"Will someone please tell me what's going on, or have we all stepped through the looking glass?"

           Maggie Smith as Violet, Downton Abbey

I'm sure you die-hard Downton Abbey fans were eagerly anticipating the final episode of season two, the Christmas Special (aired February 19, EST at 9:00 p.m.). God knows the second to the last episode was wholly unworthy of the fine fare which had preceded it (see libbyliberalnyc's excellent post, “Downton Abbey Jumps Shark with Overplotting and Caricaturization.”) Spoiler alert: if you have not seen the final episode of season two and hope to see it, do not read any further.

I will go through the highlights and analyze as I see fit (how very British of me). Please let me know if you think I have omitted anything significant.

Mr. Bates. The beleaguered Mr. Bates is incarcerated on suspicion of poisoning his ex-wife. At a trial the likes of which Law & Order would never tolerate for its obvious lack of DNA evidence, among other things (all the evidence was circumstantial), Bates is declared guilty and sentenced to hang. Poor Mrs. Hughes, O'Brien and Lord Grantham are compelled to testify; Grantham unfortunately confesses that Bates told him he wished the former Mrs. Bates dead. Sometimes less is more!

Mary and Carlisle and Anna. Cora tells her husband about Mary's indiscretion (hmm) with the young, now deceased Turk Pamuk since he is clamoring to know why his daughter insists on marrying the abominable Mr. Carlisle, whom she clearly dislikes. After hearing the story, Grantham speaks to his daughter and tells her all is (gulp) forgiven and she needn't marry Carlisle—who could marry a man who can't load his own gun and who thinks charades is demeaning to the person playing it—but may disappear to America to live with an aunt and start a new life and perhaps marry a cowboy. Yahoo! He will bear the shame of her being exposed in the press. What a great Dad! Anna asks if she may accompany Mary to America if the worst is to happen to her beloved Bates, and Mary agrees. Rich people being kind to poor people! Oh, how it touches my soul.

Daisy. Daisy asserts herself at the recommendation of a visiting lady's maid to Violet's daughter, Rosamund, and heeds the Ouija board which instructs her to visit William's dad for a day. The kindly man confides in her that he has lost all his children and asks if she will be his daughter so he has someone to pray for. This is by far the most touching, heartfelt scene in the show.

Thomas. Oh, hapless villain that you are. I used to simply despise him, but he has grown on me. He is the only (at least that we know of) gay character in the show, and despite his dark side (plotting evil while on smoking breaks with O'Brien; oh, those evil smokers!). My heart softened to him a bit after he discovers that his storehouse of black market goods are all bad (the flour is actually cement) and he has been cheated of his life's savings. Hoping he will be next in line for the valet position if Bates does not return to the house, Thomas seeks counsel from O'Brien, who advises him to hide something Lord G values and then find it to prove his worth. Thomas takes Grantham's dog Isis into the woods and locks her in a shed, planning to come for her later after a search party has been sent out. All I could keep thinking is that the dog is going to be torn apart by wolves. Luckily, I was mistaken. Although Thomas is not the one to return Isis to her owner, Lord Grantham is touched by Thomas's endeavors, seeing him filthy and disheveled after searching in the wee hours for his pooch.

Mary and Matthew. Oh, thank God the vampiric pallor of their skin has darkened to alabaster. They are no longer among the ranks of the living dead! Isobel convinces her son that Mary is still in love with him and ultimately, he takes the bait, and proposes to her on bended knee in the snow. This is the stuff fairy tales are made of!

Carlisle. It turns out Carlisle isn't all that bad. He tells Mary that he truly loved her and she tells him of her hope that he will find someone worthy of his love. Poor sod.

Most fun scene. The fist fight between Matthew and Carlisle. Oh, how I love to see gents in tuxes roll around on the parlor room floor!

Bates. Bates' sentence is commuted to life in prison. Hallelujah! Now if only he would lose that perpetual hang-dog look. I guess it's hard when the blows keep coming, unabated (no pun intended).

I don't know about you, but I am so looking forward to the addition of Shirley MacLaine in season 3. I am certain she will stir up a good bit of mischief and fun.