Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Point is: Losing Mary from Downton Abbey may not be the end of the world, but it would put a real dent in the storytelling when the story is about the family and its evolution.
That's true, but shows always have trouble when they lose the heart of the show and have to find another long-lost cousin to come and replace her.
I still enjoy watching the show, but it's getting very repetitive. We've already seen Mary surrounded by suitors in season 1. We've already seen Tom fall for a headstrong woman. We've already seen a young aristocratic lady fall for an inappropriate commoner. We've already seen a kitchen maid get a marriage proposal from a man she's not in love with. We've already seen Bates take a mysterious day off under mysterious circumstances resulting in a dead person. Seems like other things can be happening.
If you like Downton Abbey, you will LOVE Upstairs/Downstairs (the original). I got the boxed dvd set last year and am watching the entire series for the 2nd time. Much, much better than Downton but covers pretty much the same time period and characters of masters/servants.
Agree, loved it , much better acting too. I think part of it was braced on a true story .
If you like Downton Abbey, you will LOVE Upstairs/Downstairs (the original). I got the boxed dvd set last year and am watching the entire series for the 2nd time. Much, much better than Downton but covers pretty much the same time period and characters of masters/servants.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Supplies
Agree, loved it , much better acting too. I think part of it was braced on a true story .
Well, the two of you have convinced me. I guess I'm going to give it a try.
Agree, loved it , much better acting too. I think part of it was braced on a true story .
Yes, the two women who produced it were the daughters of servants. Their origional idea came from watching The Forsyth Saga with all the period opulance and vanishing servants. They wanted to tell both sides.
The war years are also done very very well, and tell the horrors of the war that tore apart the old society better than DA too.
UD doesn't have the stunning sets, and they didn't make the women wear corsets so for those of us used to seeing them sitting straight and stiff you notice, but its an awesome series. But DO watch all the early black and white episodes not broadcast origionally here. BBC was in the midst of a strike and so they were filmed in bandw but it was deemed that American audiences wouldn't watch them that way.... sigh....
You know, I've gotten to the point that I simply don't care. The first season was great. The second season was good. Now it's just a soap opera.
Exactly my thoughts. I saw the first two seasons in Europe and saw it as a well-documented historical-social fiction with many interesting and plausible story lines for the historical time portrayed, well-played in beautiful period settings. The only exception being the cameo appearance of Shirley MacLaine who gave by far her worst ever performance.
So I was glad to hear it was aired here too when I moved to the States and were beginning a new season. I finally caught a show last Sunday on PBS, and it was completely changed.
What happened to Matthew?, Mary alone?, a she cousin f** a bandleader downstairs in the dark hall??, Edith with child out of wedlock and the gentleman AWOL? And totally absurdly ludricous from any standpoint. It's got Days of our Lives written all over it. Not my cuppa.
As usual the actors are tired of it before the public is and they are killing it to free them as best they know how. I saw Mary is playing in a new movie to be released called non-stop.
If you like Downton Abbey, you will LOVE Upstairs/Downstairs (the original). I got the boxed dvd set last year and am watching the entire series for the 2nd time. Much, much better than Downton but covers pretty much the same time period and characters of masters/servants.
My DVR and TV occassionally get off their time synch and I lose the last few minutes of the show - that happened with this last episode of Downton - anyone remember enough to tell me what happened the last few minutes? I don't seem to have a PBS on demand on my cable provider
Not to throw cold water on anything but I tried watching an epi of Upstairs/Downstairs and couldn't see why everyone liked it so much. Not sure what I'm missing, maybe it was the episode. It seemed very quiet, very slow, sort of stage looking, like when two characters where in a room/scene it reminded me more of theater?
All the men, like dogs in heat, swarming around Mary is a bit much. I just love Mrs. Patmore. I was also surprised to hear the finale is next. I thought... didn't this season just start?!
My DVR and TV occasionally get off their time sync and I lose the last few minutes of the show - that happened with this last episode of Downton - anyone remember enough to tell me what happened the last few minutes? I don't seem to have a PBS on demand on my cable provider
Not to throw cold water on anything but I tried watching an epi of Upstairs/Downstairs and couldn't see why everyone liked it so much. Not sure what I'm missing, maybe it was the episode. It seemed very quiet, very slow, sort of stage looking, like when two characters where in a room/scene it reminded me more of theater?
You don't need On Demand. I don't have cable so I watched last night's entire episode online this morning because I missed it watching the Olympics. Here's the website I used.
You can find the place where your DVR cut out. The very last part I think was Anna asking Bates about his trip to York.
Regarding "Upstairs, Downstairs," it could have been the episode you watched. It's something that's better seen in sequence so you know who the characters are. Some of it, especially the episodes with Pauline Collins, are really lively. It's not nearly as pretty as "Downton Abbey" and I think people like it because it's a lot more gritty and realistic. But not everyone is going to like everything so maybe it's just not your cup 'o tea.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Not my cuppa.
