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I had a Downton Abbey marathon this weekend, watching the show from S1E1 to the latest. Let’s just say, the mania is real! I didn’t buy into the hype when it first came out; in fact, I watched about 5 minutes of it on Netflix, and moved on.
I am not an anglophile, never been a big fan of British period drama, and not a Jane Austen devotee. However, if I was still a bit skeptical after the first episode, I was completely sold after the 2nd! Downton Abbey has been described, quite rightfully, as a glorified soap opera, but such an excellently crafted one! The plot is melodramatic, of course, but the dialogs are deliciously smart (my favorite character, Dowager Countess, has the best lines). I love how they talked in that era: so refined, even the most wicked words were delivered with wit and precision. I got a kick out of hearing words like “odious” used in the script — I don’t think this word is ever used in “modern” TV shows (esp. American ones). The characters are so interesting that you can’t help rooting for some, loving some, hating some, and crying for some. Strangely, you feel for every single one of them, even the scheming villains that set your teeth on edge at one point could snag some genuine sympathy from you at another. The performance is top notch. The costumes are fabulous. I can’t wait to watch the Season 2 finale aired tonight (hopefully available on the PBS website tomorrow).
P.S. Watched the S2 finale: comical (e.g., Thomas scrambling to search for the dog that he kidnapped, the fight between Matthew and Sir Richard), memorable (again, Dowager Countess stole the scene every time she appeared), touching (e.g., the “talk” between Mary and his father, Daisy and the cook, and Daisy and Mr. Mason), and altogether deeply satisfying (no cliffhanger!). The proposal scene brought happy tears to my eyes. Thank you for not torturing M&M (and us audience) anymore!
