X
- PBS
- Sep 16, 2012
- PBS
- Sep 16, 2012
- PBS
- Sep 16, 2012
- PBS
- Sep 16, 2012
Season Episodes
View All Seasons
6 Seasons
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 27 Critic Reviews
83
100% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 27 Critic Reviews
83
100% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Downton has returned with all its powers intact, not least its power to mesmerize its armies of devoted fans.
What lies ahead for Downton fans is a first-rate run of episodes that feels less hectic and more tightly focused on the family core.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 141 User Ratings
7.7
82% Positive
115 Ratings
115 Ratings
10% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
9% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 141 User Ratings
7.7
82% Positive
115 Ratings
115 Ratings
10% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
9% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
Julian Fellowes has done it again. Series 3 of Downton Abbey is just as excellent as its predecessors. The first season was absolutely incredible, with every storyline providing a wonderful story by itself. The second season, while still fabulously written and well acted, was too founded on melodrama to make me truly love it, though I still liked the series greatly. This current series, the third series, is just as good, if not better, than the first series.
Maggie Smith still anchors the cast with her deliciously snarky performance as the Dowager Countess, with Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville continuing their great work as the Earl and Countess of Grantham. Jim Carter, Joanne Froggatt, and Phyllis Logan continue their strong work, as do Jessica Brown-Findlay, Rob James-Collier, Siobhan Finneran, Lesley Nicol, Sophie McShera, Amy Nuttall, Kevin Doyle, and Allen Leech. Michelle Dockery, after giving brilliantly subtle, emotionally suppressed performances in the first 2 series, gives by far her most emotional characterization this season, especially in the series' first episode. Mirroring her, Dan Stevens also amps up his acting, providing some scenes that are simultaneously heartbreaking, infuriating, and emotionally painful. After becoming somewhat a character of annoying habits and nitpicks, Penelope Wilton's Cousin Isobel receives a welcome role renewal and is allowed to show her underrated acting abilities once again. Laura Carmichael is also terrific in showing the pain agony her character must endure and then trying to find herself and her place in the rapidly changing world. Unfortunately, the more and more episodes I watch, the less and less I like Mr. Bates and the more and more I like Anna. My distaste for Bates comes not from the character himself, but from Brendan Coyle's monumentally annoying portrayal of him. His constant whispering is maddening at best and downright infuriating a good portion of the time. Coyle's annoying characterization aside, this show has left behind any negative parts of its melodramatic streak in series 2, and has blossomed anew. Shirley MacLaine's presence is brilliant and every one of her lines is perfectly delivered. Her banter with Maggie Smith is a high point.
Period detail-wise, the show just keeps delivering. The costuming is spot on every time. Even if I had no idea of the point in history when I began, I knew immediately it was the 20s when Mary donned her blue proto-flapper dress and hat in the first episode. John Lunn's fabulous music is still just as terrific as always, and Nigel Willoughby's cinematography is just as beautiful as always. The tracking shots are possible the best since Thomas Schlamme's flawless walk-and-talk one in Aaron Sorkin's works, especially The West Wing.
I don't know how many series are ahead, but all I can say is I hope it never ends.
Report
SEASON 3
By far the best series yet. Downton Abbey series 3 has all the elements that makes the show a great entertainment for all the family. Downton makes us cry, laugh and enjoy at the same time. It is very recommendable.
Report
SEASON 3
Fans will be pleased, though they shouldn't be too surprised by the major plot development Sunday--it's obvious by half.
This is put-your-feet-up, pour-a-brandy television, a tasty import that's good company for a culture undergoing its own sometimes dizzying shifts.
While some plots on Downton Abbey may be more meaningful than others, nothing in season three rings as false a note as the Patrick-has-amnesia story in season two.
Those who accept it for what it is--a funny, manipulative soap that relies on historical upheaval to frame its scarce plots--should be happy to hear that Downton’s new season is better than its last.
Plotting is not Fellowes' strength, but Downton's appeal is visual.
A third season loaded with the same elements that gives taste. The mixture of dramatic elements works was well, with an unexpected but collapsing finale of season.
Report
SEASON 3
I loved the first season, started shaking my head in the second and now find myself bored stiff with the twits above and the drones below. The IQ's below are superior to those above, but nary a rebellion to be ****. How the hell did the Brits get such an empire? Certainly not by softness in the grey matter, or shyness to power, or ambition, yet these people seem like a Monty Python caricature bereft of humor and smugness and left listlessly unaware of their own irrelevance.
Report
SEASON 3
Season 3 is wretched. I'm not sure I've ever witnessed a show decline so much from a first season to a third. I can't imagine watching a fourth season.
Report
SEASON 3
