'Downton Abbey' Season 2 Finale Delivers
Hit PBS drama "Downton Abbey" ended its second season last night. Be warned, if you haven't yet viewed the two-hour season finale, this article contains spoilers.
The season two finale centered the action on Mary and Matthew's romantic tension. Matthew clings to Mary and the two exchange charged glances throughout the episode, much to Richard's discontent. Which does seems somewhat reasonable on Richard's part, as he is engaged to Mary after all.
However he takes his growing frustration out on Mary, speaking to her aggressively and rudely – which makes Matthew work all the harder to save her from the impending marriage. Despite Matthew's insistence on his ability to protect and provide for her, Mary asserts that she must wed Richard.
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Mary eventually reveals to Matthew that she has to marry Richard because of the dirt he has on her. She then reveals the story of Mr. Pamuck to Matthew. He is taken aback, and not completely comfortable, but Matthew, true to his form, stands by Mary. He still insists she should not marry Richard, dirt or no dirt.
Much to the fans' delight Lord Grantham and Matthew give Mary permission to call off the engagement with Richard.
Free of her engagement shackles, Mary attends the servant's ball with Matthew by her side. After dancing, the two take a break and grab some fresh air. After a brief discussion of propriety, Matthew takes a knee and proposes to Mary. She says yes, and the two seal it with a kiss, while viewers across America struggle to hold back tears.
Critics have had complaints about this season, however, this episode found more favorable reviews. Critics Tom and Lorenzo of popular site TomandLorenzo.com, felt the finale fared better than the rest of the season. They wrote, "Given how poorly [season two] was paced – so badly that 'poorly paced' serves quite well as a primary descriptor for the season – it's a bit astonishing that so much happened in these two hours and yet very little of it felt rushed or un-earned."
What does Season 3 hold for the "Downton Abbey" crew? Few details have been released, but Digital Spy reports that Allen Leech, who plays Branson, said, "We had a read-through after the first five scripts [of the third season] and they're really, really good."
