Early last year, I began seeing a lot of references the Masterpiece Theatre program Downton Abbey
on Facebook. I’d heard of it from watching award shows and had even
caught bits of an episode that my brother was watching, but I knew it
was a show I’d have to watch from the beginning, and despite my love of
Maggie Smith, I wasn’t sure it was my cup of tea. Still, all the
passionate posts intrigued me, as did a charming Sesame Street
parody, so when I received the first season as an early birthday gift,
it didn’t take long for this surprise hit to become a viewing priority.
While it took me a few episodes to become fully enthralled with this
tale of an aristocratic family in early 20th-century England and the
many servants who attend to them, by the end of the first season I was
thoroughly hooked.
The series follows the old-fashioned Robert (Hugh Bonneville), his more forward-thinking American wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and their three daughters: aloof Mary (Michelle Dockery), awkward Edith (Laura Carmichael) and idealistic Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay). In the first episode, the household is thrown into a tizzy by the death of the heir to Robert’s title, who is also Mary’s intended. They are forced to find a new heir, as Robert’s daughters are not allowed to inherit, and that leads to the arrival of distant cousin Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and his widowed mother Isobel (Penelope Wilton). Also part of the family is Robert’s tart-tongued mother Violet (Smith), who gets most of the best one-liners in the show, and meddlesome sister Rosamund (Samantha Bond), who is seen only occasionally.
This family is part of a dying tradition of expansive estates that function as self-sustaining communities, employing numerous people to work in various types of service throughout the household. At the top of the pecking order at Downton is the dignified Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), who is stern and demanding but fundamentally decent, and maternal Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), who brings a soft touch and a wry sense of humor to balance out Carson’s stiff demeanor.
The warmth and respect, as well as occasional teasing, between the two makes them an enjoyable foundation for the “downstairs” portion of the group, which also includes the frequently frazzled cook Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) and her sweetly blundering apprentice Daisy (Sophie McShera), as well as schemers Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) and Miss O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran) and passionate Irish chauffeur Tom Branson (Allen Leech). There’s also the efficient and stout-hearted Anna (Joanne Froggatt), who is unfailingly kind and courageous, and Robert’s old war chum John Bates (Brendan Coyle), an honorable man with a limp and a shrouded past.
Each of these characters, as well as several others who come into the picture, is richly drawn, becoming more complex by the episode. Adding to the appeal of the show is creator and writer Julian Fellowes’ tendency toward incredibly twisty plots, as well as the general fascination with the era and this particular way of living. Historical events have significant impacts on what happens to these characters; this first season begins with the sinking of the Titanic and ends with the start of World War I, both of which throw the house into turmoil. Long arcs involving family scandal, potential romances and the continued economic viability of the abbey emerge, continuing on into later seasons.
Since our first time through the series a year ago, my fiancé Will and I have re-watched many of the episodes multiple times with my mom, our friend Crissy and most recently my dad, who finally got lured into the series once we started watching season four along with the rest of America. There’s a high rewatchability factor, and going back to catch clues foreshadowing later developments is a lot of fun. It’s also a kick to scour each episode for lines that make good stand-alone quotes, with the understanding that nearly every word out of snarky Violet’s mouth is pure gold. It took us a little while to catch onto this craze, but once we checked in, we knew Downton Abbey was a destination we would want to visit many more times.
The series follows the old-fashioned Robert (Hugh Bonneville), his more forward-thinking American wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and their three daughters: aloof Mary (Michelle Dockery), awkward Edith (Laura Carmichael) and idealistic Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay). In the first episode, the household is thrown into a tizzy by the death of the heir to Robert’s title, who is also Mary’s intended. They are forced to find a new heir, as Robert’s daughters are not allowed to inherit, and that leads to the arrival of distant cousin Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and his widowed mother Isobel (Penelope Wilton). Also part of the family is Robert’s tart-tongued mother Violet (Smith), who gets most of the best one-liners in the show, and meddlesome sister Rosamund (Samantha Bond), who is seen only occasionally.
This family is part of a dying tradition of expansive estates that function as self-sustaining communities, employing numerous people to work in various types of service throughout the household. At the top of the pecking order at Downton is the dignified Mr. Carson (Jim Carter), who is stern and demanding but fundamentally decent, and maternal Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan), who brings a soft touch and a wry sense of humor to balance out Carson’s stiff demeanor.
The warmth and respect, as well as occasional teasing, between the two makes them an enjoyable foundation for the “downstairs” portion of the group, which also includes the frequently frazzled cook Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) and her sweetly blundering apprentice Daisy (Sophie McShera), as well as schemers Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier) and Miss O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran) and passionate Irish chauffeur Tom Branson (Allen Leech). There’s also the efficient and stout-hearted Anna (Joanne Froggatt), who is unfailingly kind and courageous, and Robert’s old war chum John Bates (Brendan Coyle), an honorable man with a limp and a shrouded past.
Each of these characters, as well as several others who come into the picture, is richly drawn, becoming more complex by the episode. Adding to the appeal of the show is creator and writer Julian Fellowes’ tendency toward incredibly twisty plots, as well as the general fascination with the era and this particular way of living. Historical events have significant impacts on what happens to these characters; this first season begins with the sinking of the Titanic and ends with the start of World War I, both of which throw the house into turmoil. Long arcs involving family scandal, potential romances and the continued economic viability of the abbey emerge, continuing on into later seasons.
Since our first time through the series a year ago, my fiancé Will and I have re-watched many of the episodes multiple times with my mom, our friend Crissy and most recently my dad, who finally got lured into the series once we started watching season four along with the rest of America. There’s a high rewatchability factor, and going back to catch clues foreshadowing later developments is a lot of fun. It’s also a kick to scour each episode for lines that make good stand-alone quotes, with the understanding that nearly every word out of snarky Violet’s mouth is pure gold. It took us a little while to catch onto this craze, but once we checked in, we knew Downton Abbey was a destination we would want to visit many more times.
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