This evening saw the transmission of the final episode of Season 3. And very good it was too.
I like series that are happy to finish a season by tying up lots of loose ends - as opposed to those which feel the need to finish on a cliffhanger.
Overall I think Season 3 was good. Probably better than Season 2.
I had some reservations as the season progressed about the portrayal of Irish characters - most especially the character of Tom Brandon (played by Allen Leech) and, even though he only appeared in one episode, that of his brother Kieran (played by Ruairi Conaghan). But having seen the final episode I think that my concerns were largely unfounded. Allen Leech himself apparently said that the attitudes of the Crawleys reflected "a realistic portrayal of the era".
The fact that we have had three seasons has allowed other characters to come to the fore. I have particularly enjoyed the performances of Jim Carter as Mr. Carson and Phyllis Logan as Mrs. Hughes.
But the undoubted starts of the show, IMHO, are Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham and Maggie Smith as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham. They are just fantastic.
So now we have the Christmas Special to look forward to.
