lol j/k
good show tho!
ps i had no idea what 'ship' meant in this context until yesterday
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/
― goole, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 21:49 (1 year ago) Permalink
ugh this show
i look forward to it every week
but ugh this show
― encarta it (Gukbe), Tuesday, 1 November 2011 21:53 (1 year ago) Permalink
i complained about mad men getting less workplacey and more soapy every week, and i watched the hell out of that
― goole, Tuesday, 1 November 2011 21:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
Maggie Smith breezes through this with such ease it made me chuckle at times
― Muammar for the road (Michael White), Tuesday, 1 November 2011 22:17 (1 year ago) Permalink
first series was really great. second series is ridiculously over plotted. like five cast off or forgotten about plots per episode. i think the first covered a year or so, the second has covered around five years in the first few eps.
― jed_, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:24 (1 year ago) Permalink
ha i keep meaning to start this thread
― max, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:26 (1 year ago) Permalink
so, i HATE this show, but i also LOVE this show. i feel like i need to be in a support group.
new season kinda sucks though
this thread is going to be deserted in january isn't it
― goole, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:34 (1 year ago) Permalink
i didnt realize it was so popular in the UK, feels kind of like a show geared to american anglophiles
― max, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
"gosford park without the wit, irony, politics, or murder"
julian fellowes turning out to be a tory was disappoint, but also like duh
― goole, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:42 (1 year ago) Permalink
so far this season is me yelling at the tv for 60 minutes and then one week later obsessively checking sidereel while i wait for someone to upload it
― max, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:44 (1 year ago) Permalink
wait how are you all watching this already
― turkey in the straw (x2) (remy bean), Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:48 (1 year ago) Permalink
http://www.sidereel.com/downton_abbey
― max, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:51 (1 year ago) Permalink
i'm not watching s2 yet!
maybe waiting a week between episodes will dry it out a little bit.
― goole, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:52 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah it might be better if i were just watching em all in a row? on the other hand theyre reallllly stretching out some of the storylines, characters are doing way out-of-character stuff, and stuff that seemed unbelievable is even MORE unbelievable when it hasnt changed like 6 years later or whatever
― max, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:54 (1 year ago) Permalink
sybil is still a serious babe though
did u know 'lady mary' and 'matthew' were in a versh of turn of the screw together
― goole, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
― goole, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
This show's timeline is more fucked than Doctor Who's.
― Melissa W, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:59 (1 year ago) Permalink
Next season needs Matthew to go all Phantom of the Opera and start living in a cave under the house.
― James Mitchell, Tuesday, 8 November 2011 09:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
christmas episode
― carstens, Monday, 2 January 2012 03:32 (1 year ago) Permalink
i didnt realize it was so popular in the UK, feels kind of like a show geared to american anglophiles― max, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:40 (2 months ago) Permalink
― max, Wednesday, 2 November 2011 00:40 (2 months ago) Permalink
it isn't that popular in the uk though is it? like the viewerships are presumably fine, but it's not all over the papers/"what everyone is talking about". i don't know anyone who watches it except americans and my mum.
― caek, Monday, 2 January 2012 03:40 (1 year ago) Permalink
i thought i read somewhere it was like the #1 show in britain?
― max, Monday, 2 January 2012 03:56 (1 year ago) Permalink
well, it's mainstream tv, and it's being renewed, so in that sense it's doing well for expensive drama, but it's not a ratings sensation. last year's figures: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/table/2010/dec/21/top-tv-shows-2010. there's a bunch of other dramas that get very nearly as many viewers.
i guess i have a specific definition of "popular" in mind here anyway. i haven't actually seen it (and like i say, i've only met one real person who claims to like it), so i'm guessing here, but presumably, if the anglophilia angle is lost and you and you're used to that kind of uk serial drama writing, all you've got left is a soap opera.
― caek, Monday, 2 January 2012 04:17 (1 year ago) Permalink
so i'm talking about guardian/twitter popular, not # of viewers popular
part of the problem is perhaps that itv is kind of a joke in the uk, at least among the kind of people who have important blogs. i think i actually first heard about downton abbey on gawker, and it reminded me of when american sites link to the daily mail. not mentioning daily mail (or itv) in the first 5 words is burying the lede.
― caek, Monday, 2 January 2012 04:21 (1 year ago) Permalink
there's also the julian fellowes thing, for the 0.01% of the population/100% of newspaper editors who know who he is
― caek, Monday, 2 January 2012 04:24 (1 year ago) Permalink
lol "no one I know voted for Nixon"
― max, Monday, 2 January 2012 13:49 (1 year ago) Permalink
― caek, Monday, 2 January 2012 14:12 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah I think I've seen the 'loved by the public ignored by the critics' line about it in The Sun or somewhere, because of course the so-called 'real' media are out of touch with the people. That said, none of my Sun-buying working class family watch it or know anyone who watches it either, so god knows who does.
― sunn :o))) (Merdeyeux), Monday, 2 January 2012 15:02 (1 year ago) Permalink
my parents watch it, apparently
― thomp, Monday, 2 January 2012 15:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
At my evening class there is a late-40s woman whose standard conversational opener during the coffee break is "ohmygod did you SEE Downton Abbey this week?!" and some 60+ women who always join in with the Downton chat while the 20-somethings all look completely blank. So it's kind of weird to see that it has a youngish viewing demographic in the US (at least, going by ILX posts).
― Schleimpilz im Labyrinth (a passing spacecadet), Monday, 2 January 2012 16:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
im 30 + most of my female friends watch it (im in london)
― just sayin, Monday, 2 January 2012 17:49 (1 year ago) Permalink
this show is really popular with vogue editors fwiw
― Deist (Hungry4Aslan) (Lamp), Tuesday, 3 January 2012 01:49 (1 year ago) Permalink
this show is fine. it's fun to hate on the really awful characters. didn't know the second season had started in the US yet.
― one dis leads to another (ian), Wednesday, 4 January 2012 23:10 (1 year ago) Permalink
Downton is very popular in my art school office in SF, but maybe this is not the real America.
― polyphonic, Wednesday, 4 January 2012 23:14 (1 year ago) Permalink
when is this on dvd?it is kind of a stupid show in general, but i like it anyway!i like how someone "tenders their resignation" in like every episode. delightful!
― tylerw, Wednesday, 4 January 2012 23:25 (1 year ago) Permalink
when is the second season on DVD i mean
It Is, already.
As is the Christmas ep.
― Mark G, Thursday, 5 January 2012 13:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
not in the US yet. looked it up, comes out next month.
― tylerw, Thursday, 5 January 2012 15:57 (1 year ago) Permalink
these crazy sisters are so mean to each other!
― ╬ (Lamp), Friday, 6 January 2012 01:46 (1 year ago) Permalink
About to finish the first season on Netflix with my sister. I'm 22 she's 20. In America. #datapoints
― tinker tailor soldier sb (silby), Friday, 6 January 2012 04:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
My wife and I spent two days of our vacation last week watching both seasons and the Christmas special. The second season is definitely soapier but still pretty good. I had figured the xmas ep would just be a sop to keep people interested for season 3 but it wraps up a lot of the loose ends left in season 2.
Oh, and for the survey: early-40's, American. And nobody else we know watches this.
― righteousmaelstrom, Friday, 6 January 2012 17:04 (1 year ago) Permalink
so, i HATE this show, but i also LOVE this show
i dont really LOVE it but it is super easy to watch, like i finished a whole season in two days.
bates is such a boring character tho, i mean theyre all kinda boring but bates is the boringest.
― ╬ (Lamp), Friday, 6 January 2012 17:07 (1 year ago) Permalink
max i'm gonna share your downton abbey post with my gf and she's gonna get mad at both of us
― call all destroyer, Friday, 6 January 2012 23:17 (1 year ago) Permalink
my sisters both really like this show and they tend to like really shitty boring things
― judith, Friday, 6 January 2012 23:30 (1 year ago) Permalink
only person i've heard about this show from irl is my mom; i am american but she is english. she hasn't actually seen it tho. if she does i predict she'll be like "oh it's such garbage" but watch it every week w/ great joy and comfort; she loves watching people eat cold toast.
― occupy the A train (difficult listening hour), Saturday, 7 January 2012 03:13 (1 year ago) Permalink
i don't really have any idea what it is though. my predictions are based entirely on its being called "downton abbey".
― occupy the A train (difficult listening hour), Saturday, 7 January 2012 03:16 (1 year ago) Permalink
its 'a less good gosford park'
like if youve seen gosford park, imagine a version made for british tv that looks and sounds is written like british tv, and then youve got it
― 404 (Lamp), Saturday, 7 January 2012 03:20 (1 year ago) Permalink
yeah that's what i figured. i think she's lost count of how many times she's seen gosford park.
― occupy the A train (difficult listening hour), Saturday, 7 January 2012 03:24 (1 year ago) Permalink
didn't watch lol
― goole, Monday, 7 January 2013 18:04 (4 months ago) Permalink
I'm so excited - I spent this weekend watching Season 1 and Season 2 for the first time, and now I just have the Christmas ep left to go and I can watch last night's new episode :D :D
I kinda surprised myself by how much I like it!
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 7 January 2013 19:16 (4 months ago) Permalink
I didn't think I would like it either, but it's just crazy enough.
― bish borscht (La Lechera), Monday, 7 January 2013 19:36 (4 months ago) Permalink
It's just Jane Austen-y enough to hook me. Also Carlson reminds me of Sam the Eagle <3
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 7 January 2013 19:39 (4 months ago) Permalink
fell asleep during the s3 christmas special, will rescreen soon but kind of feel like the downton abbey era might be over for me
― flopson, Monday, 7 January 2013 19:45 (4 months ago) Permalink
the two hour premiere felt a bit long, i'll say thati also find sybil extremely boring
― bish borscht (La Lechera), Monday, 7 January 2013 19:46 (4 months ago) Permalink
well then
― flopson, Monday, 7 January 2013 19:48 (4 months ago) Permalink
sorry if she is your favorite sister
― bish borscht (La Lechera), Monday, 7 January 2013 19:52 (4 months ago) Permalink
by far
― flopson, Monday, 7 January 2013 19:55 (4 months ago) Permalink
she's a "strong character" and super pretty, but i feel like she's so predictable Edith is my favorite because she clings to everything she has so desperately and could go off the rails at any moment -- that makes the show more interesting for me
also seeing Mary become LADY Crawley is kind of weird and interesting
Sybil just keeps doing what I expect her to do, and that's kinda boring to watch imo
― bish borscht (La Lechera), Monday, 7 January 2013 19:59 (4 months ago) Permalink
has someone clocked how many mary eyerolls there were?
― goole, Monday, 7 January 2013 20:00 (4 months ago) Permalink
xp (this post could be a spoiler to u depending on how much you have or haven't seen)
marrying the chauffeur & joining a revolution not so predictable imo
― flopson, Monday, 7 January 2013 20:04 (4 months ago) Permalink
eh, i think soeven though she's english she totally seems like an american girl doll to me
― bish borscht (La Lechera), Monday, 7 January 2013 21:24 (4 months ago) Permalink
i saw that chauffeur thing coming from a mile awayalso the bobbed hair
― bish borscht (La Lechera), Monday, 7 January 2013 21:25 (4 months ago) Permalink
Enjoying the Thomas vs. O'Brien story. It's like Alien vs. Predator.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 20:34 (4 months ago) Permalink
I was trying to remember when & why they started beefing. Something about Thomas's war profiteering?
― dmr, Tuesday, 8 January 2013 20:44 (4 months ago) Permalink
i love o'brien and her conflicted feelings toward cora
― bish borscht (La Lechera), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 20:50 (4 months ago) Permalink
They've been hot and cold at different times, but now it's because her nephew is a potential threat to Thomas' tenuous place in the hierarchy.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 21:04 (4 months ago) Permalink
I think she would beef with just about anyone -- she's that kind of lady who is motivated by her insecurities. It's why she's so interesting when she shows real emotions!
― bish borscht (La Lechera), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 21:08 (4 months ago) Permalink
Somebody has a novel take.
― the little prince of inane false binary hype (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 8 January 2013 21:25 (4 months ago) Permalink
Well yeah, you can't really watch the show -- or at least, you can't really enjoy it -- without suspending disbelief and judgment on the entire class structure. Especially compared to Gosford Park (like max says above), it feels like Gone With the Wind-level romanticization. But what would you expect of Baron Fellowes of West Stafford? So, of course the NRO crowd loves it.
(All I can figure is that Gosford Park's acid edge came mostly from Altman.)
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Wednesday, 9 January 2013 09:07 (4 months ago) Permalink
man that ending destroyed me
― flopson, Wednesday, 9 January 2013 20:39 (4 months ago) Permalink
of which? the season or the xmas special?
― akm, Wednesday, 9 January 2013 22:15 (4 months ago) Permalink
it's hard to talk about this show when people haven't seen the whole thing yet
xmas spesh
― flopson, Thursday, 10 January 2013 16:31 (4 months ago) Permalink
whoever said upthread that OBrien v Thomas = Alien v Predator was otm
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 10 January 2013 16:32 (4 months ago) Permalink
according to my twitter feed the PBS viewers made it to a Certain Episode tonight.
― says a future man to his crystal son (reddening), Monday, 28 January 2013 09:57 (3 months ago) Permalink
yup
― this customer is a jerk (La Lechera), Monday, 28 January 2013 13:46 (3 months ago) Permalink
RIP this show
― Gukbe, Thursday, 31 January 2013 05:40 (3 months ago) Permalink
I made it to that Certain Episode last night. ;_;
― carl agatha, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 19:55 (3 months ago) Permalink
That one broke my heart.
The 2 hour one from Sunday had some great Maggie Smith zings.
― Jaq, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 20:11 (3 months ago) Permalink
the 2 hour one involved cricket as a major plotline, why am I still watching this
― dmr, Thursday, 14 February 2013 16:16 (3 months ago) Permalink
Huh. I didn't find it hard to avoid spoilers about what happened in the final episode of S3, and I guess I was pretty surprised, but I was more surprised by how much Edna looked like Debbie Harry in a maid's costume. I've come to the conclusion that everyone looks totally adorable with one of those little frilly white things on their heads.
― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Monday, 18 February 2013 18:54 (3 months ago) Permalink
The end of S3 took me totally by surprise. I knew that something big happened earlier on because my twitter feed was suddenly full of intentionally vague protestations about the show, but the end I did not see coming at all. Also: :(((((((
― carl agatha, Monday, 18 February 2013 19:17 (3 months ago) Permalink
The end filled me with RAGE, especially when they followed it up with a pledge drive.
― Jaq, Monday, 18 February 2013 19:22 (3 months ago) Permalink
I went immediately to the internet to see whether it was some kind of a trick and it wasn't. I understand why Fellowes had to do what he did, though.
Are we allowed to say specifics on this thread now that the season is over in the USA?
― carl agatha, Monday, 18 February 2013 19:31 (3 months ago) Permalink
;_;
― carl agatha, Monday, 18 February 2013 22:46 (3 months ago) Permalink
i'm *still* mourning
― flopson, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:19 (3 months ago) Permalink
Seriously. About the 100th time I said that I couldn't believe it, Jeff was like, "Can you stop thinking about that show now?" Answer: no, I cannot.
― carl agatha, Monday, 18 February 2013 23:50 (3 months ago) Permalink
this show had already been declining pretty hard but i really cannot see it recovering from its losses this season
― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:26 (3 months ago) Permalink
Dan Stevens said ages ago he wasn't coming back for season 4.
― Canaille help you (Michael White), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 14:54 (3 months ago) Permalink
As soon as the ep ended I searched "Is Matthew really dead" and found a bazillion articles from last year about Dan Stevens. The extent to which I've managed to live in a Downton Abbey spoiler-proof bubble shocks me.
― carl agatha, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 15:03 (3 months ago) Permalink
still hope they all turn out to be fascist sympathizers
― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:12 (3 months ago) Permalink
Surprised Oswald Mosley hasn't turned up yet.
― Jaq, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:19 (3 months ago) Permalink
pretty glad i bailed on this tbh
― goole, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:20 (3 months ago) Permalink
- dan stevens
― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:25 (3 months ago) Permalink
― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, February 19, 2013 12:12 PM (17 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
man THIS i would tune back in for
― max, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:30 (3 months ago) Permalink
new love interest for lady mary?
― zero dark (s1ocki), Tuesday, 19 February 2013 17:32 (3 months ago) Permalink
i liked this season much more than last season and wasn't nearly as much a sybil or matthew fan as many but yeah i think i'm ready to cut bait, there's just clearly no plan in place here. is this the first case of american success fucking w/ the british 'know when enough is enough' tv model?
― balls, Tuesday, 19 February 2013 20:52 (3 months ago) Permalink
Dunno if this has been pointed out, and I've only watched season 1, but Cora is def channeling some Tom Skerritt.. the smarmy, patronising ass he plays in Contact. Can't disassociate the two now. wtf
― braunld (Lowell N. Behold'n), Wednesday, 27 March 2013 06:01 (1 month ago) Permalink