DOWNTON ABBEY Getting Over Grief

Article first published as DOWNTON ABBEY Review at Seat42F.

The British series DOWNTON ABBEY returns to PBS this week with the first two hours of its fourth season. It’s been six months since the events of last year’s finale, and while life has gone on for much of the household, there are a couple of individuals finding it hard to get past their sorrow. This is the focus of much of the first couple of installments, though likely won’t dominate the year.

DOWNTON ABBEY is the kind of series that takes a long time to make changes. Characters and plots do grow, but the development is slow, over the course of many episodes or even seasons, rather than immediate. That means that the latest episodes feel more like a continuation of the same familiar tale than the start of anything new.

Many fans have been waiting most anxiously to find out how Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is doing. Having lost her husband, Matthew, in the season three finale, as one might expect, Mary is anything but adjusted in season four. She is numb with grief, not having dealt with her feelings yet, even though a good amount of time has passed. This leaves her unable to function much at all.

Those who surround Mary are divided over how to treat her. Her father, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), thinks she should be protected from the world, shut away until she is ready to come out. Brother-in-law Tom (Allen Leech) and grandmother Violet (Maggie Smith) think quite the opposite, believing that putting Mary to work will draw her out of her cocoon. A few others get the chance to put in their opinions before this is resolved.

The question raised here is not necessarily the best way to move on from sadness, but what is right for the individual in question. While Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton), the departed’s mother, is also lost at first, the way Mary and Isobel come out of it, similar as it may be, definitely relates to their personalities. Grief is a deep emotion, tricky to navigate, and DOWNTON ABBEY does a fair job working through these situations, keeping them interesting and authentic to the characters.

Although Matthew is dead, he still instigates one more development, which makes quite a bit of impact late in the two hours. It’s not something hokey or contrived, really, but rather a natural story point for the established characters. Without spoiling anything, I will say the person most affected is Mary, and fans of the couple should be quite pleased. It also moves the story along in a direction that should be seen coming, but feels a bit surprising, in a good way. I look forward to see where it goes from there.

Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), Mary’s sister, also faces some change in her life. Hers is a bit more predictable, but still, it’s nice to see plot for an interesting character.

The servants’ side of things is no less served. Mr. Molesley (Kevin Doyle) finds himself out of work now that Matthew is deceased, cards from secret admirers shake up the house (which leads to an incredibly sweet scene that I didn’t see coming), someone who rejected a potential romantic partner may be changing their mind, a new appliance is added to the kitchen, and a figure from Mr. Carson’s (Jim Carter) past reaches out. All of these are fun and compelling stories that keep the same spirit fans of the show love. It also helps balance out the more depressing stuff, making for a nice flow and tone.

Of course, not everyone sticks around forever. As had been widely reported last summer, Mrs. O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran) is out, a fact dealt with very early on. But, in keeping with DOWNTON ABBEY’s propensity to bring back familiar faces, even those who seemed to be brief stories that already ran their course, O’Brien’s replacement is someone we’ve seen before. And she’s not the only one from earlier seasons whose name pops up again.

I don’t completely like the method of O’Brien’s departure as I’m not completely sure it’s in keeping with who she is. O’Brien is known to be extremely loyal to Cora (Elizabeth McGovern), ever since that incident a few years back. Yes, O’Brien doesn’t always feel appreciated (because she isn’t), and her leaving is telegraphed last season, but it still seems just a little off. Hopefully this will be resolved with a future appearance, as the story leaves the door open for a return, at least in a guest starring capacity.

Besides O’Brien’s successor, another new staff member is present at the start of the season. Nanny West (Di Botcher, Stella) is charged with taking care of Mary’s son and Tom’s daughter. I won’t say you’ll like Nanny West, but I definitely found her subplot entertaining.

And Cousin Rose (Lily James) is now part of the central cast. She gets into trouble, of course, and as the young rebel in the house, will probably be a driving force behind story this season.

DOWNTON ABBEY is a memorable drama series that I look forward to. Judging by these first two hours, that won’t be changing anytime soon.

Lost Empires found on DVD

     Lost Empires is a six-time BAFTA award-nominated 1986 Masterpiece Theatre mini-series with a new DVD release. Based on a novel by J.B. Priestly, Lost Empires begins just before World War I in England, and follows Richard Herncastle (Colin Firth, The King's Speech) as he longs to see the world and become a famous painter. To accomplish this goal, he joins a group of travelling performers led by his vaguely sinister magician uncle Nick (John Castle, I, Claudius). Richard not only gets to see a great deal from back stage, but also meets a number of women who spark his interest. This doesn't fully satisfy his desires, but it gives him an experience that he will never forget, and that will shape his life forever.

     It comes as no surprise that Firth is excellent, given his pedigree, and the many well-respected roles he will go on to play after this one. Castle holds his own nicely, his character serving as quite the influence on the naive young Richard, and with an air of magic about him onstage and off. There are several great supporting players populating the cast, like Jim Carter (Downton Abbey, Cranford) and Pamela Stephenson (Ryan, Saturday Night Live).

     Also in the series is the legendary Laurence Olivier (Spartacus, Hamlet, Sleuth) as an aging comedian well past his prime who just will not retire, despite a declining mental condition. Olivier's character may have lost his edge, but the thespian sure has not. Fans of Olivier will want to see this, one of the last performances he ever gave. He's not in as much of the show as one might like, but his presence certainly elevates the production, and he commands the screen whenever he is on it.

     It's a good thing there are such excellent actors involved, as the overall arc does tend to drag a bit in the middle. Clocking in at around eight hours, Lost Empires may be a fitting adaptation to the book, but could use a little bit of work on the pacing. However, with the mostly high quality of the series, it's easy to forgive a little bit of slowness.

     Lost Empires is sad because it is not only about what Richard finds, but what he doesn't. It's also about a great loss in the world, as the old gives way to the shiny and new, not always an improvement. Sometimes this cannot be controlled by individuals, something Richard will realize. There is a melancholy tone to the piece, which is moving in of itself. The story is told from an older perspective, with Richard looking back at the events in wistful retrospect, lending a weight to what has happened.

     Sadly, Lost Empires has no special features. This three-disc set merely contains the seven episodes in 4:3 full screen, appropriate for an older show. But it would be nice to have heard what Firth thought about working with Olivier, or how the book was adapted into this television event. None of that is present, nor are any commentaries or deleted scenes. Whether this is because there was little material to draw from, or no funding or interest for new bits, is unclear.

      Lost Empires is available now from Acorn Media.

     Click here to order Lost Empires on DVD.

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Article first published as DVD Review: Lost Empires on Blogcritics.