Of Swords and Parasols

278 x Downton Abbey (season 2)





icons @ my lj

I'm not sure, but I think I may hold an unpopular opinion in that I view season one as being much better and much more enjoyable than season two? Maybe not. I've seen mixed comments. Season two has many strong points, but it also takes various POVs and plotlines in directions I don't care for.


In some ways it can best be summed up by "the main POV switches from Mary to Robert." Now, this isn't simply "Mary is my favorite and I don't care for Robert," but, even if you don't care for Mary, I don't think it can be denied that filtering the world with Mary as the entry point highlights the two main themes of the series, which are classism and gender roles and the deconstruction of both. But Robert is another matter. While Mary is both privileged and literally punished by her world for her gender, Robert is simply privileged. In season 1, while I saw and agreed with most of the criticisms of Robert, I also thought he was fairly progressive for a man of his time, so I had a more positive opinion of him than many others did. In season 2, however, Robert has become the extreme of all the worst aspects of men of his time and class, and openly values his male heir, who he's only known for a few years, over his wife and daughters (to the point where he asks his wife if she knows how "stupid and silly" she is for voicing concerns that his concern for Matthew is at Mary's expense, and is causing her pain. She‘s right, not that he cares) Some of this, I think, is deliberate-for example, I'm pretty sure Robert's frustration and obsession about not being able to go to war and instead being told home and "keep men's spirits up" (i.e., "do what we're always telling women to do") was the show saying that he wouldn't have the strngth to be a woman in his world-yet, the show still seems to see him as a sympathetic character and wants us to understand him.


So, I have a lot of criticisms about this season, yet, it's still one of the best things out there right now, or at least, better than quite a bit? Because it's depiction of the war and the social mindset it created (including the gender based double standards-men shouldn't have their son's taken from them but women should smile bravely and not try to keep their men at home, men are FAILURES if they aren't fighting, women should keep spirits up and stay out of danger, etc., even if it also brought in some of the most frustrating aspects of the season) and the way it affected everyone is spot on, and at almost every turn it's almost perfect in it's constant criticism of the male gaze and assumptions of class and privilege at all levels.


( spoilers )

I'm still so sick I just want to trade my stomach in for a new one, but am I imagining things, or did Elizabeth McGovern and Michelle Dockery wear dresses the same color but in different fabrics to the Emmys. Did Joanne Froggatt wear a dress that color too?

In this case, shows set in the early 20th century.

Mapp and Lucia: Series 1-2 And together, the two series are a whopping 10 episodes. And people talk about how short British TV seasons are now! (The series is from the 80s.) Set in a small seaside town in the 20s (though I believe it lasts until the 30s) Mapp and Lucia is, essentially, about snobbery and cattiness among the upper classes in the country, as depicted through two Queen Bee characters, Mapp (played by Prunella Scales) and Lucia (played by Geraldine MacEwan) with the rest of the cast being the friends and neighbors who are only too eager to get caught up in their one-upmanship. The series should trigger my humiliation squick with all the things they get into but never actually did. Unlike most shows about lifelong rivals engaged in civil war, Mapp and Lucia do not secretly respect each other and are not frenemies, but seem to actually, unflinchingly, hate each other. This was actually somehow refreshing, possibly because they were both so enthusiastic about it. My only problem is that the series seemed to expect us to root for Lucia more than Mapp, and had more prominent characters side with Lucia over Mapp, yet, Lucia was really no better than Mapp, just a bit more socially refined in her antics, and so I kept hoping that Mapp would win one over Lucia, but she never did.

Jeeves and Wooster: Series 1-4: Considered a classic comedy series, and rightly so. In effect, Bertie Wooster is a fluffheaded gentleman who is constantly getting into trouble. Just as constantly, his valet, Jeeves, who is impossibly well informed and always conveniently placed and connected, get him out. Frequently, Wooster is invited somewhere for the express purpose of his host expecting Jeeves to solve a problem. There are also a number of women convinced that Bertie is eternally pining for them, and they are prepared to accept his suit if their current romance doesn’t work out. As Bertie seems to be almost pathologically afraid of marriage (his own, at least) he is very devoted to make sure the romance remains rosey. Which basically means that Jeeves saves the day, a lot. The series typically seems to be completely unaware of the inherent classism, save that Jeeves will frequently get a put upon expression implying that he, at least, is aware of it, and many of his saves come from a clear desire to keep Wooster single, as that allows Jeeves to maintain the lifestyle he desires. The only actual problem is that, watching it over a period of weeks, it can be disorienting with the supporting characters regularly being recast. As an aside, I’m glad I watched the series before Stephen Fry said women had no sex drives, or whatever it is he said. (I tried to ignore it in an attempt to maintain happy thoughts.)

Downton Abbey: Series 1: Set from 1912-1914, Downton Abbey is about the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants after the expected heir to the entailed estate and fortune-who was expected to marry the oldest Crawley daughter, Mary-dies, and the new heir is a distant cousin of the “upper middle class.” It’s deliberately modeled-sometimes a bit too consciously so-after Upstairs, Downstairs (and it seems to take few cues from Pride & Prejudice too, though more modern sensibilities influence most of the relationships between the Upstairs and Downstairs groups, as well as the protofeminist sensibilities of several of the Crawley women. There are parts that make me roll my eyes a lot but I like or adore most of the characters, and the series passes the Bechdel test multiple times every episode (with multiple combinations of characters) consistently has interactions between different classes and awareness of differences in class between the two main groups, and has romantic subplots that don’t make me want to throttle things. It alo has a homosexual character who is not ruled by his sexuality whose plot (after the first two episodes) isn’t dictated by it. Which is to say, like heterosexual characters in fiction, it’s a part of who he is, not the sole driving force of his existence. This is also, I think, the most expensive TV series ITV has ever done, and it shows. It’s been picked up for a second season next year, and the first season will be released on DVD is the US in a few months. (That said, I really hope that the ending was written after they knew it was going to be renewed, because many plotlines were left open, though they did reach turning points.)

I’ve also started watching Elizabeth R which is kind of fabulous, at least about 50% for Glenda Jackson’s speeches. Also, major bonuses for having little focus on Elizabeth Tudor’s love life, so far, instead of making her possible love affairs the major focus. Does anyone know if Cate Blanchett has said anything re: Glenda Jackson influencing her portrayal of Elizabeth? Because they’re very similar. I’ve also been watching the Sharpe series. I think I like the characters more than in the few books I read? I actually lost interest in the books when I learned that Teresa wasn’t around for too long. We’ll see if my interest in the show lasts past that. They’re certainly using her more in the show than the books did. (Also, the show seems less besotted with Sharpe and his Heroism than the books?)

I also watched the first episode of Garrow’s Law last week. Err…people were saying it was similar to Downton Abbey, and I have to wonder exactly what they thought was similar, besides both being well made historical dramas. It was good, but didn’t interest me a lot, unfortunately.