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Downton Abbey opens with the news that the Titanic has sunk, taking with it the heirs to the estate and its fortune. This news rocks the whole house, upstairs and down in the servants quarters, and the fate of the house and its three daughters is much discussed by all: entails need to be broken, husbands need to be found and the new heir must be met. Yet there are even more problems downstairs, as the head butler tries to maintain the dignity of the family name and one of the footmen schemes.
This is clearly ITV’s latest attempt to take the BBC’s period drama crown, and they’re certainly pulling out all the stops. Created by Julian Fellowes, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Gosford Park, Downton Abbey stars an amazing array of established British stars, including Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Brendan Coyle and, of course, Hugh Bonneville, along with some up-and-coming young actors, such as Dan Stevens and Michelle Dockery. The whole thing looks divine, and has the distinct advantage of being an original story and so completely unknown to all the viewers.
The first episode had quite a lot of slightly clunky plot exposition scenes (would the family lawyer really feel the need to explain the whole situation with the entail to Lord Grantham in that much detail?) but they were necessary to introduce the characters, and once they were out of the way, the programme really got going. While a lot of time is spent on the worries of the Lords and Ladies up above, much of the really interesting stuff is in the dynamics between the servants. The subtle conventions and jobs are nicely defined without hitting us over the head with them, although the plotting Lady’s maid and footman seem a bit one-dimensional so far.
Two episodes in, however, the majority of the characters are distinctive and well-drawn, which is pretty impressive when you consider how many there are. This is helped in no small part by the acting. Among the generally wonderful cast, one of my absolute favourite dynamics is the sweet relationship developing between head housemaid Anna and the limping valet Bates, beautifully underplayed by Joanna Froggatt and Brendan Coyle. The second episode was livened up considerably by the arrival of Dan Stevens and Penelope Wilton as the new heir and his mother; his growing realisation that the house he was to inherit would be the livelihood and a source of pride for the many servants it would employ was one of my favourite elements. And Maggie Smith is completely stealing the show was the Dowager Countess, who represents the old guard with panache and elegance, dismissing the need for electricity and confusedly asking what a weekend is. But, as it was always going to, my heart belongs to Hugh Bonneville as the patriarch slowly watching his life’s work slip away, unsure of how to save his daughters and the home he loves so much.
And, through this all, there’s a real sense that Downton Abbey is just warming up, with many treats left in store, both in the drawing room and down in the servants quarters.
I’ll be back in two weeks to share my thoughts on episodes three and four.
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