Sherlock Recap: The Empty Hearse

I won't go into a play by play because I do have a bit of a life and responsibilities, plus a great one can be found here.  My impression:

*Completely satisfying overall.

* Sherlock comes back as a quasi-leading man.  He's always so curt and dismissive,  but upon rising from the faux ashes, he's debonair, dashing, kissing Molly (!), and playing jokes on Watson.  I guessing tracking down terror cells gives you time to miss your friends.  And get buff.  Dude has guns in the opening sequence as he's being tortured.

* Sherlock has a "mind palace" similar to the brainy character from Community.  I've not read Doyle's short stories, so I must assume Community is paying homage to Holmes.

*Sherlock has very normal parents!  Mycroft is the smarter of the two!  And Sherlock points out that Mycroft's own shortcoming is his isolation, his loneliness.  Might Sherlock be open to a companion, dare I say a romantic entanglement, especially since Watson is to be married?  Prolly not, but they do like to tease us.

*Didn't you love how Sherlock congratulates Molly on her engagement?  He's always belittled her crush on him.  It was nice.


And on to Downton:

*A succinct plot summary can be found here.

* Love the friendship of equals between Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson.  Her giving him that framed picture of his long-forgotten sweetheart.  I wonder if their relationship will remain just that or ever move beyond.  Mr. Carson reminds me of the main character in The Remains of the Day who chooses being married to service rather that taking a chance on his own life.  I'd love to see Carson move out of the shadow of the Great House and live for himself.

*Speaking of Mrs. Hughes, she's kinda like a Big Momma.  Everyone runs to her skirts, even the former hot-head, Tom.  Didn't you love her dressing down Edna?  Girlfriend told her.  Two snaps, Mrs. Hughes.  Don't leave the door hit ya, Edna.  Though I daresay (as Mrs. Hughes would say) that the trollop will make a reappearance, make no mistake.

*Ah, Mary.  Ever the beauty.  Her new love, Lord Gillingham, is lovely.  (I sound like Andie McDowell from Four Weddings and a Funeral.   I have watched way, way too much television in my life).  When he says she'll be in his prayers always, after having turned down his proposal? SWOON.  That is romance, young people.

*Edith "as obvious as a bucket," according to Mary, crosses the point of no return with her not-quite fiancé, Gregson.  Sisters, Sisters. There were never such devoted sisters. Her aunt warns her that though times have changed, not everything does.  I think the guy is on the up-and-up.  Her character seems destined for disappointment, but I hope they cut her a break and don't make this man some double agent or swindler.  He seems fairly noble. Aside from putting her in an awkward position and cheating on his wife.  Details.


Did you enjoy last night?  Any predictions for Sherlock or  Downton Abbey?

Turn on the Telly...

To the BBC! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!  (Name that movie reference.)

It's a double header tonight on PBS: episode 3 of Downton Abbey and the return of Sherlock. 

From http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/sherlock/

I am so happy.

If you have some time this afternoon, find the series here or on your streaming source of choice. Watch The Reichenbach Fall to set-up the return of Sherlock.

All I can say is it will amaze you.  The psychological intrigue, the twists, the unexpected depth of relationships-- it's all there.  I wouldn't call myself a mystery lover, but everyone loves a good story and this is one.  

Watson to Sherlock: "You... you told me once that you weren't a hero. Umm, there were times I didn't even think you were human. But let me tell you this, you were the best man, the most human... human being that I've ever known, and no-one will ever convince me that you told me a lie, so there. I was so alone, and I owe you so much...."

This is one of the last lines of the episode, and I won't give away why this quote is so powerful if you aren't familiar with the details of the stories.  But whoa.  That's what being human is, right?  To connect.

I rewatched this episode, which runs about an hour and half, this weekend.  I felt all the feelings, just like the first viewing last year.

If you need a story to get lost in, this is the one.

Oh, yes, and Downton's back.  It leads in Sherlock, which begins at 10.  I'm hoping for lots of jazz, doing the Charleston, and Rose behaving badly (just not too badly).  I'm hoping Tom mans up and checks Edna's advances, and that Edith doesn't forgo her virtue to a married man.  Put a ring on it, fella.  When he's speaking the Deutsch and his marriage is legally over.

Wishing you a wonderful day of rest and relaxation.

Recap tomorrow!

Not So Much with the Tender Moments

Ohhhhkay. Downton Abbey, episode 2, Season 4.

If last week's episode reminded us of the good in humanity, this one was quick to point out the darkness.

If you haven't watched this episode and want to get into the series, I'd skip it.

I enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the house being filled with guests and seeing Lady Mary smile again.  Edith's gentleman friend found a way to make himself useful to Lord Grantham.

The darkness I referred to is the assault on the housemaid, Anna, the kindest and most sincere character on the show.  And while I understand that characters must go through trials and that the show is always reminding us that the fantasy of the upper class being isolated from life's realities is sputtering, it was hard to see.  Obviously, we viewers are emotionally invested in Anna, making her victimization all the more cruel.

So I understand that the writer/creator of the show, Julian Fellows is an artiste and must allow life to happen in his world. But I really don't want to deal with life at 9 p.m. on Sunday.  I want happy.  I can handle war and death and unexpected pregnancy and petty jealousies-- yes.    But not evil.

The incident was handled off-screen, but still powerfully horrific.  Anna's cries and screams could be heard as the renowned opera star sung an aura dedicated to love.

The English major in me appreciates the contrast, but it really filled me with dread.

I hate that this character in particular has to face the fall-out of such violence.  Like Mary losing her husband and the good he saw in her, Anna will inevitably lose her some of her faith in others.

And I don't like that.

It's masterful writing.  It's true to life.

Unfortunately, we will in a sin-sick world.  Even beautifully gilded fictional ones like Downton Abbey.

***

Oh, can we talk about our homegirl, Edna?  SIMMER DOWN.  And don't slip Tom a mickey in his drink.  Also, Tom?  Haven't we covered the whole "I'm an outsider" bit?  Remember when Mrs. Hughes bucked you up with her speech?  That you belong?

Say it with me: "You're good enough, you're smart enough, and gosh darnit, people like you." Especially a particular lady's maid.

Please, please don't get entangled and become Edna's baby daddy.  That would be all kinds of awkward.  Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.

***

If you watched, are you in for the rest of the season?  I'm still in.  I'm guessing they'll have to bring back some levity after such a heavy beginning.

Til next Sunday...

A Grown-Up's Christmas

If you are older than about 18, and begin to "do" Christmas (i.e. be in charge of more than your own enjoyment), I believe a portion of it will be stressful.  No matter what.

Am I the only one who gets stressed by the pressure to try to find a sense of calm and holiness in the mad dash and feels guilty that it's not-so-calming?  The pressure to make it magical and holy?  I'm not talking about Santa vs. Happy Birthday Jesus debates.  I just mean, even by trying to make it quiet and intentional and fun, it's still gonna push my limits.

Because I am the same person in the month of December that I am all year long.  But with extra responsibilities, obligations, travel, and money spent.

So unless I say no to every single solitary event, purchase, and memory-making opportunity, I'm going to feel a level of stress.

This is a personal revelation.

I can be proactive and budget for gifts and buy them throughout the year. Or run around like a crazy person like I have every other year.  I can create traditions that embrace the incarnation and the whimsy of childhood memories.  I can cook and clean and host.

And then, when that's done, I can be.

Be in the moment.

The moment a little girl clutches her dolls, a boy starts up his race track, and toddler rolls past on her scooter.

The moment my daughter lifts her lit candle during "Silent Night".

A second later, I'm plunged back into the ordinary.

But that's okay.  That's Christmas.  That's life.

Light piercing the darkness.

So, I didn't have the perfect Christmas.  But this side of eternity, I had a good one.  A real one, with frustrations and fun all mixed together.

I have 11 months to recover. Then I'll be ready to do it again.

Leave a Tender Moment Alone

from pbs.org/masterpiece

Can we talk about Downton Abbey's season premiere?

Yes?

I'll start.

I made a celebratory dip to mark the occasion and settled in to watch.  I think Carson would approve of my sense of decorum and style as I watched the proceedings. Couch, robe, tortillas chips on a plastic plate.

Some recaps I've read dismayed over the lack of "a bang" for the anticipated episode. 

I really enjoyed it. The show is what it is: dignified soap. It has crazy twists: Mathew's miraculous "I can walk!" moment as he rises from his chair like the Phoenix comes to mind. Sudden endings, like Sybil's death, moments after giving birth and Mathew's own departure in a wreck after just seeing his newborn son. Edith's being jilted at the alter. And the always precarious financial state of the Crawley family fortunes.

But what keeps millions coming back, like me, are the touches of authentic emotions--those tender moments.

To wit:

When Mathew's mother, Isobel, obviously devastated, tells Lady Edith, "When you lose your only child, you're not a mother anymore...You're not really anything." Heartbreaking.  And later, to Carson upon helping a sick man getting back on his feet, "You see, I didn't know I had any kindness or energy left. And that's something, isn't it?"  Isobel has always seemed capable and well-meaning, but a bit annoying in her good deed doing.  The small smile she gives Carson after having found some way to be useful-- masterful. True.

The father-daughter dynamic between Carson and Lady Mary:

Both Lord Grantham and his butler are stanch traditionalists and don't intend on changing.  However, Carson can change.  After all, he was Charlie the Entertainer once.  Carson is able to comfort Mary, whereas her father, while obviously loving her, maintains his position as Lord of the Castle, keeping Mary carefully  cocooned from any thing could upset her--having a say in Downton's running, thus upsetting him.

My favorite line, Carson holding Mary: "You cry, milady... You have a good cry.  That's what's needed now. And when you're ready, we can get to work.  Because you are strong enough.  You are strong enough for the task."

Men and fathers, take note.  Charlie Carson's got "How to Comfort and Encourage Your Emotionally Fragile Wife/Daughter" mastered.  I'd copy that verbatim and hand it to my son on his wedding day. That was worth the price of admission here.

I could go on with Edith's transformation into glamour girl (kissing a man in public! So wild!)  But this keyboard keeps erasing my text and it's almost time to resume mom duty.

If I've convinced you, watch the episode here.  If you already watched it, what did you think? 

I may give DA recaps a go, so I'll try to see you back here next week.  I think my diction will be increasingly formal for these!

Pip pip, Cheerio, TTFN.