I had been putting off seeing Downtown Abbey for quite some time. The majority of friends were shocked when they found out because of my love of British television but the show seemed like such an undertaking. A period drama that I too often got confused with the reboot of Upstairs Downstairs which has an actress I'm particularly fond of so I put it off. Finally I decided it was time and sat down to the first series.
I watched the first series all in one go and I refused to go to bed until I got to the end. That was on Thursday and now I'm ready for the third series. Needless to say I absolutely in love with the show, however, I'm not sure I understand why the American viewing public has taken such a shine to it. It is after all a slow drama about the decline of the British class system. I find it interesting that Americans are loving this show when our television are filled with stuff like The Simpsons and CSI: wherever. I'm glad for it but it's still curious.
The music was what caught me at first and from the first note of the opening score I knew it was going to be a good show. The music sets the tone of the show beautifully and really works at telling the story of the show through music and the music is helped by the costume, set design and cinematography. The show is beautifully shot and has rightly been nominated and won several awards for its cinematography. I love the costumes as well and the subtle changes as time has progressed forward in the show. This is pretty much my favorite time period so it is lovely to see. Time moves rather strangely in this show, which is another reason why I'm so surprised at Americans liking it so much. The show moves slowly and not a lot happens if you look at the timeline of the show but that in no way detracts from the show. In fact I liked how they delineated time.The series does span a lot of time, more in the second series than the first.
Of course, it wouldn't be a stand out show without a stand out plot. The first episode opens with a telegraph message with the clearly distressing news about the sinking of the Titanic. At first I had no idea what was going on because I hadn't thought anything of the date. Once you realize what the news is, telling the audience at the beginning that the it was April 1912 was very clever. It was also interesting to see the response to the news from people who knew people on the ship. More often, when the Titanic is mentioned on screen it is because it's the main focus. Usually we, the audience goes down with the ship instead of hearing the news second hand. The writing is extremely superb. You get a feel of how life would be without getting to bogged down in details and characters are flushed out quickly.
The characters are what makes the show and there are so many here to enjoy from both classes. Maggie Smith steals every scene she is in. She always has a witty line to deliver. I love all the American jokes she says. I'm not a huge fan of Thomas or O'Brien but I've grown to like them at least a bit. Thomas over his vulnerability in the war. I like each of the daughters although Mary took some work in order to like. I love Sybil and Branson who are possibly my favorite couple, followed by Mary and Matthew who have finally got together. Anna is my favorite servant although Carson has just as much witticism as Maggie Smith. I like Bates but his story has gotten rather complicated with him being in jail and everything.
The parts during the war were the hardest to watch, especially Thomas freaking out and getting himself shot. I never felt like I knew William enough to feel bad when he died. He was very naive and so I felt more sorry for him. He did go gallantly.
I don't have much to complain about in the show except I can't get enough of it fast enough! Even the characters I don't like I start to like because I know they add something to the story. Thomas continues to make mistakes after mistakes but I'm beginning to find it enjoyable watching how he gets out of it. All in all this is my new favorite show and I might even give Upstairs Downstairs a chance.
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