Upstairs Downstairs - The London Perspective

From flirtations to resignations .... it’s all go in Upstairs Downstairs this week, both above and below stairs. Following last week’s slightly chaotic series opener, as we struggled to remember all the various storylines, more than a year later and with very little recap, this week’s episode was definitely back on form. 

 ©BBC 2012

With Lady Persie back in town, it’s only a matter of time before Sir Hallam comes to regret that trip to Berlin, but, at present, all seems well between Hallam and Lady Agnes ... a sweet scene on the roundabout, but we’ve all heard those spoilers about the show’s newest arrival from the States ... 

Meanwhile, an uneasy truce is declared for Doctor Blanche and Mr Amanjit, re-focusing their efforts on a far more worthy cause than Lady Holland’s journals - keep an eye out for Lotte, the young girl taken in by the Hollands at the end of series 1 (again, just a little recap would have been nice!).

Elsewhere, the chemistry of Mr. Pritchard and Mrs. Thackeray may not be that of Hudson and Mrs. Bridges, but I’m loving the banter all the same ... even if it is testing my knowledge of pre-decimal currency!

From its focus on the political events of the day, to the chaotic comings-and-goings both upstairs and downstairs, this series has successfully captured the spirit and character of the original. Far from simply a doopelganger of Downton Abbey, think of this as the London viewpoint, in contrast to the more sedate lifestyle of a grand estate.