Downton Abbey the Movie
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve seen any of our favourite characters from Downton Abbey, four years to be exact. Most of the characters upstairs and down got a happy ending in the snowy Christmas finale, but it’s clear creator Julian Fellowes left an opening for a reunion…
Was Isis Downton’s most loveable character?
Lord Grantham is surrounded by women on Downton Abbey, but Isis was the cuddliest, most loyal and least complicated of them all. Each episode of Downton opens with Isis’ behind, tail wagging her way toward the manor. She is the audience’s best friend.
Downton’s Most Memorable Moments
After four seasons of Downton Abbey, we’ve learned to expect the unexpected. Or to paraphrase Downton’s creator Julian Fellowes: some shows are born to shock, and some have shock thrust upon them. From Lady Cora’s dastardly slip on the soap to Lady Mary’s memorable first time…
The Cinderella Story of Lady Edith
Imagine if your own mother said this about you: “Be kind to her, she has so few advantages.” That’s exactly what Lady Cora said about her daughter Edith. Laura Carmichael plays Lady Edith on Downton Abbey, the classic middle sister: boring, undervalued and overlooked. In the early days of Downton, Edith is always eclipsed by her sisters: charismatic Lady Mary and the pretty and daring...
Julian Fellowes Weighs In
What does the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, have to say about some weighty issues of late, like the rape of Anna, the end of Downton Abbey and historical inaccuracies. And rumours abound that Season 5 of Downton Abbey may be the last…
Why Matthew had to die
Shock and awe surrounded the death of Matthew Crawley at the end of Season Three. At Downton Abbey Online, we certainly got our fair share of sad and angry letters. We gently reminded viewers that sometimes actors determine the plot of television shows, as was the case with the death of Matthew Crawley…
Something about Lady Mary…
Lord Grantham might be in charge of Downton Abbey, but Lady Mary runs the show. Michelle Dockery plays the classic English beauty Lady Mary, part ruthless, part elegant and all woman in a time when the fairer sex were second class citizens…
Mrs Patmore Quotes
Mrs Patmore gives the Dowager a run for her money when it comes to one liners concerning love and life. Daisy is usually Mrs Patmore’s object of scorn, but no one downstairs is safe from Mrs Patmore’s tongue… Or her cooking for that matter.
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Downton Abbey 101
So you’ve finally started watching Downton Abbey, the show everyone is talking about. That little costume drama that started as one of those period pieces on PBS, in England. Isn’t that an educational Channel or something for really boring British people? Yet magically, the show made it across the water faster than the Mayflower to take the Americas by storm. Downton Abbey has become the most successful British drama since 1981’s Brideshead Revisited… Another must see.
But what is so compelling about Downton Abbey?
The title refers to a British Manor House. And it’s Downton, not DOWNTOWN. It’s British, remember. No drawling or elongated vowels. Downton Abbey is home to the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants. The Crawleys live upstairs and the servants live downstairs, but there’s plenty of drama in the drawing room and kitchen. Downton Abbey is every Jane Austen book rolled into one series with its villains, lovers and heroes.
Season One takes place before World War 1, beginning with the sinking of the Titanic, which sets the plot in motion. Season two covers 1916 – 1919, basically the war and it’s aftermath. And the not-to-be missed Downton Abbey Christmas Specials wrap up every season.
Start watching Downton Abbey on a Sunday afternoon when you have no plans because you will end up watching it all at once without changing out of your pyjamas. The Titanic sinks in the first episode. The heirs to Downton Abbey sink with the ship, so a new heir must be found to take over the estate. Lord Grantham has three daughters, none of whom are able to inherit Downton because of a legal entail that endows the title and estate exclusively to male heirs. That’s about as complicated as it gets. Lord Grantham saved the estate years back by marrying a rich American heiress (a well-aged Elizabeth McGovern). The demise of both heirs in the sinking of the Titanic destroys the family plans. In comes a distant cousin once removed from the Lord of Grantham, Matthew Crawley. He’s a country solicitor, a profession looked down upon from the lofty heights of Downton Abbey. Once the common new heir arrives, drama ensues. He’s in line to inherit everything, including the troubled love life of Lady Mary, the Lord’s oldest daughter.
All this might sound terribly PBS, but rest assured, it’s not boring. There is war, costumes, architecture, but there’s scandal, passion and unrequited love. The tortured characters and their secrets play out like a highbrow soap opera, think Days of Our Lives meet Remains of the Day. Almost everyone has a secret and the secrets are always revealed at the worst possible time. The villains have hearts as black as coal and the honourable are so honourable you want to kick them in the shins. Heartbreak, sumptuous settings and class warfare all equal one giant guilty pleasure, best washed down with a cold bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
The Number One Reason to Watch Downton Abbey: Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham
The Countess has got more zingers than a bucket full of lemons and jellyfish. Younger readers will remember the sassy septuagenarian Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter movies. She also won a couple of Oscars in the 70s. As the mouthy matriarch in Downton Abbey, Countess Dowager Violet plays mother to Lord Grantham and overseer of all drama. Her sharp tongue is laugh out loud funny and must be the most fun for the writers. She cuts loose on her country cousins and anyone else who gets in her way. Her average of three zingers per episode make the entire series worth watching.
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About Me
It was love at first sight from the moment we laid eyes on that little costume drama from across the pond. At Downton Abbey Online, we marvel at the big and the small dramas, upstairs and down. Please drop us a line if there's something you'd like to see included on the site.