Arts: Downton Abbey, Season 2

Now playing: Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V at www.slatev.com.
Tv Club Downton Abbey, Season 2 Why on earth is Matthew Crawley going off to war? By June Thomas Posted Monday, Jan 09, 2012, at 09:15 PM ET Gents, I'm fascinated by your takes on Mr. Bates. Seth, you say he "almost seems to enjoy the martyr role, savoring his punishments." I think I understand why he takes his licks so stoically. He's a manservant with a physical disability and a criminal record—he already has two strikes against him. Or as they might say in Britain, they've brought in the slips, and there's a good pair of hands at silly mid on. Dan, you call him "too good a man for his milieu." Eh, I'm not impressed by his treatment of Anna. As commenter Rikki points out in response to an earlier entry in this discussion, "He's not just sacrificing his own happiness for the sake of the Grantham family reputation, he's sacrificing Anna's too, when clearly she should take priority in his loyalties." I hope he hasn't really abandoned Anna and that he's got something up his perfectly turned-up sleeve, because for reasons I don't completely understand, the young and lovely head housemaid is all-in on the older, slightly shop-soiled valet. He would surely never give up her love for a bunch of toffs. (I understand that he wants to keep her reputation and employability intact, but it sounds like what happened with the Turkish gentleman is already the talk of every servants' hall north of Watford.) Speaking of excessive sacrifices, I know that this is the opposite of a) what the show wants us ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate New Hampshire Debate: Gingrich Attacks Romney for His "Pious Baloney" The New CBS Morning Show Goes After the Adult Contemporary Crowd Chris Christie Responds to Female Hecklers With Lame, Offensive Oral Sex Joke at Romney Rally	Advertisement
Manage your newsletters subscription: Unsubscribe | Forward to a Friend | Advertising Information
Ideas on how to make something better? Send an e-mail to slatenewsletter@nl.slate.com. Copyright 2011 The Slate Group | Privacy Policy The Slate Group | c/o E-mail Customer Care | 1350 Connecticut Ave NW Suite 410 | Washington, D.C. 20036