You don’t have to be a professional literary critic to know this: A bona fide story is driven by an author’s vision of reality. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. A soap opera—on the other hand—is driven by the contract negotiations of its actors. It has a beginning, an implausible-stringing-along-until-the-ratings-give-out, and an end.
Forgive me for preferring the integrity of the former over the dishonesty of the latter and for coming to the conclusion that “Downton Abbey” has firmly ensconced itself in the latter category. I had high hopes that the elaborate drama would transcend, but the program is turning out to be nothing more than “Dallas” at tea.
5 Comments
Paula Bolyard (@pbolyard)
And we didn’t even get good writing for having to take that late hit. After at least a solid hour of foreshadowing about the sheer luck of how wonderfully Matthew and Mary’s lives had turned out, who didn’t think Matthew had that coming? Or rather, who didn’t see it coming? Just awful. Not sure I’ll bother to watch next year. Someone Tweeted that next year’s plot twists will include Isis contracting rabies and killing baby Sibyl and Bates dumping Anna to run off with Edna.
Lori
Agreed Denny. I still remember my annoyance when I got to the end of the last episode of Season 1 because I thought I was watching a mini series and that it would end. I started to get more and more agitated in that last episode when nothing was being wrapped up. However, I was hooked so I have continued to watch. I think they have cured me. I don’t think I will tune in next season.
Roger
Agreed, yet, now that my wife has me hooked, I truly enjoy the quick wit of Mrs. Hughes, Mrs. Crawley, and the Dowager Countess. The only two shows from the US to have similarly good lines for characters are Elementary and News Room.
barry joslin
Agreed. Could not believe the poor writing in that final episode.
julie barnes
To me, it felt like from the very beginning that DA had an agenda which was revealed in one of the early episodes. The homosexual kiss was supposed to make us “ok” with such things. “They were happening all the way back then after all!” We were supposed to love it even if we found that particular scene repulsive. We were supposed to want to watch anyway because Masterpiece Theatre has had so many good series over the years. Sorry, I didn’t take the bait…turned it off, never to watch again.