache was written all over his face. Hugh Bonneville was on fire this
episode, portraying a man trying to maintain his composure but opening himself
up and letting out the pain and grief little by little. He wins all the prizes.
Or he can at least share them Michelle Dockery, whose
heartache over the possibility of having lost William and the rapid joy at his
return and happiness as he joined in the song then sadness knowing that she
does not really have him back anyway, was beautiful.
Congratulations Downton Abbey creators, you played my heart
strings like a profession musician.
So what did you think? What do you think will happen once
Mrs Bates returns? What songs would you have the cast of Downton sing if this
was a musical? Will the thoughts of losing Matthew forever drive Mary to
confess her feelings? What else does Violet know that she’s not telling us? Do you remember when glee was good? Do you
miss it too?
Well, the song must end eventually until next episode my
friends, you can’t stop the beat.
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