Downton Abbey Christmas Special

[silverducks]

Ok, so I finally had chance to watch it last night and I was definitely not happy with the ending - but I’ll come to that later.

Firstly, I just want to say that as a whole, I quite liked the Christmas special. It was nowhere near as perfect as the last, and I wasn’t too keen on setting it in summer, but for the most part, it was good.

So here are my

Comments

[evangeline_h]

I wish Dan well, and hope the rampant disappointment and hatred (eek!) his departure has aroused doesn't end up hurting his pursuit of meatier roles!

I think Fellowes was also overwhelmed by the fact that he had written the show out of his comfort zone and topic of interest. Downton probably would have been easier to continue had it remained in the pre-WWI era for a little longer.

Oh yes, definitely! The emphasis on the heir/entail/Mary&Matthew (and the house itself) is Downton's strength and its weakness in that it is a compelling underpinning for the entire overall arc, yet it acted as a bottleneck for any potential plot that could not braid itself back into the core of the show. Hence dropped storylines like Mrs. Hughes' cancer scare, or the neutering of Branson, or even the sudden appearance of fake Patrick as season two began to wind down.

I second the call for a love story, but the potential for that is another place where Fellowes has written himself into a corner: he will either have to bring existing characters together (who've had no interest in one another) or bring new characters into the mix--and I've seen many viewers complain about the lack of attention to existing characters. So yes, we'll just have to wait and see, but it doesn't bode well for the tenor of the audience and critical reaction that most of us are just resigned and hopeful instead of cheering with glee. :/

[silverducks]

I do think that if Fellowes had stuck to a definite END to the show - the original 3 series arc - he wouldn't have written himself into a corner. I think he had to pad it out much more, add extra characters and go beyond his comfort zone to keep it running!

I really do think that the show would have been best ended after the series 3 Christmas special.

it doesn't bode well for the tenor of the audience and critical reaction that most of us are just resigned and hopeful instead of cheering with glee.

Perfectly put! Couldn't agree more!

Sigh - Downton Abbey could have gone out on a glorious high, but nope, the powers that be decided otherwised!