I’m a little late to the Downton Abbey
(Warning: There are some spoilers in the bullets below, including one pertaining to the start of season two.)
Downton Abbey is set in the 1910s on an English estate of that name and revolves around the family of Lord Grantham (the upstairs) and the multitude of servants who actually run the house (downstairs). There are short plots and multi-episode arcs; stories limited to the earl’s family, stories limited to the servants, and stories that intertwine the two; and larger themes around conventional morality and the changing political and social landscape of the time. It is ambitious in scope, yet is filmed with short edits, quick dialogue, and tremendous focus on individual characters – both in terms of writing and cinematography.
An ensemble show like this cannot succeed with a weak cast, since there is no single star or even a subset or two or three who participate in enough of the story to carry the entire series. Dame Maggie Smith, who won an Emmy for her performance in season one*, plays the Countess Dowager Lady Violet with enough haughty facial expressions to merit her own meme, providing comic relief on top of a serious role as the voice of the old English order that is under assault from all sides. (She played a similar character in Gosford Park.) The seething sibling rivalry between the elder two Grantham sisters, increasingly central to the biggest story arc on the show, is only effective through the acerbic delivery and withering looks from the actresses in those parts. But for me, the real stars are the less-known actors and actresses playing the servants, especially the two villains, Siobhan Finneran as Nurse Ratchett Mrs. O’Brien and Rob James-Collier as Thomas the sociopathic footman; Brendan Coyle as the maddeningly proper John Bates (operating under his own moral code, it seems); and Jim Carter as the imperious butler Mr. Carson.
* Downton Abbey was nominated in the Best Movie/Miniseries category, which allowed it to win six awards – but it felt as hollow as Lady Violet’s flower show wins because the deck was stacked. I think this show could easily hold its own against Mad Men in the drama series categories, and it’s a more apt description of the program, which was aired in the UK as seven individual episodes, all between 47 and 63 minutes excluding commercials. The miniseries category has lost its relevance anyway – this ain’t Shogun, which was longer, told a complete story, and was aired in its entirety during a single week – and Downton Abbey should be treated as the Emmys treated its spiritual antecedent, Upstairs, Downstairs, which won three Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series (the last PBS series to do so). Stop treating them like Boise State and let them fight the big boys. They might actually win.
The writing is more dramatic, or melodramatic, than I’m used to seeing, especially in British dramas, but still falls short of the mind-numbing sentimentality that infects so much American broadcast network programming. What bothers me more about Downton Abbey is the time-out-of-joint flashes of modern sensibilities, behavior and dialogue that would have been uncouth a century ago but that goes unremarked upon within the show (an assessment I’m basing on literature I’ve read from the period, since my wayback machine is broken, preventing me from evaluating this firsthand). It also seems like there’s a second writing voice that’s less faithful to the vernacular of the time period.
But the speed with which the script’s dramatic elements move, delaying or sacrificing some character development, is one of the show’s strengths – they’ve adapted the British period piece/costume drama to the shorter attention span of the modern audience, hooking everyone with shorter story arcs so we all stick around for the longer ones. It’s an intense, fast-moving show, often very funny, occasionally sentimental, and always smart, worth your time even if you might ordinarily turn your nose up at a show with this much drama and yet so little conventional action.
Spoiler territory:
- Mary : Elizabeth Bennett :: Matthew : Mr. Darcy. Discuss.
- I still don’t understand why Mary never said anything, even to her mother, about the Turkish gentleman arriving uninvited in her bedroom. It doesn’t nullify the infraction, but I would have thought this would be the first thing out of Mary’s mouth.
- I don’t care about the age difference between Anna and Mr. Bates – and really, Joanne Froggatt can make a face to shatter your heart, so let’s get them together already – but am I the only one to think he generally speaks to her more as a father might to a daughter?
- Elizabeth McGovern, as the American wife of Lord Grantham, is the weakest link in the cast. In trying to sound supercilious she sounds more like a mother talking to an infant, regardless of who else is in the conversation.
- The actress who plays Daisy is 26. And I thought I looked young.
- A tumblr called Downton Pawnee. Solid, with at least one panel from a DA episode that hasn’t aired here yet.
- And the spoiler question on S2E2 (aired here on Sunday together with S2E1): Was Thomas the source of the razor? I say yes; my wife looked at me like I was fashioning a tin-foil hat. What say you?
I think the reason Mary doesn’t say anything about the Turkish gentleman arriving is that, ultimately, it doesn’t matter. In the modern era, yeah, that is the first thing out of your mouth. But in 1912 or whatever, no one cares if he is there against her will or not – her virtue is compromised regardless of circumstances.
I see the Lizzy and Mr. Darcy comparison (that’s clearly the goal of the writers), but it doesn’t work for me. It’s almost more like Mary is Mr. Darcy and Matthew is Lizzy. She’s the one with the title (but no estate which is obvious Lizzy comp), and the pride. He’s just the country cousin/solicitor.
I think the Dowager Countess is some sort of hybrid Lady Catherine and Mrs. Bennett. It’s hilarious and it works brilliantly.
I don’t see how Thomas was the source of the razor given how broken up he was about it after the fact. In addition, all of their previous conversations seem to imply Thomas saw a bit of himself in the soldier, and was probably attracted to him as well. I agree with your wife, too implausible and without much to gain in terms of Thomas’s story arch…we already know he is, as you say, a sociopath, but his sadness after the suicide adds another dimension to the character. The lack of an apparent future opportunity/motive to reveal he provided the razor I think seals it for me.
I see what you’re saying about the P&P comparison, but it’s more one of similar situation than of character. I found Elizabeth to be a much more sympathetic character than Mary, who mostly just reads as a brat to me. Though I did want to high-five her after getting back at Edith at the end of S1, she had it coming.
Nick: What I was thinking was that the soldier begged Thomas for the razor, and Thomas provided it out of affection or love for the character. Still consistent with the devastation after the fact.
The P&P comparison in my mind came down to two things: the entail as plot device, and the two standoffish, intelligent would-be lovers. Of course, Elizabeth Bennett would never do what Mary has done so far in S2, so even that only goes so far.
Love this show – glad you’re covering it. Some thoughts (- I’ve only watched Season 1, plus the episode that aired last Sunday night (so American S2E1), so SPOILERS through to date:
– I’m not exactly class conscious here, but it is somewhat strange that the “bad guys” are all downstairs people, so to speak ; none of the upstairs people (to the extent that Edith is a villain) act out toward the downstairs, or treat them unkindly; if anything, it seems like they are model employers for the early part of the 20th century.
– Carson gets a lot of crap for being a little too willingly subservient, but I think there’s a valid point there – he really is someone holding on to the only family he has, however sad that may seem. His affections for Mary
– Is Thomas too much of a perfect bastard? The things he does to antagonize William in particular (w/ Daisy) seem almost willfully cruel.
– I’m strongly drawn to Mary as a character; I think there’s a great line somewhere in Season 1 where she tells the Turkish guy that she’s not as much of a rebel as people think her to be (including her parents). She’s got a strong cruel streak (see next bullet), but there’s a spark there that makes you understand why Matthew was wowed.
– The Mary / Edith battle is fascinating in the cruelty of sisters to each other; just wow.
– One interesting thing to me is that because British seasons are shorter, a reasonable amount of action takes place off screen – ie, the growing affection between Bates and Anna, or the fact that entail issue seems to have almost vanished at the beginning of Season 2. I’m wondering if that will crop up again? Odds say yes.
– Re: Thomas / razor: I’m with your wife – I think Thomas’ tears are coming out of actually connecting with someone for a change as opposed to sheer boredom – he was in the war, he actually gets it for a change, instead of his standard cool detachment from anything.
Glad to see you cover the show. I started watching it a couple weeks ago because of the Emmy coverage, and I was immediately hooked. The passage of time between episodes and scenes throws me sometimes (Greek drama indeed), but I really, really love this show, and I’m getting friends, family, and coworkers into it endlessly. I also felt the first season allowed me to understand Gosford Park better than I could have beforehand.
Please watch and review boss if you get some time. Kelsey Grammer had become a joke but he was great in this role. Only an 8 episode season I think
Without a doubt, Elizabeth McGovern is the weak link in the Downton Abbey cast. As an actor, I full understand wanting a part so desperately that I’d beg for it. However, it was a HUGE mistake to give her that part. The other actors, even those in supporting roles, far exceed her acting abilities. It’s sad, because there are so many American actors who could hold their own in the role.
The other disappointment was Shirley McLaine. She might have been adorable in The Apartment, with Jack Lemmon, but she’s only a name, now, and is totally outclassed by the British actors.