Downton Shaggy

[cactuswatcher]

I think Downton Abbey may have lost me last night. We all know it is a soap opera, a very classy one. But there are genuine reasons why, as a rule, I don't usually watch soap opera . One important reason is that sooner or later they resort to absolute silliness to get from point a to point b. Any TV show is going to be subject to availability of the actors, So, you can hardly complain about Sybil being killed off, since the actress, Jessica Brown Findlay, seems to be very busy elsewhere. But it's quite a different matter with the season arc of Miss O'Brien tricking Thomas into thinking James the footman liked him. What might have been a very poignant story about the problems of gays in the early 20th century, plays out as a rambling shaggy dog story of how a footman nobody likes or trusts, gets the second highest position in the staff. Please tell me if you believe that if Thomas was not gay and had been caught forcing himself on one of the young maids 'because he thought she liked him,' that he would not only have been kept on unexpectedly, but promoted. It's difficult to believe that Miss O'Brien would have kept her job either, considering how much everyone in authority knew, without being told, how she'd manipulated the matter. But no, Cora is as stupid about her lady's maid as her husband is about everything else in life. So O'Brien's pretty much safe in her job over this kind of thing, and the matter is settled by kindly John Bates' handy talent for threatening people.

Bizarre business part two: Tom (the former chauffeur) is a dedicated socialist and Irish Patriot all his life. You can't blame him for accepting a fantastic job (that God knows if he's really capable of doing) to give his daughter a good life. But after one cricket match, he wants to live in the same house with these people, 90% of whom resent him for one reason or another?

It's not that unusual to introduce a new character to show a lesson to an existing character. So Edith quickly discovers her editor is a married man. But, horrors, Edith is being drug into yet another impossibly bad relationship with a man? Please, just have one of Tom's Irish rebel pals shoot her and spare all of us the agony.

Don't worry. I'll be watching the final episode of the season. But it really needs to show me something less ridiculous, if they want me to watch next season.

Comments

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I think that Thomas trying to get it on with a pretty female maid could actually have had the same result. I've seen something similar happen in college administrations as recently as 10 years ago, so why not at Downton? What amazes me is that not only Bates but even Mrs. Hughes comes to feel sympathy for Thomas. Totally agree about Edith's boyfriend, though.

I accidentally read a spoiler that let me know that the season finale will not get away from soap opera-ness.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

I accidentally read a spoiler that Sybil was going to die. I guessed the cause of death almost instantly. Made me very mad.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I did that, too--one sentence that said "Hoping I'm not spoiling anyone but Sybil dies." Why do that?

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

Mine came from Wikipedia. I was looking up Tom's last name to reply to someone, and the very brief character description said he was Sybil's widower. Accurate if you live in Britain and had seen it all, but unnecessarily so considering it could have been left as 'Sybil's husband' at least until the show aired in North America.

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

Oh I loved it! Stuff was actually happening! Snappy lines were snapped!

I actually thought the episode was a good illustration of how that world worked - anyone who tried to come at a problem directly failed, but those who worked around, manipulated, got favours in exchange, succeeded. At the same time it showed why that world was ending, because it was so precarious and unsustainable - Thomas in the end has no other protection other than he's a good cricket player and that Lord Grantham got a fair amount of action at boarding school. The familiar gets protected. And everyone's happiness has clear anvils of doom! overhead.