Open Letter to Julian Fellowes

[shanghaiedinla]

[Downton Abbey S3/S4 Spoilers Ahead]

This week, The Powers That Be could not seem to speak with one voice, so I think it is important that we, the Downton fandom, do. Amidst the panic over possible S4 plotlines, I decided to stop gnashing my teeth and do something a bit more productive. ... So I wrote an open letter to Julian Fellowes. A more succinct, abridged version (courtesy of

Comments

[shanghaiedinla]

I understand your frustration. But I truly do believe Stevens left Fellowes in an impossible position as a writer. They were willing to reduce his role on the show to just a couple of episodes per season and the actor still said no. If someone won't even make an appearance now and then, how can you credibly keep the character alive?

None of that changes the result of course, which is that Matthew's death -- particularly in this manner -- has created a paradigm shift, as well as an existential crisis for the show which I don't think can be overcome. (If you're interested in reading more, I did a meta post on that topic as well. See "Auld Lang Syne," the previous entry.)

Nonetheless, I am concerned about introducing another love interest in S4 for Mary. I realize she will move on but after the time and investment put into the M/M storyline, which was the primary draw to DA particularly in S2, I think it is foolish to try to recreate that again (and I think it's impossible in any event for a number of reasons). If they create a significant canon time jump and introduce him towards the end of the season, it could work. Otherwise, it amounts to trying to pull one over on the audience (and poor treatment of Mary's character).

Thanks for stopping by.