I must admit, it is slow sledding from the beginning. A crosstown bus in the rain with no exact fare is faster. But, you have to set the chess pieces on the board before you can let them move around and bump into each other.
To say that Lady Mary looks like death is a compliment to the wardrobe and makeup people. She did lose her husband Matthew in an auto accident as he was happily tooling along, anxious to see the baby, but Mary really looks the part. The blossom in her cheek has turned to chalk.
It's hard to believe she could have exerted the physical effort it took to tax Mr. Pamuk's cardiac system to a full stop while having a romp in the sheets. All this of course is before Matthew, but it did leave Mary as a slice off a cut loaf, something very 'downstairs'.
We also have the non-appearance of Lady Grantham's maid O'Brien, the scheming 'dark horse' who's not to be found at sunup. She's left notes that she's off to someone else's employ, after being poached from the staff by a distant family member. Apparently lady's maids can become free agents, like Robinson Cano, and go elsewhere to work in a place that sounds like the English version of Seattle.
If you missed the subtle details of the show's opening, and don't understand why the staff is quickly talking to each other in the grand entrance to the Big House, you might have suspected O'Brien has met with foul play and Jane Marple will definitely be coming for dinner to determine whose bones those really are that the dog has dragged into the kitchen at Mrs. Patmore's feet.
In reality, we already knew O'Brien wasn't going to be back, we just didn't know the circumstances that would cause her non-appearance. In an interview, the show's creator, Julian Fellowes explains that English actors don't overly pre-commit to a ton of years to a show that might keep going. So, if it's a member of the higher-ups, the core family that wants out, then death is the way to treat it. If it's someone else, then another plot device is used to remove them. This of course allows re-joining the show years later if it works for everyone. Matthew is thus removed by death for pretending to be Jackie Stewart, and O'Brien merely walks out, with no leave or hello, like the 'dark horse' she is.
We have one of the earliest forms of privacy invasion there is: a dumpster dive into a wastebasket and the retrieval of someone's tossed aside correspondence. It'll take many decades before this becomes a digital thing and Edward Snowden electronically makes off with millions of e-mails, secrets and no secrets, and takes up living in Russia.
Mrs. Hughes dives into the butler Carson's wastebasket and pulls out a letter that leads to a reconciliation of a friendship that broke apart decades ago. Carson and Charlie it seems were a bit of an English Smith and Dale back in the day, but now long estranged. The story line leads us to what the British love to proudly show off most: their train collection. We get treated to old trains, tracks, conductors' uniforms, stations, signals, and of course steam, plus those great cars whose doors open onto the platform. We also see the class system and penury are well, as Charlie climbs into a 3rd Class carriage behind the noisy engine. Wait till coach in airplanes, Charlie.
Maggie Smith as 'Granny' continues to get in the best quips and is said to be ready to come onto Letterman in full costume and do the Top 10 list while tapping her walking stick. She also gives the best history lessons. Who is King Canute? Go ahead, you've got time to look him up.
In the early part of the show we are introduced to Nanny West, and the rising tension between her and Mr. Barrow. Barrow will take the place of O'Brien in stirring the plotting pot, but at the outset here it seems we might he headed for a mixed-match Ultimate Fighting Contest between Nanny and Barrow on the staircase. Nanny's built like a Sumo wrestler, and should be favored.
But, we instead get an early 20th-century reaction to political correctness when Nanny makes the mistake of disparaging the mixed cultural heritage of Tom Branson's little girl within earshot of Lady Grantham. Nanny is played by an actress who didn't get a long contract.
The settings and the authenticity of things is plainly evident in the show. It's part of the show. Certainly the fashions, hats, and all those gold framed oil paintings in what I will assume really are in the manor where the show is shot, Highclere Castle, apparently a place you can tour.
The Valentine cards resonated because my cousin gave me some that were exchanged between her mother and my mother, first cousins, growing up, back in the early 20s. Small, thick paper/cardboard stock. Julian Fellowes and his staff are doing their homework, for sure.
How long can the show last? It's the start of Season Four and we've only advanced 10 years from the sinking of the Titantic. Mr. Fellowes claims there will be a Season Five, but maybe not a Six. It's already being written the show might be past it sell-by-date, but even then, it shows some durability.
Whether it can make it to WW II and the dust of falling ceilings will remain to be seen. It would be nice to eventually see the gang have to dress themselves.
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(This is a bit of a milestone--the 600th blog posting at the start of the sixth year. If that were homeruns and I did it without PEDs, then I'd be in the Hall of Fame.)
http://www.onofframp.blogspot.com
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