DOWNTON ABBEY

SERIES II, EPISODE 3

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 @ 11:00PM

1918

Mary’s new alliance has aroused Violet’s interest in matters of suitability and love. With Sybil in mind, the Dowager Countess declares, “war breaks down barriers and when peacetime re-erects them, it’s very easy to find oneself on the wrong side.” Indeed, among war’s greatest casualties at Downton are the prescribed roles and class boundaries. Thomas is exerting his authority over the servants with aplomb; Mrs. Patmore, Daisy and Mrs. Bird are cooking up a little something on the side; and Ethel has discovered an age-old way to support the war effort. But between Robert and Bates, faith and loyalty transcend class, offering hope when Robert needs it most. Because now, the war has threatened a far more serious casualty.

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THE PARADISE

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 @ 7:00PM & 11:00PM

Moray’s ambitions hit a road bump in the form of Bradley Burroughs, the barber, while Edmund’s ambitions get a boost from Katherine as she toys with Moray. As Denise executes another bold idea, Jonas graduates from prowling to a more active role in protecting Moray’s interests.

Arthur Darvill (Little Dorrit) joins Joanna Vanderham (What Maisie Knew), Emun Elliott (Game of Thrones), Sarah Lancashire (Upstairs Downstairs), Elaine Cassidy (A Room with a View), and Patrick Malahide (Game of Thrones) in Episode 4 of Bill Gallagher’s (Lark Rise to Candleford) stirring drama based on Émile Zola’s beloved classic novel, Au Bonheur des Dames.

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FORGE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 @ 11:00PM

Forging is an ancient method where metal is heated and reheated, strengthened and hammered into sinuous, extravagant curves. Through this mysterious process, artists express their creativity and skill.

The craft of silversmithing in New England existed even before America’s most patriotic silversmith, Paul Revere, made his famous ride. Old Newbury Crafters in Amesbury, Massachusetts was one of the best at the time.

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WITH GWEN IFILL

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 @ 6:00PM & 11:00PM

THIS WEEK: HEALTHCARE.GOV TROUBLES, GOP INTRA-PARTY BATTLE & U.S. SURVEILLANCE OF FOREIGN LEADERS

The people trying to signup for health insurance coverage are not the only ones angry over the continuing problems with the HealthCare.gov website. President Obama is unhappy and taking immediate action to bring in more experts as well as tapping Jeffery Zients, incoming Director of the National Economic Council, to oversee repairs to the healthcare site. A growing number of Republicans are calling for the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. And many Democrats are concerned that if the technical problems with the Affordable Care Act website are not fixed in a timely manner it could make their 2014 reelection campaigns more difficult.

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CALL THE MIDWIFE

EPISODE 5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31 @ 10:00PM

Jenny finds herself for once not involved in the beginning of life, but at its end. When Nonnatus House cleaner Peggy’s brother Frank is diagnosed with cancer, Jenny and the nuns are called upon to care for him. In doing so, Jenny comes to know the siblings better, learning of their upbringing in a workhouse and the profound effect it had on their relationship.

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MAKING STUFF WILDER

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17 @ 10:00PM

What happens when scientists open up nature’s toolbox? In “Making Stuff Wilder,” David Pogue explores bold new innovations inspired by the Earth’s greatest inventor, life itself. From robotic “mules” and “cheetahs” for the military, to fabrics born out of fish slime, host David Pogue travels the globe to find the world’s wildest new inventions and technologies. It is a journey that sees today’s microbes turned into tomorrow’s metallurgists, viruses building batteries, and ideas that change not just the stuff we make, but the way we make our stuff. As we develop our own new technologies, what can we learn from billions of years of nature’s research?

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MANY RIVERS TO CROSS

THE BLACK ATLANTIC (1500-1800)

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22 @ 9:00PM

Noted Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. recounts the full trajectory of African-American history in his groundbreaking new six-part series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. premiering tonight.

Written and presented by Professor Gates, the six-hour series explores the evolution of the African-American people, as well as the multiplicity of cultural institutions, political strategies, and religious and social perspectives they developed — forging their own history, culture and society against unimaginable odds. Commencing with the origins of slavery in Africa, the series moves through five centuries of remarkable historic events right up to the present — when America is led by a black president, yet remains a nation deeply divided by race.

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HUNTING THE NIGHTMARE BACTERIA

TUESDAY, MARCH 22 @ 11:00PM

In Hunting the Nightmare Bacteria, Hoffman examines the alarming rise of superbugs that our modern antibiotics can’t stop—from Addie Rerecich’s case to that of David Ricci, who brings a nasty infection home from India, and to a rare look inside an uncontrollable outbreak at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center—the NIH—one of the nation’s most prestigious research hospitals, where 19 patients were sickened and seven died.

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THE WAITING ROOM/LET ME DOWN EASY

MONDAY, OCTOBER 21 @ 8:00PM

The Waiting Room intimately follows several people who pass through the emergency room of Highland Hospital in East Oakland, CA. Shot over several months and with a poignant mix of humor and drama, the film presents a composite portrait of a public institution struggling to care for a persistent and growing stream of patients living on the fringes of America’s health care system.

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