Downton Abbey Returns!

A new year, a new beginning. And, you know what that means, right?

Today is Downton Abbey Friday, and we’re just two days away from the debut of Season Three!

Matthew and Lady Mary. Engaged at last!

Matthew and Lady Mary. Engaged at last!

Yes, America’s favorite Brit show returns this Sunday on PBSMasterpiece.

News flash: In Great Britain, it has already aired. Warning: If you are one of those who has already seen it, not a word!  Please do not give anything away.

Or else!

Downton Abbey has legions of fans across the world, including me, of course. Meditating Mummy, one of my blogger pals, is also a major fan and is joining me today in writing about it. (Be sure to check out her post, too!)

The series is set in the early part of the twentieth century, and has everything—love, betrayal, deceit, murder, budding romances, a miscarriage, a secret rendezvous or two, plot twists galore, and one dowager countess who is a hoot.

I can’t wait to discover what my favorite characters, the Crawley’s and their household staff, have been up to.  When we last left off, the Great War had ended, Mr. Bates had been found guilty, and Lady Mary and Matthew had declared their undying love for one another in an engagement that was truly enchanting and magical in the beautiful glow of an evening’s gentle snowfall.

Though, I did wonder, couldn’t someone have given Mary an overcoat, for crying out loud? It was snowing for Pete’s sake, and there she was wearing nothing but a skimpy gown, albeit a gorgeous one. Very romantic, indeed, but come on! Let’s be practical, shall we?

Mr. Bates incarcerated for the murder of his first wife. Did he do it?

Mr. Bates incarcerated for the murder of his first wife. Did he do it?

Anyway, to me, Downton Abbey is a treasure of a show, wrapped in golden shimmery paper and brightly colored satin ribbons, with everything coming together rather nicely. I’m not just talking about the acting, the writing, the cinematography, the extraordinary costumes and the breathtaking castle that the Crawley family calls home.  I’m also talking about the props. Even if the characters said nothing and simply stared at each other, I’d still enjoy it for the details. It’s fascinating to see how the other half—and the other half downstairs—lived. Cheeky stuff!

Of course, Downton Abbey is all about relationships. There’s Lady Mary and Matthew, and Lady Sybil and Branson, the chauffer. Also, Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, and his American heiress wife, Cora, played by Elizabeth McGovern (remember her in the film, Ragtime? She was amazing!) Then there’s Lady Edith, who can be persistently annoying and a tad too desperate.

Downstairs there’s Mr. Bates, an honorable man found guilty of killing his wife, and Anna who is so loyal to him I believe she’d do just about anything should he ask. My favorite downstairs couple aren’t a couple at all, but they’re viciously conniving and just bad eggs. I’m talking about Thomas and O’Brien who have been the cause of many a conundrum. However, I do enjoy the relationship between Mr. Carson, the butler, and Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper, as well as the rapport between Mrs. Patmore, the cook, and Daisy, the poor, downtrodden scullery maid.

I would be remiss not to mention my hands-down favorite character: The Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by Maggie Smith, who is brilliantly witty and marvelous in this role. She has many memorable lines, but here but two that I liked so much, I had to write them down:

The Dowager and her granddaughter, Lady Mary.

The Dowager and her granddaughter, Lady Mary.

The Dowager, after learning that her granddaughter is upset over the death of a guest with whom she had a rendezvous:  Why? She doesnt know him. One cant go to pieces at the death of every foreigner. Wed all be in a state of collapse every time we read the newspaper.

 The Dowager, after the estate has been converted into a hospital for the wounded during the Great War:  Its like living in a second rate motel where the guests keep arriving and no one seems to leave.

In honor of the series return–and the fact that it’s Downton Abbey Friday–I share with you a Q&A held last month with some of the cast during a visit to New York:

So watch, dear ones, if for no other reason than you never quite know what’s going to happen next and what the Dowager is going to say!  Oh, and be sure to check out Meditating Mummy’s take on the series, too!

The Race 2012 Blogging Project Begins

Race was an issue during the Civil Rights era. Is it still an issue today?

If you ask me, with 40 days left to the election, the best reality show around just kicked it up a notch.

I’m talking, of course, about the 2012 run for the presidency. I mean, just think about it. There’s enough drama here—machinations,  angst, he said/he said accusations, secret tapes, backstabbing, blunders, greed, politicos being thrown under the bus, backroom meetings, not to mention out-and-out brawls—to spice up at least a dozen reality shows.

And, while everyone’s wondering who’ll end up with the rose, or be thrown off the island–there can only be one president, after all–the real question to consider, is:

Is race a factor in this year’s election?

On the surface, this may seem like a yes or no question, but, really, it’s one that begs an explanation. Closer examination, if you will. And the answer, no doubt, will be influenced by your race, your religion or lack thereof, your class, and other key markers that make you, well, you.

For, these factors form the prism through which you see the world, including politics. And, there is no one way to answer this question. There are countless ways.

I have voted in nine presidential elections. This upcoming one will be my tenth. And, while the question of race didn’t really occur to me the first eight times I voted, I started thinking about it in the 2008 election when, for the first time, we had an African-American presidential candidate running for office. And, it’s an issue that continues to pervade my thoughts today.

Which is why, I’m pleased to launch the Race 2012 blogging project.  From now through the election season, Race 2012 bloggers will be posting about this very subject. And, all the views conveyed in their posts are, most definitely and unequivocally, their own. But, they’ll be speaking from the heart and sharing their personal feelings about race and the election.

Some of the bloggers have already posted, and I am including links to their posts on the new Race 2012 page, which I’ve set up right here on this site.  Please visit the page and keep coming back to check for updates.  I encourage you to read these posts and then add your own comment, for we want you to be part of the  conversation.

If you’re interested in blogging with our team, just let me know and I’ll send you some information.

The Race 2012 blogging project is conducted in conjunction with a new PBS documentary, Race 2012: A Conversation About Race & Politics in America. This one-hour election special, which airs Tuesday, October 16 (please check your local listings), uses the presidential election as a lens through which to examine America’s increasingly complex racial landscape.

Race 2012 navigates the high-stakes world of racial pollsters, strategists, spin doctors and candidates as they compete for voters of many ethnic and racial groups. The election will serve as an important indicator of the role race will play in our nation’s political future. How will today’s immigrants shape our electoral landscape? What effect will the economic differences have on America’s political future? Race 2012 offers a fresh view of the shifts that are transforming our nation.

I, for one, am looking forward to having a thought-provoking exchange of ideas and beliefs. And, who knows? Maybe, together, we can get to the bottom of this, and thus solve all our economic and social problems in one fell swoop.

Too much to hope for? Perhaps. But, keeping the conversation going is a good place to start. Your thoughts?