Why I'm Done With Downton Abbey

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 I am so disappointed in Episode One of Season Four that I think I am done with Downton Abbey.  I tuned in last week, after months of anticipation and what a  letdown.  I have never seen so many " set ups" packed into one episode in my life. It began to both annoy and bore me.  In spite of  wonderful ambiance and excellent acting, I just could not make myself care . Maybe I just have the typical 30 second American attention span, and have reached my limit, but it felt to me like they were trying too hard. The story line seemed forced and over the top. I know it is hard to top that Season Three finale but really.  This is just too much.   I'm on Downton Abbey overload.

 I'm starting to find I just don't care whether Lady Mary ever comes out of her funk, nor am I much interested in what happens to Lady Edith and her married man lover/publisher.  Lord Grantham is getting to be a bore, and even Carson and Mrs Pattmore and the rest of the downstairs crowd  don't excite me anymore.  That goes double for  Anna and Mr. Bates who should stop being such a pair of goodie goodies and go off to America and make a fortune  running a posh hotel in San Francisco.

 For three seasons, Downton Abbey was a magnificent time machine that transported me weekly to a different era and location, and not only introduced me, but really involved me, in the tragedies and triumphs of people I came to love and care about week after week.  Not since Upstairs Downstairs and I, Claudius  have I been so involved  in  one of these historical dramas that the English do so well.  But, like everything else, it had to end sometime.  The internet is awash in Downton Abbey memorabilia,  which is a sign that the end is near.  Do a search for Downton Abbey on Etsy and you will find everything from  Downton Abbey note cards and jewelry, to samplers and drink coasters featuring  Downton Abbey quotes, to my personal favorite:  Maggie Smith's character,the Dowager Countess as a cat portrait.  No further comment needed, I think.

Dowager Countess cat portrait on Etsy

I'll probably tune in again this Sunday night for episode two of season four, and I am truly prepared to be pleasantly surprised, but if  things don't improve rapidly, I'm done with Downton.

Video: Downton Abbey Season 4 Spoof 
 

Downton Abbey Musical Parody Camps it Up on YouTube

If you, like me, are a devoted Downtonista  waiting with baited breath for Season 4 to begin airing on this side of the Atlantic, take heart.  A wonderful  Musical Parody and Season 4 sneak peek  surfaced a couple of weeks ago on YouTube and is here to save the day.

Not only is it absolutely hilarious, it makes a true Downton Abby addict like me go into DT's (that's Downton Tremens to  you social Downton Abby watchers).  I'm still laughing and the laughing makes the waiting till January for season 4 just a bit easier to bear ( pass the kleenex please)

 Colin Andrew Mochrie, of Whose LIne Is It Anyway? fame, is brilliant as Downton writer and  creator, Julian Fellowes. He serves as a sort of narrator, holding the musical numbers together.  My fave is a duet about tea and teabags sung by Carson and Mrs Hughes.  I won't spoil your fun.  Check out Vanity Fair's fabulous review and then watch the video.

 You are going to laugh yourself silly. I promise.

The Downside of Downton Abbey

The downside of Downton Abbey is only that season three is over. There is no other downside, unless you count the deaths of Lady Sybil and Matthew, both of whom are leaving the show for bigger and better and had to be written out of it. I don't know about you, but I was chomping at the bit for four months, furious that season three was airing in Britain last fall, while on this side of the Atlantic, Downton-addicts  were having severe withdrawal symptoms waiting for the January broadcast date.

Yes, I resisted all the spoilers, didn't go near the blogs and facebook pages, and watched every episode-- sometimes more than once.  I rejoiced over Mary and Matthew, cried for Tom and Sibyl  and totally went into soap opera mode over Anna and Bates. I loved that Maggie Smith took her portrayal of " The Dowager"  right over the top.   It was a breathtaking ride and perhaps, because I had to wait so long for it, like the chocolate ice cream at my fourth birthday party, it was gone all too soon. Now I have a Downton Abbey hangover, and I do not like it one little bit.

So, now, on to season four.  I think the wait will kill me this time.  I am not the only one begging the powers that be at the BBC and PBS to NOT make us wait.  Puhleeeeze.

There is a good case to be made for almost concurrent British and American broadcasts, but it seems there are potent financial reasons ( like ratings and increased post production costs) for keeping things as they are, so I am braced to accept the inevitable.  But I'm going on record right now as one UN-happy camper about having to wait.

In fact, I am so annoyed by the prospect of having to wait four months after the UK for season four, that I just may forget all about Lady Mary, and Anna, and Bates and the whole bunch of them.  It's not like I don't have other demands on my time. 

 Take that, PBS and BBC!  Downton where?.....  never heard of it.  Don't keep me waiting too long. OK?

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