The Entail on Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey

Since I don't live in a cave, I had of course heard of the show Downton Abbey. Lots of people were tweeting about it and/or discussing it on Facebook. But I had never watched any of the episodes, because I read somewhere that it is a British soap opera. That pretty much killed it for me. Then my husband went to visit his parents when my sister and I headed to Cincinnati over President's weekend. He got caught up in watching the last two episodes of Season 3 with them, and he really enjoyed the show.

Since I am always struggling with gift ideas for him, a little light bulb went off in my mind and I picked up the three seasons on DVD for his birthday. So far we have watched all the episodes of Season 1, and I have to admit that I am hooked. The story line is interesting, the sets are amazing and the casting is brilliant. But I was quite confused about the whole "entail" thing. (Which sounds a little too much like entrails for my liking!) So I did what most people do when they are confused about anything - I Googled it. If you need some help following this important part of the story line, I found a great post on Austenprose that succinctly describes the legal issues surrounding the entail of the Downton Abbey estate. I now understand why parts of the family are on different sides of the issue, and can actually sympathize with both points of view. I am eager to continue watching the series to see who ends up on top in this debate. If you haven't seen the show, I recommend taking a look for yourself. It is easy to get caught up in Downton Abbey!