Downton Abbey series 4 Christmas special
Dec. 28th, 2013 09:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessWas there a title to this?
No big dramatic event this time!
I'm trying to work out if the wackiest thing was i. the shenanigans to save the Prince of Wales's face; ii. Michael Gregson vs. Nazis; or iii. Cousin SEVERUS. Okay, I'm not trying too hard. For me, it was the third, and that doesn't rate that high on the Downton scale of crazy.
The things I liked were the things I usually like: Mrs Hughes being the boss, her friendship with Mrs Passmore (too little of that), Isobel and Violet sniping at each other, Isobel’s dalliance with Lord Merton (!), Molesley being good for Baxter and her being good for him, Allen Leech’s reaction shots and Tom deciding to man up and ask the Dowager Countess to dance.
The rivalry for Mary’s hand trundles on and threatens to trundle on ever more – sigh. Is she really worth it, guys? Will whatever you come up with match Mary/Matthew? No. I’d rather watch her have moral qualms over what to do with Bates (although I thought we were done with Bates’s act of vengeance) than not have moral qualms about having men dangling over her. In an excellent dressing gown.
I am over rebound Mary/Tom. Obviously that moment passed canonically.
Like Daisy, Mary’s a little stuck. Well, so are many of the characters as Mrs Levinson pointed out to Violet – the conflict between the American way and POV was better dramatised by the valet’s culture clash with Carson, really, and Hubert. Having two ladies of that age have that conversation, besides the dialogue being obvious, was weird.
I am sarky instead of sympathetic to Edith. I would rather they picked up the thread of Gregson's wife. And she pulled the 'you're not a mother' card to Rosamund, who has been helping her by her lights. If Edith hadn't been so snipey and judgemental about the rules of her caste, I might have more sympathy for her, although she seems mired in sensibility. HOWEVER, give Laura Carmichael little moments with Hugh Bonnenville forever and a day.
With all the new London toffs, at times, I felt like I could have done with a non-Downton people prequel. Blake had serious history with the Prince of Wales's mistress (OF COURSE played by Janet Montgomerie). I did like Madeline a lot. Sadly, despite Giamatti’s playing I was unable to forget that she was half his character’s age. And yes, I know this show has history with older man/girl pairings.
There was one prime moment where Shirley Maclaine gave a look that would quell any errant son, but I’m still not entirely sure why Giammatti took the part, that is.
I am not taking it too seriously. I think it works better as a special episode treat, although a lot of the scenes were too bitty. I know it's sold as a posh soap, but Thomas was basically being a pantomime villain.
Can we not mention Alfred in the next series, please? Or Ivy, now that she’s gone. I would also like the show to remember stuff that happened in the first series.
No big dramatic event this time!
I'm trying to work out if the wackiest thing was i. the shenanigans to save the Prince of Wales's face; ii. Michael Gregson vs. Nazis; or iii. Cousin SEVERUS. Okay, I'm not trying too hard. For me, it was the third, and that doesn't rate that high on the Downton scale of crazy.
The things I liked were the things I usually like: Mrs Hughes being the boss, her friendship with Mrs Passmore (too little of that), Isobel and Violet sniping at each other, Isobel’s dalliance with Lord Merton (!), Molesley being good for Baxter and her being good for him, Allen Leech’s reaction shots and Tom deciding to man up and ask the Dowager Countess to dance.
The rivalry for Mary’s hand trundles on and threatens to trundle on ever more – sigh. Is she really worth it, guys? Will whatever you come up with match Mary/Matthew? No. I’d rather watch her have moral qualms over what to do with Bates (although I thought we were done with Bates’s act of vengeance) than not have moral qualms about having men dangling over her. In an excellent dressing gown.
I am over rebound Mary/Tom. Obviously that moment passed canonically.
Like Daisy, Mary’s a little stuck. Well, so are many of the characters as Mrs Levinson pointed out to Violet – the conflict between the American way and POV was better dramatised by the valet’s culture clash with Carson, really, and Hubert. Having two ladies of that age have that conversation, besides the dialogue being obvious, was weird.
I am sarky instead of sympathetic to Edith. I would rather they picked up the thread of Gregson's wife. And she pulled the 'you're not a mother' card to Rosamund, who has been helping her by her lights. If Edith hadn't been so snipey and judgemental about the rules of her caste, I might have more sympathy for her, although she seems mired in sensibility. HOWEVER, give Laura Carmichael little moments with Hugh Bonnenville forever and a day.
With all the new London toffs, at times, I felt like I could have done with a non-Downton people prequel. Blake had serious history with the Prince of Wales's mistress (OF COURSE played by Janet Montgomerie). I did like Madeline a lot. Sadly, despite Giamatti’s playing I was unable to forget that she was half his character’s age. And yes, I know this show has history with older man/girl pairings.
There was one prime moment where Shirley Maclaine gave a look that would quell any errant son, but I’m still not entirely sure why Giammatti took the part, that is.
I am not taking it too seriously. I think it works better as a special episode treat, although a lot of the scenes were too bitty. I know it's sold as a posh soap, but Thomas was basically being a pantomime villain.
Can we not mention Alfred in the next series, please? Or Ivy, now that she’s gone. I would also like the show to remember stuff that happened in the first series.
