As the "Downton Abbey" sequel nears (see previous story), you're forgiven for not remembering who's who and who does what.
No problem; here's a handy guide I sent to papers:
By MIKE HUGHES
Life can get tangled inside a grand
estate in 1916 England. As the second round of PBS' “Downton Abbey”
begins, here's a guide to the characters:
The Crawleys
– Robert, the Earl of Grantham. His
adult life has simply involved being head of the estate.
– Cora, the Countess of Grantham.
She's Robert's wife, with three daughters.
– Lady Mary, their eldest. The
complicated rules tied to the estate say only a male can inherit it;
she was going to marry a distant cousin who would run it, but he was
reported among the Titanic dead. Mary has lived her life cautiously,
except for one night she gave in to a Turkish diplomat. He promptly
died in her bed,a scandal that keeps almost emerging.
– Lady Edith, the middle sister. She
wrote a spiteful letter about Mary's sinful night; Mary retaliated by
sabotaging her romance with a local farmer.
– Lady Sybil, the most independent.
She's thought about jobs, political causes and the chauffeur.
– Matthew. A small-town, small-time
lawyer, he's suddenly in line to inherit the estate. He asked Mary,
his distant cousin, to marry him, but she dawdled so long that fell
apart. Now he's an Army officer.
– Isobel, Matthew's mother. She has
nursing skills and has already been overhauling the hospital that the
family supports financially. She sees bigger changes ahead.
– Violet, the Dowager Countess of
Grantham. Disapproving of most changes, she ranges from a core
decency to classic crotchety.
The help
– Charles Carson, the butler, runs
the estate, with endless honesty and a distrust of the 20th
century.
– Elsie Hughes, the housekeeper.
– John Bates, the earl's valet. He's
been wounded in the military and in marriage.
– Sarah O'Brien, the countess' maid.
She grumbles and schemes a lot.
– Beryl Patmore, the cook. A simple
soul, she's good-hearted.
– Anna Smith. She's the head
housemaid, with two others under her. She sees the goodness under the
solemn surface of the troubled Bates.
– Tom Branson, the chauffeur. He's
interested in Irish politics, Lady Sybil and world change.
– Thomas Barrow and William Mason,
the footmen. Heading to war, they had opposite approaches. William
was idealistic; Thomas – who grumbles a lot with O'Brien –
schemes for light duty.
– Daisy Robinson, the kitchen maid.
Sweet and sometimes clueless, she barely notices William's love for
her. The handsome and heartless Thomas toyed with her, mostly because
he could.
The Emmy awards
– Maggie Smith, 77, won for her work
as the dowager; it's her second Emmy, to go with two Oscars.
– Julian Fellowes won for his
scripts. He also has an Oscar, for “Gosford Park.”
– Others were for the directing,
costumes and cinematography; also, for best movie or mini-series.
– Elizabeth McGovern, an American who
lives in England, was nominated for her work as the countess; other
nods went to the sets, casting, editing and sound editing. The Golden
Globes nominated both Hugh Bonneville and McGovern, the show's earl
and countess.
The times (check local listings)
– 9 p.m. Sundays, from Jan. 8 to Feb.
19
– The opener and the final two weeks
are each two hours; the rest are one hour.