Downton follows the Crawley family, owners of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1925, seeing them face good times and bad times, and the terrors of the first world war. What I love most about Downton Abbey is the characters. They have been built on in such a way as to create an engaging array of personalities.
My favourite character is Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith). Now this may be because I am a huge fan of Maggie Smith anyway, however the character of Violet provides a comical streak to the show, an Dowager Countess of Grantham stuck in her old fashioned ways. This is heightened by the conflict created between her and Isobel Crawley who embraces the ways of the modern world.
Downstairs in the servants quarters, the most lovable character is by far Mr Charles Carson (Jim Carter). He is the calming influence of everyone from the kitchen maids to Lady Mary herself. He is a friend to all and will always offer a shoulder to cry on, whilst maintaining professionalism in his role as Butler of Downton. Finally, in the most recent episode Mr Carson himself has been rewarded for his all round nice personality by marrying Mrs Elsie Hughes (Phyllis Logan). A long time coming, the wedding is small and private with the surprising comeback of much loved character Tom Branson - I can't wait for the next instalment!
As well as likeable characters, some characters are designed so we love to hate them. The prime example of this is Thomas Barrow (Robert James), underbutler at Downton. He is always stirring trouble, making life for servants below stairs extremely difficult at times. However, he himself has an underlying feeling of vulnerability. Firstly, he is homosexual which was unaccepted during this time in history, proving a great struggle for Barrow to conceal this. He is also forced to go to war, terrified by the horrors of the first world war, Barrow purposely gets shot in order to be sent back to Britain. This vulnerability creates a small amount of sympathy for Barrow, so despite hating him, the audience cant help but like him as a character.
The first series could be criticised for jumping too quickly through time, however the pace has slowed down dramatically in later series, perhaps because the popularity of the show has been realised.
The final series of Downton is currently being aired at 9pm on ITV. It is said that the final episode will be a Christmas Special (Which has now become part of Christmas day in my family! all sitting round to watch Downton) and there is also talks of creating a film. I just hope it lives up to the high standard of the television series.
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