I have to confess, I gave up on Downton Abbey after Season 3. I know, I’m sure I missed a lot of great stuff, but looking at these clips of all of Maggie Smith‘s best lines, my hope is confirmed. Every time she appeared in the series, I secretly wished that when she left the room, the camera would follow her –anywhere. Her reaction to the weather or someone’s shoes was worth all the twists and turns of plot. How can we cope without the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Crawley family matriarch, and her sly side-eye? Smith won back-to-back Emmys for her role, one of the funniest on TV in recent memory.
Big thanks to Slate for collecting all the best barbs, laid on family members, guests of the estate, and, occasionally herself. It’s so shady, prepare for an eclipse. Being told that she had only said something to sound clever, her reply;
“I know. You should try it.“
Watch.