Lucky Houston fans of Downton Abbey were in an excited mood earlier this week when they got to watch a sneak preview of the supersized season finale and attend a taping of Manor of Speaking, the locally-produced show that dissects every twist and turn of PBS's most popular series.
Some fans came to the Houston Public Media studios dressed in period costume — this season's episodes are set in 1924 — ready to dissect every plot point with a panel that included MOS host Ernie Manouse, regular panelists Helen Mann and St. John Flynn and special guests Joanne Herring and Evan Turner.
There was a lot to talk about because the season finale has a lot of twists and turns, including — spoiler alert! —a trek to a Scotland castle where all sorts of scandalous things happen, yet another new handsome suitor for Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) — this time the dashing Finn Polmar (Matthew Goode) from The Good Wife — and the most heartwarming ending in Downton's five year history.
Actually, all of these things are alluded to in the previews of the season finale that followed the last episode, so we're not really giving any secrets away. To find out what happens, watch the season finale episode Sunday at 8 p.m. on Channel 8, followed by the season-ending episode of Manor of Speaking. (The local show used to be aired live but this season it is taped beforehand because more than 80 PBS stations across the nation have picked it up to run at various times throughout the week.)
Guests also got a chance to pose with life-sized cut-out characters from the show — either with the upstairs Crawley family or the downstairs servants — or both.
Downton Abbey fans George Fotinos and Stephanie Anderson dress for the Manor of Speaking season finale.
Photo by Jonathan Sandys
Downton Abbey fans George Fotinos and Stephanie Anderson dress for the Manor of Speaking season finale.
In a time when true movie stars seem to be going extinct, Timothée Chalamet has emerged as an exception to the rule. Since 2021 he has headlined blockbusters like the two Dune movies and Wonka, and also earned an Oscar nomination for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (his second nomination following 2018’s Call Me By Your Name). Now, he’s almost assured to get his third nomination for the stellar new film, Marty Supreme.
Chalamet plays Marty Mauser, a world-class table tennis player living in New York. But reducing Marty to his best skill doesn’t do him justice, as he’s also a motormouth schemer who will do almost anything to achieve his dreams. He doesn’t have any qualms about wooing married women like neighbor Rachel (Odessa A’zion) or actress Kay Stone (Gwyneth Paltrow), or hiding his true ping pong skills to win money in scams with friends like Wally (Tyler the Creator).
Marty is seemingly on the go the entire movie, whether it’s trying to convince Kay’s millionaire husband Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to fund his table tennis ambitions; or trying to track down the dog of Ezra (Abel Ferrara), a man he accidentally injures; or trying to avoid the ire of the boss at the shoe store where he works. Just when you think he might slow down, he’s off to the races on another plan or adventure.
Directed by Josh Safdie and written by Safdie and frequent co-writer Ronald Bronstein, the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives, and yet the throughline of Marty keeps everything tightly connected. His particular type of brash behavior turns much of the film into a comedy as he does and says things that are both shocking and thrilling.
Another thing that makes the movie sing is the fantastic characterization by Safdie and Bronstein. Almost every person who is given a speaking line in the film has a moment where they pop, which speaks to airtight dialogue that the writers have created. Characters will be introduced and then disappear for long stretches of time, and yet because they make such an impression the first time they’re on screen, it’s easy to pick up their thread right away.
Safdie, as he’s done previously with brother Bennie (Uncut Gems), calls on a host of well-known non-actors or people with interesting faces/vibes to inhabit supporting roles, and to a person they are crucial to the film’s success. O’Leary (of Shark Tank fame), rapper Tyler the Creator, director Ferrara, magician Penn Jillette, and fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi each deliver knockout performances. The relative unknowns who play smaller roles are just as impressive, making each beat of the film feel naturalistic.
Leading the way is the powerhouse performance by Chalamet. For one person to believably play both the famously reserved Dylan and also a firecracker like Marty is astonishing, and this role cements Chalamet’s status as his generation’s movie star. A’zion is a rising star who gets great moments as Marty’s on-again/off-again love interest. Paltrow pops in and out of the film, lighting up the screen every time she appears. Fran Drescher as Marty’s mom and Sandra Bernhard as a neighbor also pay dividends in small roles.
Josh Safdie’s first solo directorial effort is unlike any other movie this year, or maybe even this century. Thanks to its breakneck storytelling, a magnificent performance by Chalamet, and countless intangibles that Safdie employs expertly, the film smacks viewers in the face repeatedly and demands that they come back for more.
