Any other Downton Abbey fans?

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NO SPOILERS! SEASON 3 HAS NOT YET AIRED IN THE STATES.
I can admit it. Top notch soap opera. Anybody else?

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It's an extremely conservative representation of the period. The upper class people are all fairly decent, sharp tongues notwithstanding. And the liberal rabble are dangerous criminals. But whatevs. It's still a fun show. Full of snarky comments and beautiful costumes and scenery.

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It functions as a sort of pension scheme for character actors who have been in infinitely better things, I suppose (especially as they're mostly just phoning in. Jim Carter, to go for the extreme example, is one of the best television actors of his generation, but you'd never think it from this programme). I can't think of anything else to say about it that isn't abusive.

Though I suppose the writing must be mentioned. Because it is really quite specially awful.

Do you like anything or anybody? Get some dopamine in your neurons. And hurry.

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It's a soap opera that seems smart because everyone has British accents.

It also "seems" smart because you have to be vaguely aware that there were once things called the Titanic and the Great War and the Spanish Flu. A bit off the radar of most people who watch American soap operas.

I've always found it interesting that British television seems to be a lot more political than American television (I'm thinking of this show, which while essentially a soap opera, is still one that very clearly raises political issues that no American soap opera ever would, as well as other British series, like Our Friends in the North or even comedies like Yes Minister or In the Thick of It). We don't really have anything comparable in the United States, with maybe the exception of Mad Men. And then in the Oughts we had The West Wing of course, but that's about it.

We have politics in many American shows. They may not always hit your over the head with it anymore like Norman Lear used to do, but look at Breaking Bad. All about the failures of American healthcare and the War on Drugs. Animated shows like the Simpsons and South Park have long hid political points between fart jokes. That 70s Show was full of references to the politics of the period. 24 was full of terrorism laden politics. What American tv avoids like the plague is depiction of poverty. Even "poor" families like those on Roseanne and Married...With Children lead fairly decent lives in houses that are bigger than any I've ever lived in. The staff at Downton are likely the poorest people on American televisions since Good Times.

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I liked episode 1. Two hours is too long to make me sit, especially with no commercial breaks for bathroom or fridge grazing,  but it was enjoyable nonetheless. Bringing in the British vs. American thing is pretty darn fun, though it is rather exaggerated. Not like Americans were so interested in embracing change either. It was the age of the return to normalcy, the KKK, and isolationism.

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Angus, keep in mind how many men were six feet under after the war. All things considered, I think Edith has done pretty well for herself. My biggest wtf moment was learning that Robert had invested almost all his money in one thing. You'd think somebody who devoted his entire life to ensuring the continuity of Downton would not have made such a juvenile mistake.

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I like Lord Grantham less every day. You'd think a man who had to marry a rich girl just to keep his estate from going broke would know the value of a dollar pound. And yet, he doesn't. He invested most of his fortune in one thing, the worst of all financial moves. It's bad enough that he's completely unwilling to adapt to the times. Now we've learned that he's not managing the estate well either.  Hire a financial manager if necessary.

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Sybil has made an interesting choice in her life too. Being a nurse in the Great War wasn't an easy thing for her to do. And running away with the chaffeur was incredibly gutsy. Cora strikes me as the flattest character of all, but she has a small backstory already, as the nouveau riche American bride to the British aristocrat. Her personality could be fleshed out pretty easily should the writers choose to do so.  The show is a soap opera, but I can live with that. The historic setting, beautiful cinematography, and snarky writing make it well worth my time. I'm sincerely interested to know what's to come of these people. British posters, thanks very much for not spoiling it for us Americans. I know it's all old news already for you guys. Anybody know why they've chosen to delay it for us?

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The people who create this show clearly enjoy killing nice people. First William, then Livonia, now Sybil. Meanwhile,  Thomas and Violet will live forever. I'm interested to see where the subplot with Mrs. Crawley and Ethel is going.

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Isobel needs Ethel just as much as Ethel needs Isobel. Now that Matthew is married, Isobel desperately needs something to do. Ethel is just the sort of project she's been looking for. Not sure about in the UK, but at least here in the US, women from comfortable backgrounds who need something to do have been at the forefront of many reform movements, especially those concerned with the plight of the underclass. And not just Jewish women, but they've certainly been represented as well. Assuming this was true in the UK as well, there's nothing at all anachronistic about Isobel.