Downton Abbey

 

 

What makes this series so interesting, so delicious, and so addictive? Maybe that’s because it is so well written and so well acted. It’s of days gone by and being so British, and so alien to Americans. The acting in Downton Abbey is wonderful. The music is haunting, the scenery is beautiful, and the costumes are exquisite; all reminiscent of a grander day and time.

 

The story of Downton Abbey and the owners, the Grantham Family takes place before, during, and after WWI. The viewers see the beauty and opulence of the grand estate and the gentility of the British and their ways.

 

As viewers, we are privy to the estate, Downton Abbey, going through a transformation: days of grandeur before the war; during the war, the estate becomes a hospital for wounded soldiers, and afterwards, the outside façade of Downton Abbey looks in dire need of renovations.

 

The interior of the estate is like a castle with room after room. Each room is decorated exquisitely with beautiful period pieces and the styles of the era. Each room is truly magnificent. We are also privy to the ways of the British – teas, fox hunting, fishing, games, holidays and the variety of people visiting. All the while the Grantham Family seems to be managing the estate well. Or maybe not?

 

The deliciousness comes with the lives of the servants. This is a story in its own. They, too, have their own class system and pecking order. Also, sometimes treachery is at its best with their stories.

 

If I were to be a character in the series, I would want to be one of the servants, who live and eat well, and are always up to something. The only negative that I might have is that they always seem to be wearing such dark clothes, even though they are well designed. But instead of black or gray, and a touch of white – what about adding a cool mauve or green or blue of some kind to their wardrobe. Maybe a lighter color might make the servants less treacherous.

 

At first, Downton Abbey seems like a slow moving story. But each scene and episode sucks the viewer in, until like me, you go out and buy the series or DVR it. Season Three is over and with it came a shocking ending. Now that I have recovered from it, and am in withdrawal, at least I can go back and watch Downton Abbey all over again, until Season Four starts up.