If you are a lover of Austen, Bronte, Shelley, Hardy and all things involving British high society, you will love this series! For a limited time the first two episodes are available for your viewing pleasure here. The remaining two will become available after they air in the next few weeks.
Basically, the plot revolves around the Crawley family, who live in the estate, Downton Abbey in the early 1900's, and also delves into the everyday lives of the servants of the house. While the family has lived a comfortable and quiet country life for centuries, modernity is afloat, and change is in the air. The estate is entailed, which means that the house, grounds, title and all the inheritance must go to the closest male heir. The Crawley's were blessed with three daughters, and the estate is in crisis since the designated heir, a cousin, has just perished on the Titanic. The new heir has been invited to Downton Abbey to make everyone's acquaintance.
What I especially love about this series, is that it shows the servants as more than just in the background. They are key to some major plot themes. Emma, Pride and Prejudice and the like, deal mainly with the aristocratic class, only mentioning the servants as their duties pertain to decorum. Downton Abbey shows how they struggled at times to perform their duties; how they yearned for something more than a life in service; how they were superstitious of electricity being installed in the house; how they saw and heard everything that took place in the estate and used that knowledge for their own intrigue.
I need someone to discuss this with, so hurry up and watch already! Then let me know if you also want to punch a certain footman in the face, or if you also want the new valet with a limp to succeed. Hurry!
