Downton Abbey is easily one of the better shows around
I haven’t enjoyed a pilot as much as I enjoyed this in ages, as the multiple stories of the Downton residents unfolds, revealing a splendid mix of costume drama and a look at how the high born and the people who served them lived. It’s about the Crawley family and the household staff, and their trials and tribulations, of which are there are many.
Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) has recieved news of the sinking of the Titanic, which had on board, his two direct heirs. If he now dies, his family title, along with the grand country home Downton Abbey, will go to a distant cousin, Matthew Crawley, a Manchester lawyer. His wife Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern) will lose all the wealth she has, which was hers even before she married the Earl, so between Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) and the Countess, they try their best to persuade an unwilling Earl to do something about it. The servants are a mixed bunch indeed, but we focus on the drama of a new lame staff member who was injured in the Boer war, whilst fighting beside Robert. The Earl wants to give him a chance, but the other servants don’t like the fact he is unable to work as hard, or carry as much without dropping things.
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The acting and the writing is exceptionally good with the full hour flying by, as I was drawn completely in to all the side stories, and of course the main family drama concerning the next heir. This is a show I love everything about and will be watching religeosly from now on. I can’t recommend this show any higher. Watch it, you won’t be disapointed.
Grade: A
Review by E. Blackadder, special to Influx Magazine
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