I finally broke down two weeks ago and ordered the Season 1 DVD from Chapters. I watched the first 5 of 7 episodes while J was away that week and watched the last two last night (J is away again).
It turns out the first episode I caught was Season 1 Episode 6. I am glad I started from the beginning though, because I missed a lot of what was going on!
So the following will contain spoilers. So if you haven't watched the show, get thee to the store/internet/whatever and watch this show. Trust me, you will be happy you gave it a shot.
It's really no big surprise that I would love this pre WWI british drama. I love that time frame. Yes horrible god awful things happened in the 1910s-1920s, but those horrible things helped create the world we currently live in. Plus there was a lot of good that came out of that time as well.
So this show is set in the Yorkshire (I believe) countryside on the estate of Downton Abbey. It centers around the Crawley family and their servants. It has a very Upstairs, Downstairs appeal to it since we are seeing both sides throughout the show.
Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham is the father of this group of women. He is a veteran of the African Wars (I believe) and dedicated to his family and his estate. The show starts out in mid April 1912, with the sinking of the Titanic, containing the heir to his estate, his cousin and the cousins son.
Group of women. His ladies, his wife Cora (second from Left), the Countess of Grantham. From a rich American family.While Robert brought the estate to the table, the money running the estate came from Cora. She signed away her money when she married Robert, assuming they would be blessed with a boy but were instead parents to three lovely ladies. Now with the heir they knew dead, all her money will be gone to a distant relative.
The eldest daughter, Mary, (second from Right). Spoiled and entitled, but loving of her family and servants. Mary is probably a typical aristocrat from this time. She is worried about her looks, and finding the right man to marry. She had been expected to marry the future heir to her fathers estate, but he died on the Titanic. Now she is being pushed to marry the new heir, her fathers cousin Matthew. She is also a bit of a wild card (ahem the Turkish ambassador).
The ever over looked middle child is Edith, (first on Left). Just as ambitious as Mary, but far less the beauty, she seems to be constantly wanting what Mary has. She doesn't mind throwing herself at Mary's cast offs in the hopes of making something out of herself.
The youngest and in my opinion the prettiest child is Sybil (first on Right). Genuine, honest and loving is how she comes off. She is also the family rebel. Interested in politics and womens rights, she fights for what she believes in. Even when it means that she loses her maid, after helping her get a job as a secretary (the maids dream job). She doesn't appear to be interested in being part of the upper elite, but puts on a good show for the family.
Everyone knows I am a Harry Potter fan, so obviously I love the fact that the great Professor McGonagall....I mean Dame Maggie Smith is in this show. She plays the Dowager Countess, Roberts mother. A typical aristocrat, she only wants what is best for her family within the confines of what is expected of someone of their stature. She has some great, amazing lines, like, " What is a week-end?", “He looked so well. Of course it would happen to a foreigner. No Englishman would dream of dying in someone else’s house.” and another favourite, " I must've said it wrong."
Matthew Crawley is a lawyer from Manchester who is now the heir to the entail that is Downton Abbey. He moves to Crawley house on the estate at the invitation of Robert in order to get to know the area and the family. This lifestyle is a huge, drastic change from what young Matthew is used to, and he takes a couple of episodes to come to terms with these changes. He moves down with his widowed mother Isabelle. I wasn't sure what I felt about Matthew at first, but by the end of season 1, he had grown on me.
The head of the household staff is the butler Carson (above left). He is a stern but a fair supervisor.
Mrs Hughes (above center) is the head housekeeper. She keeps a firm hand on the housekeepers and has a great working relationship with Carson to keep the staff under control.
Both Carson and Hughes work closely with the Earl and Countess and keep them appraised of all going on in the household.
O'Brien (above right), is a the Ladies Maid to the Countess. She plays off her loyalty to the family, but doesn't seem to actually like her job or them. She is easily drawn into evil Thomas's plans.
Thomas. He doesn't get a picture because he is evil and I don't like him in the least. He is first Footman, but wants to be a valet. When Bates is hired, his nose is completely out of joint and tries time and again to get him fired. He (Evil Thomas) is a liar, thief and unwaveringly unloyal.
Bates! I love Bates, he is brought in as the Earls valet in the first episode. He served in the war with him and so they have a history and are very loyal to one another. He does have a leg injury from the war and is greatful to the Earl for giving him this job. He and Anna seem to have feelings for one another but... nothing seems to happen.
Anna, sweet Anna, The head housemaid and ladys maid to the daughters of the house.
There is a plethora of other servants, but they don't all need introductions.
Overall I enjoyed Season 1. In seven episodes we went from the sinking of the Titanic to the declaration of WWI. Like I said earlier, so much happened during this time frame. The world became a very different place. This show does such an amazing job of portraying these changes as I can only imagine they actually happened.
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