An Embarrassment of Riches: Another New Downton Abbey Promo is Here!
And there’s still more! Now with an official airdate in place, UK network ITV has released their first full trailer for Downton Abbey Series 3 and it’s a doozy. The promo is set to a choral version of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day,” and gives us a glimpse of virtually every character from the Downton world, including a few new faces.
Give the new trailer a look for yourself below, and then let’s chat about it in somewhat embarrassing detail. (There’s just so much going on!)
Shallow first impression: this clip is beautiful.
Highlights – and forgive me for the fact that I may have frame-by-framed all of a bit of this a couple of times.
Sybil and Branson have left the garage! Yes, after basically spending the entirety of Series 2 stuck sharing scenes in the Honestly, Does That Car Ever Run Garage, we see not just one but two shots of the upstairs-downstairs couple in settings that are completely lacking any sort of vehicle! It’s a whole new world!
I was generally unhappy about the Sybril/Branson storyline last season and quite disliked the fact that the Christmas special gave us only updates on the lives the two of them were apparently living offscreen (married, pregnant, in Ireland: all check). Therefore I’m really hoping that Series 3 actually gives these two a storyline and some proper character development this time around. We see snippets that include the two of them running to each other and kissing in what appears to be Downton’s great hall (is Branson crying??) and the two of them cuddling in bed. There’s also an intriguing little moment in which Branson enters Downton past Mr. Carson and some loaded glances are exchanged. I take it that not everyone is pleased about Branson’s suddenly elevated status?
Who’s the mystery couple? At the 0:09 second mark, there’s a couple kissing in a hallway in what appears to be the servants’ quarters. The man is tall enough that I have to assume he is new footman Alfred, but who’s the girl? Is it Daisy? Or someone new? (Are we slated to get a new housemaid this season? I honestly can’t remember.)
Ugh, Ethel, WHY. The Ethel subplot was one of Series 2’s weakest (were there actually people who liked this character?), so why we’re bringing her back again I cannot imagine. This cast is already practically stuffed to capacity, with yet more newbies arriving this year, so why not just have a throw away line in there somewhere about how she’s gone off to America or married some kind stranger or both and then just have her never be heard from again? That said, her son really is super cute.
Edith and Sir Anthony are apparently happening. It looks like Edith seems set to get some happiness at last this season – and who ever thought that we’d be rooting for that two years ago – but since we left her and Sir Anthony at an impasse at Christmas, I hope we get to see how they progressed from him being unwilling to hazard a relationship with her at all to gushy statements like “You have given me back my life.” Just saying.
Mr. Bates: Still suffering. Since there’s enough new footage available to feature Bates reading a letter, getting in a prison brawl and having bittersweet conversations with Anna, I think we have to assume that he’s going to be sitting in jail for a while. Let’s hope someone remembers to solve Vera’s murder along the way, while we’re watching Bates pine.
The wardrobe department loves Maggie Smith. The Dowager Countess is flawless. Count ‘em – three separate, completely gorgeous dresses! She’s starting to rival Mary in the fantastic clothing competition.
Thomas is crying?! What on earth?? Also, crushing on the other new footman, apparently, which, who knows, may be why he’s crying. The concept of Thomas having feelings still seems foreign, despite the fairly extensive character rehabilitation they attempted last season.
Matthew and Mary! Actual footage of Matthew and Mary! This is really the first bit we’ve seen from the new season featuring Matthew and Mary at all, so of course it doesn’t feel like nearly enough. There’s a tiny snippet which looks like Mary rushing off and Matthew facepalming, presumably this occurs after some sort of argument. But then there’s another shot of them kissing with the Matthew voiceover line of “I would never be happy with anyone else, as long as you walk the earth.” Cue basically everyone in the world swooning, because, well, it sort of can’t be helped. Here’s to some happiness for them this season, at last. (Fingers crossed.)
Totally wild speculation time: This trailer has convinced me that Matthew and Mary are getting married this season – and it’s not because of that swoony-worthy “as long as you walk the earth” line either. It’s due the tiniest of possible moments – right at 0:46 when both Lord Grantham and Carson are looking up at something, with the same sort of completely awestruck expressions on their faces. This could be completely off-base (and probably is), but consider it me getting my prediction in early – I think that’s the reaction shot when Mary first appears in her wedding dress, because they both love her so very much. I hope I’m right!
What about you, fellow Downton devotees? What do you think of the look of Series 3? What are you hoping/thinking will happen to the Crawleys and everyone connected to them?
