Downton Abbey (TV)

Downton Abbey (TV)

I have to admit that up until about Episode 5 of Season 1 of this series, I thought it was called Downtown Abbey... but I kept noticing the characters pronouncing it "DOWN-tun" all the time (which I thought was just a product of their fabulous British accents.... which it was... at least partly...)

I've been hearing about this show for several months, and have been casually thinking about checking it out... someday... but when I heard that the first episode started off with the Earl and Countess of Grantham (you know, the fictional owners and dwellers of the fictional Downton Abbey) hearing the news of the sinking of the Titanic... and also learning that two of their distant cousins were aboard and thought to be dead... I was all over it... I have now finished up Season 1 (7 episodes you can either stream from Netflix, or watch on Hulu Plus - either way, it's not free, but it IS worth it) and am EAGERLY awaiting Season 2 (not-so-patiently waiting for the discs from Netflix - not available on Hulu Plus... and still not free...)

Here's the skinny.  The fact of the matter is that I'm a sucker for a few things... 1) anything that at all includes anything at all regarding the Titanic; 2) period things  - like HISTORICAL periods/eras... not period periods... that would be gross; and 3) British accents... well, any sexy accents, but the British sorts fall into that category for me... that said, this show was a HOME RUN!  I am completely sucked in to the lives of not just Lord and Lady Grantham, but also their entire servant staff, and of course, the most recognizable (to me at least), the Dowager Countess of Grantham, played by the great Dame Maggie Smith, who many will know as Professor McGonagall (from a certain series of movies about a certain wizard.)  This show is reminiscent of many Jane Austen movies, which I also count as some of my favorites...

Season 1 has thus far provided all kinds of excitement... worrying who the estate will go to, since the Earl and Countess have only daughters... trying to marry off the eldest daughter who doesn't want to be married off to anybody as a business transaction... a death, and subsequent cover-up, at the abbey... juicy drama amongst the servants' ranks (who inevitably know more stuff and drama about their employers)  ooohhh, it's good stuff all the way 'round...

My Recommendation:  Watch it if you can... and then we can converse in our pretend British accents... because we can't help it after seven hours of listening to it...