Downton Abbey: Episode 1
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 | US $11.97 End Date: Saturday Jun-02-2012 10:05:50 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $11.97 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
 | US $11.97 End Date: Saturday Jun-02-2012 10:09:58 PDT Buy It Now for only: US $11.97 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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A Massive Cast Shines In A Delightfully Upscale Soap Opera,
A transporting miniseries from PBS, the crisp and delightful “Downton Abbey” is easily my favorite Masterpiece Theater presentation since the impeccable “Bleak House.” Perhaps not as austere as you might expect, “Downton Abbey” combines an “Upstairs, Downstairs” drama with some rather soapy plot points and a healthy dose of scathing British wit. While many of the recent successful Masterpiece Theater productions have benefited from a distinguished literary pedigree, this original creation was whipped up with considerable verve by Julian Fellowes–who mined similar territory and won an Oscar for the screenplay of “Gosford Park.” Aired on U.S. television stations in four longer parts, this set appropriately reconfigures the program into seven distinct episodes as they were originally intended.
Simply put, “Downton Abbey” tells the story of one English estate consisting of the Crawley family and their household staff in the years preceding World War I. Fellowes does an incredible job introducing his massive cast. Sometimes when dozens of characters are thrown at you immediately, it takes a while to sort everyone out–but no such problem here. Within the first half hour, I had everything I needed to know about the house dynamic and the role everyone played in it. There are many plot strands threaded throughout the production, but the main drama stems from the fact that the apparent heirs for Downton Abbey are killed on the Titanic. Unable to appoint a female inheritor (the Crawleys have three daughters), a distant and middle-class relative is next in line. When this city lawyer and his mother arrive to become acquainted with the property, the drama starts to unfold.
There is a LOT going on in this house–both in the servants quarters and in the master chambers! Some of the plotting is remarkably textured, some a bit far fetched–but there wasn’t one moment of “Downton Abbey” that wasn’t thoroughly entertaining. There is romance, cover-ups, villainy, manipulation, politics, and everything under the sun. Deftly handled by the well balanced screenplay, stories are juggled with dexterity. And almost everyone in the cast gets their moment to shine. Headlined by the terrifically understated Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern, there are far too many great performances to highlight in this brief format. Maggie Smith is, as usual, curmudgeonly perfection! Her battle of wills with Penelope Wilton are pure comic delight. Michelle Dockery, as the eldest daughter, and Dan Stevens, as the new heir apparent, carry much of the story and both are appealing even when they’re not very likable (Dockery, in particular, is quite a brat but has the largest character arc). And among the servants, I particularly enjoyed the oily menace of Rob James-Collier who created trouble for the sake of his own amusement.
While “Downton Abbey” is not without imperfections, I loved it simply in terms of sheer entertainment value. I cared about the characters and wanted to see their stories progress. The series ends rather abruptly (but Season Two is fast on its way) and, in our household, we were sorry to have to say goodbye for now. A grand and funny showcase for some of the year’s best performances, this one is a winner! KGHarris, 2/11.
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|Best Show ever!,
I actually came across this show on Netflix I thought I would at least watch one episode to see how it would be. I ended watching the whole season that DAY! i couldn’t stop watching! I can not wait til season 2 to come out. I highly recommend this show to everyone.
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|A Gentle World of Harsh Realities,
Having now watched all four episodes of Season One of “Downton Abbey,” I am quite captivated by this series. Comparisons with earlier offerings, such as “Brideshead Revisited” or “Upstairs, Downstairs” are, of course, inevitable, and perhaps a bit unfair. Like those tales, this, too, is set in a world of aristocratic grandeur, though, by nature of the era, also on the brink of upheaval. But what makes the large social canvas here so rich, is not just the easy, bold strokes of dramatic plot device, rather, too, the subtle, gentler strokes which add a patina of truth even to the smallest characters or situations. Perhaps predictably, in Downton Abbey Dame Maggie Smith upstages every brick, as well as its inhabitants, but the remaining cast hold to a strong second behind her. And her characterization is deserved, never flamboyant or clever just for its own sake, but a masteful performance throughout. There is also great humor here, as well as beauty and intrigue. Highly entertaining, this show makes me wish I lived back then, though despite the lack of modern medicine and technology, but of course fantasy puts MY room UPstairs. One’s wish is always to be Lord of the Manor, not the footman. Yet, here, both earn our compassion. I couldn’t recommend it more. So enjoyable, I will feel sad to see this tale end.
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