Gratuitous Downton Abbey post: 8 things you can savour now that season 2 has come to a close
Since the lords, ladies, and servants of a certain English period series came into our lives, we’ve scarcely been able to talk about anything else! (Raf who?) Not even the Oscars filled our Sunday night void. Downton Abbey has been thrilling us since the first season aired last year, but it seems that the buzz regarding this latest instalment has come to a fever pitch. While our recaps are obviously the best way to relive season 2, we’ve pulled together another 8 awesome ways to savour Downton till the last drop, that is, until it returns (with Shirley MacLaine as Cora’s mother!) next year on PBS.
1. Well, this might be obvious, but ahem, the DVD? As well as having every episode of the season (Christmas Special included!) at your fingertips, you will have access to all the special features that a true Downton dork needs, including our favourite, “Fashion and Uniforms,” which details how clothing denoted status, rank, and progress. ($30, amazon.ca)
2. Got $12,000 lying around? For that mere sum, you can dine with the real Earl and Countess of Carnarvon (upstairs, and certainly sans Ethel!) at Highclere Castle, the real-life Downton Abbey. Complete with a breakfast tea, a private lunch, and the privilege to drink from the Earl’s cherished wine cellar, you’ll be the first asking, “What is a week-end?”
3. Not that we’d advise drinking the pain away, but if you’re going to toast the bygone season, do it with one of these three custom cocktails created by The Kitchn: The Mary, a champagne cocktail with a bit of lemony bite. The Edith, a sweet and sour grapefruit and gin mix. The Sybil, a powerful combo featuring rarefied Elderflower flavouring.
4. Laugh, laugh, and then laugh some more with Saturday Night Live’s ode to Downton, in which Andy Samberg narrates a fictitious Spike TV promo for the show. We’ve seriously never laughed this hard, well, ever.
5. Looks like Sybil (read Jessica Brown Findlay) meant what she said about getting to work. She’s now using that beautiful punim to sell jewels Twilight-style in Dominic Jones’ latest campaign.
6. Get prepped for season 3’s sure-to-fabulous flapper costumes at the Museum of Vancouver’s exhibit, Art Deco Chic, on until September 23, 2012.
7. We’ve got to hand it to the folks over at Vanity Fair for creating these hilarious Downton trading cards. Perfect to email, print, frame, mail, tattoo on your forehead, they’re sure to prompt lots of giggles. Especially Dr. Clarkson’s.
8. Quench your stalker thirst with Paper Magazine’s look at what the stars of the show look like in real life! O’Brien will literally slay you.
 Not even the Oscars filled our Sunday night void. Downton Abbey has been thrilling us since the first season aired last year, but it seems that the buzz regarding this latest instalment has come to a fever pitch. While our recaps are obviously the best way to relive season 2, we’ve pulled together another 8 awesome ways to savour Downton till the last drop, that is, until it returns (with Shirley MacLaine as Cora’s mother!) next year on PBS.
1. Well, this might be obvious, but ahem, the DVD? As well as having every episode of the season (Christmas Special included!) at your fingertips, you will have access to all the special features that a true Downton dork needs, including our favourite, “Fashion and Uniforms,” which details how clothing denoted status, rank, and progress. ($30, amazon.ca)
2. Got $12,000 lying around? For that mere sum, you can dine with the real Earl and Countess of Carnarvon (upstairs, and certainly sans Ethel!) at Highclere Castle, the real-life Downton Abbey. Complete with a breakfast tea, a private lunch, and the privilege to drink from the Earl’s cherished wine cellar, you’ll be the first asking, “What is a week-end?”
3. Not that we’d advise drinking the pain away, but if you’re going to toast the bygone season, do it with one of these three custom cocktails created by The Kitchn: The Mary, a champagne cocktail with a bit of lemony bite. The Edith, a sweet and sour grapefruit and gin mix. The Sybil, a powerful combo featuring rarefied Elderflower flavouring.
4. Laugh, laugh, and then laugh some more with Saturday Night Live’s ode to Downton, in which Andy Samberg narrates a fictitious Spike TV promo for the show. We’ve seriously never laughed this hard, well, ever.
5. Looks like Sybil (read Jessica Brown Findlay) meant what she said about getting to work. She’s now using that beautiful punim to sell jewels Twilight-style in Dominic Jones’ latest campaign.
6. Get prepped for season 3’s sure-to-fabulous flapper costumes at the Museum of Vancouver’s exhibit, Art Deco Chic, on until September 23, 2012.
7. We’ve got to hand it to the folks over at Vanity Fair for creating these hilarious Downton trading cards. Perfect to email, print, frame, mail, tattoo on your forehead, they’re sure to prompt lots of giggles. Especially Dr. Clarkson’s.
8. Quench your stalker thirst with Paper Magazine’s look at what the stars of the show look like in real life! O’Brien will literally slay you.){kind=link}