For the Maggie Smith fans: Downton Abbey

[PalJoey]

The 4 episodes are 90 minutes each here, and the breaks have been in odd places.

[Q]

I'm hoping there will be a complete DVD release.

[madbrian]

It is available on Netflix.


Downton Abbey

[landryjames2]

I absolutely love this series, and am going to be sad when the final episode airs this Sunday. I went on IMDB to check it out and it looks like certain scenes were cut for the PBS showing. Now I will have to get the dvd's.

[PalJoey]

Final episode in 15 minutes.

[fflagg]

I wish the scripts and acting were a bit better; some of the characters/actors are too modern and some are not written well. Thomas and Mrs. O'Brien are too one-dimensional; kudos to Bates. A fine perf and an interesting character. And of course cheers to Maggie Smith!

[PalJoey]

That was terrific!

[madbrian]

It certainly WAS terrific. I couldn't help but think about Fiddler while watching this, especially since they're both set in about the same general time.

[madbrian]

Best news of the day: according to both wiki and imdb, Angela Lansbury will be joining the cast for at least one episode as a member of the Crawley clan.

[Bluemoon]

That IS great news! I hope she and Maggie Smith go toe-to-toe. Imagine the zingers!

[Scripps2]

"some of the characters/actors are too modern"

This irked me to begin with. Some of the plot lines stretched my credulity but I've read an interview with Julian Fellowes insisting that the corpse shifting was based on something he'd read in an actual diary of a servant at the time.

I can forgive the implausibilities because the whole was so satisfying.

And much of it was realistic and relevant. I know two of the plot lines reflect my own family history: my own grandmother learned to use the typewriter as a route out of domestic service and another relative, who even looks like the Penelope Wilton character in her photographs, was very proud of her new aspirant middle class status and refused to kow tow to the aristocracy.

[PalJoey]

The Costumes of Downton Abbey. A great collection of photos.

http://tomandlorenzo2.blogspot.com/2011/01/downton-abbey.html

A few of my faves:

[Scripps2]

Cups of tea will go cold and mobiles switched to silent on Sunday as a nation closes its curtains on the rioting feral underclass and reassures itself with series 2 of Downton Abbey, set when the class system only had three strata.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Foo_KyCLfpE

The costumes seem to get plainer:





(It just had to be: I love Sybil)



Are those the eyes of a deserter?



All costumes that is except the Dowager's.

The series covers 1916 to 1918 - eight episodes, the first and last being 1.5 hours, the rest being an hour, plus a Christmas special set on Armistice Day 1919, when everyone will still be the same age they were in 1912.

Meanwhile, down at Eaton Place, matters seem to be going from bad to worse:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14606953

[Rosenkavalier]

If you haven't seen it, try to catch Maggie Smith in LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE. One of the greatest performances ever on screen.

[Almira]

I didn't know Julian Fellowes was the straight UK version of Marc Cherry.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/11/magazine/julian-fellowes-the-creator-of-downton-abbey.html?emc=eta1

[Q]

"the rioting feral underclass"

Don't hold back, tell us what you really think.

[Q]

A third round has been ordered.
Link to article.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Is that link okay to read without finding out too much about season 2? But yay for season three...I hope all my favorites made it through WW1!

And am I right in thinking that the Angela Lansbury appearance mentioned a couple of comments up never happened?

[givesmevoice]

There's nothing spoiler-y in that article, Jay. Some of the articles have mentioned cast members that are returning, but that one doesn't.

I started watching this show about a month ago (caught up on Netflix Instant and have been downloading this season's episodes every week) and I am so hooked. Beautiful costumes, scenery and great acting. And it goes so nicely with my other show obsession: Boardwalk Empire. (in that they're almost 180 degrees from each other in terms of content.)


EDIT: It's funny that this thread was at the top of the board after I read the Imelda Staunton/Michael Ball Sweeney thread. I was thinking (again) how funny I find it that Staunton's married to Jim Carter, who plays Carson on Downton.

[Scripps2]

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

I think the second series has nose-dived into crappy soap opera land. Historic references are lobbed in like hand-grenades rather than delicately woven in to character and plot. The plot lines become cliched and the contrivances are too many to forgive. By Episode 6 we have a character from Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy join the story and, although there are similarities to actual historic equivalents of the concerned plot line, it is handled in such a way as to make it seem ridiculous.

At least it still looks gorgeous.

(and no Angela Lansbury)

[Scripps2]

And, I almost forgot to mention, historical credibility goes out of the window when someone cuts up a pear with the wrong type of knife.

[givesmevoice]

I do think it kind of took a nose-dive into soap opera land, but I will say that the character development of Thomas and O'Brien was just wonderful. That being said, I'm looking forward to season 3 because apparently Fellowes will have relaxed with the huge time jumps.

[Scripps2]

We were still in crappy soap opera land with the Christmas special yesterday but after seven years, a world war, a television aerial and the wrong cutlery, we finally get to where it was always going to go in the first place.

And the snow seems to billow upwards as well.

[romantico]

SO, I just finished series one and LOVE IT. Next week (January 8th) the second series begins on PBS. My question is, I see the Christmas Special is up on Youtube and want to watch it but am curious when the timeline takes place. Should I watch all of series 2 before the Christmas Special or did this come out before the second series began?

[pli1018]

The Christmas Special takes place AFTER the events of Season 2, so I don't recommend checking that out first.

As for the Christmas Special, I thought it was a bit more together than season 2 and the nutcracker bit with the Dowager was priceless.

[romantico]

Thanks. Series 2 of Downton Abbey comes out in February on blu ray and Dvd. I hope the Christmas special is included.