Arts: Downton Abbey, Season 2

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Tv Club Downton Abbey, Season 2 Mary and the Dowager Countess have an unsatisfying heart-to-heart. By June Thomas Posted Monday, Jan 23, 2012, at 09:48 PM ET Abbevillians, What did you chaps make of the conversation between Lady Mary and her grandmother? We haven't talked much about Violet in our little chats—Dame Maggie Smith is so magnificent, it's hard to know what to say beyond, "Isn't she awesome?" and "Can you believe she said that?" The Dowager Countess is often used for comic effect—since she represents the old ways in their purest form, and, I think, acts as a proxy for Julian Fellowes' view of the world, she tends to get the best lines. Mary and Violet's chats are usually smart, tart, and great fun, but this week's discussion of Mary's future with Sir Richard Carlisle was rather dispiriting. When Violet suggests that Richard's treatment of Lavinia was harsh—he got her to tattle on her uncle (more snitching!) in exchange for Carlisle settling her father's debts—Mary defends him by saying that "he lives in a tough world." It's a world that Violet doesn't want her granddaughter to join him in. Mary sticks up for Carlisle by citing his power and his ever-increasing wealth—traits that normally appeal to Violet. But when Mary tells her grandmother about his plans to buy a country estate after the war when the market will be flooded, Violet is appalled. "You can dance on the grave of a fallen family," she spits. Mary's response is a perfect encapsulation of her "I didn't make the rules, I ... 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 Romney Feels Floridians' Foreclosure Pain: It's Not Their Fault! The King's Comeuppance: How the Hottest Ad Agency of the Aughts Fell From Grace Ravens Kicker After Botched Attempt: "Don't Worry About Me Jumping off a Ledge"	Advertisement
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