Downton Abbey Blues

After I gave birth to Lily, I suffered a bit from the postpartum blues.  I had reason to.  I mean, my daughter's diagnosis was yet to be defined.  I was chubby. I was home alone with a baby without anyone to talk to. No one told me that my dream to stay at home with my newborn and sit around holding her all day would make me just feel isolated.  "What!?"  There were days after having had Lily that I wouldn't shower until 1 pm or brush my teeth until 2pm. Not because I was down in the dumps, but because I couldn't get to the shower or the toothbrush because I was so busy feeding my baby!  THAT is what made me depressed, folks!  Plus,  I was sleep deprived. I was starving. I knew that I had a long road ahead of me.  My closet was full of Barbie clothes that I still keep neatly color coded in my closet. I couldn't imagine that I once fit into them... loosely.  Yes, all those reasons made me blue and played with my psyche.  Anyone is going to want to hole themselves up in their bed if that's what they have to look forward to for the first few months of your child's life.

Still after all these reasons to feel a little bit blue-sey, I knew I would come out on top.  When? Wasn't sure, but I knew that it was just a matter of time.  I knew it would only get better.  I knew the shell-shock with your first baby was just that.  I knew it would all be a distant memory, which it all is now (except for the Barbie clothes, but I'm getting there). Now, all that's behind me.  I'm fine (said with my best ho-hum-could-care-less voice.)  See, I knew I would get through it, and thank goodness I did, because I am LOVING this new life called Lilyland.

Let's talk about now...NOW, I feel a loss, or rather, a void. Season 2 of Downton Abby has come to an end.  (How much did you love the Christmas episode?)  This is a blue, down-in-the-dumps kind of feeling that won't be easily cured until September when season 3 airs!   For the love.  Way too long to wait. IMPOSSIBLE!  I am especially sad because the 8:00-10:00 pm hour that used to fill my Sunday nights with Downton Abbey won't ever be the same... until September 2012.   How will I live without Lady Mary Grantham, my kindred spirit?  Ha! Hardly.  But I did love her character.

Lady Mary is far more refined than me with that British accent and her Chanel wrappings.  Plus, she's addressed as "Lady".  Aristocracy has long left my bloodline at least 4 generations ago. Bummer.  

Anyway, I loved that Lady Mary was in the midst of everything yet was able to keep her composure and dignity (in spite of her scandal), except when it comes to Matthew Crawley. The series was good in that it didn't drag out their relationship into Season 3 before we all just grew tired of it and would have cared less. Maybe I wouldn't have so much, but still.  

Then there is beautiful Lady Sybil, Mary's sister, who married the chauffeur. Scandalous!  Then the other sister,  Lady Edith, who was wretched at first, but for some kind of miracle grew on me a bit the last few episodes.  

Did you not love Lady Grantham, played by Elizabeth McGovern aka Kristy Briggs from John Hughes' classic, "She's Having a Baby"?  Don't even think for a moment that whenever she was in a scene that I didn't say, "Grouper. It's Grouper."  

Lady Cora Grantham

She's Having a Baby Circa 1988

My only beef this year was with the Earl of Grantham.  What was with the kisses with the maid?  Sure, things like that could have happened back in that day as well, but it seemed so awkward and passionless.  I may need to write Julian Fellows (who wrote the mini-series) and tell him to not put pointless indescrepancies in a plot, especially if nobody in the house walks in on them.  I have a feeling there is going to be a street encounter come series 3. I hope not.  

If I had lived at Downton Abbey, I think I would have been found mostly with Maggie Smith's character, the Countess of Grantham (Lord Grantham's mother).  I think the saying that best suits her character is, "If you don't have something nice to say, come sit next to me."  She was full of honesty and one liners and added the best kind of muffled laughter from me.  I was completely entertained by her. 

Now, for the next 6 months or so, it will be white noise as far as I am concerned.  Sure, I'll fall in love with another Masterpiece Classic next week, but that's next week.   However, I'll be thinking about the Grantham family the entire time—so I won't be completely OVER it.  I need to stop capitalizing all these words.  I just need to stress how I am thinking this all out in my head and it's MIND BOGGLING to have to wait 6 months!  See, I did it again. 

So goodbye downstairs staff.  I loved you all.  Please Bates, stay safe in your cell. Goodbye upstairs aristocracy, I felt like I was living among you.

I bid you all adieu until September.


 * I looked at the PBS line up for the next few months and a lot of the series will have me front and center—they look to be divine and my kind of entertainment.  The fog is lifting. I can feel it already.