Reviews - Downton Abbey

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Stiff upper lip, now: <i>Downton Abbey</i> says a proper goodbye

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Stiff upper lip, now: Downton Abbey says a proper goodbye

Downton Abbey’s final Christmas special opens on an idyll. The Crawleys gather on the lush grounds of the manor,…

Emily L. Stephens

3/06/16 8:40PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

A bananas <i>Downton Abbey</i> wrecks lives, pulls rank, and makes peace

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

A bananas Downton Abbey wrecks lives, pulls rank, and makes peace

The series finale of Downton Abbey (with the Christmas special still to come) doesn’t pull any punches: a death, a…

Emily L. Stephens

2/21/16 9:23PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

A manipulative <i>Downton Abbey</i> settles down, breaks up, and mends fences

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

A manipulative Downton Abbey settles down, breaks up, and mends fences

This episode is transparently, cynically manipulative, and I resent how efficiently it worked on me, from the tense…

Emily L. Stephens

2/14/16 9:01PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

The manor goes meta for <i>Downton Abbey</i>’s open house

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

The manor goes meta for Downton Abbey’s open house

Readers, we have seen the star of tonight’s Downton Abbey, and he is us:

Emily L. Stephens

2/07/16 9:01PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

An explosive <i>Downton Abbey </i>brings secrets into the open

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

An explosive Downton Abbey brings secrets into the open

As Downton Abbey races toward its conclusion, everything, and I mean everything, comes out. Mary confides in Tom one…

Emily L. Stephens

1/31/16 9:00PM

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A fun but facile <i>Downton Abbey </i>pays lip service to social mobility

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

A fun but facile Downton Abbey pays lip service to social mobility

“Tom the peacemaker is back,” Edith Crawley says after a contentious dinner, and she’s right. Over the years, Tom…

Emily L. Stephens

1/24/16 9:00PM

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On <i>Downton Abbey</i>’s wedding episode, standards slip and time slips away

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

On Downton Abbey’s wedding episode, standards slip and time slips away

In the first scene of Downton Abbey’s wedding episode, Mrs. Hughes sighs, “I don’t mind. Not really.” Those aren’t…

Emily L. Stephens

1/17/16 9:01PM

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<i>Downton Abbey</i> asks “Whose side are you on?” as cracks grow into chasms

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey asks “Whose side are you on?” as cracks grow into chasms

For six seasons now, and over the years between 1912 and 1925, the residents of Downton Abbey have spoken of changes…

Emily L. Stephens

1/10/16 9:01PM

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<i>Downton Abbey</i>’s return drags Mary through the mud

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey’s return drags Mary through the mud

Downton Abbey’s return spotlights more than ever the era’s changing social and economic mores, the seismic shift…

Emily L. Stephens

1/03/16 9:32PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode Nine”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode Nine”

In this last gasp of season five, there’s plenty to grouse about, then—as befits Downton Abbey’s Christmas…

Emily L. Stephens

3/01/15 10:00PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode Eight”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode Eight”

Now, this is what I like to see from Downton Abbey: deftly paralleled characters, a dragging plot arc culminating in…

Emily L. Stephens

2/22/15 9:18PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode Seven”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode Seven”

Goddamnit, Edith.

Emily L. Stephens

2/15/15 9:01PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode Six”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode Six”

There are plenty of stories on tonight’s Downton Abbey, but Edith’s and Thomas’ are the most immediate and…

Emily L. Stephens

2/08/15 9:02PM

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<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode Five”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode Five”

No one in tonight’s episode really listens to the things they’re told, or to the silences that say so much. Nobody…

Emily L. Stephens

2/01/15 9:02PM

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<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode Four”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode Four”

Called on the carpet by Lord Grantham, Daisy speaks with a candor and passion that seems to surprise even her. She’s…

Emily L. Stephens

1/25/15 9:02PM

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<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode Three”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode Three”

In this episode’s opening scene, Lady Mary and Lord Gillingham sprawl amid tangled sheets, looking appropriately…

Emily L. Stephens

1/18/15 9:01PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode Two”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode Two”

The world is getting smaller, and getting bigger. The wireless brings news and music from afar, even carrying the…

Emily L. Stephens

1/11/15 9:00PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

<i>Downton Abbey</i>: “Season Five, Episode One”

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: “Season Five, Episode One”

The fifth season of Downton Abbey opens with Edith on a bicycle, riding away from the manor, past a crossroad, as…

Emily L. Stephens

1/04/15 9:15PM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

<i>Downton Abbey</i> stabilizes, but don’t call it a comeback

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey stabilizes, but don’t call it a comeback

As they digest the show’s fifth season, Downton Abbey diehards will stumble repeatedly into the same conversation…

Joshua Alston

1/02/15 12:00AM

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TVReviewsDownton Abbey

<i>Downton Abbey</i>: Season Four, Episode Eight

TVReviewsDownton Abbey

Downton Abbey: Season Four, Episode Eight

I can forgive Downton Abbey a lot of flaws when it delivers pomp and circumstance. This fourth-season finale is a…

Sonia Saraiya

2/24/14 12:03AM

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