And so continues my review of Season 2! It was a lot easier to stop at Episode 4 simply because the season contains 8 episodes. However, Season 2 has a Christmas Special - I considered reviewing it as part of this post, but because there weren't many historical details I could actually talk about, I decided against it. Maybe next season.
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| Matthew and William injured at war |
Episode 5
This is where we see the extent of medical services during World War I, and the kind of injuries that could be sustained from trench warfare. Matthew sustains a spinal injury that causes him to lose the function of his legs. However, there is speculation that he might not even be able to bear children because he has lost all feeling from the waist down. This brings up the issue of who will be the next heir of Downton Abbey in the event that Matthew dies, but at this point, the characters are more focused on whether Matthew will marry Lavinia. Everyone believes the wedding should still go ahead as planned, but he is extremely pessimistic, for good reason. I think this also demonstrates general perception of physical disability during this time. While the other characters still see Matthew as a valuable member of the family, he has lost his confidence, believing himself to be useless. More about that later.
Meanwhile, William suffers a far worse injury to his lungs as a result of protecting Matthew during the battle, leading to irreparable damage. At this point in the season, William went to war under the impression that the scullery maid, Daisy, would be waiting for him when he returned so that the two could be married. As a result of his injury, he wishes to marry her before dying, prompting the Dowager Countess of Grantham to sort out the arrangements with the local vicar. I think many who watched this episode were surprised by the Dowager Countess' sudden act of compassion, since she often spoke of how much she valued class distinction. I think it was partly out of guilt that she organised it, seeing as she valued William's life, and she tried hard to prevent him from going to war; at the very least, she wanted William to have his dying wish. Daisy is reluctant, which makes sense - in her mind, she believed that she was leading William on as she only saw him as a friend. However, she couldn't reject his dying wish, and thus married him anyway. The local vicar, Mr Travis, made an interesting point about this union. He suspected that Daisy has chosen to marry William because there was a widow's pension for a soldier who fought in the Great War. So I did a bit of research into this. It seems many women abused this system to earn extra money, as the economy was horrendous around this time. In other countries, many used their war widow status as a political statement against the war.
All while this is happening, Mary discovers that Mr Bates' - who has returned to Downton Abbey - wife, Vera, is threatening to go to the newspapers after discovering Mary's secret about Mr Pamuk. Out of desperation, she goes to Sir Richard and asks him to intervene before Vera can ruin the family. This is an easy win for him. He agrees to help, on condition that Mary becomes his future wife, which would benefit his status greatly; in his words, "My house will welcome the finest in the land, my children will carry noble blood in their veins." It was not uncommon for marriages in this time to made for ambition rather than for love. It took a very long time before love between a couple was an expectation. For Mary, the reputation of her family was far more important than love. I don't think she would have cared too much if she was the only one whose reputation would be ruined.
Meanwhile, William suffers a far worse injury to his lungs as a result of protecting Matthew during the battle, leading to irreparable damage. At this point in the season, William went to war under the impression that the scullery maid, Daisy, would be waiting for him when he returned so that the two could be married. As a result of his injury, he wishes to marry her before dying, prompting the Dowager Countess of Grantham to sort out the arrangements with the local vicar. I think many who watched this episode were surprised by the Dowager Countess' sudden act of compassion, since she often spoke of how much she valued class distinction. I think it was partly out of guilt that she organised it, seeing as she valued William's life, and she tried hard to prevent him from going to war; at the very least, she wanted William to have his dying wish. Daisy is reluctant, which makes sense - in her mind, she believed that she was leading William on as she only saw him as a friend. However, she couldn't reject his dying wish, and thus married him anyway. The local vicar, Mr Travis, made an interesting point about this union. He suspected that Daisy has chosen to marry William because there was a widow's pension for a soldier who fought in the Great War. So I did a bit of research into this. It seems many women abused this system to earn extra money, as the economy was horrendous around this time. In other countries, many used their war widow status as a political statement against the war.
All while this is happening, Mary discovers that Mr Bates' - who has returned to Downton Abbey - wife, Vera, is threatening to go to the newspapers after discovering Mary's secret about Mr Pamuk. Out of desperation, she goes to Sir Richard and asks him to intervene before Vera can ruin the family. This is an easy win for him. He agrees to help, on condition that Mary becomes his future wife, which would benefit his status greatly; in his words, "My house will welcome the finest in the land, my children will carry noble blood in their veins." It was not uncommon for marriages in this time to made for ambition rather than for love. It took a very long time before love between a couple was an expectation. For Mary, the reputation of her family was far more important than love. I don't think she would have cared too much if she was the only one whose reputation would be ruined.
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| Edith with the mystery soldier |
Episode 6
Back to Matthew's predicament! Well, now we not only have to worry about what will happen if and when Matthew dies without an heir, a new character appears claiming to be Patrick Crawley - the son of the last heir, both of which died during the sinking of the Titanic. If his claims were true, that would mean Matthew would lose his own claim as heir to the title of Earl of Grantham. To Matthew, he seems to see it as a plus for the family: "This might be a blessing in disguise. Well, he seems a nice enough chap, he's not very pretty, of course, but he can walk around the estate on his own two legs and sire a string of sons to continue the line. All in all, I'd say that's a great improvement on the current situation." Of course he says this with a very bitter tone, as he is potentially to lose his social position as an heir to a grand estate and title. However, we don't know whether the soldier was actually Patrick Crawley or not. The soldier comes to Downton Abbey as a burn victim with a new name, Patrick Gordon, a survivor of the Titanic who lost his memory as a result of the sinking. Lord Grantham is extremely sceptical with this knowledge, and conducts an investigation. From his findings, there was a man who did apparently know Patrick Crawley on the Titanic known as Peter Gordon, and was rescued when the ship sank. The family suggests that maybe Peter assumed Patrick's identity - which was easy enough to do with a burnt face - in order to inherit. However, Edith believes it is actually Patrick Crawley. We don't know what the truth is in the matter.
I think this episode shed quite a bit of light on how physical disabilities were viewed around this time. We saw how the perspectives on mental disabilities were changing, but there was little to be said about physical disabilities. I used to think that they were only considered honourable if the person suffered with them only got them because it was in combat. However, Patrick's disability was also a result of war, yet the others were sceptical from the start. They were repulsed by him and didn't want to believe that he was the potential heir they knew. Perhaps it was to do with the validity of his story, but I do think there were varying degrees over what disabilities were worth considering.
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| Ethel bursts into the dining room to confront Major Bryant's parents |
Episode 7
The last episode shows that the Great War finally came to an end. This episode shows the family trying to move on, attempting to resume the lives they led before the war. The medical equipment is moved from the house, and the great Downton Abbey is once more separated from the average man. A discussion begins among the family members about the new fashions that are about the emerge after the First World War. While the Dowager Countess and Lord Grantham are looking forward to returning to how their lives were before the war, Isobel thinks differently: "I like the new fashions. Shorter skirts, looser cuts. The old clothes were all very well if one spent the day on a chaise longue, but if one wants to get anything done, the new clothes are much better." Meanwhile, Mary points out that women in France have started to wear shorter hairstyles, particularly the famous bob. Even though the flapper look wasn't particularly famous until the 1920s, we can already see the roots from the end of the war. It does make some sense considering many women gained a certain confidence about being heavily involved in the war, and the new fashions that were about to make an appearance were far more practical for heavy lifting.
Ethel's issue - quite literally - returns. She now has a young boy, who by this point is a toddler. After failing to get Major Bryant to contribute in some way, she tries to see if his parents would be able, now that her former lover has been killed in action. Although she is advised by Mrs Hughes to wait, she rushes into the dining room to confront his parents, only for his father to completely reject her claims, believing she is trying to claim some money or position and demanding proof. I think everyone - both characters and audience - would be in agreement that he behaved badly, but Mrs Bryant explains that his behaviour is more down to denial about their son's death. We don't see many opportunities to explore how the parents of soldiers felt during this time, aside from William's father in Episode 5, who takes the death far more gently than one can expect. This gives us a bit more understanding that there was definitely a strong anger towards the war for taking the lives of so many men, especially propaganda promoted war as a means of glory rather than a cause for destruction.
Ethel's issue - quite literally - returns. She now has a young boy, who by this point is a toddler. After failing to get Major Bryant to contribute in some way, she tries to see if his parents would be able, now that her former lover has been killed in action. Although she is advised by Mrs Hughes to wait, she rushes into the dining room to confront his parents, only for his father to completely reject her claims, believing she is trying to claim some money or position and demanding proof. I think everyone - both characters and audience - would be in agreement that he behaved badly, but Mrs Bryant explains that his behaviour is more down to denial about their son's death. We don't see many opportunities to explore how the parents of soldiers felt during this time, aside from William's father in Episode 5, who takes the death far more gently than one can expect. This gives us a bit more understanding that there was definitely a strong anger towards the war for taking the lives of so many men, especially propaganda promoted war as a means of glory rather than a cause for destruction.
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| Dr Clarkson and Sybil tending to Lavinia |
Episode 8
The show chose a good time to close the season. Towards the end of the war, the world was struck with another devastation: the Spanish Influenza. It seems interesting that I cover this while we go through a pandemic around a century later than when this is set, but from here we can see just how deadly the Spanish Flu was. It was only recently that I learnt that the H1N1 outbreak in 2009 was actually from the same strain as the Spanish Flu outbreak between 1918-1919; of course, by now, the medical advancements that have been made countered the 2009 outbreak far better than then. If there is a new outbreak of Covid-19 in a hundred years, I reckon treatments for it will be way better then. I'm going way off topic. In this episode, several characters are afflicted with the Spanish Flu: Lady Grantham, Lavinia, and Mr Carson. Each experience the disease very differently, some with unexpected outcomes. For example, Lady Grantham is depicted as having a very violent reaction to the illness, and is even at risk of dying, while Lavinia had a very mild reaction and was able to converse easily with Matthew about their wedding plans...yet she took a turn for the worst unexpectedly and died of the virus. I won't lie, I think part of the reason she was hit so hard at the end of her life was because she witnessed Matthew kissing Mary when they danced downstairs, and she realised she would never be Matthew's true love. Yeah, it's kinda like a Star Wars moment with Padme when she lost the will to live. That sort of thing. Or maybe Julian Fellowes realised that killing off Lady Grantham and Mr Carson would invoke a lot of hatred from the audience.
While Matthew struggles with Lavinia's illness, Sir Richard is becoming more ruthless in his treatment of Mary. He realises that Mary is indebted to him for not exposing her family to social ruin, and thus he seems to have gained a surge of power over her. He becomes more controlling, insisting on where she should be, and avoiding any possibility of Mary being alone with Matthew, knowing she still had feelings for him. In the previous episode, he even tries to recruit Anna to spy on Mary, knowing she works closely with her. The thing is, this kind of controlling behaviour is not exclusive to a historical period. We still see that today. There are best-selling novels that romanticise controlling and abusive relationships. The problem is that there was still a desire to protect the aristocracy from ruin at this point in time, or to rise in power among social ranks, whereas today, it's more of a Stockholm Syndrome issue, if I'm being honest. When movies and novels depict a once-alarming situation that suddenly turns into "I think I like this guy even though he's an abusive mess," you can tell it's not about becoming the next grand duchess or something. Speaking of relationships, while Lady Grantham suffers, Lord Grantham decides now is the right time to have an affair! To this day, I still don't know why he suddenly lost his appeal for his wife. He seemed to be more irritated with her, easily enraged by her comments, even if they were well-intended. Fortunately, seeing his wife in a dire state made him return to her. Blessing in disguise, I guess.
The side plot of the episode is equally as astonishing. At this point, Sybil and Tom have declared their love for each other, and are willing to leave together. In the last episode, Sybil attempts to elope with Tom, but Mary and Edith manage to stop her. They feel it would be better if she told the family herself so that she would have done her part, rather than escaping in the middle of the night. She and Tom confront the family to announce their engagement, and their plan to move to Ireland. Most of the family responds very negatively, especially Lord Grantham; he threatens her with no income and that she will live a very different life to the comforts of the aristocracy, but I think because of her experience during the war as an auxiliary nurse, she knows how to live outside of wealth, and so she simply says, "Well, bully for that." Eloping was considered a very dishonourable act, and often suggested that certain improper intimacies had occurred to force a couple to have a shotgun wedding. In Sybil and Tom's case, they wanted to simply marry as soon as possible so that they could be together with there being any legal issues or any attempts to marry Sybil off to someone she didn't love. As stated before, marriage for love in this time was not a commonality. Often it was a sign of weakness.
While Matthew struggles with Lavinia's illness, Sir Richard is becoming more ruthless in his treatment of Mary. He realises that Mary is indebted to him for not exposing her family to social ruin, and thus he seems to have gained a surge of power over her. He becomes more controlling, insisting on where she should be, and avoiding any possibility of Mary being alone with Matthew, knowing she still had feelings for him. In the previous episode, he even tries to recruit Anna to spy on Mary, knowing she works closely with her. The thing is, this kind of controlling behaviour is not exclusive to a historical period. We still see that today. There are best-selling novels that romanticise controlling and abusive relationships. The problem is that there was still a desire to protect the aristocracy from ruin at this point in time, or to rise in power among social ranks, whereas today, it's more of a Stockholm Syndrome issue, if I'm being honest. When movies and novels depict a once-alarming situation that suddenly turns into "I think I like this guy even though he's an abusive mess," you can tell it's not about becoming the next grand duchess or something. Speaking of relationships, while Lady Grantham suffers, Lord Grantham decides now is the right time to have an affair! To this day, I still don't know why he suddenly lost his appeal for his wife. He seemed to be more irritated with her, easily enraged by her comments, even if they were well-intended. Fortunately, seeing his wife in a dire state made him return to her. Blessing in disguise, I guess.
The side plot of the episode is equally as astonishing. At this point, Sybil and Tom have declared their love for each other, and are willing to leave together. In the last episode, Sybil attempts to elope with Tom, but Mary and Edith manage to stop her. They feel it would be better if she told the family herself so that she would have done her part, rather than escaping in the middle of the night. She and Tom confront the family to announce their engagement, and their plan to move to Ireland. Most of the family responds very negatively, especially Lord Grantham; he threatens her with no income and that she will live a very different life to the comforts of the aristocracy, but I think because of her experience during the war as an auxiliary nurse, she knows how to live outside of wealth, and so she simply says, "Well, bully for that." Eloping was considered a very dishonourable act, and often suggested that certain improper intimacies had occurred to force a couple to have a shotgun wedding. In Sybil and Tom's case, they wanted to simply marry as soon as possible so that they could be together with there being any legal issues or any attempts to marry Sybil off to someone she didn't love. As stated before, marriage for love in this time was not a commonality. Often it was a sign of weakness.
Summary
There were so many details I wanted to mention, but it would have made this post ridiculously long. I just focused on the stuff I could definitely talk about that had historical elements to the plot. If one were familiar with the story, they might notice I missed out the issue of Mr Bates and Vera, and how her suicide led to Mr Bates potentially being on death row. I honestly just couldn't talk about it in much detail on a historical level to feel confident to mention it. It will be addressed when I review Season 3, since Mr Bates' story becomes a focus for the legal system, but I just really couldn't say much about it this time.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this - I really loved this season from this show, and it was just filled with historical elements. I will give it quite a bit of time before I return to reviewing Downton Abbey; other historical shows deserve to have the spotlight every now and then!
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