Downton Abbey (2012 Christmas Special)

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Rob James-Collier, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, Amy Nuttall, Lily James

Creator: Julian Fellowes

Genre: Period Drama

Rating: B+

Okay, so I spent a lot of this episode cringing for various reasons.  It's a bit heavy handed, especially with the foreshadowing,and so a lot of the episode is spent going "don't do this, don't do this."  Set in September 1921, about nine months after the conclusion of season three, this year's Christmas Special followed a number of plots.  The main part of the Crawley family, has gone north to Scotland to see Lady Rose MacClare (James) and her parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Flintshire (Peter Egan and Phoebe Nicholls).  There Lord and Lady Grantham (Bonneville and McGovern) try to help the Marquess and Marchioness with their failing marriage, Mary (Dockery) and Matthew (Stevens) fret over the impending birth of their child while also worry about the attention that Edith (Carmichael) is getting from her newspaper editor, Michael Gregson (Charles Edwards).  Bates (Coyle), Anna (Froggatt), Molesley (Doyle), and O'Brien (Finneran) all make the trip, with O'Brien coming to head with the Marchioness' lady's maid.  Not invited on the trip is Tom Branson (Leech), who remains behind at Downton with the staff.  Here he's brought to question his role and position in the family, and whether or not he's being true to himself, by new maid Edna (MyAnna Buring), who happens to be attracted to him.  Meanwhile the younger staff, lead by footmen Jimmy (Speleers) and Alfred (Milne) are hoping for some time off while the family's away, but Carson (Carter) has other thoughts about that.  Also back in Downton is Isobel (Wilton), who has begun to get cozy with Dr. Clarkson (David Robb).  Oh! And Mrs. Patmore (Nicol) has a suitor in new grocer Tufton (John Henshaw), although Mrs. Hughes (Logan) isn't too sure of his motives.

I enjoyed the struggle between the younger staff, who want some time off, and the older staff, who view the family being away as a time to clean the house properly.  I thought it was a really great plot, especially as Mrs. Hughes supports both the younger and the elder staff, depending on which one she's talking to.  I'm really glad that she wasn't the character they decided to kill off last season, simply because I don't think the house would run nearly as efficiently without her.  Actually, I think all around I really enjoyed the various plots for all the main servants, even O'Brien, who's struggles for once make her look like something other than the villain.

What I was a bit more iffy on was the storylines for the Crawleys and Tom in general.  Isobel's was cute and I was really into it throughout and I look forward to how, if at all, they deal with it in the next season.  I hope so; I'm never really a big fan of her storylines, but I think this could be one that I'd really enjoy.  I'm not too sure how I feel about the Ethel plot line - I can't help but think that we're being set up for Ethel being screwed over romantically, which I feel we've done enough at this point.  I get it, Ethel is unhappy in love and going to die an old maid.  Let's move on now, shall we?  I kind of saw the solution to the Flintshire's problem coming a mile away, although I'm not complaining - I think Lady Rose is going to be a good addition to the cast, especially with the departure of Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay).  I think, if given the chance, Rose could become my new favourite of the upstairs ladies.

The two things that I hated the most, however, was the foreshadowing about the Matthew/Mary plot and the overall Tom plot.  Let's do Tom first, because the Matthew/Mary stuff is somewhat spoiler-ish.  I think over the course of this series Tom is one of the characters that has probably grown and changed the most - and it's a growth and change that I really like.  He was a member of the staff who fell in love with the Lord's daughter, got married, unwillingly joined the family, then gradually became accepted by the family.  Now, however, without Sybil he's still a bit lost and left alone, without the family he's beginning to question how much he's changed.  The overall relationship, and flirtation, with Edna, left me worried - I'm not ready to see Tom leave the Crawley family and go back to being the person he was at the start of the series, nor am I ready to see him move on from Sybil.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.  Now... if you've paid attention to the rumours about Downton since the end of season three, then you kind of new what was coming - and if you didn't pay attention, the show gave you plenty of opportunity to anticipate it (and I'm going to very strongly allude to it in the next bit here).  There's a degree of foreshadowing that's appropriate, then there's what Downton did here.  That's not to say that I didn't like the actual plot, I did and really it's exactly what I was hoping would happen given the rumours, I just didn't like sitting there going "oh, yeah, x is going to happen."  In the end, it was handled nicely, but the lead up was too heavy handed.

Downton Abbey (Season 3)

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Rob James-Collier, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, Amy Nuttall, Allen Leech, Kevin Doyle, Matt Milne, Ed Speleers, Cara Theobold

Creator: Julian Fellowes

Genre: Period Drama

Rating: A

What to say about this season of Downton Abbey.... Going into the season, I knew that "Somebody will be born, and somebody will die" and that there would be a wedding - I hadn't read the full article where executive producer Rebecca Eaton had said as much, so I didn't know exactly who was getting married, but I had my guesses about that and about the birth, as well as a huge list of "I hope they don't kill X."

Downton opens with the preparations for the wedding of Matthew (Stevens) and Mary (Dockery), with Cora (McGovern)'s mother, Martha Livenson (Shirley MacLaine) sweeping in from America for it, to the great distaste of the Dowager Countess (Smith).  Just to interject, the scenes between MacLaine and Smith were possibly the funniest scenes this season and I really hope that they find some excuse to bring MacLaine back later.  Tragedy, however, strikes the family, and Robert (Bonneville) discovers that his attempts at investment have left almost entirely bankrupted the family.  At the same time, Matthew has discovered that he has possibly inherited a large amount of money from Lavinia (Zoe Boyle)'s father, although he is certain that it is not ethical to accept it. Sybil (Brown Findlay) is still pregnant, and Tom (Leech) still a revolutionary, which leads to problems for the two of them. Edith (Carmichael), meanwhile, is determined to change her status as an old maid and has set her sights on Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst), despite the objections of both Sir Anthony and her family.  Downstairs, things are no less chaotic; O'Brien (Finneran) has arranged to have her nephew, Alfred (Milne) hired, and Alfred struggles to meet the standards of Carson (Carter) and avoid the vindiction of Thomas (James-Collier).  Daisy (McShera) develops a crush on Alfred, who in turn has feelings for new kitchen maid Ivy (Theobold), who likes fellow new footman Jimmy (Speleers), who isn't revealing who he likes but has also drawn the attention of Thomas.  Mrs. Hughes (Logan) has found a lump which she thinks might be cancer, although she insists on keeping it a secret, telling only Mrs. Patmore (Nicol) - a secret which Mrs. Patmore struggles to keep.  Anna (Froggatt) continues the struggle to find the evidence to prove that Bates (Coyle) isn't a murderer, while Bates struggles to survive in prison.  Combining the upstairs with the downstairs, Isobel (Wilton) discovers that Ethel (Nuttall) has become a prostitute and sets out to save her.  Oh, and while he doesn't get any big plot lines, Molesley (Doyle) has been upgraded to main cast.

I loved, loved, loved this season.  It brought up all the issues that remained at the end of the 2011 Christmas Special, while also introducing issues specific to this season.  The show seems to become more and more intricate as times passes, while still remembering to pay tribute to the little things that made this show great in the first place.  I love the way the Crawleys come together to fight for what they want, while also fighting within each other.  It seems like there is never really a point in this family where they're all getting along.  I also really love how Tom fits into it all as well.  It isn't simply a case of the Crawleys versus Tom, and right from the start he makes alliances and friends within the family.

Speaking of alliances, the alliance between Thomas and O'Brien is broken here.  I wasn't really a fan of either character in the first two seasons, but I really love the war that the two of them carry out this season.  When it was them against the world things just got boring after, but with it being them against each other I really got captivated.  There are points when you even feel sorry for Thomas just because he seems so much on his own this season - O'Brien had her share of allies, but Thomas was all alone.

Two things that I didn't really like about this season.  One is the story with Ethel.  While I understood where Isobel was coming from, I think she tends to not think through the consequences of her actions.  I did like the way the story was handled in the end, but getting to it was rather painful.  The other thing was Edith.  Poor Lady Edith.  The girl is so desperate to not be an old maid anymore that she seems willing to throw herself at anyone - and her family seems determined to keep her as one.   I love the character in general, but I'm anxious to see them do more with her.  The second half of the season seemed to be interested in opening up things a bit more with her, but I'm not holding my breath.

Titanic (2012 Miniseries)

Starring: Linus Roache, Geraldine Somerville, Celia Imrie, Toby Jones, Perdita Weeks, Lee Ross, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Sophie Winkleman, Steve Waddington, David Calder, James Wilby, Antonio Magro, Stephen Campbell Moore, Noah Reid, Lyndsey Marshal, Mark Lewis Jones, Ruth Bradley, Peter McDonald, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Glen Blackhall, Dragos Bucur, Maria Doyle Kennedy, David Eisner, Linda Kash, Brian McCardie, Peter Wright

Creator: Nigel Strafford-Clark

Genre: Miniseries, Period Drama

Rating: B-

I'm still a bit undecided on this show. There are elements that I really enjoyed - particularly in the way they ended it. I don't just mean in that the boat sank and some people died while others didn't, I mean that after three rather disjointed and confusing episodes they still managed to make it suspenseful and make me care about who lived and who died.

The basic story behind this is obvious, and because of the sheer volume of characters within it I'm not going to really summarize things too much. Basically, the show is four episodes long with each of the first three episodes introducing the audience to the characters as they embark on the Titanic and leading up to the hitting of the iceberg. Each of these first episodes ends with this moment, and as such each episode introduces things differently and largely covers the same span of time. The final episode is the sinking and we find out the fates of the characters we've kind of gotten to know.

Because of the nature of the show things get a bit confusing. There are characters in the first episode who seem to disappear until the fourth, and there are events that happen multiple times in the series, with each repetition being altered to follow a different point of view. I really like what they tried to do here overall, but it gets a bit bogged down after awhile. The short length of the series doesn't mesh well with the sheer volume of the cast. The creators were trying to tell too much of a story in too little of a time.

That being said, because of the nature of the show I did still manage to get attached to the characters, and as the boat sunk I was anxious about who would survive and who wouldn't, particularly among the male and lower class characters. If you think about it, that's what a show about the Titanic is supposed to do.

Downton Abbey (2011 Christmas Special)

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Thomas Howes, Rob James-Collier, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, Amy Nuttall

Creator: Julian Fellowes

Genre: Period Drama

Rating: A+

The problems that I had with the second season of Downton Abbey are largely resolved by the single-episode Christmas Special.  Taking place between Christmas 1919 and early 1920, the episode really slows things down and properly handles the many plots that it has going on – and most importantly provides a lot of resolution to things.  By the end of the episode things are really starting to feel like they are where they should be and there’s hope for the people of Downton.

There are two main plot points to this episode, although there are also a handful of smaller ones that get brought up. The biggies are the relationship between the Lady Mary (Dockery) and Matthew (Stevens), who clearly are in love, despite her apparent commitment to her fiancé, the giant jackass Sir Richard Carsile (Ian Glen); and the trial of Bates (Coyle), who has been accused of murdering his late wife. Beyond this, you can see that everyone’s still trying to redetermine themselves as they settle into life-post war: Thomas (Barrow) tries to avoid leaving Downton, while Carson (Carter) tries to get rid of him; the Dowager Countess (Smith) questions her daughter’s new beau; Lady Edith (Carmichael) tries to resume her relationship with Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst); Mrs. Hughes (Logan) and O’Brien (Finneran) are called to testify against Bates; Daisy (McShera) begins to feel abused; and Sybil (who doesn’t appear) is pregnant.

 I loved how concise the Christmas Special was.  It had a lot of elements of an overall season while also having elements of a single episode, especially the fact that it was just a single episode.  Things moved a lot faster than they did in season one, but without the complexity and brevity that many of the plots were treated with in season two - and, at the same time a lot of things were rather nicely brought full circle and if not always completely wrapped up then at least progressed greatly.  I love how they dealt with Mary and Matthew's relationship, the growth of Daisy, the revitalization of Edith, and the new hope that Sybil's pregnancy brings.  The only plot that I didn't really think was brought to a good point by the end of this episode was Bates', but I suspect that they're going to be playing with this for a while yet.  I did like how the whole plot with Bates brought things outside of just Downton and I kind of hope that in season three they use this new away-from Downton approach to show Sybil and Tom in Ireland; I think there's only so much they can justify having the pair return to Downton.

I didn't really care for the whole Thomas plot line, and I'm not really sure where they're planning on going with it.  A lot of what they did with him felt like it was just an attempt to keep him on.  They seem like they're running out of ideas but aren't yet ready to have Thomas leave the picture.  This happens a lot in TV and tends to bring shows down, I don't want to see that happen to Downton.  Despite that, though, I have really strong hopes for the future of this show.

Downton Abbey (Season 2)

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Thomas Howes, Rob James-Collier, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, Amy Nuttall

Creator: Julian Fellowes

Genre: Period Drama

Rating: A-

While not entirely as awesome as the first season of Downton Abbey, the second season still manages to be one of the best shows on TV.  The big problem with this season is simply that it moves too fast – it’s rather clear that the show runners were eager to get out of the war as quickly as possible – but despite that I still think it managed to treat at least most of its plots fairly well, and still succeeded in keeping you on your toes as to what is going to happen with your favourite characters.

The season starts in 1916, with the Battle of the Somme, and ends in 1918 with the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. With few exceptions all the original cast are back, and the viewers get to see what happens to Downton during the Great War. The Earl (Bonneville) is struggling with finding a place in the new world that is emerging around him; he’s very firmly attached to the identity that he had before the war and is unable to find a useful role during the war. His wife and daughters are each struggling to do similar, in their own way, as the Countess (McGovern) deals with the idea of turning Downton into a convalescent for the local hospital, Lady Edith (Carmichael) learns to drive and begins to fill in for the missing men in the town and cares for wounded officers, Lady Sybil (Brown Findlay) becomes, more political, and develops feelings for chauffer Tom Branson (Allen Leech), and Lady Mary (Dockery) … well, Mary gets engaged to Sir Richard Carlisle (Ian Glen), while still pining for Matthew (Stevens), who’s gone to war and gotten engaged. Isobel (Wilton) is pretty much set about making life difficult for the Countess, causing her and the Dowager Countess (Smith) to team up and work against her. Amongst the staff, Thomas (James-Collier) has gone to war as a doctor; William (Howes) wants to go to war but has promised his father he won’t; Anna (Froggatt) and Bates (Coyle) are desperate to get married, despite the many obstacles to do so presented by the current Mrs. Bates (Maria Doyle Kennedy); Carson (Carter) and Mrs. Hughes (Logan) are trying to keep the household together; and new maid Ethel (Nuttall) is a bit of a bitch and kind of a whore.

The big problem with this season is that it takes on too much and moves too fast.  While time doesn't pass too much faster here than it did in season one (with each covering about two years) it feels like it is.  There are a lot more plots going on here and it really seems like some things are just randomly dropped.  So much of the first season was based on the (very simple) plot of Mary needing to get married upstairs and the addition of Mr. Bates downstairs.  This time round there's a lot more going on and, to the disadvantage of the overall tone of the show, a lot of plots seemed to be rather quickly abandoned.  Just a few of the plots are a bit contrived too, taking you out of the delicate realism that is the show.  The further into the season things get the more soap opera-y it gets.

The acting, however, is still good, and while the show does add on a gazillion additional plots the focus really is still Mary, Matthew, and Mr. Bates. Of all the different directions that the show takes in this season, I still love how it remains about that core.  Some of the things that they do with Bates are a bit over the top, as are some of the things that they do with Matthew, but the overall story is still there.  It wasn't the best season, but it could have been a lot worse.

Downton Abbey (Season 1)

Starring: Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Siobhan Finneran, Joanne Froggatt, Thomas Howes, Rob James-Collier, Rose Leslie, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton

Creator: Julian Fellowes
Genre: Period Drama
Rating: A+

I absolutely loved this show. I think a big part of the success of a show like this is that it combines traits of both a miniseries and a longer one; seasons are individually very short, but plots carry on and not everything is resolved at the conclusion of a season. The other thing that I love is that it feels like it has a huge budget without being overly flashy and really takes you out of the real world and into the world of the show. The other thing that I really enjoy is the fact that the show moves quickly, with the first season covering from the sinking of the Titanic (April 15, 1912) to Britain’s declaration of war on Germany (August 4, 1914). This allows for plots to move along and eliminates things like the annual Christmas special.

Downton Abbey opens with the telegram announcing the sinking of the Titanic being received, as well as the news that the two heir presumptive of The Right Honourable Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Bonneville) were on the ship and are presumed to be dead. This sends the family into a succession crisis; only the closest male relative can inherit the Duke’s title, and with it the Downton estate and the personal fortune of his wife, The Right Honourable Cora Carley, Countess of Grantham (McGovern), which have both been tied to the title. The first season of Downton shows the family trying to deal with this succession crisis and the many ways of getting around it – notably the suggestion that eldest daughter, Lady Mary Crawley (Dockery), marry the new heir, Mr. Matthew Crawley (Stevens), her third cousin once removed, who moves to Downton with his mother, Mrs. Isobel Crawley (Wilton). Prior to the crisis and his untimely death, Mary had been engaged to the previous heir’s eldest son, Patrick, her first cousin once removed. Matthew, however, is not the typical heir presumptive – he’s the son of a doctor, works as a lawyer himself, and definitely doesn’t have any of the beliefs that one typically associates with the British aristocracy. Mary is not the only Crawley daughter; there’s also Lady Edith Crawley (Carmichael), the over-looked middle child who is often in competition with her elder sister, and Lady Sybil Crawley (Brown Findlay), the youngest and radical of the family. The show is about more than just the Crawley’s, however, as it also explores the lives of their servants. There’s butler Charles Carson (Carter), the head of the household staff; housekeeper Hughes (Logan); John Bates (Coyle), the Duke’s new valet; Sarah O’Brien (Finneran), the Countess’ maid; footmen Thomas Barrow (James-Collier) and William Mason (Howes); maids Anna Smith (Froggatt) and Gwen Dawson (Leslie); and kitchen maid Daisy Robinson (McShera) and cook Beryl Patmore (Nicol). Oh! And watching over, and manipulating, it all is The Right Honourable Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham.

Where to start… Dame Maggie Smith is awesome. There are a lot of characters in this show who, while not exactly modern in their thinking, are definitely progressive. It’s easy to like characters like the Duke or Matthew who are genuinely nice people and aren’t overly old fashioned. It’s much harder to like a character who is so old fashioned that she is surprised at the invention of a swivel chair – which she likes no more than the idea of women’s suffrage. Yet there’s something about the way that Smith delivers her lines that just makes her so easy to love. The world that the Dowager Countess was born and raised into is on the cusp of completely changing, and she’s so old fashioned that even her style of dress is outdated – something which the average person wouldn’t notice, given as it’s a costume drama set a hundred years ago, but also shows the attention to detail that the creators and costume designers have paid.

If you look beyond just the Dowager Countess, the acting still remains stellar. The characters that are intended to be loveable come off that way, the villains are villainous, and the characters who are in between remain in between. They’ve really thought out each of these characters and the cast seem to really know them. Beyond just the actual acting are the costumes, which are amazingly crafted. It can be a bit hard to notice, given as the majority of the cast are playing servants who wear, primarily, a uniform, but the clothes that the Crawley’s wear, especially when it comes to the younger girls. We can even expand this sheer awesomeness into the actual casting and the makeup that they use on the cast; none of them looks like you would expect TV stars to look like, they all look like they belong in the early twentieth century. The servants all have their looks very subtly downplayed (the exception being O’Brien, whose looks are downplayed but not at all subtly) to make them appear rather homely, while the Crawley women have similarly downplayed appearances and subtle makeup, but in a manner that still has them looking elegant and beautiful. Beyond them there’s Downton itself, which is this beautifully crafted English castle. I’m not sure how much of the set is an actual castle that they’ve filmed in and how much of it is your typical made-for-TV sets, but it all looks like it goes together and it’s all beautiful. I am of the opinion that all TV shows and movies should feature English castles. They just add so much simply by existing.

The one downside of the series is that the story is a bit complex, especially given how quickly things move. I actually had to look up an entail in order to figure out just what that was – it’s explained, very slowly and with minimal detail in the course of the show, but it’s a major plot point. I love how much they’re incorporating the real world into the series, but I do think that they could explain some of the details a little bit more – especially when said details don’t really exist within current, everyday life. When you watch a fantasy you expect to have the world explained to you; when I watch a period drama I expect to have some of the era explained to me.