Downton and Strictly
Oct. 6th, 2014 09:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessDownton 5.3
Ah, that strong, familiar dislike of Robert and Mary. He handled the situation in London and Cora in general so, so badly, with the petulance turned up to 11 and a failure to listen, even when some of Cora’s feelings are similar to his feelings of uselessness. I don’t think he fully recognises the threat of the art expert (given McGovern and Grant can seriously play people who enjoy each other’s company so well, I really will try to watch them in that Scarlet Pimpernel edition). Plus I remember the midlife crisis stuff with that maid.
Meanwhile Mary was being a total cow to Edith, and even in a scene where I went ‘aww’ quite platonically – Tom asking her to support him whatever his decision would be, and her acquiescing – I was in awe of her egocentricity. The conversation went: a couple of sentences about Edith, a couple more about Tom, but mainly about Mary’s stupid dilemma. And while it’s nice that she cares about Tom, she’s heinous to her own flesh and blood (Edith).
However excellent her eyebrows are, I don’t feel much sympathy with her, as she’s going to hurt Gillingham, although the sooner he’s off our screens because his dialogue is making me cringe and cringe and cringe. In advance, I’m already on Miss Lane-Fox’s side and I’m glad she has talons of her own.
I still feel more sorry for the farmer’s wife (and possibly confused Marigold) than Edith, however tragic she feels, because this is about what she could have expected to happen. The resurrection of the Green investigation was dreary – the only redeeming thing about dragging it all back would be if it came out that he’d raped someone else. Sometimes, I think back to season 1 Anna and Bates and sigh.
As ever, there was lots of dithering from a lot of characters.
ON THE OTHER HAND, Violet had a good episode – wanting her staff to have personal lives on their days off, thank you very much. Almost a first season zinger, or maybe Smith just has the power to convince me that it was. Cora had a good episode too – and I loved that moment where Molesley told Baxter to negotiate. I didn’t think she wouldn’t stay, as Raquel Cassidy seems part of the cast. I would rather we saw the Barrows than the man from her past and for her to go through the wringer like Anna has, though. Oh, and Carson really not wanting to upset Mrs Hughes. (In point of fact, I think that both sides of the Patmore nephew memorial argument have a point, but it’s all a lot more complicated than the show will ever admit to.)
And to top it all, there were the Russians. It was basically pantomime, and might make it on to the top 10 list of daftest Downton moments ever. Though there’s a lot of competition for that list.
Rose needs a proper plotline in which, basically, she grows up, sooner rather than later.
Caught up with the Strictly results show this morning rather than seeing it live, and have been humming along to ‘Let it Go’ subsequently. I really loved that dance, the use of fabric and nearly all of the elements. Maybe could have done without the computer effect ice, because the audience clearly couldn’t see it and it wasn’t to be seen in all the shots, nullifying the effect.
I thought someone from the Gregg/Judy/Scott group might be in trouble and then someone better who people were less enthusiastic about. In fact, I thought it might be Steve – I was convinced Tristan and his tattoos would be popular enough to drag Jennifer through, although they were always going to beat Gregg in the dance off, and if he was so overwrought about performing, it was probably for the best.
That, by the way, was the best Claudia and Tess (well, Tess’s top half) have looked so far this run.
Ah, that strong, familiar dislike of Robert and Mary. He handled the situation in London and Cora in general so, so badly, with the petulance turned up to 11 and a failure to listen, even when some of Cora’s feelings are similar to his feelings of uselessness. I don’t think he fully recognises the threat of the art expert (given McGovern and Grant can seriously play people who enjoy each other’s company so well, I really will try to watch them in that Scarlet Pimpernel edition). Plus I remember the midlife crisis stuff with that maid.
Meanwhile Mary was being a total cow to Edith, and even in a scene where I went ‘aww’ quite platonically – Tom asking her to support him whatever his decision would be, and her acquiescing – I was in awe of her egocentricity. The conversation went: a couple of sentences about Edith, a couple more about Tom, but mainly about Mary’s stupid dilemma. And while it’s nice that she cares about Tom, she’s heinous to her own flesh and blood (Edith).
However excellent her eyebrows are, I don’t feel much sympathy with her, as she’s going to hurt Gillingham, although the sooner he’s off our screens because his dialogue is making me cringe and cringe and cringe. In advance, I’m already on Miss Lane-Fox’s side and I’m glad she has talons of her own.
I still feel more sorry for the farmer’s wife (and possibly confused Marigold) than Edith, however tragic she feels, because this is about what she could have expected to happen. The resurrection of the Green investigation was dreary – the only redeeming thing about dragging it all back would be if it came out that he’d raped someone else. Sometimes, I think back to season 1 Anna and Bates and sigh.
As ever, there was lots of dithering from a lot of characters.
ON THE OTHER HAND, Violet had a good episode – wanting her staff to have personal lives on their days off, thank you very much. Almost a first season zinger, or maybe Smith just has the power to convince me that it was. Cora had a good episode too – and I loved that moment where Molesley told Baxter to negotiate. I didn’t think she wouldn’t stay, as Raquel Cassidy seems part of the cast. I would rather we saw the Barrows than the man from her past and for her to go through the wringer like Anna has, though. Oh, and Carson really not wanting to upset Mrs Hughes. (In point of fact, I think that both sides of the Patmore nephew memorial argument have a point, but it’s all a lot more complicated than the show will ever admit to.)
And to top it all, there were the Russians. It was basically pantomime, and might make it on to the top 10 list of daftest Downton moments ever. Though there’s a lot of competition for that list.
Rose needs a proper plotline in which, basically, she grows up, sooner rather than later.
Caught up with the Strictly results show this morning rather than seeing it live, and have been humming along to ‘Let it Go’ subsequently. I really loved that dance, the use of fabric and nearly all of the elements. Maybe could have done without the computer effect ice, because the audience clearly couldn’t see it and it wasn’t to be seen in all the shots, nullifying the effect.
I thought someone from the Gregg/Judy/Scott group might be in trouble and then someone better who people were less enthusiastic about. In fact, I thought it might be Steve – I was convinced Tristan and his tattoos would be popular enough to drag Jennifer through, although they were always going to beat Gregg in the dance off, and if he was so overwrought about performing, it was probably for the best.
That, by the way, was the best Claudia and Tess (well, Tess’s top half) have looked so far this run.
