Disappointing Abbey

As of Season Three I have to say, this attrition of likable characters on Downton Abbey has got to stop.  They're going to end up turn over the entire cast in a couple more seasons, except for Maggie Smith's character, who will ironically out live them all.

Losing Cindy, err Sybil, was pretty much unbearable given that she was the hot chick on the show.  Yeah sure, Marsha, err Mary, is the glamorous ice queen, and poor Jan, err Edith, cleans up nice, but they don't melt the butter.  But then, to have our paladin, Matthew, go out in a Lawrence of Arabia-like senseless vehicular accident after having been so endangered during the war, was beyond the pale.  (The actor leaving the show may have had something to do with this plot development.)  It didn't help that Rush Limbaugh and a co-worker, who'd seen the finale, had already told me that there was a twist at the end.  This knowledge didn't prepare me at all, it just made it hard to enjoy the show waiting for the twist.

This show reminds me of a couple of other shows, most prominently the reimaged Battlestar Galactica (my favorite TV whipping boy).  I was able to borrow and watch Season One of Downton Abbey over the weekend.  It was a little hard to watch because I knew what was going to happen to the characters later on.  I have Season One of Battlestar Galactica and never watch it, because it's too painful, knowing how the characters were going to degenerate.  This is what happens when you play too rough in ensemble storytelling.  The all you can do for shock is kill off the characters.  Of course, a significant difference between the shows is that Downton has many noble and likable characters, while by the end of Battlestar, I was rooting for the deaths of the entire miserable cast.

The other show Downton reminds me of is Monarch of the Glen.  There's obvious similarities thematically (keeping a big estate running) and Julian Fellows (actor on Monarch, creator of Downton).  But the other similarity, almost subliminal, is that the real star of the show is the estate and its grounds.  Yes, we've all gotten emotionally involved in the characters, and the social setting (nobility and servants) is fascinating.  But were it not for Highclere Castle, this would just be an upscale soap opera.  Witness the revived Upstairs, Downstairs by comparison (and it doesn't help that the show doesn't hardly have any likeable characters).  Certainly the true co-star is the costumes.  Seldom, if ever, has such stiff and uncomfortable formal wear looked so good.    

I'll still be looking forward to Season Four of Downton Abbey, if for no other reason than to see more of the naughty flapper, Rose.  This girl looks like she just graduated from a Disney Channel tweener show.  You know, something like she's high school student, but is actually a magical princess, hijinx ensue.  The producers have clearly identified my demographic.  (Forgive me for not using more of the actual actor names.  The opening credits are very stylish, yet highly uninformative.)  Then there's the other hot bitch.  I also love the dog.  I can't get enough of that dog, she's magnificent.  She deserves a good plot line this season. 

Sigh.  I just hope I can get the theme song out of my head sometime soon.