Downton Gabby

Downton Gabby is back lovingly analyzing Uncle Julian's latest show The Gilded Age, one hat feather at a time. And boy, do we have opinions! Old vs. new! Upstairs vs. downstairs! People whose ancestors arrived on the Mayflower (or so they say) vs. people whose ancestors picked potatoes in Ireland. And all with a (shocking) American accent. The damsels dig into whether Julian truly can learn some new tricks about diverse characters while sticking to his old standbys: passing a letter from hand to hand, and judgy conniving ladies maids. Welcome back old friends, pour a glass of your best bubbly and let's get into whether Mrs. Russell's dresses are horrifying or fab!

The movie! The movie! Shannon, Brandi and Therese are so excited to reunite to talk about the brand new Downton Abbey movie. We couldn’t be more excited–and worried. The chairs need to be set up! Edith’s ball gown is missing! The servants are revolting! And the King and Queen are coming to Downton! On the plus side…#BoyfriendForBarrow.

Join us for all the the sweet, silly, gorgeous, ridiculous details of what we seriously hope will be the first of many more Downton Movies. So put on your tiaras (It’s OK even if you’re not married) and join us for a “Fast and Furious'“ rundown of the new film.. NOTE: Spoilers abound so if you haven’t seen it yet, press pause, watch the film, and then come back. On second thought, nothing will really surprise you, so stick with us.

[Season 6, Post-Finale Celebration] - Withdrawal, denial, grief...There's a Crawley-shaped hole in our Sunday nights, so we're excited that some of our smartest, funniest listeners are helping us deal with Life After Downton Abbey. This 'Very Special Podcast' features your memories, questions and wisecracks about things like: That extremely short period of time when we actually liked Bates; The long and fractious friendship of besties4ever Isobel and Violet; and all those scary appliances, cunning devices, and stylish ladypants that showed us just how inevitable change was. A huge thank you to this show's contributors*, as well as to all of you who listened, tweeted, facebooked, watched the show with us in sparkly headbands, and otherwise supported the podcast for all these years.

Please raise your glasses for a final toast to our beloved Downton Abbey...and to all us crazy fans.

*Thanks to our contributors in order of appearance: Hilary, Jaclyn, Kate, Mike, Jen, Sarah, Paula, Megan, Monica, Valerie, Sara, Vanessa, Melissa, Rebecca, Emily, and Birgit.

[Season 6, Series Finale] - No more secrets, no more lies-just happiness bursting on the series finale of our beloved Downton Abbey. As the captains of #TeamEdith, we wave our flags as she leaps over the final hurdle to her ride into the sunset (the dreaded mother-in-law test) and crosses the finish line with a gold medal. You are woman, Edith! Go forth and conquer. Meanwhile, cottages abound, relationships are restored, and everyone (who's straight) is headed for a wedding (if Isobel can break her beloved out of his plaid bathrobe prison) And in other "excitement": Daisy gets a haircut; Thomas might get to serve cheese again; and a mini murderous Bates is let loose on the world. Maybe we're not so electrified by those downstairs developments, but at least nobody died! Before you contact us with tips for surviving Life After Downton Abbey (#LADA), raise your crooning voices and a glass of champagne and join us in thanking and berating dear Julian, celebrating this wonderful show, and bidding farewell to the Abbey.

[Life After Downton, Episode 23] - You know the damsels never miss a chance to talk about female friendship, so we were eager and excited to talk about the new HBO series My Brilliant Friend. For chapter one of this saga of Elena and Lila, not all of us think their bond is always believable, but are we intrigued enough to follow them further in their adventures? We wrap up this last show of 2018 by highlighting a few recent movies we loved enough to call them One Fabulous Thing. Get yourself just a drop of celebratory wine and join us for a new episode of Downton Gabby!

One Fabulous Thing:

The Favourite

Hearts Beat Loud

Widows

[Life After Downton, Episode 22] - It's hard times out there in the world these days. Luckily, pop culture offers us multiple ways to take a break from reality, and on this episode the damsels are sharing their favorite methods of escapism. Join as we journey from hundreds of years in the past to hundreds of years in the future to hang out with characters who are a lot more fun than the ones in the news.

But first, we take some time to check in on Downton Abbey movie news (as well as fantasize about receiving our invites to the premiere), and wrap things up with an extra-pleasant round of One Fabulous Thing. Grab a pour of whatever's helping you relax these days, and join us for another episode of Downton Gabby!

[Life After Downton, Episode 21] - The damsels slip on their emerald rings and gold jumpsuits to discuss the hit film Crazy Rich Asians. Avid fans of the books, they compare what works and what's missing in the film version - but overall gush about the beautiful men in the film. Then the damsels discuss their favorite ensemble films from the last 80 years (just a short span of time!).  Pop open the bubbly, put on your disco Cleopatra dress, and let's gossip about all of the family members!

[Life After Downton, Episode 20] - It's official! The Downton Abbey movie goes into production this September and the Damsels couldn't be more excited. We also have some THOUGHTS. We're throwing out our wildest predictions and fondest hopes, and tossing our own script suggestions Julian's way (it's never too late to reveal Edith is really Rosumund's daughter !) 

Then, we talk about some exciting upcoming women-centric shows featuring some of our favorite actors and creators. Get that tiara out of the family vault and ask the footman to uncork some champagne because we're talking Downton Abbey Movie!

[Life After Downton, Episode 19] - Let's just admit: it's rough out there in the real world these days. On this episode, the damsels discuss how the current political climate is affecting what we want from pop culture. Sure, season two of The Handmaid's Tale is just as well made as the first, but is the bleak storytelling doing us any good as viewers? And on the new show Dietland, are the feminist messages getting lost in the noise? What kinds of stories about women do we as TV fans hope to see on our screens as the production cycle catches up to the news cycle (if such a thing is even possible)?

In the end, a lively round of One Fabulous Thing reminds us how much art is out there to love and draw inspiration from. So pour yourself a secret glass of the Commander's whiskey and join us for a new episode of Downton Gabby!

One Fabulous Thing:

Pose TV Series on the FX Network

Hannah Gadsby Special on Netflix

Binge Mode Podcast: Harry Potter

[Life After Downton, Episode 18] - The damsels delve in the brilliant, twisted world of the new show Killing Eve, check back in on the new season of Westworld, and have some thoughts to share on the latest season of Call the Midwife.

Some of these shows we loved, some them of them we hated, and some we disagree on–just to keep it interesting!

So put on your lipstick, pour a shot of whiskey (or just drink those warm dregs of last night's martini), and enjoy the latest Downton Gabby podcast!

One Fabulous Things:

Ship It by Britta Lundin

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Kanopy.com film streaming, and How To Lose Your Virginity on Kanopy