Auld Lang Syne

[shanghaiedinla]

“I’m not shocked … just stunned, and desperately sad.”

[Downton Abbey S3/CS 2012 Spoilers Ahead]

These were the words of Downton Abbey’s Mary Crawley in S2 to Matthew’s erstwhile fiancée, Lavinia, when they learned that Matthew’s war injury would prevent him from fathering children or, as Matthew himself so delicately put it, being “properly married.” The CS 2012, an episode that

Comments

[ext_1584758]

Agree with Sarah especially that series 3 should have been the last. My father who has his own small business always told me that many things in life always boil down to business decisions and in the end, I wonder if plenty of the story lines in series 3, the CS and the projected series 4 are a sop to the lucrative overseas market.

I've always thought that there's nothing wrong ending Downton with the new parents holding their baby and looking very happy and content. Or what about a final scene in the CS fast-forwarded to say the mid or late 1920s with Matthew & Mary as earl and countess surrounded by their children and in the final words of countless fairy tales "living happily ever after"? It would be a win-win situation - DA ends on a high and fans are kept happy.

This comment was very interesting:

Over the last few days, I've wondered if Stevens' friendship with Benedict Cumberbatch might have influenced his decision. After all, Cumberbatch has had some choice comments about Downton Abbey. Maybe he persuaded Stevens it was time

[shanghaiedinla]

I agree that in TV no one seems to learn the lesson that it's best to go out on top, leaving the audience wanting more. Everyone overstays their welcome. But then, we assume that the industry considers this a "mistake" when in fact I think it's quite intentional. DA has a lot of goodwill built up because of S1 and S2. And JF, ITV, Carnival/NBC Universal and PBS will milk it for all it's worth. Good decision? Artistically, no. Commercially, yes

[rms1977]

There's no doubt Downton Abbey is at its peak in the US and especially in Hollywood. If you need any proof, just look at the ratings for the season's first episode. The show drew an astonishing 7.9 million viewers compared to 4.2 million last season. That's an amazing jump and suggests to me word of mouth has been the key driver in Downton's American success. I know I loaned my copies of the first two seasons to friends several times this past summer

[shanghaiedinla]

That's unless he saw Vamps as a big success.

LOLOL! And it's astonishing, isn't it, that DS had better things to say this year about working on Vamps than he did DA?

Movies and shows that might have been ready to promote him as "Dan Stevens from Downton Abbey" may feel it's safer to look in another direction.Sadly, I think it will have a far greater (negative) impact on the show than it will his career. However, I certainly don't think it will help his career. Rather I don't think it will have much impact one way or another. I think, in the long run anyway, he will have the career he would have had if he had stayed another year. The problem is, I think he's overestimated his appeal in terms of having a big film career. And after the comments he made about not enjoying the vagaries of shooting a TV series, any creator/writer or casting director for a show here would I hope think twice before casting him. Besides, what kind of appeal does he have as a morally ambiguous protagonist or antihero (which are the roles he covets)? None. He'

[ext_1584758]

Your point about the "cool kids" is very plausible but I also wondered if DS has been badly served by his agency over in the US. A film about Wikileaks (which has been done to death in the news) will hardly set the world alight and as trite as it sounds, it probably would have been better if his first post Downton gig would be a rom com. That way people can have an opportunity to see a hammy/funnier side to him and might pave the way for better roles.

[shanghaiedinla]

I absolutely agree that WME isn't a good fit for him. It's a big agency and they have tons of A-list clients. He's not getting a lot of individualized attention, I'd wager. When we all believed he was in contract negotiations, many felt WME would get him a nice bump in salary but in terms of knowing what's best for his career ... let's just say that so far they haven't done a whole lot for him other than get him a lot of frivolous magazine spreads. In fact, I'm not sure the WikiLeaks film had anything to do with them; it seems like BC may have had a hand in getting his buddy a minor role.

It's interesting that you mention rom coms. A lot of people are doubtful that he would ever really move past rom coms (in Hollywood).

[ext_1584758]

Agree. But if done properly, rom coms could be a spring board to better roles provided they are chosen carefully.

On the other hand maybe DS's acting leaves a fair bit to be desired. That said many of the current crop of actors can't really act to save their lives.