Downton Abbey series 4
Now that the Olympics are over, this journal is returning to it's usual fare: British TV fangirling.
I was too distracted by figure skating to do proper reviews of Downton Abbey, but I think the fourth season can be summed up by saying that I'm now convinced that everyone at Downton is a complete moron except for Mrs. Hughes, and if it weren't for her the whole place would fall apart. But I still love them all! Except Bates. What an a**hole he was this season! I never liked him, but being selfishly concerned with his own desire for revenge instead of being concerned for Anna and putting her welfare first just pisses me off. Anna deserves better, but everyone seems to think Bates is really great, so whateves. The whole Anna & Bates story line this year pisses me off, to be quite honest. Implying that Anna was just too innocent and good to be aware of danger around her without her man to protect her is just BS. If you're a servant and you're a woman, it's highly unlikely you haven't been confronted with some kind of sexual harassment at one time or another, so she'd be savvy to that guy's game. Even in the event that Anna had worked at the haven of goodness and propriety that is Downton for her whole career, she'd still have been taught to be vigilant in the days when even being raped could get you branded a 'fallen woman'. And that whole exchange with Anna being like "I'm not good enough for you now!" and Bates like "but you're holier to me now you've suffered!" was just like TOTAL WTF??? Even given the attitudes of the times, that's still just weird and creepy. Ugh. The whole way it was handled, just ugh. We didn't need any of it.
The biggest surprise this season was how soon I got over Matthew. I have to say, hearing Matthew and Mary talk all lovey-dovey to each other was just nauseating somehow, so I'm kind of glad to be rid of it! Robert was a condescending a**hole to Mary for the first half of this season, but it's nice to finally have the old razor sharp Mary back at last. And it's hilarious to watch her keeping all these men dangling on strings, trailing after her. It must be fun to be a haughty, high-maintenance b****. (And I say this with nothing but love and encouragement. More women should have the confidence and unshakable sense of self-worth that Mary has, 'cause if they did, we could take over the freaking world.) It's obviously too soon for her to be in a relationship again, but Blake is a jerk and she should go for Gillingham. Or Evelyn Napier. Poor Evelyn Napier! He's such a nice guy, but he always ends up being nothing more than a plot device to introduce another guy that Mary goes for instead. He's gotta learn to stop bringing other dudes with him when he visits Downton!
I find I'm still not over Sibyl though! The school teacher is okay I guess, but I still feel like 'leave my Branson alone!' whenever I see him with somebody else. That beady-eyed slutty maid almost killed me. I'm pretty resigned to Miss Bunting (is that her name? idek) being the new love interest for him, but still. Sibyl was awesome and they were my OTP for Downton and I will always be a little sad. *sniffle*
I have to say that I find Daisy to be getting very nasty and unpleasant, and I hope that she grows up a little and gets better next season, otherwise I wouldn't be sad to see her go. I'm glad Ivy went at least, since her character always seemed redundant. She was exactly the same as season one Daisy, so why did we need her there at all? And Alfred was boring as heck so I'm glad he's gone too.
And poor Edith! Even when she was being bitchy and awful I always felt like it was because she was overlooked and treated like crap and felt a little sorry for her, but now I really feel sorry for her. The one good thing she's gotten in her life is that baby, and stupid 1920's social mores have to ruin even that for her! I just hope she finally gets some kind of happy outcome next season, even though I fear now we're in for more massive emo drama than ever.
I think it's nice to see the friendships developing between Violet and Isabel, and Isabel and Branson, and Mrs. Hughes and Carson. (Just please don't let Carson and Mrs. Hughes become a couple. That would be too clichéd and gross and sometimes a working friendship is more interesting than a romance.) And, of course, the costumes continue to be delicious. So long as that's the case, Downton will have me hooked.
Already counting down to Season 5! And looking forward to Mr. Selfridge season 2! I hope it avoids the really soapy storylines it developed toward the end of last season and goes back to being at least slightly more intelligent, but I'm none too hopeful on that score. Still, we'll find out soon enough!
I was too distracted by figure skating to do proper reviews of Downton Abbey, but I think the fourth season can be summed up by saying that I'm now convinced that everyone at Downton is a complete moron except for Mrs. Hughes, and if it weren't for her the whole place would fall apart. But I still love them all! Except Bates. What an a**hole he was this season! I never liked him, but being selfishly concerned with his own desire for revenge instead of being concerned for Anna and putting her welfare first just pisses me off. Anna deserves better, but everyone seems to think Bates is really great, so whateves. The whole Anna & Bates story line this year pisses me off, to be quite honest. Implying that Anna was just too innocent and good to be aware of danger around her without her man to protect her is just BS. If you're a servant and you're a woman, it's highly unlikely you haven't been confronted with some kind of sexual harassment at one time or another, so she'd be savvy to that guy's game. Even in the event that Anna had worked at the haven of goodness and propriety that is Downton for her whole career, she'd still have been taught to be vigilant in the days when even being raped could get you branded a 'fallen woman'. And that whole exchange with Anna being like "I'm not good enough for you now!" and Bates like "but you're holier to me now you've suffered!" was just like TOTAL WTF??? Even given the attitudes of the times, that's still just weird and creepy. Ugh. The whole way it was handled, just ugh. We didn't need any of it.
The biggest surprise this season was how soon I got over Matthew. I have to say, hearing Matthew and Mary talk all lovey-dovey to each other was just nauseating somehow, so I'm kind of glad to be rid of it! Robert was a condescending a**hole to Mary for the first half of this season, but it's nice to finally have the old razor sharp Mary back at last. And it's hilarious to watch her keeping all these men dangling on strings, trailing after her. It must be fun to be a haughty, high-maintenance b****. (And I say this with nothing but love and encouragement. More women should have the confidence and unshakable sense of self-worth that Mary has, 'cause if they did, we could take over the freaking world.) It's obviously too soon for her to be in a relationship again, but Blake is a jerk and she should go for Gillingham. Or Evelyn Napier. Poor Evelyn Napier! He's such a nice guy, but he always ends up being nothing more than a plot device to introduce another guy that Mary goes for instead. He's gotta learn to stop bringing other dudes with him when he visits Downton!
I find I'm still not over Sibyl though! The school teacher is okay I guess, but I still feel like 'leave my Branson alone!' whenever I see him with somebody else. That beady-eyed slutty maid almost killed me. I'm pretty resigned to Miss Bunting (is that her name? idek) being the new love interest for him, but still. Sibyl was awesome and they were my OTP for Downton and I will always be a little sad. *sniffle*
I have to say that I find Daisy to be getting very nasty and unpleasant, and I hope that she grows up a little and gets better next season, otherwise I wouldn't be sad to see her go. I'm glad Ivy went at least, since her character always seemed redundant. She was exactly the same as season one Daisy, so why did we need her there at all? And Alfred was boring as heck so I'm glad he's gone too.
And poor Edith! Even when she was being bitchy and awful I always felt like it was because she was overlooked and treated like crap and felt a little sorry for her, but now I really feel sorry for her. The one good thing she's gotten in her life is that baby, and stupid 1920's social mores have to ruin even that for her! I just hope she finally gets some kind of happy outcome next season, even though I fear now we're in for more massive emo drama than ever.
I think it's nice to see the friendships developing between Violet and Isabel, and Isabel and Branson, and Mrs. Hughes and Carson. (Just please don't let Carson and Mrs. Hughes become a couple. That would be too clichéd and gross and sometimes a working friendship is more interesting than a romance.) And, of course, the costumes continue to be delicious. So long as that's the case, Downton will have me hooked.
Already counting down to Season 5! And looking forward to Mr. Selfridge season 2! I hope it avoids the really soapy storylines it developed toward the end of last season and goes back to being at least slightly more intelligent, but I'm none too hopeful on that score. Still, we'll find out soon enough!