For the past several weeks we’ve been working our way through all six seasons of the PBS series, Downton Abbey. We finished the last episode of season six on Friday night and then spent all day on Saturday watching all three of the subsequent movies. Seeing all of them in order was really satisfying.
The series is a period piece set in Downton Abby, a fictional Yorkshire castle during the first thirty years of the twentieth century. It’s built around the aristocratic Grantham family whose members are trying to preserve their ancestral home and way of life at a time when many of the ancient houses in the face of changing times are falling into disrepair and financial ruin.
Interestingly enough, Highclere Castle, the real life location where the series is set, was itself in deep financial trouble when Julian Fellows, the creator of Downton Abbey first asked for permission to use it at a set for filming. In the process, a series about saving a fictional castle ended up saving a real one.
This is a family saga starting with the sinking of the Titanic in which not one but two Grantham heirs perish, throwing the family line of succession into disarray because the current Lord Grantham had three daughters and no sons. When it came to suitable heirs, daughters didn’t count, thus bringing a distant cousin and his mother, Mrs. Crawley, into the picture.
There are no gunfights and very little blowie-uppie stuff in the stories. There’s shooting at hunting parties, yes, along with a number of scenes involving World War I, but that’s it. The story is built solely on dialogue—on what people say to one another and how they behave. The costuming is impeccable, both for the well-to-do who exist in lush surroundings and for their servants who toil away in the background of the lush rooms but who work in a basement kitchen and sleep on cots in grim attic rooms.
My favorite characters by far were the Dowager Countess Grantham, played by Maggie Smith, and Mrs. Crawley, played by Penelope Alice Wilton. Seeing those two grand old ladies, sipping tea and exchanging barbed comments and insults while also creating an abiding friendship between them was a highlight of the show.
The characters are absolutely consistent from episode one, scene one, to the final bits of the finale movie. The sibling rivalry among the three sisters rings absolutely true, and it doesn’t go away just because they get older. Mary, the eldest, is a sharp-tongued snob; Edith is always trying to get over being second best. As for Syble? She’s sweet but headstrong.
The lines between what’s right and what’s wrong are clearly drawn, and anyone who disregards those standards does so at their own peril. Interestingly enough, Tom, the Irish immigrant chauffeur who marries one of the boss’s daughters, eventually becomes the mitigating factor in many of the family conflicts because he’s the one who’s able to see both sides of the arguments.
As a writer, I was fascinated by Julian Fellowes’s ability to keep multiple story lines running at the same time—upstairs storylines and downstairs ones as well. There are love stories that come to grief and ones that have happy endings. The relationship between Lord Grantham and his American-born heiress wife, Cora, is one of mutual respect and enduring love.
So, in case you’re interested and want to give this a try, the television series is available on Peacock and the three movies are on Netflix.
I think you’ll be glad you did.
Not having seen any of the series your review gives a great snapshot for me to consider. I’ll be looking for entertainment soon.
Downton Abby is my favorite series ever! Even over Star Trek. I watch it over and over! Its free on Amazon Prime but not sure about the movies! I didn’t know Highclere was having financial issues and Downton saved them!
Glad to see your thoughts on this wonderful series. I totally agree with you. It’s my favorite tv series of all times!
My maiden name was Busk. My father’s forebears came from Denmark.
I’ve heard a lot about it but, never knew anything about three story line. I will have to get it set up. Thanks
Do not watch much TV.
Prefer a good book.
I really enjoyed Downton Abbey. I watched it first on Masterpiece on PBS then switched to Peacock to binge watch the entire series. I agree that Maggie Smith is a true delight.
Haven’t watched the movies yet but they’re next on my list.
I don’t watch TV, but have over 350 movies on DVD. I’ve always wondered about Downton Abby and after todays blog, if I can get the entire series [and maybe the 3 movies] this may be my next series.
Blessing to you and Bill.
I remember when I first tried to watch it and couldn’t get past the first two episodes. Everyone said keep going, so glad I did! I loved the series and the movies immensely, such wonderful story telling!
Both Margaret and I have enjoyed watching this series………..many times!!!
Very good acting and great writing!
Sorry there will likely be no more!
Well! The local library has the series on DVD, and I tried the first episode or two some years ago, and couldn’t get into it. But seeing my favourite author enjoyed it, I’m going to give it another try, and persist a little longer this time. Maybe I will also reach the end of the series, as did JAJ and Bill. Right now I’m going through the Murdoch Mysteries, about a detective/inventor in Toronto, who experiments (back in horse and carriage days) with the development of technology which we nowadays take for granted.
I enjoyed reading about your views on Downton Abbey, probably one of my favorite series of all time…don’t forget Shirley Maclaine in the older ladies group of trading barbs, even though she did not show up in many of the episodes. And her loser son played by Paul Giamatti(I think?). I don’t know how many times I have re-watched the series, both in order and here and there when it pops up on PBS. I got a friend started on it who swore that she did not like dry boring English period shows….she is completely addicted but could not get it on her tv so watches at my place!
A simple Thank you.
I will start the journey. Have seen a few tv episodes and one movie. Time to get immersed.
Start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.
When you read, you begin with A-B-C. When you sing, you begin with do-re-mi. Thanks for making me smile.
I didn’t watch Downton Abbey but my daughter did. I’m going to forward this blog to her.
The Downton series was so well done it was wildly popular in many countries; my Canadian colleagues did up a spoof image of the cast, substituting our team’s faces, as one of my 2016 retirement gifts.
When Downton started I began re-watching some of the original Upstairs Downstairs UK TV series, to which Downton obviously owed a lot of its DNA, including the attention to the serving class, not just the gentry. That 1971 original series was unusual at the time for its strong focus on the servants in a well-off household. It was conceived by several women actresses, one of whose family had worked “in service.”
You can also see in the Downton series the homage paid to Robert Altman’s 2001 Gosford Park film–including Maggie Smith’s character in that cast, who was also a Countess.
I enjoyed watching this series as well. Of course my favorite actress was Maggie Smith.
A double for me today.. Thought I’d mention one of the other older women in the Downton Abby cast, Samantha Bond. Samantha also played Miss Moneypenny in four of the Bond films. She is currently in a seasonal production called the Marlow Murder club that is on Masterpiece. Her character and three other meddlesome women work their way through murder cases that the police get wrong…and of course her characters name is Judith. Mostly a lot of fun.
I agree. It’s wonderful. And the costumes and set designs are just fun to look at. I’d find myself saying things like, “Wow. What a fabulous rug.” Thanks for this, I’m inspired to watch it all over again!
I loved Downton Abbey, which I thought for years was Downtown Abbey. The thing I loved the most was the glimpse into a different era and different ways of thinking. England didn’t have the caste system, but there was a definite class system. So many of the aristocrats were so blissfully innocent in so many ways. WWI took away all that innocence, or at least a good deal.
I am especially glad that the series was able to save Highclere Castle from the fate that many other grand old English suffered. I was lucky enough to visit with my family a ways back.