About

TV & (pop) cultural theory from turn-of-the-century-style and hostilities.

Search for content

December 2, 2011
in Downton Abbey ITV TV American Gothic TV writing
Permalink »
My frustration with the second series of Downtown Abbey is a matter of red herrings, mostly.  How many times in this season were we presented with a shocking possibility regarding injuries or blackmail or impossibilities or long-lost relatives, only to have them cast off—sometimes within the same episode?  The main points of tension in this series, really, were tired remnants from the first series:  covering up the scandal regarding “the Turkish gentleman,” and dealing with Mr. Bates’ wife. This series covered way too much ground in so few episodes.  I suppose this was a device allowing Matthew to be home on leave just about every episode, but the series felt rushed, hurtling toward the end of the war and the 1920s.  Despite this rapid passage of time, we leave the series in much the same way we found it at the beginning of the first series.  A few characters have come and gone, but there are few major upheavals besides the one that ends the final moments of the last episode—but given what we have seen so far, I cannot feel any real sense of anxiety about how that story line will unfurl. The lack of consequences on this show, oddly, is a circumstance that really only applies to the “upstairs” half of the cast.  The servants face death, financial ruin, single motherhood, guilt.  I don’t know what message we can take from this; the aristocracy is constant, but humanity lies with The People. While I always enjoy watching Downton Abbey, and was moved almost to tears several times over the course of the series, I feel that this second go lacked a certain spark that the first series had, which is strange since the first series didn’t take place during a war.  I want to demand tougher decisions, more elegant writing, better dialogue.  I quite like this show but want more from it.  

My frustration with the second series of Downtown Abbey is a matter of red herrings, mostly.  How many times in this season were we presented with a shocking possibility regarding injuries or blackmail or impossibilities or long-lost relatives, only to have them cast off—sometimes within the same episode?  The main points of tension in this series, really, were tired remnants from the first series:  covering up the scandal regarding “the Turkish gentleman,” and dealing with Mr. Bates’ wife.

This series covered way too much ground in so few episodes.  I suppose this was a device allowing Matthew to be home on leave just about every episode, but the series felt rushed, hurtling toward the end of the war and the 1920s.  Despite this rapid passage of time, we leave the series in much the same way we found it at the beginning of the first series.  A few characters have come and gone, but there are few major upheavals besides the one that ends the final moments of the last episode—but given what we have seen so far, I cannot feel any real sense of anxiety about how that story line will unfurl.

The lack of consequences on this show, oddly, is a circumstance that really only applies to the “upstairs” half of the cast.  The servants face death, financial ruin, single motherhood, guilt.  I don’t know what message we can take from this; the aristocracy is constant, but humanity lies with The People.

While I always enjoy watching Downton Abbey, and was moved almost to tears several times over the course of the series, I feel that this second go lacked a certain spark that the first series had, which is strange since the first series didn’t take place during a war.  I want to demand tougher decisions, more elegant writing, better dialogue.  I quite like this show but want more from it.  

(Source: chinderesistance)


(via lucette)

Notes:

  1. kamillah-boyd reblogged this from messicajessica
  2. aportainferi reblogged this from meowdici
  3. er-gato reblogged this from matward
  4. pixieperfection reblogged this from irenesadler
  5. la-grande-jatte reblogged this from meowdici
  6. oldsportjohnny reblogged this from matward
  7. matward reblogged this from meowdici
  8. letmeblahyourmind reblogged this from meowdici
  9. meowdici reblogged this from bassington
  10. hintretro reblogged this from chinderesistance
  11. bassington reblogged this from juanferrari
  12. juanferrari reblogged this from frogglepog
  13. timeseller reblogged this from blackradar
  14. tatianasana reblogged this from chinderesistance and added:
    Would you two get married already?
  15. gatadourada reblogged this from littleleenhat
  16. magzlovesmuse reblogged this from chinderesistance and added:
    American Gothic: Downton Abbey style.
  17. ladybforrenner reblogged this from chinderesistance
  18. wiannladelitz reblogged this from chinderesistance
  19. messicajessica reblogged this from chinderesistance and added:
    brilliant. love downtown abbey.
  20. littleleenhat reblogged this from palpaca
  21. palpaca reblogged this from gaffegaffe
  22. korras reblogged this from gaffegaffe and added:
    this is a portrait of a father and daughter though…
  23. gaffegaffe reblogged this from stepliana
  24. stepliana reblogged this from chinderesistance
  25. rantdejour reblogged this from allisonpotter
  26. filmsinspace reblogged this from brittadictarnold
  27. lov3good reblogged this from clawsandfangs
  28. willowjinx reblogged this from promentory
  29. keeperoftime reblogged this from blackradar