Downton Abbey - ITV1

I love this show. I can't believe how into the characters and involved I am. I really like or hate all of them. I thought the cook was a bit naff last night, but I really thought her scene with Mr Carson was lovely. The scene with Daisy getting caught with the biscuit tin with Mr Carson was really funny. Mr Carson is one of my favorites.

I even felt affection for the old bloke who won the flower bloom competition, he looked so cute and happy.

I hate O Brien the sour faced old cow, but then lol'd when she was stood in her upturned room. Honesly I do want to throw things at her, she and Thomas really annoys me, but for some reason she grates more than he does.

I didn't really like Mary but coming round to her now and liking the interaction between the three different sisters and their dad. The only one that I am not keen on is their mother and I guess lady of the manner, Cora is it, not sure why.

Loving Bates and Anna, it's so cute. I know he is alot older than her but I think he's kinda hot anyway and I can see why she likes him. Anna is so lovely, how can he not love her? He'd have to have a heart of stone not too.
I nearly had a little squee at the next episode preview at the kiss.

I really hope he doesnt have a dodgy secret because I want him to stay a hero, I am just willing him on to knock out Thomas with his stick, just once.
I think his secret is more likely to do with his injury, but then he may well have a mad wife in an attic, it is always the quiet ones.


Matthews mum is starting to annoy me as well, cos Maggie Smith is just a goddess and I can't really help being on her side.

I am too young to remember upstairs down stairs so don't know if they have repeated stories, and probrably to ignorant or know any better to see any historical mistakes so none of that stuff really bothers me.

I just know I am really into it and the hour just flies by.
 
I understand the need for aRAB, but does there have to be quite so many ad breaks? It was as bad tonight as X Factor, aRAB must have taken up nearly as much time as the programme itself. I'm sure we used to get drama on ITV without so many interruptions. :confused:
 
Sorry for the multiposting, but the American actress. Isn't she from America, so isn't it her natural accent that's in the series? If so, why are people complaining about a natural accent?
 
I don't think it's a bad rating at all - especially when the HD figures will push it over 8m - but given all the publicity it had plus a ride off the back of TXF, I anticipated much better. I don't have access to the quarter-hour breakdown figures, but I would wager it lost a lot of viewers with all the overcomplicated exposition about 'the entail' at the start. I never thought it would have been as little as a couple of million ahead of George Gently, which I would have guessed would have been stuck with about three million.

I'm sure ITV will go out of its way to proclaim DA a huge success off the back of its first ratings - but let us not forget they did exactly the same with the appalling Identity, which began well, then nose-dived. Ditto The Fixer and Married, Single, Other. I totally agree with you that ITV neeRAB a healthy drama output but, on the basis of recent history, I am not convinced the people running its drama department know how to deliver this. DA, Unforgiven and Whitechapel do not compensate for the catalogue of disasters surrounding them: Whistleblowers, The Palace, Harley Street and the aforementioned series, to name but a few. Contrast this with ITV's glory days, when its drama output routinely demolished BBC One (Soldier Soldier, Peak Practice, London's Burning, Bramwell, Bad Girls - all returning series that ran for at least ten episodes) and you see what it's thrown away.

Bear in mind also that DA is very atypical of ITV drama not only because of its content but also its budget - the series was only made possible because Carnival Films was bought by NBC and so had access to the necessary funRAB. ITV can't stump up that kind of money on its own - and that, regrettably, is precisely why you are more likely to see eviscerated prositutes and Coldplay soundtracks ...

And yes, ITV Player does indeed have ad breaks - just as frustrating as the ones that cluttered DA last night! ;)
 
Brilliant episode! Aw Violet gave the cup to Mr Moseley!

Loved Cora's outfit at the Flower Show.

I really don't like Mary, I think she's the only character in this that I really can't take to. I even love O'Brien and Thomas! Maybe it's more love to hate, though. :D

Next week looks great!
 
I thought Thomas was a bit quick off the mark , assuming that Pamook was interested in boy on boy action.
Sure fire way of getting the sack.


My OH implied that Thomas slipped something in the tea of bloke who died.
 
The timing seems to be a bit confused. When the Titanic sank, they said they'd be in mourning until September, and I thought it was made clear that it September was reached in ep. 1. Albania became independent in November 1912, which was why the Turk was visiting, so I guess it should be October-ish time at the minute, but it obviously was filmed in summer.

I can't see them wanting to get too far into the future - I would probably want 2 per-WW1 series? With the outbreak of War ending series 2.
 
Exactly, Mary is much more interesting (and a much better actress!) Sybil is a bit too perky/happy/perfect all the time. She's a bit Mary Sue-ish and could do with some layers and fallibility.
 
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