Knowing she loved the old British show, "Upstairs, Downstairs," I got my wife DVDs the first two seasons of "Downton Abbey," as a Christmas present. The BBC hit is similar in premise to "Upstairs, Downstairs."
I figured that would be a nice pasttime while I watched a winter's worth of bouncing balls at various basketball games.
As I figured, she got hooked. It took her a couple of weeks to watch the first two seasons (often going two episodes at a time). Then, she began watching this season.
The soap opera with wonderful accents, well-written and well-acted, is apparently that way with many women. At basketball games and in restaurants, I hear them discussing it like they used to about "Days of Our Lives" or "Dallas."
Then, it happened. The inevitable soap opera plot twist that is not good.
I won't spoil it entirely for the handful who don't know about it yet.
Put it this way. My wife was sad about the death of Mindy McCready. She was really mad about what happened in Sunday night's season finale of Downton Abbey. Why do bad things happen to the good and good looking? she lamented.
But remember the maxim: Nothing ever has to be permanent in soap operas. There's always the possibility of a bad dream sequence, amnesia, plastic surgery or an evil twin who is an imposter.
Take heart. I'm confident Season 4 will lift the spirits — at least until the finale.