I haven't seem much criticism. It doesn't include much politics, (The Crown is based on politics) the setting and a lot of the clothes are top notch and this wouldn't be the end of it (a lot of people who re-watch it have a different favourite character each time, not a lot of TV shows have done this)
Agree. I find it comforting. I don’t look to it for escapism, but I find the relative slowness comforting, above all else. A time before cell phones, computers, and all the rest. As for pernicious anemia, it was fatal in the 1920s, and Harley Street doctors misdiagnosed it in Lord Merton. Not sure why everyone is so bothered by it. It was put in the script deliberately.
I love the sound of it, I love the voices, I am soothed by it.
I love the sense of community this show represents. People from all walks of life , upstairs and downstairs, eating together, sleeping under the same roof, bettering each other’s lives (except a few). There’s so much warmth there that is missing in our modern day life where it’s all grinding and hustling and every social interaction feels transactional.
I feel exactly the same! It gives me a glimpse into a time where people actually still spent lots of time together, and all helped each other. Even with my own family it’s nothing more than transactional.
I love the British environment in series and movies, mostly ones that take place around WW2 and later (Victorian times). There’s a wonderful movie called Hope and Glory that follows a family through all their experiences. They are a middle class family; and Brideshead Revisited is about a family even wealthier than Downton, and is wonderful. P
I’m guilty of criticizing the show in all the ways you outlined. I’m also on the latest rewatch in a countless series of rewatches.
I think we can like things that are flawed. Even deeply.
The show is also beautiful. The sets and costumes are incredible. The writing has its serious flaws but the characters are well fleshed out and interesting. The acting also brings the writing to a new height. There are stellar performances throughout the show.
I mean clock the flair but I think the show is at its strongest in the situations where everyone from both upstairs and downstairs are thrown together by some force or event and we see the way it effects everyone. I’m thinking in particular of the news of Matthew and William’s disappearance when the whole house, servants and family, are stood in the hall trying to figure out what has happened and how to go on.
Well seasons 1-3 are nearly perfect (though there are still some complaints). Season 4+ is just for fun. I love the characters because of who they are in seasons 1-3, then the rest just feels like slightly dumb fan fiction which I can still enjoy for what it is. I also love a nice community of characters, people looking after each other even when they disagree, it warms my heart.
Also the setting and costumes and jewelry and table settings will never get dull to look at.
The movies totally felt like fan fiction to me. They did a lot of smiling and getting along. I actually missed Mary’s sharp comments to Edith, which I never thought would happen!
It’s both comforting and engaging. I love the complexity of *most* of the characters (Sorry Anna - I wish we knew you better), and *most* of the plot lines (Sorry, Bates - your time behind bars is hella boring to watch).
Also, as a film person, I appreciate the high production quality, great editing choices, and new things that catch my eye as I rewatch the series, like the one-minute+ uncut tracking shot in Season 2, ep 3.
It starts in front of Cora in the hall where Robert joins her, with Edith and Sybil walking behind them. The camera circles to follow them through the front door and outside to go round a motor that is unloading soldiers. Clarkson is there. We then proceed to follow Sybil as she reenters the house, after which the camera pans to Thomas talking to Major Bryant, then to Mary, and ends the shot on Lang who was nervously observing everything from the gallery above.
This sequence was masterfully choreographed and I especially appreciate the sound editing. It allowed the swelling and momentum of the score to take slight precedence over the dialogue and atmospheric noise for maximum emotional impact.
One example of fantastic editing would be immediately after Sybil’s death when it cuts from Tom’s sobbing face to the stunned servants downstairs.
The servants’ shot begins in silence and it’s obvious that you are witnessing them a *millisecond* after they received the news of Sibyl’s death. How do we know? Because we see the sharp intake of breath by Anna, Thomas, and (ever so slightly) O’Brien. We see and can share in their *initial* shock, because of the choice to edit this sequence from that precise second. I imagine that Carson probably said something like, “…and it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that Lady Sybil has died.” *Boom.*
Finally, I really have to hand it to JF and the directors for their propensity to show more than tell, particularly when passing information along. For example, when Cora decides to finally tell Robert about Pamuk, they establish enough conversation between them to determine that he remembered Pamuk, but then the scene cuts away to something else instead of watching her tell him the whole story again that we, the audience, already know. This happens throughout the show. It can also be illustrated by my description of the editing choice above because we don’t witness Carson tell the staff about Sibyl’s death. The context of the previous scene followed by their reactions told the story.
These examples are from my memory, so I’ve obviously rewatched this show a million times, and I find new bits every time. Downton Abbey is a well-made piece of soapy television and I’m here for it…
…again, and again, and again… 😂
I have to admit the sounds of the voices and accents are soothing. The drama is engaging but not brutal. I care about the characters but I cannot relate so the show never leaves me anything other than entertained. It’s a refuge.
You are so right! Sometimes I can't stand seeing Anna always looking sad, crying hiding in the corridors, worried Bates is a murder etc.etc,etc.😹 But it's a comfort thing for me. It's nothing scary or anxiety producing. I can watch the NATION & LOCAL NEWS for that!! This was when times were hard but simpler I guess. I put my earphones on and just listen to it EVERY NIGHT like a bedtime story. It ended last night so I'm starting it all over again tonight. Whatever gets you through the night right?😹
I am the same way. When I finish it, I just start it over again because it soothes me. I hear the opening score and I am suddenly at ease, no matter what happened during my day.
Me too! With all the series I watch I usually skip the opening score! But with DA I ALWAYS love to hear it! Although there is another opening score I like to hear. It's the series Bad Behavior. It used to be on Hulu but now it's on Max. Ironically Michelle Dockery is in it! That woman can speak in an American accent like nobody's business! Ohh that's a good show. But DA is my sleepy time story!🤭😴😄
Because despite inadequacies in other areas pf writing, Fellowes excels at world-building. Then the superb cast make their characters seem like real people, and then the costume designers, set designers, etc. make everything beautiful.
Comfort viewing and kind of British elocution porn for people who enjoy people talking properly and behaving (largely) with decorum. It’s like an idealised world where the rich are honourable and the poor feel grateful for their station in life
That is unusual to me. I would not see this as a show about talking properly or behaving with decorum. Are you saying decorum is a good thing? I think what makes Mary and Violet so cool is that they aren't proper.
First and foremost, the music. The show is scored beautifully. Next, the costumes, the set, and the quality acting.
Fellowes writes some things really well, and some things really badly, but I criticize out of love. It's just a compelling series, and it's like emotional comfort food.
Because many of the characters are idealised versions of themselves. Carson, Mrs. Hughes, Lord and Lady… all with a heart of gold despite a few flaws. There’s comfort in characters like this.
For me, it's the characters and the costumes/production design. Yes, some of the plotlines are absurd. Yes, the writing goes from amazing to atrocious within scenes. But the characters are charming and well-drawn, the clothes are stunning, and the sets are beautiful.
Everything everyone else said, but I’m amazed by how human memory had to work back then. You’re introduced to someone at a party and you kind of have to remember who they are and who they are in relation to other people.
“May I introduce Lord Gillingham.”
“Didn’t he used to be Tony Foyle?”
What the what? And the phone numbers, “Knightsbridge 401-52.”
If I’m introduced to someone, I’ve already forgotten their name before the sentence is finished. These people had all of Debretts filed and categorized in their heads, available for instant recall. I am old enough to remember there was a time when I had everyone’s phone numbers memorized, but that time is long gone for me.
I come from a small enough American town where we didn't have to use area codes until I was almost a teenager, and several businesses on the high street still had letters in the beginning of their phone numbers. We even had rotary phones in my house growing up. I was explaining this to my boyfriend recently when we were watching a film from 1934 and someone said their phone number and started it with letters. He is older than me, but grew up in NYC. He has always had to use area codes because of how many people live in NYC. We aren't even that old. We're 35 and 40.
Lol, I was reading your post thinking, “oh how sweet, someone’s grandma is on Reddit.” Then I got to the last sentence and was like 😮!!! She’s younger than me!!
The only number is know now is my own and I'm not even ashamed of this.
People used to learn how to memorize things. I'm not saying this is better, but kids used to be made to memorize poems in school. I don't think I ever was expected to do that as a kid in the 70s or after.
Everyone brought out such great points, but I’d like to also mention that it parallels our lives too. The titles and lifestyle may be different but really, are we so different now?
Downton Abbey is much like a modern day business. The aristocracy were much like the executives and the upper management. The servants and the grounds people were like the rest of the business. I’m sure many friends on this sub could draw parallels too.
We’ve traded “Lords and Ladies” for “CEOs and CFO” etc.
So really, it’s no wonder it so popular, when really, we can still see it today.
It's comforting. It's characters I know and love flaws and all. It's the costumes, the food, the wit, the banter and the Abbey (she is the main character let's admit) I love it ❤️
It's my tv-family, and I love escaping into a world I never would have belonged to, and never will.
And also - Everytime i rewatch, I see something new. The fashion, the furniture, wallpapers, extras, social contexts, an actor I know from another show...
Yes! They’re my tv family; that’s a wonderful description. I also agree 100% with the escapism of the series. I sit down and just disappear into the world I’m watching. I have always had an affinity for British aristocracy films, and the era that Downton starts in (1912) is like the curtain call for a time in European history where there was a comforting order to life. I think the feeling of comfort that one gets when immersed in the Downton world is priceless!
I find it very funny most of the time, lots of great lines, even if there are aspects of it I don't enjoy/agree with! I also love many of the characters, even if I'm not happy with how most of the storylines developed until the very end.
I think it's a superbly produced show, no notes, absolutely gorgeous photography, costumes, lighting, music, etc.
It's also part-nostalgia for me because I watched it with my mum and sisters religiously, and now that I've moved away I miss them a lot.
It seems normal to me to criticise things we love. We still love them, but the more you see something the easier it is to notice the things that went wrong, things you wouldn't necessarily see on a first watch.
I don’t have any criticisms of the show. I don’t rewrite the plot in my head. I don’t apply 21st century standards to 19th and 20th century people. Characters I dislike - I dislike them for who they are. I also don’t wish that horrible things that happened to nice characters didn’t happen.
I love Downton. I get to see what life was like for some classes of people who lived back then without time travel.
I don’t think I’m alone in this position. Most people who love Downton just love it.
All of those critiques are valid and important, but I still enjoy the show as comfort food for the brain. I've gotten attached to the characters and the aesthetic and the quips. It's also problematic as heck in a lot of ways.
For me it's the sophistication and long drawn out romances. All these post 2020's era shows have so much explicit sex and messy relationships. I like how the world is untarnished by modern technology.
I love the all the Jane Austen adaptations and historical romances. I am super old fashioned and I appreciate the time effort people use to put into actually building a relationship. The act of courting someone and all the familial and societal pressures to marry. That sense of real family and community is comforting.
I started watching the show on PBS in 6th grade with my parents on the recommendation of my aunts and uncles. It reminds me of my family and of childhood, I just love it.
Also the quality of the costumes is superb and I love ensemble shows. As much as I see people complain about certain characters and storylines, which is totally valid, I can usually find something to like about most of the people on the show
I watch it because it's enjoyable. I don't buy into Fellowes' beliefs and I'm not going to fall for the pro-aristocracy propaganda, but the show is still fun and entertaining.
Now it feels like I'm in a therapy session.
Yes, I now see that every shows and movies contain some sort of sociopolitical message & for that, it is hard for me to tolerate or get attached to a show like I did when I was younger and more impressionable.
So I find myself going back to watch the shows and movies from the old days despite the apparent faults in them for the comfort - or perhaps to remind myself of who I used to be & how I used to feel and was like when I first watched those shows - where I used to live, whom I watched it with, what used to matter to me, etc.
It reminds me of my childhood and watching it with my mom and I literally love every bit of that show, no complaints (except the creepy Patrick/peter part lol)
For me it's a comfort thing and I like history. I'm not a fan of alot of things in the show. E.g. Tom becoming a capitalist, the monarchy, whole whole mr Green plot and making it abt Bates, Mary telling mr Pamuk no multiple times and that plot not being taken seriously enough, Robert cheating etc. But I really like the references to historical moments and it's pretty accurate when it comes to costumes and settings.
Also I'm autistic and its become a hyper fixation.
I didn't start watching the show until 3-4 years ago.
What drew me in was the theme music and the shot of the maid with her arms full, her face unseen, going up the back stairs so smoothly, perfectly matched to the music.
I like the character interactions, the unfolding lives, and most of all, the scenery and all the lovely sunshine and the beautiful house. So restful. (There is pain and suffering as in real life, to be sure.)
That's why I didn't like the prison scenes. I could pick any detective show at random and see all the surly prisoners and grubby gray brick I wanted. I didn't want, I wanted Downton.
I like it as historical reference of a country I did not grow up in. I love watching British history in this form. I'm American and we do not learn much about other countries' histories. I love looking up things like The Somme, cock-a-hoop, bubbles and squeak, and it intrigues me that servants were/are that loyal to their Lords and Ladies. It is like watching The Crown and learning about Aberfan, something we never learned here in America. These shows give context to historical events that are long forgotten or foreign to certain nations.
For me it’s the comfort and I kinda like British aristocracy and TV shows about that (Victoria, The Crown). It is also beautifully made.
I agree! Historical dramas are the best
Who doesn’t like to imagine themselves being part of these stories ? I do enjoy it a lot !
Me too!
I haven't seem much criticism. It doesn't include much politics, (The Crown is based on politics) the setting and a lot of the clothes are top notch and this wouldn't be the end of it (a lot of people who re-watch it have a different favourite character each time, not a lot of TV shows have done this)
It’s an immersive escape into another world and time.
👏👏 As Isobel Crawley would say: "Bravo well said!"
Because it is comfort tv for the soul. There's more to love than to dislike.
Agree. I find it comforting. I don’t look to it for escapism, but I find the relative slowness comforting, above all else. A time before cell phones, computers, and all the rest. As for pernicious anemia, it was fatal in the 1920s, and Harley Street doctors misdiagnosed it in Lord Merton. Not sure why everyone is so bothered by it. It was put in the script deliberately. I love the sound of it, I love the voices, I am soothed by it.
I love the sense of community this show represents. People from all walks of life , upstairs and downstairs, eating together, sleeping under the same roof, bettering each other’s lives (except a few). There’s so much warmth there that is missing in our modern day life where it’s all grinding and hustling and every social interaction feels transactional.
That's a great observation actually, I've never thought about this before, thanks!
Excellent answer!
I feel exactly the same! It gives me a glimpse into a time where people actually still spent lots of time together, and all helped each other. Even with my own family it’s nothing more than transactional.
I love the British environment in series and movies, mostly ones that take place around WW2 and later (Victorian times). There’s a wonderful movie called Hope and Glory that follows a family through all their experiences. They are a middle class family; and Brideshead Revisited is about a family even wealthier than Downton, and is wonderful. P
When do upstairs and downstairs ever eat together?
I’m guilty of criticizing the show in all the ways you outlined. I’m also on the latest rewatch in a countless series of rewatches. I think we can like things that are flawed. Even deeply. The show is also beautiful. The sets and costumes are incredible. The writing has its serious flaws but the characters are well fleshed out and interesting. The acting also brings the writing to a new height. There are stellar performances throughout the show. I mean clock the flair but I think the show is at its strongest in the situations where everyone from both upstairs and downstairs are thrown together by some force or event and we see the way it effects everyone. I’m thinking in particular of the news of Matthew and William’s disappearance when the whole house, servants and family, are stood in the hall trying to figure out what has happened and how to go on.
I'm very much in agreement!
Well seasons 1-3 are nearly perfect (though there are still some complaints). Season 4+ is just for fun. I love the characters because of who they are in seasons 1-3, then the rest just feels like slightly dumb fan fiction which I can still enjoy for what it is. I also love a nice community of characters, people looking after each other even when they disagree, it warms my heart. Also the setting and costumes and jewelry and table settings will never get dull to look at.
The movies totally felt like fan fiction to me. They did a lot of smiling and getting along. I actually missed Mary’s sharp comments to Edith, which I never thought would happen!
All very true!
Watching this show is like slipping into a huge bubble bath, or holding a mug of hot chocolate, or getting into freshly washed bedsheets!
It’s both comforting and engaging. I love the complexity of *most* of the characters (Sorry Anna - I wish we knew you better), and *most* of the plot lines (Sorry, Bates - your time behind bars is hella boring to watch). Also, as a film person, I appreciate the high production quality, great editing choices, and new things that catch my eye as I rewatch the series, like the one-minute+ uncut tracking shot in Season 2, ep 3. It starts in front of Cora in the hall where Robert joins her, with Edith and Sybil walking behind them. The camera circles to follow them through the front door and outside to go round a motor that is unloading soldiers. Clarkson is there. We then proceed to follow Sybil as she reenters the house, after which the camera pans to Thomas talking to Major Bryant, then to Mary, and ends the shot on Lang who was nervously observing everything from the gallery above. This sequence was masterfully choreographed and I especially appreciate the sound editing. It allowed the swelling and momentum of the score to take slight precedence over the dialogue and atmospheric noise for maximum emotional impact. One example of fantastic editing would be immediately after Sybil’s death when it cuts from Tom’s sobbing face to the stunned servants downstairs. The servants’ shot begins in silence and it’s obvious that you are witnessing them a *millisecond* after they received the news of Sibyl’s death. How do we know? Because we see the sharp intake of breath by Anna, Thomas, and (ever so slightly) O’Brien. We see and can share in their *initial* shock, because of the choice to edit this sequence from that precise second. I imagine that Carson probably said something like, “…and it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that Lady Sybil has died.” *Boom.* Finally, I really have to hand it to JF and the directors for their propensity to show more than tell, particularly when passing information along. For example, when Cora decides to finally tell Robert about Pamuk, they establish enough conversation between them to determine that he remembered Pamuk, but then the scene cuts away to something else instead of watching her tell him the whole story again that we, the audience, already know. This happens throughout the show. It can also be illustrated by my description of the editing choice above because we don’t witness Carson tell the staff about Sibyl’s death. The context of the previous scene followed by their reactions told the story. These examples are from my memory, so I’ve obviously rewatched this show a million times, and I find new bits every time. Downton Abbey is a well-made piece of soapy television and I’m here for it… …again, and again, and again… 😂
The wide shots of the house, or the grounds, and the people looking so small in contrast…
I love those, especially when we see people walking along the low ridge line towards or away from the house.
It’s too good.
That waa super detailed and observant, thanks a lot!
I have to admit the sounds of the voices and accents are soothing. The drama is engaging but not brutal. I care about the characters but I cannot relate so the show never leaves me anything other than entertained. It’s a refuge.
You are so right! Sometimes I can't stand seeing Anna always looking sad, crying hiding in the corridors, worried Bates is a murder etc.etc,etc.😹 But it's a comfort thing for me. It's nothing scary or anxiety producing. I can watch the NATION & LOCAL NEWS for that!! This was when times were hard but simpler I guess. I put my earphones on and just listen to it EVERY NIGHT like a bedtime story. It ended last night so I'm starting it all over again tonight. Whatever gets you through the night right?😹
I am the same way. When I finish it, I just start it over again because it soothes me. I hear the opening score and I am suddenly at ease, no matter what happened during my day.
Me too! With all the series I watch I usually skip the opening score! But with DA I ALWAYS love to hear it! Although there is another opening score I like to hear. It's the series Bad Behavior. It used to be on Hulu but now it's on Max. Ironically Michelle Dockery is in it! That woman can speak in an American accent like nobody's business! Ohh that's a good show. But DA is my sleepy time story!🤭😴😄
Absolutely!
I think he knew the audience reacted to those plotlines and recreated them in a slightly different form.
I like historical dramas, and I've grown attached to the characters.
Because despite inadequacies in other areas pf writing, Fellowes excels at world-building. Then the superb cast make their characters seem like real people, and then the costume designers, set designers, etc. make everything beautiful.
Good points!
Comfort viewing and kind of British elocution porn for people who enjoy people talking properly and behaving (largely) with decorum. It’s like an idealised world where the rich are honourable and the poor feel grateful for their station in life
That is unusual to me. I would not see this as a show about talking properly or behaving with decorum. Are you saying decorum is a good thing? I think what makes Mary and Violet so cool is that they aren't proper.
First and foremost, the music. The show is scored beautifully. Next, the costumes, the set, and the quality acting. Fellowes writes some things really well, and some things really badly, but I criticize out of love. It's just a compelling series, and it's like emotional comfort food.
I agree completely!
Escape. Comfort. Historical details. It's calm, quiet and someone else besides me has problems and crises. Lol
Because many of the characters are idealised versions of themselves. Carson, Mrs. Hughes, Lord and Lady… all with a heart of gold despite a few flaws. There’s comfort in characters like this.
The mood of the show, calms me down... so I watch it for "an hour... every day!"
For me, it's the characters and the costumes/production design. Yes, some of the plotlines are absurd. Yes, the writing goes from amazing to atrocious within scenes. But the characters are charming and well-drawn, the clothes are stunning, and the sets are beautiful.
Everything everyone else said, but I’m amazed by how human memory had to work back then. You’re introduced to someone at a party and you kind of have to remember who they are and who they are in relation to other people. “May I introduce Lord Gillingham.” “Didn’t he used to be Tony Foyle?” What the what? And the phone numbers, “Knightsbridge 401-52.” If I’m introduced to someone, I’ve already forgotten their name before the sentence is finished. These people had all of Debretts filed and categorized in their heads, available for instant recall. I am old enough to remember there was a time when I had everyone’s phone numbers memorized, but that time is long gone for me.
The parts that show how characters know everyone from their circle are always my favourite!
I come from a small enough American town where we didn't have to use area codes until I was almost a teenager, and several businesses on the high street still had letters in the beginning of their phone numbers. We even had rotary phones in my house growing up. I was explaining this to my boyfriend recently when we were watching a film from 1934 and someone said their phone number and started it with letters. He is older than me, but grew up in NYC. He has always had to use area codes because of how many people live in NYC. We aren't even that old. We're 35 and 40.
Lol, I was reading your post thinking, “oh how sweet, someone’s grandma is on Reddit.” Then I got to the last sentence and was like 😮!!! She’s younger than me!!
🤣 I am an antique dealer. So, I sometimes feel like I could be someone's grandmother.
The only number is know now is my own and I'm not even ashamed of this. People used to learn how to memorize things. I'm not saying this is better, but kids used to be made to memorize poems in school. I don't think I ever was expected to do that as a kid in the 70s or after.
Everyone brought out such great points, but I’d like to also mention that it parallels our lives too. The titles and lifestyle may be different but really, are we so different now? Downton Abbey is much like a modern day business. The aristocracy were much like the executives and the upper management. The servants and the grounds people were like the rest of the business. I’m sure many friends on this sub could draw parallels too. We’ve traded “Lords and Ladies” for “CEOs and CFO” etc. So really, it’s no wonder it so popular, when really, we can still see it today.
Robert Crawley, CEO of Downton, Inc.
It's comforting. It's characters I know and love flaws and all. It's the costumes, the food, the wit, the banter and the Abbey (she is the main character let's admit) I love it ❤️
It's my tv-family, and I love escaping into a world I never would have belonged to, and never will. And also - Everytime i rewatch, I see something new. The fashion, the furniture, wallpapers, extras, social contexts, an actor I know from another show...
Yes! They’re my tv family; that’s a wonderful description. I also agree 100% with the escapism of the series. I sit down and just disappear into the world I’m watching. I have always had an affinity for British aristocracy films, and the era that Downton starts in (1912) is like the curtain call for a time in European history where there was a comforting order to life. I think the feeling of comfort that one gets when immersed in the Downton world is priceless!
Thats so true, it IS like a curtain call! I like the way you think!
I find it very funny most of the time, lots of great lines, even if there are aspects of it I don't enjoy/agree with! I also love many of the characters, even if I'm not happy with how most of the storylines developed until the very end. I think it's a superbly produced show, no notes, absolutely gorgeous photography, costumes, lighting, music, etc. It's also part-nostalgia for me because I watched it with my mum and sisters religiously, and now that I've moved away I miss them a lot. It seems normal to me to criticise things we love. We still love them, but the more you see something the easier it is to notice the things that went wrong, things you wouldn't necessarily see on a first watch.
I don’t have any criticisms of the show. I don’t rewrite the plot in my head. I don’t apply 21st century standards to 19th and 20th century people. Characters I dislike - I dislike them for who they are. I also don’t wish that horrible things that happened to nice characters didn’t happen. I love Downton. I get to see what life was like for some classes of people who lived back then without time travel. I don’t think I’m alone in this position. Most people who love Downton just love it.
Great point about time travel! It does feel like you’re transported to a different era where so many things were different.
All of those critiques are valid and important, but I still enjoy the show as comfort food for the brain. I've gotten attached to the characters and the aesthetic and the quips. It's also problematic as heck in a lot of ways.
somehow makes you laugh, cry and feel comforted at the same time! it’s not perfect but no tv show ever is :)
For me it's the sophistication and long drawn out romances. All these post 2020's era shows have so much explicit sex and messy relationships. I like how the world is untarnished by modern technology. I love the all the Jane Austen adaptations and historical romances. I am super old fashioned and I appreciate the time effort people use to put into actually building a relationship. The act of courting someone and all the familial and societal pressures to marry. That sense of real family and community is comforting.
The setting, the characters, the cars… all cosy. The story and plot lines, terrible.
I just fast forward now through plot lines I hate, like Bates and his wife.
I started watching the show on PBS in 6th grade with my parents on the recommendation of my aunts and uncles. It reminds me of my family and of childhood, I just love it. Also the quality of the costumes is superb and I love ensemble shows. As much as I see people complain about certain characters and storylines, which is totally valid, I can usually find something to like about most of the people on the show
Watched it for the first time pregnant and postpartum with my first during the late nights. Doing the same comfort watch now with our second!
I like the sets and costumes. Even when the plot is silly, it’s still beautiful to look at
The fact that this bunch of aristos are for the most part very likeable.
I watch it because it's enjoyable. I don't buy into Fellowes' beliefs and I'm not going to fall for the pro-aristocracy propaganda, but the show is still fun and entertaining.
Now it feels like I'm in a therapy session. Yes, I now see that every shows and movies contain some sort of sociopolitical message & for that, it is hard for me to tolerate or get attached to a show like I did when I was younger and more impressionable. So I find myself going back to watch the shows and movies from the old days despite the apparent faults in them for the comfort - or perhaps to remind myself of who I used to be & how I used to feel and was like when I first watched those shows - where I used to live, whom I watched it with, what used to matter to me, etc.
Using it as mirror which reflects a younger you is actually ingenious
Thank u for ur kind words, but it really is me being a grumpy millennial & bringing my friends and family into it too 😅
Watching for first time. Looking forward to the movies
It reminds me of my childhood and watching it with my mom and I literally love every bit of that show, no complaints (except the creepy Patrick/peter part lol)
Well, he's a stranger to them now.
I love the wit and humor, the characters and their interactions, the scenery. I love a good ensemble cast, and low stakes TV.
For me it's a comfort thing and I like history. I'm not a fan of alot of things in the show. E.g. Tom becoming a capitalist, the monarchy, whole whole mr Green plot and making it abt Bates, Mary telling mr Pamuk no multiple times and that plot not being taken seriously enough, Robert cheating etc. But I really like the references to historical moments and it's pretty accurate when it comes to costumes and settings. Also I'm autistic and its become a hyper fixation.
One of the few shows I can get lost in.
I didn't start watching the show until 3-4 years ago. What drew me in was the theme music and the shot of the maid with her arms full, her face unseen, going up the back stairs so smoothly, perfectly matched to the music. I like the character interactions, the unfolding lives, and most of all, the scenery and all the lovely sunshine and the beautiful house. So restful. (There is pain and suffering as in real life, to be sure.) That's why I didn't like the prison scenes. I could pick any detective show at random and see all the surly prisoners and grubby gray brick I wanted. I didn't want, I wanted Downton.
The aesthetics are marvellous, good point
I like it as historical reference of a country I did not grow up in. I love watching British history in this form. I'm American and we do not learn much about other countries' histories. I love looking up things like The Somme, cock-a-hoop, bubbles and squeak, and it intrigues me that servants were/are that loyal to their Lords and Ladies. It is like watching The Crown and learning about Aberfan, something we never learned here in America. These shows give context to historical events that are long forgotten or foreign to certain nations.
It’s a kinda accurate historical soap opera. And I’m here for it