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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Small Screen Scenes: Downton Abbey Season Two Episode Nine- Christmas 1919 Highly Recommended by Whom You Know Available Now From PBS Distribution We Absolutely Cannot Wait for Season Three!!! WHOM YOU KNOW CELEBRATES OUR 100th POST ON TELEVISION WITH DOWNTON ABBEY!

The only good thing about Peachy being sick last winter was that it forced her to sit still long enough to watch tv, and that is how she discovered Downton Abbey.  She hasn't been the same since: she is a complete addict now and as we now reach the last episode available for review right this moment, you will all have to bear with her as she experiences withdrawal symptoms that will exist until Season Three is released.

The word finale does not do justice to this episode, which is similar to eating about ten stellar desserts in a row, but even better as it has no calories.  It is just as good as discovering a shoe sale featuring your favorite designer.  It begins with a Christmas tree carted in, being decorated by both the family and the servants, while one close waits on trial for his life. A visit from the aunt in London complete with her maid too, and we're all settled in for a riveting episode.  Edith we like your green dress to start with!

Previously, Whom You Know Highly Recommended Downton Abbey Season Two Episode One: 



& Season Two Episode Two:



& Season Two Episode Three:




And Season One Blew Us Away: 

Watch them all, in order! 


With the exchange of Christmas presents of course comes entertaining comments that are evoked when opening presents: "What is it? Something for getting stains out of horses hooves?" And honestly what would be more fun than THE GAME? 
A sense of humor is essential in life; life is a game in which the player must appear ridiculous.  

Career advancement for some, babies for others and much more await you in this final episode.  




The hunt makes you want to go on one-do you think Lady Mary and her entourage can come and do one in Central Park-be sure to bring your loader.  What do you think is worse?  The sorrow when you hit the bird or the shame when you miss it?  The sorrow is far greater in the court room, regardless.  Telegrams were quite the thing-but what news will they bring?  

We know you'll want a kiss to take with you until Season Three....poor Bates.





New Year's Eve brings scandal and glory and everything inbetween including a terrific brawl-we had rather hoped a hockey game would break out.  1920-is it to be believed?!  

Do Spirits play board games?
Would you give up on someone that called you lovely?
What's the hurry in setting a date?
What element is the Earl of Grantham overlooking?
What's the recipe for a lifetime of misery?
Who is the Dowager Countess visiting in a bedroom before dinner?
And how does it end?
You'll have to watch.  We pity whoever hasn't seen it.

Whom You Know Highly Recommends Downton Abbey Season Two Episode Nine Christmas 1919! 



Join our Facebook group, Downton Abbey is PEACHY


Get your own copy, and start watching: 



*** 


Christmas, 1919

Christmas reunites most of the Grantham family as Rosamund, her gossipy maid Shore in tow, arrives eager to introduce her new suitor to the family. But neither the Granthams nor the servants can escape into the season's merriment when they are forced to turn against one of their own. Not even games can pierce the gloom surrounding Downton, where downstairs the servants are desperate for guidance. Thomas and O'Brien are up to their old tricks, Daisy tries to make sense of her future, and Anna holds tight to endure the present.

Robert hopes that the annual New Years Shooting Party will lift everyone's spirits, but an ill-tempered Richard resets his sights on a familiar target. His petulant and brutish efforts to dominate Mary do not go unnoticed. But with his threat hanging over her head, Mary must choose between two kinds of ruin.


Warning: Contains significant plot spoilers

An enormous Christmas tree sparkles as the Crawleys present gifts to the servants. But in spite of the season's merriment, Anna is distressed, as Bates spends Christmas alone in his prison cell, awaiting the trial that will either prove him innocent of Vera's murder or sentence him to death. Matthew, still grieving, faces the grim prospect of Lavinia's father's death; he is heading to London to be with the dying man. Rosamund arrives from London, her new maid Shore in tow, and requests that her new suitor, Lord Hepworth, join them for New Year's Eve. Violet knew his father and welcomes the idea. Downstairs among the servants, Shore brashly tries to gossip about Bates and receives a chilled response. Anna makes a solemn visit to Bates who gently urges her to prepare for the worst.

On New Year's Eve, a letter arrives from Sybil, who is now married to Branson and residing in Dublin. Cora is delighted to learn from the letter that Sybil is pregnant, but Robert reveals that his blessing was a reserved one. Only Mary and Edith attended Sybil's Dublin wedding, and he is unhappy at the thought of becoming grandfather to Branson's child. Lord Hepworth arrives, greeted warmly by Violet, who seems quite interested in the charming gentleman. Anna spots Hepworth and Shore in furtive conversation. Meanwhile, with BatesÕs absence, Thomas sees opportunity — or rather, opportunity lost: He knows that because of his theft, Robert would never trust him as valet. But O'Brien suggests that Thomas find and return something that the Earl loves to earn back his trust and esteem.

The New Year begins with a shooting party. Matthew, observing the wear that Carlisle is inflicting on Mary's nerves, fabricates a commitment from Mary that she would accompany him on the first leg of the shoot. She is grateful to be rescued from Carlisle's bitter company and confesses that he is irritating her. But when Matthew asks if she still plans to marry him, she answers "Of course." When they rejoin Carlisle, he berates Mary for her friendship with Matthew, raging until Matthew interrupts.

When Mr. Mason visits, welcoming Daisy to spend time with him at the farm, she is distressed, yearning to tell him her true, mixed feelings about William. But when she takes him up on his offer, he invites her to be a daughter to him and she blossoms in his fatherly affection, taking his advice about talking to Mrs. Patmore and, as a result, securing a promotion in the house.

Hepworth visits Violet and she forces him to admit that he has lost his fortune and most of his properties. He assures Violet that his feelings for Rosamund are true. Nevertheless, Violet insists that he come clean to Rosamund about his finances. But as he breaks his news to Rosamund, Carlisle berates Mary for moving slowly in setting a wedding date. Witnessing Carlisle's bullying threat so upsets Matthew that he follows Mary out of the room to urge her not to marry him. He assures her that she will always have a place at Downton; why must she marry Carlisle? Mary answers that he would despise her if she told him why. They are interrupted and cannot continue their conversation. But Robert, having witnessed Carlisle's antagonistic treatment of his daughter, asks Cora why on earth Mary would agree to marry him. Finally, Cora tells Robert everything about Mary's scandalous night with the late Turkish diplomat, Kemal Pamuk.

The lawyer Murray prepares Robert, Mrs. Hughes and O'Brien to testify at Bates's trial. They are nervous at having been called by the prosecution, and their fears bear out, as with great unease and regret, they are forced to tell the truth about Bates's statements. His words, in this context, indict him, and to everyone's shock, Bates is pronounced guilty and sentenced to death. While Matthew reassures a horrified Anna that they will attempt to commute the sentence and keep him alive while they work to prove his innocence, Murray admits that they don't have a strong chance of succeeding. Anna visits Bates who, with calm dignity, asks her to forgive those who testified against him, even O'Brien. Anna submits her resignation, not wanting to bring scandal on the house.

In a frank conversation with Mary, Robert encourages her to break it off with Carlisle and suggests that she go to her grandmother in America until the scandal dies down. Buffered by his support, she begins making plans for departure. Anna asks to accompany Mary to America if her worst fears come true, and Mary wholeheartedly accepts.

The gloom over the house deepens as Robert's beloved dog Isis is discovered missing. Thomas had staged her disappearance so that he could "find" her and earn Robert's favor. A search party ensues, and walking back together, Matthew presses Mary to tell him why she is sure he would despise her. Knowing that her secret will soon be common knowledge, she tells him all. He is shocked, but supportive, and urges her not to marry Carlisle.

But Thomas bungled the scheme — the dog escaped from confinement and was returned to Downton by someone else. Only the disheveled sight of his pompous footman earnestly searching for his master's dog prompts Robert to give Thomas another chance. And so fortunes turn. Matthew can stand Carlisle's abuse of Mary no more and finally swings a punch at him. They fight, Robert asks him to leave in the morning, and he renews his threats to publish Mary's scandal. But the next day brings not just Carlisle's departure, but miraculous news: Bates was given a reprieve. Now serving a life sentence, he will have the chance to overturn his conviction. Meanwhile, he makes Anna promise that she will live her life while he serves out his. Anna withdraws her resignation.

The Servants Ball, which had been cancelled, is back on. Amidst the dancing couples, Anna observes Hepworth sneaking off with Shore. They are caught in a tryst, and Rosamund finds that he is a caddish fortune hunter, nothing more. Cora draws the line with Robert, insisting that she is going to retrieve Sybil and bring her and her family back into the fold. And Matthew, in a lightly swirling snow, gets down on one knee and asks Mary to marry him. She accepts.





ONE OF THE MOST PHENOMENALLY POPULAR MASTERPIECE SERIES IS BACK – 


“DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 2” 


Available on DVD and Blu-ray from PBS Distribution February 7th 


Release Timed with Premiere Airing on PBS Sundays January 8 through February 19 


The First Season of “Downton Abbey” Won Six Primetime Emmy Awards


PBS Distribution today announced it is releasing “DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 2” on DVD and Blu-ray. The second season promises to be as satisfying as the first, with thwarted and rekindled romances, forgotten and fresh scandals, and enough new plot twists to weave a tapestry with Lord Grantham’s family crest. “DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 2” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on February 7, 2012. The running time of the program is 544 minutes. The SRP for the DVD is $44.99 and the SRP for the Blu-ray is $49.99. The program comes on three discs. 

The returning cast includes Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, and many more. The DVD and Blu-ray feature the original U.K. edition of the program and are being released a little less than two weeks prior to the airing of the last episode on PBS. Both the DVD and Blu-ray will include special bonus features. 

The first season of “Downton Abbey,” which was released on DVD January 11, 2011, won a host of prestigious awards in the U.K. and was recently honored in the U.S. with six Primetime Emmy awards, one of which was for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. American critics called “Downton Abbey” “an instant classic” (New York Times), “compulsively watchable from the get-go” (Variety), “the U.K.’s best abbey since Abbey Road” (Entertainment Weekly), and “a quintessential Masterpiece Classic” (TV Guide).


Program Details 

Last season opened with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, which had dire consequences for Downton Abbey. The new season picks up in the middle of another disaster, World War I, which affected every aspect of life in England, accelerating the social change that was already transforming an age-old system of class and privilege. 


As the Great War rages across Europe, discord is sown even into the serene Yorkshire countryside. Simmering tensions behind the gates of Downton Abbey are beginning to come to a boil as the men and women of Downton do their part on both the front lines and the home front. What’s more, the brutality and intensity of war seem to inflame more familiar passions – love, loss, blackmail, and betrayal – leaving family and staff alike to struggle in an ever-changing world, against a host of new demons. 

About MASTERPIECE 

MASTERPIECE on PBS is presented by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is executive producer. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking River Cruises, with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The MASTERPIECE Trust, created to help ensure the series’ future. 



About PBS Distribution 

PBS Distribution is the leading media distributor for the public television community, both domestically and internationally. Jointly owned by PBS (Arlington, VA) and WGBH (Boston, MA), PBS Distribution extends the reach of public television programs beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system and our production partners. 

PBS Distribution offers a diverse range of programming to our customers, including Ken Burns’s films (Prohibition, The National Parks, The War, Baseball, Jazz), documentaries from award-winning series NOVA (The Elegant Universe, Origins), FRONTLINE (God in America, Bush’s War, Growing Up Online), and American Experience (Freedom Riders, We Shall Remain), dramas from Masterpiece (Downton Abbey, Jane Eyre, Inspector Lewis), films from independent producers (Easy Yoga for Arthritis, The Buddha, The Story of India, Carrier, Journey into Buddhism, I.O.U.S.A.), and popular children’s programming from Dinosaur Train, Super Why!, WordGirl, Cyberchase, Martha Speaks, and Arthur. As a multi-channel distributor, PBS Distribution pursues wholesale/retail sales, consumer and educational sales through PBS- branded catalogs and online shops, and international broadcast and video sales. PBS distribution is also a leader in offering programming through digital platforms including the internet, mobile, and web-connected television.

PBS DISTRIBUTION ANNOUNCES THE 

SPECIAL BONUS FEATURES ON THE 

“DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 2” DVD AND BLU-RAY 


DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 2” Available on DVD and Blu-ray February 7th 

Premiere Episode that Broadcasted Sunday, January 8th Averaged 4.2 Million Viewers 

PBS Distribution today announced the bonus features included on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the critically-acclaimed series “DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 2.” “Downton Abbey” fans are clamoring for Season 2, and now they have another reason to be excited with more than 32 minutes of bonus features available on the DVD and Blu-ray. With Season 2 kicking off on PBS just this past weekend, averaging 4.2 million viewers, interest in the series, and everything Downton related, will only continue to increase as the series airs over the course of the next six Sundays. (Nielsen Fast National data, 2.7 household rating.) Descriptions of the bonus features are below. 

HOUSE TO HOSPITAL 

This eight-minute bonus feature briefly recaps where viewers left the house, a grand venue for evening soirees and garden parties. It is now 1916, times have changed and so has the house. Viewers are given a closer look at the changes that take place within the Downton house and shown how news of war impacts life at Downton and the lives of those that live there. In “House to Hospital,” viewers see how Downton is physically changed into a convalescent home and what this means in terms of the social changes taking place at that time. This special feature delves into the archives of Highclere Castle (which is Downton Abbey in the series) to see how houses of this period offered themselves to the war effort. 


Interviews: 

Alastair Bruce (historical advisor), Julian Fellowes, Lady Carnarvon (lives at Highclere Castle), Donal Woods (production designer), Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan and Rob James-Collier. 

ROMANCE IN A TIME OF WAR 

This 13-minute special feature takes a look at the relationships that blossom in this series and why the war was a catalyst to love. The main focus is on: Branson and Sybil, Bates and Anna, Mary and Matthew, and William and Daisy. 


Interviews: 

Julian Fellowes, Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Allen Leech, Jessica Brown-Findlay, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle, Sophie McShera, Thomas Howes, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Zoe Boyle and Iain Glen. 


FASHION AND UNIFORMS 

This 11-minute bonus feature takes a detailed look at costumes. Costume designer Susannah Buxton takes us on a detailed journey through the changing fashions of 1916. Viewers get an inside look at how the war has impacted fashions and of course introduced military uniforms to the wardrobe. Interviews with the cast explain how each of the key costumes comes into play. 


“Fashion and Uniforms” also explores the nature and role of uniforms, and the etiquette involved in their use. The feature shows the changing fashions – talking with both make-up and costume teams about the arrival of “the hobble skirt,” new hairstyles, and the curling irons that were introduced at the time. 


Interviews: 

Susannah Buxton (costume designer), Anne ‘Nosh’ Oldham (make-up designer), Jessica Brown-Findlay, Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens, Rob James-Collier, Elizabeth McGovern and Alastair Bruce (historical advisor). 

Program Details 

Last season opened with the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, which had dire consequences for Downton Abbey. The new season picks up in the middle of another disaster, World War I, which impacts every aspect of life in England, accelerating the social change that was already transforming an age-old system of class and privilege. 

As the Great War rages across Europe, discord is sown even into the serene Yorkshire countryside. Simmering tensions behind the gates of Downton Abbey are beginning to come to a boil as the men and women of Downton do their part on both the front lines and the home front. What’s more, the brutality and intensity of war seem to inflame more familiar passions – love, loss, blackmail, and betrayal – leaving family and staff alike to struggle in an ever-changing world, against a host of new demons. 



“DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 2” is a Carnival/Masterpiece Co-Production. 


MASTERPIECE on PBS is presented by WGBH Boston. Rebecca Eaton is executive producer. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking River Cruises, with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The MASTERPIECE Trust, created to help ensure the series’ future. 


About PBS Distribution 

PBS Distribution is the leading media distributor for the public television community, both domestically and internationally. Jointly owned by PBS (Arlington, VA) and WGBH (Boston, MA), PBS Distribution extends the reach of public television programs beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system and our production partners. 

 Distribution offers a diverse range of programming to our customers, including Ken Burns’s films (Prohibition, The National Parks, The War, Baseball, Jazz), documentaries from award-winning series NOVA (The Elegant Universe, Origins), FRONTLINE (God in America, Bush’s War, Growing Up Online), and American Experience (Freedom Riders, We Shall Remain), dramas from Masterpiece (Downton Abbey, Jane Eyre, Inspector Lewis), films from independent producers (Easy Yoga for Arthritis, The Buddha, The Story of India, Carrier, Journey into Buddhism, I.O.U.S.A.), and popular children’s programming from Dinosaur Train, Super Why!, WordGirl, Cyberchase, Martha Speaks, and Arthur. As a multi-channel distributor, PBS Distribution pursues wholesale/retail sales, consumer and educational sales through PBS- branded catalogs and online shops, and international broadcast and video sales. PBS distribution is also a leader in offering programming through digital platforms including the internet, mobile, and web-connected television. 

DOWNTON ABBEY SEASON 2 

Street Date: February 7, 2012 

Genre: Drama 

Run Time: 544 minutes on 3 Discs 

 DVD, $44.99 and Blu-ray, $49.99 

Format: DVD and Blu-ray 

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