Downton Abbey is back in Sunday tv's prime time spot this evening amid much flag waving from middle England and readers of the Daily Mail.
Now, I was rather harsh about the last series (I couldn't quite forgive script writer Julian Fellows stealing great chunks from my favourites films Mrs Miniver and Gosford Park) but I did concede that I enjoyed the ensemble acting abilities of the likes of Hugh Bonneville,Elizabeth McGovern,Penelope Wilton,Jim Carter and Maggie Smith , all beautifully turned out in their Edwardian Best.
Downton Abbey is tosh...... but, it is polished, impressive-to-look-at tosh, and at a time when all the news is of recession, the general public,( like they did with the Royal Wedding), have taken this Upstairs/Downstairs saga to their hearts.
It's a lazy obsession to be sure.
A few minutes of Lady Mary ( Michelle Dockery) quivering her lips, followed by the will-they-wont-they? love affair between crippled Valet (Brendan Coyle) and the spunky Maid Anna (Joanne Froggatt) and we are all ready to watch Dowager Maggie Smith sucking on a lemon in the drawing room and playing , well....., Maggie Smith sucking on a lemon.......It's escapism pure and simple.
So forget the Historical inaccuracies everyone......and forgive the flabby plot.....just sit back and let the credit crunch worries disappear for a couple of hours tonight amid "yessss mill-ady" curtsies .
We all need a little time away from normality sometimes...and Downton Abbey is as good as anywhere to go to forget your troubles...........well that's what ITV is hoping for anyhow!
I can't comment intelligently on "Downton" having only subjected myself to half an episode (or maybe that's a comment in itself!). Thanks for visiting and following my blog, I'm happy to return the compliment.
ReplyDeleteNever watched it. I shall be glued to Spooks (also hokum, and much gorier, but still entertaining) and regretting that it's the last series.
ReplyDeleteI've read a couple of Julian Fellows's books and find them hard going. I think I just want to tell the upper class twits to grow up and get jobs... (Never had that problem with Jeeves and Wooster though. Don't expect me to be consistent!) :)
Well said. It's gratuitous escapism of the best kind, along with Miss Marples, Poirot, Foyle's War....and a few more.
ReplyDeleteI think it's partly the satisfaction of getting a glimpse into how people used to live, especially the better off, but also the total lack of so much that irritates me about life today. Such as yobs, mobile phones, bad language, bad manners, bad traffic....the list goes on.
(Oh dear, I'm sounding like my mother again.)
I watched the first series on DVD as my bedtime watching here on the other side of the pond. Loved it. Maggie Smith sucking on a lemon,Ha!
ReplyDeleteCheers
I've not seen it, but Maggie Smith's lemon sucking sounds like quality. She's never put a foot wrong.
ReplyDeleteI shall not be watching, but not for any chip-on-shoulder reason. It's still summer here!
I haven't seen it, but I feel as if I have as it has been all over the media for the last two weeks -- the Mail has become the Daily Downton Abbey!
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm more looking forward to the very last series of Spooks.
I just loved it and have watched the first season many times.....Maggie Smith is ,as always , just perfection.....
ReplyDelete" what is a week....end...". Love it.!!! We in the states have to wait to see season 2...... So don't let on too much.....I am a lover of all these wonderful programs ...the Forsyte Saga...Upstairs Downstairs..all the merchant and ivory films...Island at War...just about any Murder Mystery.....Pie in the Sky....Foyles War... Sherlock Holmes....Gosford Park .... the only Tele I watch anymore!!! Total happy escape!! Enjoy tonight!
I wouldn't know anything about the political inaccuracies. And I haven't paid much attention to the plot, to be honest. My mother, I mean the Dowager Duchess, is all I care about! I wonder how long before we'll be able to see this season in Spain. Maybe right away. Will have to check.
ReplyDeleteHaving no clue, here....
ReplyDeleteMaggie Smith has been a favorite of mine for literally years.
Enjoyed reading some of your blogs, particulary your bucket list!!!Made me chuckle!!! Keep it up John you are a breath of fresh air!!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen Downton Abbey - but I've heard every episode. My wife watches it online in the office where we both have desks and she plays it through speakers. I must admit I loved listening to it lol - I think it would spoil it for me now to watch it.
ReplyDeleteRory
We won't get season two until January 2012. They are rerunning season one at the moment so I am watching that again. It's very hard to find an entertaining show on TV. I was so disappointed when they ended Lark Rise to Candleford in such a rush. We do have Murdoch Mystries which I understand is also shown in Britain now.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen "Downton Abbey" and never shall. I will put it in the same "unseen" bag as James Bond films, "Star Wars" and "Emmerdale". It's all down to instinct.
ReplyDeleteoh YP you old fart!
ReplyDeleteFred and I started watching this last year on Netflix. We thought it was a mini-series and when it ended, we were quite confused. Then, I looked it up and saw that it was an actual series.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not a fan of Maggie Smith and seeing her in everything "British" makes me want to slice my wrists, I did enjoy it. I didn't care how they treated the 2nd eldest daughter but hopefully that will change. Or maybe it won't! We'll see.
m.
Just watched it..... far too speedily paced for my liking... which cuts any dramatic tension stone dead
ReplyDeletebut dan stevens is pretty and maggie smith did nab ALL of the best lines
Hope I'll be able to continue to watch this "streaming" on Netflix...I didn't realize it was a series either. Always happy to watch Maggie!
ReplyDeleteWatched Spooks on BBC 1, give me Peter Firth chewing up every scene anytime...
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good way to get away from it all. :)
ReplyDeleteWish we got it here John...it looks like something I'd like to watch. I do like Maggie Smith. I hope your weekend was a good one.
ReplyDeleteMaura :)
I love it for the frocks alone!!! (Same reason as I used to love the horrendous House of Elliott!!". A period Drama sits so well on an Autumnal Sunday Evening. xxxxx
ReplyDeleteMy other half admitted she was actually excited about DA coming back - quite an event she made of it: feet up, glass of wine, nibbles by the side... I was in the study!
ReplyDelete'Tis tosh but hard to resist. Still holding out for the return of Charlie Cox, though...
ReplyDeleteSo jealous that you are watching season 2 already. We will be lucky to have that here by spring 2012.
ReplyDelete"Downton Abbey" won a pot of Emmy Awards (quality television awards)last night here in the U.S., including best mini-series and best director of a mini-series.
ReplyDelete