Returning to the Abbey

Ah, alas the time has come for the return of my beloved Downton Abbey.  This evening, the characters so many of us have come to love (and a few to detest among the lot) are brought back to PBS for the U.S. premiere of Season Three.  For me, there are few programs which offer the delightful escapism of Downton Abbey.  

The story---the love triangles, upstairs versus downstairs points of views, the family and the servants, the juxtaposition of World War One and financial depression---is what kept me watching through Seasons One and Two.  

But, perhaps even more than the almost soap-operatic drama of the plot, what I truly adore are the visual details of Downton Abbey.  From the winding hallways of the mansion to the frocks the Crawley ladies wear, from the expansive green fields surrounding the manor to the decadent feasts the servants prepare, the show never ceases to enchant my every sense.

As that haunting instrumental music cues the opening of Season Three tonight, I'll cozy up in my not-so-grand estate and sip some tea (not poured by my butler).  Like my girlhood treks through Anne of Green Gables or Jane Austen novels, Downton Abbey whisks me away to another place and time.  The characters live in my imagination long after each episode closes.  I simply cannot wait to see where this season transports me.

Images borrowed from PBS.