Thoughts on Season 1 of "Downton Abbey"

I have never been a fan of soap opera or melodrama. I used to think it beneath me (I can get that way about my pop culture opinions). And yet in recent years, I find myself more and more oddly enthralled by shows that feature it. I was a fan of The O.C. I’ve enjoyed The Vampire Diaries. Granted these are series that aren’t all soapish drama and dastardly intrigue. In fact, they’re melting pots of various genres and elements that have proven themselves really good series of the last two decades. They’re smart, meta, and funny with great characters and really good (though at times faltering) plotting.

Period pieces are often known for their melodrama, and British aristocratic period pieces feel like the exemplary works of this. There was a time when period pieces were well-liked, chic, and cutting edge, as well as critically well regarded. That time seemed as if it had long since passed, with periodized dramas becoming marginally less produced. Only a few years earlier, it seemed as if period pieces couldn’t really win over a significant audience and had gone out of fashion. As a history major, I can attest from experience that there are a lot of people that find things that are historical in nature boring and uninteresting; that opinion appeared only to be amplified in the last two decades. Personally I’ve always found that period pieces fail because of how tied down they are by events having to happen as they occurred (there’s simply no way around it, but it ties writers hands and often leads them to fail to create meaningful drama by checking off plot points).

This is partly why Downton Abbey is rather impressive. People are actually watching it (and enjoying it at that). Sure, Maggie Smith garners (rightfully so) a lot of attention; however, she’s not the only reason for the show’s appeal, success, and quality. The show features a large cast filled with interesting and well-portrayed characters. As the season has gone along, almost every single member of its sprawling cast has been given interesting, well-written character arcs, or at least nice, isolated stories that provide solid showcases for their talents. Maggie Smith may be a delight but she holds little screen time. Many characters were just as fun and fascinating, and I ended up caring for them just as much if not more so. Jessica Brown Findlay as Sybil, the youngest daughter, made her character far more enthusiastic and likable than her two older, bitchier sisters (who though played rather well by Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael are terribly selfish and mean). Her foray into politics and her kindness towards Gwen made her an always welcome screen presence. Rose Leslie (who’s gone on to star as Ygritte in Game of Thrones) played the hope, and self-doubt of upwardly minded maid Gwen to a tee. Penelope Wilton as Isobel proved a great, more progressively thoughtful match for Violet. Sophie McShera made me care so much for constantly misused, mousey, well-intentioned Daisy. Not only does the series have a great cast, but it’s also thematically rich without always shoving messages down your throat. The series deals with class, gender, sexuality, growing old, and family, among many other themes. While it’s well-trotted, familiar territory, the series deals with it sharply and with a reserved but stylish tone. The period detail is also incredibly rich and detailed, and it feels like a world that worth inhabiting if only for a little while. Though it shows the aristocrats being a bit too noble or sympathetic towards their employees than might be realistic, it’s often forgivable in the hands of such assured writing and acting.

   

While story of the death of a handsome Turkish diplomat dying during sex felt strangely out of place (It stretches credulity a bit too much and came off as wildly soapish and weird even for a heavily melodramatic series such as this. Although I think the aftermath of it in the proceeding episodes was well-executed), the stories primarily proved themselves by grounding interesting character arcs in historical realism. By staying true to the particularism of aristocratic England and turn of the century Europe, the drama not only felt plausible but surprisingly interesting. I never expected myself to be so invested in the lives of English aristocrats and their servants, but the characters are so well-realized and so well-presented that it becomes hard to resist the intrigue. Not to mention the undeniable artful elegance and understated wit that carries the series even when the historical nuance might seem tedious or distracting. The constant intersection of the aristocrats and their servants has been incredibly well-handled. With events downstairs in the staff’s quarters affecting the upstairs drama just as much as their employers’ actions having a trickling down effect.    

It could be argued that we’ve returned to the age of the period piece. Downton Abbey isn’t the only recently noteworthy periodized drama. Mad Men, and Boardwalk Empire have had excellent television seasons that take place in the not too distant past. Much like these series, Downton Abbey has a wry, self-awareness that uses its knowledge and hindsight of history that the characters lack in order to hold not only a sense of dread and foreboding over their heads but also holds them accountable for some of their less egalitarian-minded mores, views, and actions. 

The series plotting turned out to be one of its strongest elements. Storylines culminated quite strongly in the penultimate and final episodes. Mary and Matt’s will they/won’t they relationship came together only to fall apart when Cora became pregnant, leading to the possibility of Matt losing his claim to Downton. Thomas and Miss O’Brien’s scheming finally came to a head (Thomas got caught for stealing and trying to do in Bates, while Miss O’ Brien Realized she’d taken her schemes too far when she ended up being responsible for Cora’s miscarriage). William got to beat up that awful bitch-face of Thomas like we’d all been waiting for someone to do for soooo long. And Daisy realized that she was wrong to be head-over-heels for Thomas when William was clearly the much better human being. Ms. Patmore’s eyesight became too bad to avoid the question of it, and Robert had her get eye surgery. Sybil’s shepherding of Gwen finally paid off, and she helped Gwen get a secretary position with a newly arising telephone company. Bates and Anna appear to be on track for the nice relationship they’ve been heading towards all season, after Anna helped save his job. AND WORLD WAR ONE IS HERE!!! 

The forward momentum of history and its unavoidability has been a constant theme of the first season. Whether it be electricity or telephones or socialism or women’s rights, many people both young and old have been stubborn and weary of change. The Dowager Countess is the obvious example of this as she’s baffled by Sybil’s flirtation with reform or Mary’s presumption of sex before marriage or Robert’s lack of conviction to fight for Mary’s right to be heir. Even her fight against Isobel in the flower competition (that she’s won every year) is her whole world view in miniature. She refuses to accept anyone else winning (because that would be accepting a new way of looking at things and in turn change). Although she eventually gives in because even grouchy, stubborn Violet has a soft spot she pretends not to have. Violet is in fact the one who argues that Mary ought to accept Matt’s proposal before the gender of the new baby is discovered (“Mary has the ultimate trump card,” she tells Cora. “What’s that?” Cora asks. “She’s family,” Violet replies). 

While I could see this melodrama becoming stale or overly crazy or derail the show at some point down the line, for now, I’m a fan of the series. I believe there are better series, but Downton Abbey remains oddly engrossing.