Who’s next to fall at Downton Abbey? Morristown support group braces for the worst

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By Robyn Quinn

Do you get an urge every Sunday to have high tea in the afternoon? Do you sit on the edge of your seat each Sunday night just waiting to hear the next zinger from the Dowager Countess of Grantham (played by Maggie Smith)?

Of course it would happen to a foreigner. No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else’s house.”

Did you cheer for Thomas Branson, the young Irish chauffeur who won the love of Lady Sybil? Don’t you just love to hate O’Brien? Were you not surprised when “Poor Lady Edith” was left at the altar? Were you torn between cheering and jeering when O’Brien orchestrated one of her dirtiest tricks on the despicable first footman Thomas Barrow?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then never fear, there is hope for you. The Morristown & Township Library held its second Downton Abbey Support Group session last week, hosting an evening of tea, scones, and highlights from the past season’s episodes plus lively conversation.

Photos by Willie Quinn. Please click icon below for captions.

Members of the support group shared with each other all the latest news of the comings and goings of the cast, mainly the goings. There was a huge cast turnover, with three characters leaving at the end of Season Three of the PBS series, which traces the ups and downs of the privileged Crawley family and its servants at Downton Abbey.

One fan, Lorraine Rosenberg of Rockaway, dresses in the period costumes with her hair done up in waves. Lorraine’s red hair and porcelain skin make her the spitting image of Lady Edith. Lorraine is so devoted that she watches the episodes with her friends in England instead of waiting for them to air in the states.

Lorraine Rosenberg shows off her Lady Edith costume at Downton Abbey Support Group meeting at the Morristown & Township Library. Photo by Willie Quinn
Lorraine Rosenberg shows off her Lady Edith costume at Downton Abbey Support Group meeting at the Morristown & Township Library. Photo by Willie Quinn

Fans of Downton Abbey need a support group to survive the roller coaster ride they experience each Sunday night. This season began with the wedding of Mary and Matthew, a huge event even for the cast. Security was tight to ensure no pictures were published of the wedding dress before the wedding. It was rumored that there was an offer of 25,000 pounds for such a photo.

Pulling the wedding off was no small effort. Dan Stevens, who played Matthew Crawley, said, “It’s the longest wedding I’ve ever been to. It started at 6 am, it’s now 5 pm and I’m still not married.”

Lady Sybil commented, “It’s the wedding that never ends.”

If the wedding of Matthew and Mary had us over the moon, then the season finale left us singing the blues. This episode was a shocker when Matthew Crawley, the heartthrob of the show, had a car accident and was killed coming home from seeing his newborn son for the first time. This episode was viewed in England on Christmas Day. leaving many of the European fans saying it ruined their holiday.

The Crawley family progressed into the Modern World of the 1920s this season. The cast’s wardrobes have gradually emerged into the new more comfortable style of the ’20s.

Along with the new fashions there are also the new gadgets, such as the toaster and Hoover. This new era is bringing about the beginning of the end of the separate classes. Until now, ladies sat quietly waiting for a gentleman to speak to her. Now they wear waves in their hair, rouge on their cheeks and even drink. These liberated ladies are not only drinking, they are dancing and even working! The show’s writer, Julian Fellowes, said, “The family has to adapt to the change. The servants adjust to the change.”

Season Four of Downton Abbey will not air in the United States until January of 2014. Can’t wait that long? No worries, there are others out there that are going through the same thing you are. You can catch the latest news on the new cast members and discuss what the residents of Downton Abbey will be up to next season at the next support meeting. Join library staff members Chad Leinaweaver, Mary Lynn Becza, Jim Collins and the rest of us devoted fans at the library on June 13.

 

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