DOWNTON ABBEY {SEASON 2, EPISODE 1} {SECOND SEASON PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The second season premiere in this dramatic British series about the aristocrats and servants who dwell at the Downton Abbey estate in post-Edwardian Yorkshire.
In this episode, set in 1916, Matthew braves the battlefield at the Somme and prepares for the experience of a brief leave from the army back to the "real world." Anna trains new maid Ethel, and Robert is thrilled to receive a request to "reenter" the army as Colonel of the North Riding Volunteers. Tom nervously teaches Edith to drive as William frets about his father's refusal to let him enlist, and Anna privately worries about Mr. Bates, still in London attending to his late mother's affairs, as Mr. Carson scrambles to keep the house up to its usual "standards" despite the chaos of war. Isobel tells Cora and Robert that Matthew will soon arrive at Downton for a concert benefiting the war effort – and will bring along his new fiancée, Lavinia Swire. She worries that Mary will take offense, but Robert assures her that the engagement marks a "new beginning" for the family. Sybil, mourning the death of a friend in the war, resolves to do "real work" to help the effort and accepts Isobel's suggestion of training as an auxiliary nurse – overheard by Miss O'Brien.
The other servants grow exasperated with Ethel's lofty dreams of her theoretical post-service life, and when Cora expresses her fears for Sybil's safety, Violet uncharacteristically sides with Isobel and agrees that she too must "do her bid." Mr. Molesley admits that he has been deemed "not fit for service," and Mrs. Patmore agrees to give Sybil some basic cooking tips to prepare for her nursing work. Mary, returning to Downton alongside Mr. Bates, feigns disinterest in Matthew's engagement and hints that she has met a new potential suitor, Sir Richard Carlisle, though she reveals her true heartbreak in front of Anna. Matthew arrives for the concert and introduces the sweet-tempered Lavinia, though Mr. Carson, ever-loyal to Mary, privately shares his disapproval of the future countess. During the concert, two women bearing symbolic white feathers scornfully deem both William and Tom to be cowards, though Robert angrily defends his employees. Mr. Bates tells Anna that Vera will likely grant him a divorce now that he can pay her off with his considerable inheritance from his mother, and she is overjoyed when he formally proposes to her at long last.
Matthew cannot bring himself to share the horrors of war with Mary, and Mr. Carson is frustrated when Miss O'Brien plays various tricks on Ethel to communicate her disdain. Dr. Clarkson, worried about the lack of available space for wounded soldiers, reveals to Isobel that Violet secretly wrote to the war office to ensure both Mr. Molesley's and William's exemption from service. Mr. Bates and Anna happily discuss their idyllic future, and as Matthew departs for the front, he expresses his relief at having made peace with Mary, who then gives him her "lucky charm." Mr. Carson tells Cora the news about Sybil's cooking lessons, though Cora is touched at her daughter's determination to help others and does not interfere. Vera unexpectedly arrives at Downton, and Mr. Bates is furious when, far from agreeing to a divorce, she demands that he resign immediately and return to London with her as her husband, threatening to ruin the Crawleys – and Anna – by telling the newspapers about the scandalous circumstances of Kemal Pamuk's death.
Robert is incensed when Mr. Bates abruptly quits, though Anna correctly guesses that he is doing so for some secret "gallant" reason. Distraught, Mr. Bates tells her to "forget him" and departs. Daisy tries to cheer up a downtrodden William with a kiss, though she is taken aback when he begs her to "be his girl." When Isobel confronts her, Violet is unapologetic about her attempts to spare Mr. Molesley and William's families from the pain of their potential harm in the war. Dr. Clarkson, however, agrees that there can be no "special cases" and resolves to write to the war office about both men. Mrs. Hughes, having overheard the Bateses' angry conversation, tells Mr. Carson the truth about the valet's sudden departure; Tom again declares his deep love for Sybil as she heads off to York for her two-month training course, though she doesn't quite return the sentiment. Elsewhere, Thomas finds the medical corps to be far more traumatic than he expected, and Mr. Molesley awkwardly tells Dr. Clarkson about his apparently genuine medical condition, prompting Dr. Clarkson to agree not to revoke his exemption.
Robert, attending an officers' dinner, is embarrassed to learn that his new title is merely an "honorary position" with no real duties, and Mr. Carson uncomfortably tells Robert that Mr. Bates in fact "fell on his sword" in order to protect the family's reputation, though declines to reveal exactly what information Vera threatened to expose. Ethel, upset to realize how much she is disliked by the other servants, is comforted by a heartbroken Anna; Edith is surprised to catch Mary in the act of praying for Matthew's safety. Matthew encounters Thomas in the trenches, and the two discuss their experiences and the prospect of ever returning to Downton. Seeing no other way out, a frightened Thomas intentionally raises his lighter above the trench and is immediately shot in the hand, thus ensuring his dismissal from the military.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 136669
- GENRE: Drama, historical
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, historical; Families; England; World War I; Great Britain - Upper classes
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV series, 2011-2016
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Gareth Neame … Executive Producer
- Rebecca Eaton … Executive Producer
- Julian Fellowes … Executive Producer, Created by, Writer
- Liz Trubridge … Producer
- Charles Hubbard … Line Producer
- Ashley Pearce … Director
- Laura Linney … Host
- John Lunn … Music by
- Man Made Music … Theme Music by
- Hugh Bonneville … Cast, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham
- Jessica Brown Findlay … Cast, Lady Sybil Crawley
- Laura Carmichael … Cast, Lady Edith Crawley
- Jim Carter … Cast, Mr. Charles Carson
- Brendan Coyle … Cast, John Bates
- Michelle Dockery … Cast, Lady Mary Crawley
- Siobhan Finneran … Cast, Sarah O'Brien
- Joanne Froggatt … Cast, Anna Smith
- Thomas Howes … Cast, William Mason
- Rob James-Collier … Cast, Thomas Barrow
- Phyllis Logan … Cast, Mrs. Elsie Hughes
- Elizabeth McGovern … Cast, Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham
- Sophie McShera … Cast, Daisy Mason
- Lesley Nicol … Cast, Mrs. Bethel Patmore
- Amy Nuttall … Cast, Ethel Parks
- Maggie Smith … Cast, Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham
- Dan Stevens … Cast, Matthew Crawley
- Penelope Wilton … Cast, Isobel Crawley
- Zoe Boyle … Cast, Lavinia Swire
- Danny Burns … Cast, Stretcher Bearer
- Gwendolen Chatfield … Cast, White Feather Girl
- Rosie Jones … Cast, White Feather Girl
- Jeremy Clyde … Cast, General
- Kevin Doyle … Cast, Joseph Molesley
- Maria Doyle Kennedy … Cast, Vera Bates
- Richard Hansell … Cast, Medical Officer
- Allen Leech … Cast, Tom Branson
- Peter McNeil O'Connor … Cast, Sergeant Stevens
- David Robb … Cast, Dr. Richard Clarkson
- Stephen Ventura … Cast, First Batman Davis