Downton: Revisited - A Prologue

Biltmore is more beautiful than Downton. USA USA USA!!!

Forgive my petulance, but I do play favorites, also I prefer French Renaissance Inspired Architecture to Jacobethan (too pointy). Biltmore is probably my favorite historic home I've ever visited, nothing really compares to its scale. But if I got to visit Highclere Castle (the real home that is the fictional Downton) I'm sure I would be delighted.

As Facebook may have told you 'Downton Abbey' has returned to PBS for Season 4. Of course in the UK it aired months ago and was called "Series 4". One of these two things is important, one is not.

That's right. "Seasons" make so much more sense than "Series". . . I kid, I kid.

For anyone who enjoys TV from across the pond or "from the other side" as BBC-America calls it, we often have to wait months and even years before programming is aired in the US. Now a few months may not be that long for Downton, except we live in the age of the Internet. 

This means two things.

First: That if we happen to have friends on Facebook, or read blogs, or do Google searches concerning our beloved 'Stately' and the Crawley family who own it, we are quite likely to have Spoilers. From a casual standpoint this is a bit of a "so what", but for a serious fan of the show, it can be devastating.

Second: In this marvelous age of electronic information, it is a simple click of a button to download a HD copy of each episode minutes after the original airing.  This doesn't limit the consumer-turned-pirate to computer watching either. They can drop the file on a jump drive, plug it into their tv, and watch the show as intended, in glorious 16:9. 

And have no doubt, the Cinematographers know exactly what they are doing. This show is gorgeous.

Arri D-21. Get over yourself film, you are so last century.

So while Season 4 plays out for the Yanks (as a Southerner I've always been perturbed by this word to describe Citizens of the US, but it's their TV show, so I'll play by their rules), I'm going to do a retrospective.

I'll be re-watching the entire run of the show. Posting my thoughts and feelings after each episode. I've already seen the first season twice, and the second season twice. The third season socked me right in the feels, so I only did that to myself once, but I will do it again. . . for you Dearest Readers.

But why?

This is an interesting question, to explore the answer, let me tell you a little about me or rather, my mother.

Mom spend a lot of time at Maple Grove, can't understand why. . .

My mother loved Upstairs Downstairs, the original that aired on PBS in the 1970s. It may have been her favorite TV show. But unlike our modern ease of access to quality entertainment, there wasn't digitization, and VHS copies were rare and expensive. You couldn't just Amazon order the show, you had to find it in a store or maybe your local library.  So I never got to enjoy this series with her. (We did love the crap out of Star Trek though, but that may be a different series of blogs)

One other thing my Mother loved was visiting Historic Homes. She was a docent at our local landmark, Maple Grove, and wherever we traveled, if there was a home to visit, we visited it. While my siblings were involved in a lot of this, since I am the youngest, my mother and I visited many places together, just the two of us. I have many fond memories and it also may be why I have a love for visiting historic places to this very day. My mother's memory lives on through me as I enjoy these things.  

Since she is not around to enjoy Downton Abbey, and I am sure she would, I definitely enjoy it for her.  

I've also watched a ton of Period Pieces or Costume Dramas (as they are known in the UK), so I have much to compare. For many in the US and around the World, Downton is their first. But I've seen Pride & Prejudice many times. I've laughed every minute at Jeeves and Wooster. I felt the pain at the end of Captain and the Kings (an American story no less, also name someone else aged 30 or younger who has seen this). I've even been to Brideshead (figuratively, and if you caught the reference in the title of this series of blogs, good for you, Evelyn Waugh would be proud). Basically what I'm saying is that this isn't my first rodeo.

Oh, and I have a degree in History, and have researched a bit of this period, so I'm going to have that perspective as well.

Here's me: American, Male, Straight. I'm an Eagle Scout. If I had me describe myself with these adjectives (all of which are true) I'm sure it conjures up classic Hollywood "American" imagery and lots of Norman Rockwell, but I'm also happy to be much more than that.  

I say these things to break misconceptions. 

Many see Downton as a "chick show", a term I find slightly offensive. Is romance purely feminine? Is Family Drama? Is Feminine a negative characteristic? Of course not. Is Downton a bit soapy? Yes indeed, but at least it doesn't have long arcs over relish. 

 I have to thank 'The Soup' for that, I don't watch Soap Operas, but my grandfather did, and he loved 'em. I think his favorite was 'The Young and the Restless". But I digress. . .

Final Breakdown: I'm going to watch Downton from the perspective of having already watched everything. I'm going to make commentary. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. This is not going to be a plot breakdown "review" but one of judgement and introspection. I'm going to investigate arcs and character. Look to see what sticks out compared to the current season. And investigate historic accuracies and idiosyncrasies.

I also just learned that when Downton first aired on PBS they shortened the show by 2 hours under the belief that the American audience wouldn't understand the plots? Good thing I watched it on Netflix before it aired in the US, you know, before it was cool.

And to whoever made that call I dare you to compare the biggest hillbilly in the US to the most rural rube in the UK and see who gets more embarrassed.