It’s the showdown of all showdowns: Professor Minerva McGonagall and Lady Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham. They are two of Dame Maggie Smith’s finest roles, and certainly the ones that have solidified her cultural image for an entire generation of viewers.
How could they not, being two women who are determined to live their lives as they see fit? And more importantly, which one of these two women is really the most badass? Here are five moments from both Harry Potter films in which both Lady Violet Crawley and Professor McGonagall show just how much of a badass they both are.
Violet Crawley: When She Feuds with Isobel
There’s no question that Violet’s nemesis in the series is Isobel, who constantly feuds with Violet about changes to Downton (and to the broader English way of life). Though there are numerous moments in which the two of them spat with one another—with each landing some pretty cutting verbal blows on the other—in one particular incidence Lady Violet advises Isobel to “put that in your pipe and smoke it.” It’s hard to think of a more unlikely person to use such an expression than Lady Violet, and that’s what makes it such a badass moment for her.
Professor McGonagall: When Professor McGonagall Defends Professor Trelawney
Now, when it comes to Professor McGonagall, there are just so many moments when she was a badass that it’s hard to choose just five. One of the most notable is when she comes to Trelawney’s rescue after the villainous and cruel Delores Umbridge attempts to fire the scatterbrained professor. There’s just something profoundly moving about Maggie Smith’s performance in this moment, as she cradles the sensitive and incredibly befuddled Trelawney in front of those gathered to witness her humiliation. It just goes to show that you don’t have to be loud to be a badass.
Violet Crawley: “What Is A Weekend?”
Violet Crawley is, without question, the mistress of one-liners. Early in season one, during a dinner with Matthew Crawley, he happens to mention that he will be doing something on a weekend. Violet, without missing a beat, asks "What is a… weekend?”
Of course, this moment reveals just how little Violet knows about the ways of the world outside of the aristocracy, but it’s the fact that she says it without even a trace of shame that makes her such an absolute badass. If you’re going to be an out-of-touch member of the aristocracy, you might as well do it with style.
Professor McGonagall: When She Drives Snape Away from Hogwarts
There’s no question that Professor McGonagall has a profound loyalty to her students and to the institution of Hogwarts, and this is made abundantly clear when she engages in a duel with Snape in an attempt to chase him out of the school. This scene shows just how much of a badass duelist she is, even if, at the same time, we can’t help but feel a bit sad about just how far Hogwarts has fallen. What’s more, the fact that Snape has actually been doing his best to protect the students of the school makes this scene all the more tragic.
Violet Crawley: Her Reaction to Pamuk’s Death
When the young Turkish man Kemal Pamuk dies in Crawley’s house, it was easy for everyone to fall into a panic (it’s not every day that a person from out of the country dies in an aristocrat’s house, after all). However, Lady Violet responds to the whole situation with a remarkable amount of serenity. After all, she points out, if one were to get upset about the death of every foreigner, one wouldn’t be able to open the newspaper. It is, perhaps, a bit unfeeling and insensitive, but you have to it that it’s also badass.
Professor McGonagall: When She Leads the Defense of Hogwarts
As tragic as the duel between McGonagall and Snape is, there’s no question that the former continues to show how badass she is when she leads the students and faculty of Hogwarts against Voldemort and his own minions. She once again shows that there’s a reason that she is one of the most respected witches of her generation, a woman who is not only able to stick to her principles but also has the power to back them up. If you need someone to defend your institution of higher learning, look no further than Professor McGonagall.
Violet Crawley: Her Sparring with Martha Levinson
If Lady Violet has another nemesis besides Isobel, it would have to be Martha Levinson, the American mother of Cora Crawley. Played by the inimitable Shirley MacLaine, Martha gives as good as she gets when it comes to Lady Violet. You have to give Lady Violet some credit, however. She is not about to let herself be bested by a vulgar American, and the scenes that occur between the two of them—while sadly few, considering how infrequently Martha is in the show—are some of the highlights of the entire season.
Professor McGonagall: When She Leads Harry to Meet Oliver Wood
This is another of those understated badass moments that it’s easy to overlook. Very early on in Harry’s time at Hogwarts, he ends up flying on a broom outside of class. Though by all rights McGonagall could have ensured that he got into a great deal of trouble, instead she takes Harry to meet Oliver Wood and thus inducts him into the world of Quidditch.
Though she appears to be a stickler for the rules, McGonagall does occasionally show that she’s willing to bend them when she thinks it’s for the better.
Violet Crawley: When She Finds out She’s Ill
This is arguably the most badass moment that has ever occurred in the Downton Abbey universe. It occurs during the course of the film, in which she reveals to Mary that she is suffering from what will be her final illness. It’s a moment that’s draped with pathos, but rather than giving in to the temptation to drown herself in self-pity, Lady Violet reminds her granddaughter of the value of staying strong and of making sure that Downton remains a reliable institution even as it is faced with the shifting tides of modernity.
Professor McGonagall: When She Confronted Umbridge
It takes an extraordinary sort of person to confront a monster like Delores Umbridge, but that’s just what McGonagall does when she thinks that the other woman is taking her disciplinary measures too far. She makes it clear in no uncertain that she thinks that Umbridge is taking things entirely too far, even going so far as to refer to them as “medieval.” You can’t help but ire a woman who is so badass that she is willing to overtly challenge a woman who has been appointed by the Ministry of Magic itself.
