I am from down under, and I am sooo looking forward to series two this Sunday evening.
I am from down under, and I am sooo looking forward to series two this Sunday evening.
Crikey! you're in for a treat. ;-)Originally Posted by hazelk
J
Do English people think Downton Abbey is stupid?
J
Hmmmm, somehow I don't think so. Let's say it was an absolute hit with serveral millions of viewers each week.
I am sure you will be able to find the viewing figures somewhere, I wouldn't like to stick a number on them, but it must be above 10 million as that seems to be the 'acceptable' threshold.
[edit] The very irst episode drew in about 9 million viewers, but the series continued to a soring 12 million by the end. The second series was less. (still about 9 though)
Last edited by kiki1982; 05-25-2012 at 10:28 AM.
One has to laugh before being happy, because otherwise one risks to die before having laughed.
"Je crains [...] que l'âme ne se vide à ces passe-temps vains, et que le fin du fin ne soit la fin des fins." (Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Acte III, Scène VII)
We've only had Season 1 in SA. Hopefully Season 2 will start soon. *crosses fingers*
MASSIVE SPOILER DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO EDITH IN SERIES 3!!!
Now, here's the thing that has been bugging me for a few days now. How sad can you get when you get obsessed with an issue like this.
Sir Anthony Strallan has finally got hold of Edith, but left her at the altar as he was bugged by her family saying 'he was too old for her' (never mind what her opinion about that is).
Here's the odd thing:
In Series 1, when Matthew Crawley has been rummaged up as the heir to Downton and Mary has lost her fiancée (the former heir who has perished on the Titanic), Sir Anthony Strallan is expressly invited to Downton for dinner as part of the dowager Lady Grantham's grand plan to couple him and Mary, the eldest daughter. Seems fine. Mary is of marriageable age and has lost her fiancée, get rid of her as soon as possible before she is an old maid. Strallan was widowed, apparently a while ago, has an estate and money, so he must be in want of a wife, surely. Mary looks nice, so she's good enough, right?.
At that oint in time Mary is about 20 (°1892), Strallan is as old as her father (°1869), so round about 45. Edith is 18 (°1894).
In 1912, although Strallan is found to be dull, he is still seen as a worthy suitor to Mary. When the latter lets it be noticed that she is not going to consider him, he sets his eyes on Edith, ho is also deemed a little dull, I suppose. No protest. Takes her to a concert, etc. Doesn't propose in the end because of Mary, but still, no protest from anyone. Had he proposed, everyone would have been very happy.
Series 2: WWI comes and he is shot in the shoulder/arm and gets paralysed. It is only when the dowager Lady Grantham wishes to re-unite Edith and Strallan (still with a view to get rid of Edith) and invites him for tea, because he refused an invitation to a shooting party (because he is evidently embarrassed about his arm), that they see he's got a dodgy arm. Then she regrets re-uniting him and Edith. Edith continues 'courting' him, under mild protest from him, and in the end it comes to a proposal from her.
Then the protest starts: the dowager Lady Grantham finds that '[Edith] will the wife of an old drudge', the Earl is only happy that Edith is happy and that Strallan wants to keep her happy. How cold a potential father-in-law can you be?
Here's the thing:
In 1912, no-one seems to care about the 25 years' difference between Mary and Strallan. Nor between Edith and him. Suddenly in 1922, 'he is too old', although the age difference has stayed the very same. He is still very dull and very old. OK, old-er, but Edith too.
Is it his arm or had attitudes about age gaps in marriage changed by the 1920s? I read that dating was less strict, so courting wasn't on the porch anymore, but in the car, away from prying eyes. Marriage was for love, as you could find 'the right one', because you could date, of course. You didn't have to run before you could walk. Is it that in a still very 19th century pre-WWI world, older men were more likely to exist because of their wives dying early and less so in the 1920s? So were they more acceptable to marry a younger wife if they wished, because they were seen as a kid of calming and caring influence? Or was it that because the world of married people was less segregated that harmonious marriages in terms of age were more desirable in the 1920s than before WWI?
Or was it just his arm?
It was just bugging me. Funny that!!
There seem to be hints at a favourable outcome though, as they are now filming the X-mas special and Strallan features in it too (apart from the Jane Eyre undertones, of course). I so hope so.
MASSIVESPOILERS OVER
Again, please do not read if you do not want to know what happens to Edith in series 3.
I'll have a lot of patience to see what you think.
One has to laugh before being happy, because otherwise one risks to die before having laughed.
"Je crains [...] que l'âme ne se vide à ces passe-temps vains, et que le fin du fin ne soit la fin des fins." (Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Acte III, Scène VII)
You're going to need it as far I'm concerned. I've never heard of such tosh; hilarious but tosh nonetheless.Again, please do not read if you do not want to know what happens to Edith in series 3.
I'll have a lot of patience to see what you think.
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
Yes, sorry to disappoint you. I sometimes like to escape
I really do believe I haven't really forgotten my previous life at an English country estate somehow...
One has to laugh before being happy, because otherwise one risks to die before having laughed.
"Je crains [...] que l'âme ne se vide à ces passe-temps vains, et que le fin du fin ne soit la fin des fins." (Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Acte III, Scène VII)
Makes me glad I got rid of my TV as it sounds like a cross between Barbara Cartland and Noel Coward.Yes, sorry to disappoint you. I sometimes like to escape
I really do believe I haven't really forgotten my previous life at an English country estate somehow...
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
I can't speak for other English people, but I do.
Last edited by kev67; 10-23-2012 at 05:56 PM.
According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
Charles Dickens, by George Orwell
Do Downton Abbey think English people is stupid?
J
I thought it was Downtown Abbey but there you go that is me getting the sound meddled up.
And no it is a bit too boring so I do not watch it.
I can't stand the shift between american accent and english accent it does something to my hearing it is weird.
I can only take one accent at a time in films or tvs. No idea why but that is me.
I guess itis a good enough reason why I do not bother with it.
Last edited by cacian; 11-16-2012 at 06:00 AM.
it may never try
but when it does it sigh
it is just that
good
it fly
I do have to say it is becomig a bit soaplike. Series 1 was really good and now it is going downhill. But then you're hooked, aren't you?
Sorry everyone.
I would still like an answer to the question, but I guess I'd have to look for it myself.
One has to laugh before being happy, because otherwise one risks to die before having laughed.
"Je crains [...] que l'âme ne se vide à ces passe-temps vains, et que le fin du fin ne soit la fin des fins." (Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Acte III, Scène VII)
I didn't realise that there were Americans in it but why not go the whole hog?
The Offices of Megacrap Entertainments inc.
"Say Mort, I was watching that Limey Downton Abbey on TV last night and its given me a great idea for a movie.
We could call it Downtown Abbey and set in a ruined church right here in NYC."
"OK, but where's it go from there?"
"Well we could have it as home to some squatters who are really aliens disguised as hippies who are at war with some zombies who want to take over the abbey for themselves."
"Don't forget the vampires Art."
"Well sure, we gotta have vampires. Maybe we could have them hanging in the rafters waiting for whoever wins the war before they attack."
"Yeah but what about the car crashes and explosions. How ya gonna fit those in?"
"Well we could have Sly Stallone play the cop who destroys all the forces of evil."
"What, on his own?"
"No we don't want to exaggerate, so we'll give him a sidekick. How's about that Day Lewis guy?"
"No Art, let's make it a woman. It'll keep the fem critics happy and also grab the girlie audience."
"Yeah you're right Mort and it gives me another great idea. We could get Lady Gaga to play Sly's sidekick."
"But can she act ?"
"Ya gotta be joking Mort? What's acting got to do with it? It's about getting the kids into the theatres and buying the videos."
"Art, that's what I like about the good ol' USA, it's the land where artistic endeavour and big bucks live in complete harmony."
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
There is only one American actress in it (apart from the character's mother who appeared briefly in Series 3), but that's no doubt because it is a co-production with an American channel or something, so they have a duty to include at least one American. The rest is all British apart from one Irish guy.
Co-productions sometimes lead to weird situations. I remember seeing Danton, which was a huge French-led European co-production and it featured Mr de Robespierre with weird moving lips. ALong with other characters. I later discovered he was Polish and all foreign language actors (read: non-French) spoke their lines in their own language, after which they were dubbed into French. I should watch it again now. I quite liked it when I was a teenager, but my French was not so good as it is now. I wonder how well the film 'works'. The last Laurel and Harduy film was namely made in the same way with a big disaster for its result... But that maybe had to do with their way of acting.
One has to laugh before being happy, because otherwise one risks to die before having laughed.
"Je crains [...] que l'âme ne se vide à ces passe-temps vains, et que le fin du fin ne soit la fin des fins." (Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Acte III, Scène VII)
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