Downton Abbey 4.6 & 4.7

Happy Birthday Earl of Grantham

Episode six is all about Robert's birthday with Rose's secret surprise. She has enlisted her new American friend Jack Ross to play with his band. While having Mr. Ross in the house seemed to shock Mr. Crowley at first, they quickly saved face and made sure to enjoy the music and the night. Other birthday guests included two men who are surveying Downton who have been hired to write a report about the future of these 'big estates'. Lady Mary seems to hit heads with one of the men. The quest seems to think that the way things are at Downton is something that has to change and seems to have his own opinions on their way of life - reminds me on the different spectrum of Pride and Prejudice. Rose's gift of Mr. Ross and his band might fool some, but other's are aware of her intent. When Lady Mary goes downstairs to make sure that Mr. Ross sends the bill to her father, she finds Rose and Jack kissing in the kitchen.

The Countess and Earl of Grantham

Competition

Lady Mary and Mr. Blake get down and dirty for the pigs

Lady Mary's suitor queue keeps filling up. Now it seems that there are three competitors. While she might have resisted Mr. Blake, after their night nursing dehydrated pigs, he comes to see Lady Mary in a new way. I think this softens him toward Mary and she takes notice as well. Meanwhile, Mr. Napier makes himself known as a competitor for her attentions as well. However, he seems to be more of a friend as far as Lady Mary is concerned. She does seem a little disheveled when her mother announces the arrival of Mr. Gillingham, who had previously asked for Lady Mary's hand. When she asks how Maple (his supposed fiance) is, he doesn't answer her leaving us to believe he still is very much interested in Lady Mary.

Fun Parade

An outing with Rose and Jack Ross

When Robert is saying his good-bye's (he has to go to America to help Cora's brother) he tells Rose that she in charge of fun while he's gone. She wastes no time with her duty. She takes advantage of Edith's trip to London as she tags along, she quickly finds Jack Ross and they are on a romantic boat ride on the water as they discuss their future. Is Rose really in-love with Ross or is she more in-love with the rebelling against conventional? 

Choices

Lady Edith's been traveling a lot to London lately...

My heart was aching for Lady Edith! She continues to suffer heartaches, the man she loves is still missing from his trip to Germany, and now she had to contend to being pregnant on her own. When she schedules an appointment for an abortion in London, she stays with her Aunt, and it isn't long until her Aunt figures out what's going on and insists on going with her. When they arrive for Edith's appointment, she changes her mind. So now, she has made the choice to keep the baby. The only thing left to do now is to tell the rest of her family.

Downstairs

Meanwhile, the arrival of Mr. Gillingham, means the arrival of his valet Mr. Green, the cretin who raped Anna. By now there are a few within the house (both upstairs, now that Lady Mary knows and downstairs) that know of the rape. Although, Anna is still resisting telling the complete truth and still is saying that it was a stranger that came into the house and raped her. However, when Mr. Green is around, you can see the change in Anna and her husband is sure to pick up on this. Mrs. Hughes tells Mr. Green what she thinks of him when she finds the opportunity.

In Other News

The Dowager Countess, Violet is very sick and the nurse in Isobel is there to nurse her friend back to health. I think this is a sweet relationship. I like seeing how different they are and how they are still able to be friends. It gives them some spunk. While Isobel is fully aware now that Violet's dismissal of the gardener that she had asked her to hire debacle, she is still willing to make such a sacrifice in caring for the sick Dowager Countess. Where Violet already things that Isobel is a saint, I think she now has even more respect for Isobel as she was the only one to stay by her side.

Links

Official Downton Abbey Masterpiece Site PBS

Downton Abbey Episode List on IMDb.com

Sneak Peek

Buy Downton Abbey

The Walking Dead 4.9

After

This episode is the mid-season premiere that we all have been eagerly anticipating. It picks up right where we were left hanging, after the attack from the Governor and his pitiful army, it left the gang separated and fighting to survive. We see the prison, once the symbol of hope and security, now overrun with Walkers and still smoking from the aftermath of the Governor's war. We see the Governor dead, on the ground growing colder by the minute with his bullet to the head shot. We also see Hershel's decapitated head; turned, he now has the Walker snapping of desire for flesh. Michonne finds Hershel and puts her sword through his temple for his end.

Michonne reverting back to survival mode...

This episode was about Carl and Michonne and their emotional developments. What I really loved about After was the glimpse into her life before the apocalypse through her dream sequence. We saw that she was with two men (Mike and Terry). Mike is her lover and it's still unclear who Terry is but we immediately can draw the conclusion that those two were her original pet walkers. We also see that she had a son. I loved how the dream went from the beginning,where everything is fine, and then morphed into the two men talking about what's been going on and the decisions that they have to make. I really loved this look into Michonne's psychosis of her past traumas and what she's dealing within inside.

Through After we also watch her as she reverts back to her survival mode, how she survived before. She had taken two of the Governor's men to make new walker pets so that she can walk among the herd. Where she had started to reveal herself more through out the time in the prison, you can see her starting to lock herself back up. What surprised me was when she came across tracks, which she knew were Rick and Carl and she choose to no follow them. After contemplating the choice to just survive, but be dead inside - or to fight for life, she ultimately chooses to fight for life. She then returns to the tracks and begins her new journey and ignites that light inside of her.

Carl leading Walkers away...

The other part of the mid-season premiere was Rick and Carl and how their relationship is evolving. Rick looks near death, and there is an intense scene where you are lead to believe that he might just be! I couldn't help feeling for Rick, he's suffering so much and has to put up with his rebel son who thinks (at this point) that he's a piece of shit. Carl even tells him as much when Rick slips into a recovering coma. But, even in the zombie apocalypse the teenage hormones rage.

Once they find a house that they can hold-up for a night, to rest and scavenge or food and essentials, Rick is able to take stock in his injuries and soon passes out on the couch. Before they are able to rest, Carl gives plenty of lip and retaliation toward his father. He obviously thinks that Rick has failed as the leader of the group, now that it's just them. He is stubborn and is constantly challenging Rick. When he's yelling at his dad (not a smart move since noise attracts Walkers) to wake up, there are a couple of Walkers pounding on the front door to get into the house to see what all the yelling is about, and maybe to find a snack! Ha! Carl makes his way outside to lure the Walkers away and finds himself in a pile up. He thinks he's smart leading the dead away, my thought was that he was going to lead them into the woods to shoot them in the head. But, he's surprised when a Walker comes up behind him and then he has to scrounge to get the job done. When he returns to the house, Rick is still on the couch in his coma and Carl goes off yelling at his father.

Once Carl has gotten some things off his chest to a comatose Rick, telling him that he didn't care if he died, that he could make it on his own, Carl sets off to do some scavenging. He comes across another similar house and makes his way in. He finds a gem in something that's in a huge tin can, I couldn't make out what it said though. Carl goes to investigate the rest of the house and is surprised again by a walker upstairs and barely makes it away. He looses his shoe and writes a cryptic message on the door warning people. When he makes it back to the house and once Rick is awake, there is a really touching scene when Carl tells his dad that he found the 112 oz. pudding (gem) and ate it all. You could see the growing teenage boy and Rick admiring that normalcy as well; that Carl is a growing boy and could eat like that - the entire 112 oz can of chocolate pudding.

Carl's new phrase: "I win"

Michonne continues to track Rick and Carl's progression to their location and is happy to find them alive. When she's had to deal with so much death, as they all have, and having to do the difficult task of ending the one's she loves so many times - I think she's relieved to find them alive and together. There's a knock at the door and Rick goes to look through the peep hole. He returns to his seat on the floor and proclaims to Carl "It's for you." I love this scene because Carl, as Rick told Michonne before, was the deciding factor when she stayed with the group. I love the developments within the relationships and can't wait to see how it continues.

Links

The Walking Dead Story Sync Link
IMDb.com (TWD) After 

Sneak Peak: Inmates

Sherlock 3.3

Could it be? Is there someone that Sherlock could despise more than Moriarty? Queue new nemesis Magnussen. He's someone that you enjoy hating. This episode also had a twist that I didn't see coming, then again, how Sherlock is, how can we predict anything really?

In this episode titled "His Last Vow", Watson finds Sherlock in a drug house, not intentionally. A friend asks for help in locating her son and Watson and his new bride Mary take off in pursuit. When John is able to locate the drugged out son, what a coincidence that Sherlock was in the same drug den. John also makes Sherlock take a drug test, resulting in an assault from Molly. We meet Will who was also at the drug house, he was injured and the troupe brought him along to give him aide, and learned of his talent of deducing.

Meanwhile, we can understand that John has been battling his desire for the hung. He is craving the adrenaline of the chase and the excitement that their cases bring along with them. However, what he is soon to learn could change his entire outlook. We learn through the twists that Sherlock manipulated a relationship for the case, and his case also leads him to the #1 blackmailer, which could equal enemy in his perceptions. But, Sherlock wants what he has - the knowledge.

When he finally is able to track down Magnussen, someone else already has a gun to his head. When Sherlock doesn't deduce correctly, we are shocked to learn that it is none other than the newlywed Mrs. Watson - who shoots Sherlock in the chest! No worries though - he survives - through much intreverted conversations and scenarios.

Mary finds Sherlock and together with his partner John Watson, they agree to help her from the clutches of Magnussen. Sherlock has labeled this as high voltage. In order to get to this guy he has to drug his family on Christmas Day! Also, he has to take state property from his brother. The scene I couldn't stand was when Magnussen kept flicking John in the face, taunting him... and Sherlock kept reaffirming John to let him do it - crazy! I just kept thinking: there must be a reason. Maybe it was so that he could build up enough hate within him for murder...

As statesmen surround the residence of Magnussen (because Mycroft has awoken and alerted them to his missing property that includes state secrets apparently) we know that Magnussen is unarmed. Just when you think they're all going to be hauled in, Sherlock takes a gun he told John to bring with him and shoots the cretin in the head, and then surrenders.

What I don't understand, and maybe this is just a British thing that I might not be able to understand, but why are their seasons only three episodes long? A theory I thought of was that it could have something to do with pay scales - maybe they could only afford a couple episodes from The Hobbit stars? Then again - it could just be how they roll. Either way - we can never get enough of Sherlock and I desperately hope that the fourth season we won't have to wait forever for...

They did set up the season end nicely, we now know that Sherlock will be detained for about six months now. So I am sure with the opening of season 4 we'll understand that he has been in jail (or their version). But, I hope we get to enjoy the fourth season sooner rather than later.
What are your predictions for season 4?

I think I enjoyed this more than I should have...

Links
Sherlock BBC
IMDb.com

Predictions 4 Season 4