Temperance! Divorce! Suffrage! Broken coffee cup! Makeouts in carriages! Clocks! Mediums! Questionable frocks! Sisters! Even more Broadway stars! An exciting season brings regime change at the Van Rhijn–er, Forte household, bold new opportunities for work and love for Peggy, and the culmination of the ultimate marriage plot! Will Peggy find true love with the Hot Doctor, or will his snooty mama get in the way? Will the new Duchess triumph? Is the Russell marriage in trouble? Is Larry a cad or ju...
Jul 16, 2025•53 min•Ep. 109
Just when you think you're at the cool kids party, you realize you're Ward McAllister at your grandma's dusty opera box. Oh how sweet the victory is for Bertha, it only cost her the bargain price of her daughter's soul to the Duke (or, we presume). Thank goodness, he'll have the funds he needs to restore his crumbling English manor back to its glory and Bertha will have the feather in her cap to completely rule New York's social scene. Meanwhile the table's turn with Ada ordering dinner (clam ch...
Dec 21, 2023•49 min•Ep. 108
Love is blooming everywhere in New York, but also dying awkwardly in the botanical gardens. Our hearts swell and break for Ada and cringe for Marion. Meanwhile George's heart might be softening to the working man. But on the opera battlefield, the blades are sharp and the cuts are deep. How much blood will be spilled for the center box?! Whether you want homebrewed coffee or broth supped from a spoon, raise a glass for the dramatic twists and turns only Uncle Julian can bring, one alarm clock at...
Dec 07, 2023•49 min•Ep. 107
As we all know, the sharpest weapon in any proper lady's arsenal is a Duke, and Bertha will stop at nothing to win the Elder Wand of New York! Mrs. Winterton is just starting to taste Bertha's revenge and we are here for it. Was Julian abused as a child by a ladies maid or does he only have one character study he keeps going back to? (cough Mrs. O'Brien, Jane, cough) In these episodes, the real action is between the sheets with the hottest widow and a doe-eyed Larry Russell. But just as watercol...
Nov 25, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 106
Hang on to your bonnets! The damsels are back in their corsets ready to dissect the big war brewing in the battle of the opera boxes! Thank you, Julian, for giving us the polite drama we need these days,complete with the rapid-fire frock changes we so love. Will Bertha reign supreme or will Mrs. Astor twist the silver butter knife this season? Listen in as we dig into all of the delicious details and share all of our juicy predictions!
Nov 04, 2023•48 min•Ep. 105
Ahhhh, it's great to be back at Downton! How we all missed the serious challenges of French weather, bad accents, and servants sitting where the king once sat. The damsels dig into this delight of a movie that (spoiler) we all loved! Julian may be listening to this podcast since one of our predictions came true ;) So pop open the good champagne, toast our girl Violet, and dig into Edith's article about the new sensational vacation everyone is talking about: the south of France IN THE SUMMER! PLU...
May 28, 2022•44 min•Ep. 104
We've reached the final stretch of the debut season of The Gilded Age -- young ladies are coming out, old ladies are crossing streets, and secrets are being revealed! The scent of wealth is in the air from the beaches of Newport to the ballrooms of New York (but it seems no amount of money can buy reliable help these days). The damsels are happy with a strong season ending, and we have many hopes, wishes, and theories for season two to come. Join us for one more round of Gilded Gabby! One fabulo...
Mar 25, 2022•46 min•Ep. 103
Downton Gabby aka Gilded Gabby is back and analyzing episodes 4 - 7 of Uncle Julian's latest show "The Gilded Age"! The damsels cringe over Marian's faux pas and Ward McAllister's accent, and pit frisky adventurer Mr. Raikes against Peggy's hunky editor Mr Fortune. We wonder if we'll see any more of Turner's breasts, marvel at Agnes' hilarious silent treatment, and covet Bertha's red opera cape. Welcome back old friends! Marvel at your electric lights, pour a snifter of brandy, face away from Ba...
Mar 12, 2022•41 min•Ep. 102
Downton Gabby is back lovingly analyzing Uncle Julian's latest show The Gilded Age, one hat feather at a time. And boy, do we have opinions! Old vs. new! Upstairs vs. downstairs! People whose ancestors arrived on the Mayflower (or so they say) vs. people whose ancestors picked potatoes in Ireland. And all with a (shocking) American accent. The damsels dig into whether Julian truly can learn some new tricks about diverse characters while sticking to his old standbys: passing a letter from hand to...
Feb 11, 2022•48 min•Ep. 101
The movie! The movie! Shannon, Brandi and Therese are so excited to reunite to talk about the brand new Downton Abbey movie. We couldn’t be more excited–and worried. The chairs need to be set up! Edith’s ball gown is missing! The servants are revolting! And the King and Queen are coming to Downton! On the plus side…#BoyfriendForBarrow. Join us for all the the sweet, silly, gorgeous, ridiculous details of what we seriously hope will be the first of many more Downton Movies. So put on your tiaras ...
Sep 26, 2019•45 min•Ep. 99
[Season 6, Post-Finale Celebration] - Withdrawal, denial, grief...There's a Crawley-shaped hole in our Sunday nights, so we're excited that some of our smartest, funniest listeners are helping us deal with Life After Downton Abbey. This 'Very Special Podcast' features your memories, questions and wisecracks about things like: That extremely short period of time when we actually liked Bates; The long and fractious friendship of besties4ever Isobel and Violet; and all those scary appliances, cunni...
Sep 09, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 75
[Season 6, Series Finale] - No more secrets, no more lies-just happiness bursting on the series finale of our beloved Downton Abbey. As the captains of #TeamEdith, we wave our flags as she leaps over the final hurdle to her ride into the sunset (the dreaded mother-in-law test) and crosses the finish line with a gold medal. You are woman, Edith! Go forth and conquer. Meanwhile, cottages abound, relationships are restored, and everyone (who's straight) is headed for a wedding (if Isobel can break ...
Aug 28, 2019•49 min•Ep. 74
[Life After Downton, Episode 23] - You know the damsels never miss a chance to talk about female friendship, so we were eager and excited to talk about the new HBO series My Brilliant Friend. For chapter one of this saga of Elena and Lila, not all of us think their bond is always believable, but are we intrigued enough to follow them further in their adventures? We wrap up this last show of 2018 by highlighting a few recent movies we loved enough to call them One Fabulous Thing. Get yourself jus...
Dec 17, 2018•46 min•Ep. 98
[Life After Downton, Episode 22] - It's hard times out there in the world these days. Luckily, pop culture offers us multiple ways to take a break from reality, and on this episode the damsels are sharing their favorite methods of escapism. Join as we journey from hundreds of years in the past to hundreds of years in the future to hang out with characters who are a lot more fun than the ones in the news. But first, we take some time to check in on Downton Abbey movie news (as well as fantasize a...
Nov 04, 2018•43 min•Ep. 97
[Life After Downton, Episode 21] - The damsels slip on their emerald rings and gold jumpsuits to discuss the hit film Crazy Rich Asians. Avid fans of the books, they compare what works and what's missing in the film version - but overall gush about the beautiful men in the film. Then the damsels discuss their favorite ensemble films from the last 80 years (just a short span of time!). Pop open the bubbly, put on your disco Cleopatra dress, and let's gossip about all of the family members!
Sep 09, 2018•51 min•Ep. 96
[Life After Downton, Episode 20] - It's official! The Downton Abbey movie goes into production this September and the Damsels couldn't be more excited. We also have some THOUGHTS. We're throwing out our wildest predictions and fondest hopes, and tossing our own script suggestions Julian's way (it's never too late to reveal Edith is really Rosumund's daughter !) Then, we talk about some exciting upcoming women-centric shows featuring some of our favorite actors and creators. Get that tiara out of...
Aug 12, 2018•26 min•Ep. 95
[Life After Downton, Episode 19] - Let's just admit: it's rough out there in the real world these days. On this episode, the damsels discuss how the current political climate is affecting what we want from pop culture. Sure, season two of The Handmaid's Tale is just as well made as the first, but is the bleak storytelling doing us any good as viewers? And on the new show Dietland, are the feminist messages getting lost in the noise? What kinds of stories about women do we as TV fans hope to see ...
Jul 03, 2018•53 min•Ep. 94
[Life After Downton, Episode 18] - The damsels delve in the brilliant, twisted world of the new show Killing Eve, check back in on the new season of Westworld, and have some thoughts to share on the latest season of Call the Midwife. Some of these shows we loved, some them of them we hated, and some we disagree on–just to keep it interesting! So put on your lipstick, pour a shot of whiskey (or just drink those warm dregs of last night's martini), and enjoy the latest Downton Gabby podcast! One F...
May 20, 2018•54 min•Ep. 93
[Life After Downton, Episode 17] - In our first episode of 2018, the damsels are so pleased to be back and, as always, are ready to share some opinions! We have shows to look back on and shows to look forward to–but first, one exciting Downton Abbey-related adventure to share. In our main topic, we discuss two series that hit streaming at the end of 2017: The Crown Season Two and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season One. Period pieces about proper brunette ladies in the late 1950s...that couldn't be...
Feb 11, 2018•51 min•Ep. 92
[Life After Downton, Episode 16] - Call it the Wicked Switch of the West: Netflix's Godless was sold as a Western about a town made up of and run by women. What we got was...something else. In this podcast, we talk about what we liked (ladies in pants! with guns!), what we hated (endless speechifying by the men), and how we'd rewrite it (we have a screenplay to pitch you). Also, is promoting how feminist something is the new thing? We're flattered. Then we go farther west to Sacramento to discus...
Dec 05, 2017•46 min•Ep. 91
[Life After Downton, Episode 15] - Content warning: this episode contains discussions of several depictions of sexual assault against fictional characters. This month on the podcast, the Damsels have a lot to rant about in a post-Harvey-Weinstein-scandal media world. After some round-up from our month off, we're diving into two series that deal with violence against women: Jane Campion and Gerard Lee's Top of the Lake, and Harry and Jack Williams's Liar. Frankly, we have to say...we demand bette...
Oct 26, 2017•49 min•Ep. 90
[Life After Downton, Episode 14] - Season 7 of Game of Thrones is done and we have issues!! Like how mopey Jon Snow (or Aegon Targaryen, or whatever your name is) is just one of those mediocre guys who gets his ass saved over and over again by better women and then gets promoted over them anyway! Also: A Game of Thrones/The Crown mashup, what the hell happened at Winterfell between the Stark siblings, some Brienne/Tormond shipping (please don't be dead!), who should actually be dead (aside from ...
Sep 01, 2017•45 min•Ep. 89
[Life After Downton, Episode 13] - The damsels are faced with a situation they have never encountered--so many women are ruling TV, leading armies, reigning over nations, and body slamming other badass women. It's Christmas every week on TV this summer for us feminist gals. Kicking off the new season of Game of Thrones, the damsels are overjoyed by the number of women kicking ass and of the men who defer to them. Add a dash of women in sparkly leotards wrestling each other in the new super-fun s...
Jul 29, 2017•56 min•Ep. 88
[Life After Downton, Episode 12] - The damsels kick off this month's conversation with some follow-up about the future of two previously discussed shows (good news for the midwives! Not good news for the sensates...). Then we're checking in on the continuing first season of The Handmaid's Tale and making sure we've properly fangirled over the work of Reed Morano. The praise of female directors continues with the main event: Wonder Woman has finally arrived! Those Amazonian weapons! That no-nonse...
Jun 07, 2017•54 min•Ep. 87
[Life After Downton, Episode 11] - This month the Damsels are all about the trials women go through with their bodies, starting with the eagerly-anticipated adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale, which is beautifully done, and also gave at least one of us nightmares. We also check in with Call the Midwife, Harlots, Girls, and Big Little Lies, to see how their female casts and creators handle the womanly pursuits of (respectively) birthing babies, selling sex, latching on, and trying not to get raped...
Apr 30, 2017•56 min•Ep. 86
[Life After Downton, Episode 10] - On this month's episode, the damsels discuss the smash hit film Beauty and the Beast, along with the phenomenon of Disney "princesses," and what messages this film genre sends to young kids about their expected (hetero) futures. It's not that we don't like our plucky heroines, emotional musical set pieces, and swoon-worthy declarations of love...but how should the genre evolve as new adaptations keep coming, and reaching such massive levels of success? We also ...
Mar 22, 2017•42 min•Ep. 85
[Life After Downton, Episode 9] - The damsels are getting ready for the Oscars by going through the Best Picture winners of years past and helping the Academy make better choices. There are so many phenomenal movies directed by women, written by women, and about women that deserved to win that coveted award. Throw on an evening gown, pop some champagne, and let's re-write history together!
Feb 19, 2017•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 84
[Life After Downton, Episode 8] - The Damsels are just girls in love...with musicals. We celebrate CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, its great characters, hilarious production numbers, and Rachel Bloom's impressive bosoms. We also discuss the new film LA LA LAND (yeah, we have a few issues), as well as some of our favorite musicals of all time, from WEST SIDE STORY to TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE. Plus, an early look at PBS's Victoria and the ever-popular Dan Stevens IMDB Watch. So pour some bubbly, lace up yo...
Feb 01, 2017•44 min•Ep. 83
[Life After Downton, Episode 7] - The damsels close out a rocky year in real life by recalling the many 2016 TV moments that made us feel so many emotions in a safe space: joy, rage, hope, despair, and general appreciation of female badassery. As we each count down our favorite five moments of the year as well as a few disappointments, we also consider: which shows ended strong? What returning shows do we most anticipate for 2017? And which female characters are inspiring us in these dark times?...
Dec 23, 2016•1 hr•Ep. 82
[Life After Downton, Episode 6] - The damsels dive into the world of ermine, tweed, taffeta, and yes... sparkly headbands aka crowns. Lots to discuss about Netflix's new show The Crown: some of us loved Prince Phillip's butt, some didn't; some liked John Lithgow's performance as Churchill, some didn't; and only one damsel recognized a certain actor from Game of Thrones. Afterwards we list off some of our favorite female characters in positions of power. We are eager to hear your additions to our...
Dec 06, 2016•43 min•Ep. 81
