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Downton Abbey in the Media

Rhondinella

By Rhondinella
in Downton Abbey [V]

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Constantinople
Constantinople

There is nothin' like a dame, Nothin' in the world, There is nothin' you can name That is anything like a dame! Penelope Wilton is now a Dame (of the British Empire).

AZChristian
AZChristian

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/11466442/Kate-Middleton-visits-the-set-of-Downton-Abbey-in-pictures.html?frame=3229348   Fun pictures of Kate with the cast!

DianeDobbler

DianeDobbler

(edited)

Matthew was meant to marry Sybil? I wonder if the look Sybil and Matthew exchanged that one time, with Mary noticing, had originally been placed to set up Mary scheming to keep the would-be lovebirds apart. To my mind, the absolute second Mary entered the room just as Matthew whinged that they'd be pushing one of the daughter's off on him was immediate chemistry. Maybe that's why the Sybil moment later on was just a way for Mary to recognize she didn't want anyone else to have him.

Edited by DianeDobbler
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MissLucas

MissLucas

Well if Matthew had married Sybil Sir Julian could have offed them in one fell swoop. As for the Sun articles - well it's the Sun. I can also see Elizabeth McGovern's point though. Cora rarely got any interesting arcs yet she was tied to that production for good.

I know not everybody's a fan of her acting choices but quite frankly there really wasn't much for her to work with in the first place. Ever since she slipped on that soap she was clueless Cora, being lied to or kept out of the loop, her arcs being used to prop other characters - hell, even her brief flirting was more about the Earl getting all fisticuffs than her being frustrated in a marriage that had gotten stale over the years. The Dowager fared much better with that Russian silver-fox who had tempted her to almost pull an Anna Karenina.

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TheGreenKnight

TheGreenKnight

I might be the rare person that liked Cora/Elisabeth McGovern. Cora vs. Isobel in season 2, Cora's grief over Sybil in season 3, her scenes with Baxter in season 4, her helping Edith at the end of season 5, and her relationship with Violet were moments/aspects of the show I enjoyed. But, yes, just moments. I wish the character/actress had been given more to do. She's another one, like Anna, where everything that happened to her was really about someone else. She gets sick in season 2, but it's really about Robert's affair, O'Brien's remorse, and setting up the shock of the real death. Her mother and brother visit in season 3, but we get no sense of what their dynamic is or was before Downton. I don't even remember them speaking outside of greeting at the door.

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DianeDobbler

DianeDobbler

I think a lot of the characters didn't get a lot to do. Robert was the head of the household, but did he get a lot to do? Cora had as much material as anyone, I guess. I originally watched the series out of order, and when I first saw Season 1, she had a lot more authority over Mary than did Robert. She could order Mary to get into that riding habit, and she let Mary know in no uncertain terms how she felt about the Pamuk episode. It also seemed to me they were thinking of making her sort of a younger counterpart of the Dutchess, more of an edge, more shallow, less compassionate, but that part pretty much fell away after early Season 1. She never had a huge story arc, but who got those, except Mary. She had her opportunities.

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MissLucas

MissLucas

Cora had some interesting arcs in season one. She acted swift and decisive when faced with dead Pamuk which made her characterization in later seasons as someone who might have been too much into her Laudanum and therefore can't be trusted with harsh reality all the more odd.

For huge chunks of the show she was mostly left to stare vacantly into the void that was her life until they threw the unbearable hospital plot her way. The Earl had definitely more plot-lines to work with - just count all the times Hugh Bonneville was allowed to go apoplectic over Miss Bunting.

And it's not as if there had been no opportunities to give her more to do. It would have been very interesting to see her act as Edith's confidante instead of Rosamund. A woman who's capable of dealing with a dead lover in her daughter's bed should have been able to cope with an legitimate pregnancy.

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Glade

Glade

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-3377501/Downton-Abbey-creator-Julian-Fellowes-wealth-Belgravia-app.html

 

I saw this on facebook and almost vomited...  No, I'm sure that the BBC wouldn't have allowed a hit show to be poorly written into the ground by a writing staff of one person and for that writer to put forth a ridiculously anachronistic, lazy form of historical revisionism sprouted from his own far-right wing political views.  And that's a good thing.  I think DA would have been a much better show with some intervention that brought different voices into the writing room to keep stories fresh and maybe touched at least somewhat on the reality of life as a servant and balancing that against the glitzy fairy tale that JF was spinning.   Of course JF's idea of diversity is for have one rich upper class middle aged straight white man to have a long, unimpeded rant that no one else is allowed to comment on.    Personally, I will never read or watch anything that he puts out again.

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MissLucas

MissLucas

Well, he's got to beat the drum for that Belgravia thing. He really thinks DA is a historical drama and not a fantasy - which is quite endearing. I'm not a Brit so I can't comment on his claims that the BBC would only allow historical dramas in line with its own political views. But I'll make sure to check season 3 of 'The Musketeers' for any signs of political propaganda. Come to think of it, king Louis comes across as a whiny brat, so maybe Sir Julian is on to something after all.

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photo fox

photo fox

All, please remember that anything that hasn't aired in the U.S. yet should be spoiler tagged in any thread beyond the episode threads, as per the mod note topic.

I try to keep up with the topics as best I can, but if anyone sees anything that should be spoiler tagged, please use the report button under the post.  That will alert the entire mod team and will get the post hidden as quickly as possible.

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SusanSunflower

SusanSunflower

(edited)

As far as I can tell  Episode 8 is 1.5 hours airing 02/21/2016 -- it is the finale, but is NOT the Christmas special --

Then there's a week's hiatus between episode 8 (02/21/2016) and 9 (03/06/2016)  -- when "Manners of Downton Abbey"  will air. 

The Christmas Special is apparently listed as episode 9, and is 2 hours 

Mar 6  Episode 9 TV-PG; 9:00PM ET
Episode 9 (120 mins)
The final episode of the Emmy® and Golden Globe® award-winning drama's sixth and final season.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/schedule/

so check you that your dvr has the correct program length ... it may be confused by the variations

Edited by SusanSunflower
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SusanSunflower

SusanSunflower

The Meticulous Historical Advisor who gave "Downton Abbey" its proper character

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-st-downton-abbey-historical-advisor-alastair-bruce-20160305-story.html

 

Maybe it's just me, but I'm guessing this guy wasn't the most popular man on the set, although Julian says he saved him hours. .... Can't quite imagine having to reshoot things because a bed lacked a top sheet or while "advisors" discussed exactly what Cora would (or would not) be eating at a given hour ... 

oh the humanity.

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craziness

craziness

Not sure where else to mention this, but I loved the BAFTA award special. It was nice to see Dan Stevens and the actor who played Michael Gregson in the audience. And the on stage scene between the Dowager and Robert, where she telling him everything that happened on the show that he missed (why would they carry the Turk to Lady Mary's room? What is Tony Gillingham missing?) Was pretty funny.

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caligirl50

caligirl50

Sorry but Michelle looks awful.  I think only folks with a deep tan or darker skin can pull off yellow.  Not loving the hair nor make-up either.  She is such a gorgeous woman, she needs a new team of stylists. 

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AndySmith

AndySmith

I thought she looked pretty but I do agree, that color of the dress did not do her any favors.

Still, it is nice to see her out and about, given everything she has had to go through recently.

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

Emmy nominations:

Drama series
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series - Maggie Smith
Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series
Outstanding production design for a narrative period program (one hour or more)
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series
Outstanding Costumes For A Period/Fantasy Series, Limited Series Or Movie
Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series - Michael Engler
Outstanding Hairstyling For A Single-Camera Series
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour)
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series - Julian Fellowes

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TheGreenKnight

TheGreenKnight

I'm glad she won one last time. She was one of the main reasons I kept up with this show during the middle years when it lagged and I thought she was fantastic this last series, although I do wish she'd been in it more. Hopefully she's off somewhere enjoying life.

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AndySmith

AndySmith

Not sure where to post this, but I thought it was interesting to see. One of the women from "Ladies of London" (think Real Housewives of London) is married to the heir of the Earl of Sandwich (yes, for real), making her a courtesy Viscountess. Anyway, here is a small tour of the family estate and home. Just thought it was interesting to see how some of the modern families and estates survived into today.

And here is her visiting more of the town itself. And yes, Julie is kind of annoying.

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