Downton Abbey series 3
It's already been a few weeks since series 3 of Downton Abbey ended and you've probably all read countless reviews and recaps of the series, but I still wanted to collect my thoughts and how better than by writing a review.
Series 3 of Downton Abbey was an interesting change from the much debated second series. Not only was the atmosphere different, without a 'war going on', the pacing of the plots also showed a great change. In this respect Downton Abbey went back to it's first series' roots, with more leisurely told storylines and more character-driven storytelling. It was a relief to see the series starting right after where the Christmas special of 2011 left of and the 8 episodes spanning only half a year. I was really glad to see no more strange time-jumps like in series 2, which made for more believable storytelling.
Some things luckily had not changed at Downton and were a continuing joy: the beautiful settings, the great character interactions, the witty one-liners of Violet... I did not like the fashion of this series very much, but that's just personal, as I'm not a fan of the early-20s fashion in general. It was great to see Mary and Matthew getting married and I was glad their relationship remained one of the focal points of Downton Abbey. Their scenes were alternately cute and poignant, but always well played and engaging. Mary really is one of the most interesting characters of Downton Abbey. During the three series, she has developed and changed, but in many instances also remained the same, which I think is a sign of a well-written character. She can still be stubborn and easily piqued and her family is still the most important thing for her.
Things did not go as well for Mary's two sisters this series, to say the least. Poor Edith, she really gets the brunt of the storytelling (it begins to be conspicious, Fellowes!). This does lead to some great acting of the wonderful Laura Carmichael, but it's all a bit uneven as well. I did a big eyeroll when I heard the story of Edith's editor in the last episode and I'm really anxious as to how they'll deal with this in series 4. Then, Sybil.... First, it was a miracle they kept this development under wraps so long, which made it a real shocker. It was terribly sad ofcourse and I for one will miss one of my favourite characters very much. But what are you to do when an actress wants to leave? Fellowes could have written it so Tom and Sybil just disappeared to Ireland, but it would be hard to explain why they never came to Downton for important events. No, from a storytelling perspective, Sybil's death led to probably the best written and acted episode of the series and the character development of Branson in the second half of the series.
I was generally pleased with the story of Branson trying to get used to his life at Downton, though I am looking forward to his story in the Christmas Special and series 4. Because I'm convinced Branson will not keep living his life contentedly at Downton Abbey, that's just no who he is and I'm curious how this will play out. The developing friendship between Matthew and Branson was one of the heights of this series for me and let to many funny and sweet moments. Series 3 has made Lord Grantham very unpopular among most Downton Abbey fans, even earning him the nickname 'Flopbert'. I cannot do else but agree, because while I could believe in series 2 the strain of the war led him to do and say stupid things, in peacetime in series 3 he just keeps on going: alienating himself from his middle daughter, being stubborn as to the running of his estate (and not grateful to Matthew for saving it at all!), etc. I want to contrast the character portrayal of Mary with her father here: Mary shows development, but also continuity in certain things, while for Robert during series 3 I sometimes wondered whether I was watching the same character I liked in series 1.
Downstairs quite a few new characters were added to the mix in this series. Unfortunately, we didn't get to know them very well, as Ivy, Albert and Jimmy immediately got mixed up in a love-quadrangle with Daisy. In my opinion, this storyline did nothing to develop either of the characters and was also a pity for Daisy, who's character development seemed non-existant this season. A storyline I was surprised to like very much, was that concerning Ethel. When I first heard her character would come back in series 3, I thought: what in heaven's name are they going to do with her? But her story with Isobel showed beautifully how harsh life could be for women less than 100 years ago and how trying to help someone is not always easy.
The story of Anna and Bates, basically the downstairs counterpart of Matthew/Mary in the first two series, dwindled to a story in the margin in series 3. Ofcourse, with Bates in prison, you can only do so much, but I really felt like not enough attention was given to them. For example, what did their separation do to Anna? Also, the resolution of Vera's death was really vague. It had me scratching my head and thinking: how? why? Lastly, I was a bit confused by the character of Bates, who, when he was in prison, seemed to morph into his evil twin in a way.
So, to summarize it all: I enjoyed series 3 of Downton Abbey very much. It certainly improved upon series 2 and it had a little bit of everything: joy, grief, humor, friendship, love, fights, prejudice etc. etc. The only thing this series really seemed to miss was unity. Let me explain: in series 2, the war was an overarching plot which tied the stories of all the characters, upstairs and downstairs together. In series 1, the writing was just so good, all the plots fitted nicely together. But for series 3, the different stories sometimes seemed too loosely knit with the only thing tying them together was it all taking place in the same house (or village). Now, if series 4 can keep up the pace of storytelling from this series and improve on this point, I'm sure it will be wonderful again! (if Matthew/Dan Stevens stays in ofcourse, but that's a whole other subject...)
One little thought for you all to mull over before I end this -way too long- review: Downton Abbey fandom. I'm really glad a period drama has become so popular and I enjoy the fact you can talk about it with so many people. But sometimes it tires me, the fact that every minute of every episode is discussed and pulled apart by fans. I think it might remove a little bit of the viewing pleasure and I might have to skip reading some fansites for the coming Christmas Special and series 4 (if I can restrain myself...)
Also, the new issue of Femnista is out! This issue is all about the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, ofcourse to celebrate the release of the The Hobbit movie later this month. So if you're at all interested in Tolkien, take a look!
I wrote an article about The Silmarillion myself, in particular about Ainulindalë, the creation story of Middle Earth.