On the recent season three premiere of the brilliant US comedy Community, they did a gag about Cougar Town, saying it was based on an English drama called Cougarton Abbey. All was good until they realized that unlike the American 20-odd episodes the season finished after six, like all English programmes!
Doing the blogs for Mad Men, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, The Good Wife and co, there could be up to 22 episodes per season. You could possibly miss an episode or four and you'd slot back in, even Lost had the odd duff couple of weeks. Part of the charm and pleasure of Downton Abbey is that they cram 22 episodes into eight. All killer, no filler. Not one scene, one line, one character, one edit is wasted or out of place. It all means something or goes somewhere. However, therein lays the rub.
There is so much crammed in, time moves faster and criss-crosses like a hybrid Fair City come Back to the Future. Things look like they could get murky and confused, especially in this week’s installment. After last week’s slow establishing opener, they really picked up the pace and wasted no time going between the Abbey and 'the war'. That aerial wide shot of the trench in France did look better this week but still does no favours for the usually immaculate production design. It looks like a purpose built set in a field and takes me out of the show for a moment or two every time - hopefully they don't use it again. Although the prosthetic make-up used across the board is impressive.
Speaking of the war, Robert Crawley is in danger of turning into a 1917 version of Uncle Albert from Only Fools and Horses, wandering around saying 'during the war...'! We get it, there is a war on. The Earl seemed to wander around the Abbey for the entire programme saying as much to anyone who'll listen. He either has survivor’s guilt, without ever being in the war, too much empathy for those at war, feels like a fool for voluntarily wearing the uniform all day or told he's no more than a mascot. It’s too bad. Why can't he go to war? Anyone remember? Answers on a postcard.
Writer Julian Fellows does indulge himself though with Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess of Grantham or Old Lady Grantham as Anna calls her. She reminds me of Blanch Hunt, Deirdre Barlow's mother from Coronation Street, her acid tongued know-it-all was top of her game last night as she astutely dished out verbal vitriol, Edith being the recipient of one of the best; “You are a lady, not Toad of Toad Hall”. I don’t know where we or the show would be without her cane stomping antics. She also put Rosamund in her place while her daughter was trying to get her blessing on a marriage between Mary and the questionable newspaper tycoon. She reminded her that her own marriage was not exactly the aristocratic celebration of the day, and while a disgusted Rosamund tried to argue that Marmaduke was a gentleman and his mother the daughter of a baronet, the Countess had the last word: “Maybe, but they were no great threat to the plantagenets”! Although the slightly grating voiced Cora put her back in her box reminding her that she and Robert are Lord and Lady of the manor and that if they want to turn Downton into a convalescent hospital, so be it.
Does anybody feel that the behind (barn) doors storylines are a little more soap opera and a little less gripping drama? Edith snogging a married man in the barn, while his angry wife looks on (we never did find out why Drake won’t learn to drive his own tractor!), a new suitor (Sir Richard) tries to bully an old acquaintance (Lavinia) into silence in the garden but is caught red handed, on the eve of William's departure to the front, his sweetheart, Daisy, confesses she has no feelings for him. Whereas Mary just can’t seem to catch a break in order to tell Matthew how she feels. Then there was Mr. Molesley who tried to pull a Sir Richard style proposal of his own, chasing Anna round the Abbey now that Bates is gone. Anna was wise though and invented the first ever book club, I mean reading club. That could catch on.
It would appear that accountant-based jokes are no modern invention, as highlighted by Carson, they seem to have been the butt of gags back at the start of the last century.
All is seemingly fair in love and war as Thomas comes out to a vulnerable soldier, who also lets his guard down, in what were some of the best scenes in the episode. Mrs. O’Brien showed her softer side when she saw her brother’s shell shock mirrored in the suffering new valet, Lang and Mary puts her already delicate reputation on the line to visit Carson’s chamber and he sees fit to advise her on matters of the heart. Apparently Lady's maids were close to their charges and did discuss private matters but it was not as common to see the butler as confidant.
Still, how brilliant is Jim Carter? He's such a great actor; he can express more with a sharp 'Mr. Lang!' than most can with a monologue. It was obvious that he was under pressure and in pain yet his lines were still great. I had to laugh though when he had his apparent heart attack. The help almost dropping dead in front of company, how awkward. Lady Mary's mysterious handsome Sir Richard, thought it quite exciting! Poor Carson though and Edith made an eejit of herself once again when she showed she's not that suited to farm life when she exclaimed she was more worried about her dress than that of Carson's fate.
The Dowager’s comment: “I’m not a romantic but even I will concede that the heart does not exist for the sole purpose of pumping blood” is hopefully an indication of things to come next week. Fingers crossed that she intervenes to stop Mary from accepting the hand of the flashy bloke who thinks “highly” of her in favour of her true lover. Iain Glen is a little Dynasty for this but he's handsome and has a mischievous twinkle in his eye so fun times ahead.
The focus next week will no doubt be on the Abbey’s metamorphosis into the hospital and judging from the promo, the earl is all for but then he seems to shut it down. Pick a side Mr. Earl, we're at war, remember?
Taragh Loughrey-Grant
P.s. Aside from the recent Emmy wins and the Community reference another clear indication that Downton Abbey has hit the big time is that Dubstep, that unique genre of electronic dance music has also tipped its hat to Downton Abbey and you can see the result of the musical labour here.
