Downton Abbey: Seasons 1 & 2

I finally got around to seeing the first two seasons of Downton Abbey and can attest that the series lives up to the hype. These two seasons covered the goings on in a fictitious British estate from 1912 to 1920, covering the sinking of the Titanic, the outbreak and entirety of World War I, and the Spanish Flu pandemic. Each of these historic events sends ripples through the titular household, affecting the lives of the masters, the servants, and the heredity of the estate itself. While a few long-running story arcs exist, particularly concerning the romantic endeavors of the masters and servants alike, the show's primary purpose seems to be the exploration of the decline of the power of the British aristocracy in the early 20th century. This isn't so apparent in the first season, which essentially lays out the pre-war system and all of its pros and cons, but it's much more visible in the second season. Here, the war has taken its toll on everyone; the sprawling mansion has been converted into a hospital for the wounded, the noble family's daughters are taking up blue collar jobs like nursing and driving, and nobles and common folk alike are serving in the trenches in France, all of them equally likely to take a bullet or two. The series stops short of getting really provocative with some of tis themes. It never really finds a way to subvert any of the master-servant relationships, for example, and the character-specific stories it tells are fairly straightforward and often predictable. Still, this is an exceptional period drama loaded with great British acting and wonderful production value. My biggest criticism of the show is more of a nitpick; these first two seasons span eight years of story, and yet no character appears to have aged by more than the two years it took to shoot them. I understand the impracticality of putting five years' worth of aging make-up on twenty principle cast-members every episode, but the gradual effect of eight years of time passage across sixteen episodes - or lack thereof - is definitely noticed in the long run, especially on the youngest actors. Of course, if this is the series' biggest flaw, the series isn't all that flawed. At its best, Downton Abbey is an addicting and entertaining period piece. At its worst, its merely a melodramatic soap opera. I'll definitely be checking out Season 3 on PBS this upcoming winter and I'm glad to finally be caught up with one of the most talked about dramas on TV today. Next up in that department? Homeland. Holy shit, do people love Homeland.