BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Anyone watching Downton Abbey?

Mell92 · January 11, 2013 2:11 pm

I love Thomas He's the perfect villain. But sometimes I feel sorry for him. It will become harder to hate him.

kazza474 · January 11, 2013 7:53 pm

Yes I'm extremely interested in how they've handled Thomas' character so far and how it compared to how these things are handled these days. The mere fact that it would have been very hard back in those days for Thomas to find someone he could connect with could be the reason for his nastiness & anti social behaviour.
Thus far it appears to be an accurate portrayal. It's all good that we know what the attitudes of society were but to see it being played out on screen gives us another angle to assess it by.

QuiteExtraordinary · January 11, 2013 8:37 pm

By the way, thanks for the info, kazza. 14th-16th century history is very interesting, and of course also the time around 1912. I didn't know that the portrayal of the time in the series was so accurate. Another reason to keep watching.

kazza474 · January 11, 2013 9:10 pm

Well as I said not everything is accurate, but the general gist is. What is more important is that it's an easy show to view & keep up with and along the way the viewer DOES learn more about life in those times. Anytime that learning history is fun must be a good thing.

sherlockskitty · January 12, 2013 9:28 pm

Theres this box again, with the smilies on TOP instead of bottom.   It goes back and forth.   yeah I know there's a thread abt it in the tech help forum.

Thx for the info, Kazza.   I had forgotten   that noble families were given lands that once stood on Abbey grounds, .I do know about Henry the 8th and his time periods.   THAT was such a difficult time, for all concerned.   I had heard, though,  that it was around 1912, after the Titanic sank, that the classes (upper, middle, and lower) changed.

I felt sorry for Thomas when that thing happened to him, via the black market.   And now, he's still at Downton and no one likes him, only cos he cannot find anywhere else to go---Wouldn't he be a good valet to Lady Sybil's husband Tom? THEN they can send him to Ireland...and maybe a spin-off Of DA....I can't wait to find out what happens to everyone....Actually I DO know what happens, I just don't know HOW.   No I shan't tell until after I've seen the whole series 3 on PBS.

Did I mention that I just love the cars they use on DA?   Especially Mathew's Silver Ghost.....OOOOHHH!!! I wanna ride in that.

Squeee!!  It's time for Mrs. Hudson to feed me now.   Off I go.

Last edited by sherlockskitty (January 12, 2013 9:32 pm)

biscuitbear · January 12, 2013 9:48 pm

It's one of my favorite shows, I've been watching it from the start. Of course it's a bit 'sensationalist' but it's entertaining and fun and I thought Dan Stevens was just great in it. However I was disgusted with the way the Christmas Special ended. Afterwards I read that many people claimed it had spoiled their Christmas, I can well understand it.

Speaking of this I thought this article was quite funny :

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/14/benedict-cumberbatch-downton-abbey-criticism_n_1597420.html

And it's nice to know that BC and Dan will "collide" :

http://blogs.weta.org/tellyvisions/2012/12/23/sherlock-and-downton-abbey-collide-dan-stevens-joins-cast-benedict-cumberbatch-s

kazza474 · January 12, 2013 10:02 pm

There was no real choice for the ending really. The writer's hands were tied if they wanted to be true to the characters they have developed.
The only alternative was a 'new' Matthew and I personally hate that in a show.

Mell92 · January 13, 2013 2:32 pm

Yes indeed! What happened to Matthew was unfortunate, but replacing him would have been ridiculous and having him leave any other way wouldn't have been true to his character.
What happend wasn't planned, but as Kazza already said, there was no other way. For the first time ever I'm going to feel sorry for Mary

sherlockskitty · January 16, 2013 10:27 pm

what happened to mathew was planned because dan wanted to leave the series after season 3, is what I heard.
How many christmas eps were there, for Downton Abbey?

Congrats to Dame Maggie Smith who won a golden globe for her portrayal as Lady Violet in DA!! (season 2) She also won for a movie she did.

Mell92 · January 17, 2013 11:28 am

sherlockskitty wrote:
what happened to mathew was planned because dan wanted to leave the series after season 3, is what I heard.
How many christmas eps were there, for Downton Abbey?

Congrats to Dame Maggie Smith who won a golden globe for her portrayal as Lady Violet in DA!! (season 2) She also won for a movie she did.

It was planned at some point. At first they told the viewers that only one character would die, but Matthew turned out to be the second one (because they didn't know he wanted to leave the show before they announced the character death's).
There is one Christmas episode for every season of the show.

And Maggie Smith rules There's no other word for it

Last edited by Mell92 (January 17, 2013 11:28 am)

sherlockskitty · February 13, 2013 12:02 am

sigh.   Sunday nite's episode was a 2 hour one, combining the last 2 eps of Season 3 for USA veiwers like me.   Sigh.   Thomas is still at DA, and NOW he's ranking above BATES, who should be underbutler!!   But Bates wanted his job as valet to Lord G back, so....what a mess!! They've added a new upstairs character-- Lady Rose something something.   Did they get rid of Ethel who worked for Isobel Crawley?  And that cricket match was a joy to watch. I have never seen one played in person. But, It looked more like baseball, to me.

Spking of which....Why Is/was Mathew known as Earl (or  some title) while his mother, Isobel, is only known as Mrs. Crawley?

NEXT sunday we get the Christmas episode. Then I get to see how/why Mathew died.   I already know,   but   I'm gonna watch it anyway.   Sigh.

KeepersPrice · February 13, 2013 12:34 am

Mathew dies? Oh wow, I didn't know that.

From what I saw occur when I watched on Sunday night, Ethel will be getting a new job with a Mrs. Watson who lives close to where Charlie is so she will be able to see him now and then. It worked out as a good solution for all.

horserider99 · February 13, 2013 5:37 pm

My sister and I were starting to watch DA on Sunday, but my brother came in demanding we "don't watch a chick flick". So, I have a lot of catching up to do, apparently.

sherlockskitty · February 13, 2013 8:20 pm

yes you've got some catching up to to, horsenrider. check out an episode guide site...tv dot com is a good site, for you to read up on. Yeah....Ethel does write to a Mrs. Watson...and it was the Dowager countess (Lady Violet Crawley, Lord G's Mama) who went behind Isobel's back and got a new job for Ethel, who was working for Isobel. Isobel and Lady Violet have ben "at it" since they met. delicately, of course. Lady Violet does not like violence. Oh, no. She has to do everything carefully, but she gets what she wants in the end. She wanted Ethel out of the family's way, because of her scandal, , so....Now, if she'd only do something about Thomas, then I'd be very happy.

Yeah Mathew dies. And you lot will be sooooo surprised as to how and why. Next week you'll find out!! Pity!!

Last edited by sherlockskitty (February 13, 2013 8:21 pm)

Ivy · February 18, 2013 8:33 am

So, I've seen all Downton episodes now (well with exception of the Christmas special after Series 2, couldn't find a working link).
Well, I knew Matthew would die, so it wasn't a total shock, but extremely sad.

My highlight in the last episodes and the Christmas special was Thomas. I felt so sorry for him, although he was a bastard all the time. And the scene when Jimmy visits him in his room and he sits there bruised and totally shy, it's so adorable. I mean we love to hate him, but it's totally clear why he's so mean, that he's a lack of love and caring, well and of sex.
So I'm curious how much he'll change, and how his releationship with the others will be, especially Bates and Jimmy. And I hope Julian Fellowes gets him a boyfriend.

Maggie Smith is a joy, as always.

sherlockskitty · February 18, 2013 8:38 pm

I watched the lat 45 min of this episode last night.   Poor Mathew!! Such a shame that he died, AND that the writers left us hanging like that!!   I mean, Mary doesn't even KNOW that Mathew's dead yet....When M was driving in his silver ghost, I thought, "you're going too fast, Mathew!!"

And Thomas....oh my yes, what a change in him.   But why did the bullies (there, I said it) want to rough up Jimmy in the first place?

I cannot wait for season 4.

KeepersPrice · February 19, 2013 12:27 am

sherlockskitty wrote:
I watched the lat 45 min of this episode last night. Poor Mathew!! Such a shame that he died, AND that the writers left us hanging like that!! I cannot wait for season 4.

Oh Skitty - you're a Sherlock fan. You know what it's like to be left hanging. It's our way of life.
And to hear you say you can't wait for season 4 just made me laugh. We're still waiting for 3 with Sherlock and once that comes out, we'll all be crying about waiting for 4. Will this madness ever end!! Argh!

Ivy · February 19, 2013 8:05 am

sherlockskitty wrote:
And Thomas....oh my yes, what a change in him. But why did the bullies (there, I said it) want to rough up Jimmy in the first place?

I cannot wait for season 4.

Well, Jimmy won some money in tug-of-war, I guess they simply wanted to rob him. I'm not sure, but weren't that the same guys that lost the tug-of-war game against "our" Downton boys. I'm not sure. So it could have been revenge, too.

You know what love can do to a person. But it's hard to have the person you have fallen in love with (and that doesn't love you back) is so close to you all the time. I'm curious how that works. Some fangirls hope that Jimmy will realize he's gay, too. Whatever will happen, Thomas needs a decent guy, who has a positive influence on him, maybe someone in the village.

Yeah series 4 can't come soon enough, another show that we have to wait for.

sherlockskitty · May 19, 2013 4:49 am

when does series 4 start? it's May already--- still no ads from my PBS station yet.

Ivy · May 21, 2013 6:42 am

Aren't they still filming!? I think they started in February. So I guess we see the new season in fall or winter (in the UK).