downton abbey. my new addiction.

thanks to a friend, i recently discovered downton abbey, a sumptuous british television period drama set in the late edwardian era.

the opening episode begins just after the posh crawley family learns of the titanic's demise.

not only is this news tragic, it's problematic. robert crawley, the earl of grantham, finds that his cousin and second cousin both have died in the tragedy, leaving his estate's future ownership in question.

why? well, crawley has three gorgeously dressed daughters. but none can inherit his estate upon his death because, well, they're girls.

in addition, the family castle was financed by his wife's fortune, not his, so the whole messy business is hurting his daughter's marriage prospects. not good.

so ...

a reluctant heir is brought into the fold, and all the sisters swoon for him.

meanwhile, downstairs ... the servants are a festering pit of intrigue, forbidden love and backstabbing. delish.

if you like period dramas (and seriously, who doesn't?) this is a fun one to get lost in. get the dvd to watch season one before season two airs this side of the pond in january. i can't wait.

epilogue:
oh, i know there's edgier stuff out there (trueblood fans - step out of the room for a minute). but this is as fun as getting lost in a good book. so there.

and there's no vampires! so everybody wins.