Tell me if I'm caught up on Downton Abbey!

[dbskyler]

PBS just finished airing Downton Abbey's "season 3" here, and I don't know if the last episode they showed is the latest episode shown in the UK or not. So, before I venture out into the internet to read reaction posts, can some kind soul tell me if I'm fully caught up?

Here's what just happened:



The Crawleys went to Scotland, Mary came back early and had her baby, Matthew saw the baby, and then they killed him off. Matthew, that is, not the baby. Although characters are dropping like flies, so who knows what's next? Well, perhaps you do, which is part of the point of my asking in the first place. *g* Anyway, am I caught up, or have further episodes been shown in the UK?



Thanks for any help!

Comments

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Yes, that was the "lovely" Christmas Special they gave us. Barstewards!

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a depressing episode to see on Christmas!

PBS survives on "pledge drives," where they ask people to call in and pledge money to support the station. A friend just sent me this link to a Downton Abbey-related cartoon:

http://pinterest.com/pin/120330621266019960/

[persiflage-1.livejournal.com]

Haha! Very apt!

Yeah, DA's Xmas episode was too much like a Xmas episode of Eastenders, where they always kill off someone... God knows why. Who the hell wants to be reminded of death at Xmas?

[thisbluespirit]

You're ahead of me! I didn't get to watch the Christmas Special, which is annoying. I'm sure ITV3'll show it again in the run up to S4.

(And re. Matthew I don't think it was specifically for the doom at Christmas thing the soaps inevitably go for - Dan Stevens wanted to leave, so it was either that or a break-up, which I can't see being anything other than OOC, so... *shrugs*)

You're safe, though. Go wild with the reaction posts - although my impression seems to be that nobody likes it much any more. I do, though. ;-)

[lolmac]

See my comment below. And Missy and I are still very much in love with Ultimate Costume Porn DA, so there.

[thisbluespirit]

:-D

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

You can watch it at PBS' website through the end of the month if you don't want to wait for ITV: http://video.pbs.org/video/2335534842

That is, assuming it's not region-locked. But I don't know of any way to tell except for trying.

It's getting less popular in the UK? Everybody still loves it here.

[thisbluespirit]

Thanks! :-) I am 100% sure without even looking though that it will be region locked! But I'm not good at watching TV on my PC - don't worry, ITV3 are bound to repeat it some time and I'll catch it.

Oh, I think it's still as popular here - I meant, reaction posts on LJ and such places seem to have been mostly disappointed with stuff.

[lolmac]

As others have said, you're caught up.

The backstage details: the cast had all signed 3-year contracts. Obviously, this was standard procedure and also pie in the sky, since a complex soap-opera-esque period drama with multiple snarly plotlines and not much sex would NEVER last more than one season, right? Two at the most?

So, yeah. Insanely successful runaway hit, major sponsor dived in to support production costs, and the formerly unknown actors are now international celebrities in high demand.

Both Sybil and Matthew were written out because the actors had gotten really, REALLY great offers requiring long-term commitments that didn't leave room for Downton filming. The initial contracts completed, and it was time to re-sign or leave, so . . . Dan Stevens' was an offer for a US TV series, and apparently it was so good that the DA producers literally told him to accept. Within the UK (I'm told), the TV and film and stage segments are able to work together and share actors, but this doesn't work too well overseas.

And, of course, the only way to write the character out was to kill him, because nothing else would be in character, gack.

[dbskyler.livejournal.com]

Sybil was written out because the actress wanted to leave? That makes me feel better. I had thought they were going for "Little Women" -- "let's kill off the nicest sister!"

I successfully avoided spoilers before the episode aired, but one of the first things I read afterwards explained about Dan Stevens. But it didn't say what he's doing next. He's coming here to do a TV series? Any ideas on which one?

[lolmac]

I'm afraid I have no idea about the series -- Missy saw it online somewhere. It might not even be accurate, or it might be something that's being kept under wraps. He's certainly in high demand -- he's currently starring on Broadway.