Crikey, it's coming on Christmas. And what do people want for Christmas? Downton Abbey, for some. Well, you have to wait until January, but there's a behind-the-scenes special to keep you going. Others want Duck Dynasty, and A&E provides a marathon of episodes (Sunday, starting at 8 p.m.).
The Downton gift is Return to Downton Abbey (Sunday, PBS, 9 p.m.) in which Susan Sarandon, of all people, hosts a look back at the British series to date and there are interviews with the cast and crew. That will have to satisfy fanatics until the new year.
If you are intent on getting into the holiday spirit at this point, Christmas in Conway (Sunday, ABC, 9 p.m.) is summarized thus: "Hoping it will be the perfect Christmas present for his wife, a man plans to construct a Ferris wheel in his backyard." Andy Garcia, Mary-Louise Parker and Mandy Moore are the actors providing the heartwarming moments.
Mind you, the major event of the weekend is also heartwarming, but far from easy viewing. It is highly recommended to you.
The Dark Matter of Love (Sunday, CBC NN at 10 p.m. on The Passionate Eye) isn't about romance, and the "dark" part is not about some femme fatale or an innocent in jeopardy. It's about the love needed to nourish children. And it is deeply moving. The first words spoken are, "What do you mean when you say, 'A baby loves its mother?'"
The doc, made by Sarah McCarthy for the BBC, opens with scenes that suggest an emotional train wreck is about to unfold. In Arkhangelsk, Russia, a formidably grim place, we meet three orphans – five-year-old twins Marcel and Vadim, and an 11-year-old girl, Masha. Then, in nice, comfortable Wisconsin, we meet the prospective adoptive parents, Claudio and Cheryl Diaz, and their 14-year-old daughter, Cami.
The Diazes are sweet, good-natured people. They are kind to each other and use affectionate nicknames. Claudio is called Pluto, Cheryl is Tinker Bell and Cami is known as Goofy. Claudio explains, "That's how we live our lives, like a Disney family." Cami talks about the adoption and struggles, like many teenagers, to articulate what she's thinking. Of Masha, she says, "Well, she's gone through a ton of orphan stuff." You get the feeling that this family has no idea, is utterly clueless, about what is going to happen.
The documentary chronicles the year following the adoption. There are child psychologists along to observe and comment and there is a lot of archival footage of orphan goslings and monkeys being used in experiments to determine the stability of a mother's place in a creature's development. The contrast between the footage, involving scientists and animals, with what is unfolding in the Diaz home is very keenly felt. We're observing real adults and real, traumatized children.
And trauma does abound. It isn't too long before pain is plain to see. As optimistic as she might be, teenager Cami is fully aware that the attention of her parents is now drawn to the new arrivals, these children she finds it hard to communicate with, let alone form a bond with – she has been displaced. We see Claudio and Cheryl sag under the burden of the new and wrenching responsibilities. They become wary of each other and, as much as they want to love their adopted children, their own love for each other is severely tested. There are extraordinary moments of painful realizations seen here. It isn't easy viewing. There is a scene of little, shy Masha, so fragile, singing at a school concert that can break your heart.
It's all about the importance of love in the development of a child's personality. But really it's about love and good intentions being pulverized.
All times ET. Check local listings.