"Indeed, the women of Downton almost always emerge stronger than their male counterparts, at least upstairs. Violet Grantham, the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith) is wise and surprisingly flexible despite her age; Mary (Michelle Dockery) is compassionate, pragmatic and direct, a real survivor; Edith (Laura Carmichael), despite her astonishing bad luck, is also a strong modernist and brave survivor; cousin Isobel (Penelope Wilton) a pragmatist, realist, and levelheaded negotiator. It’s no wonder the men of Downton come out lacking when compared to these strong examples of the best in humanity."