"Downton Abbey" is a British historical drama that ended in 2015. Because of my newfound fascination with period dramas in the past year, this show was recommended to me. I just finished watching Season 1 and I'm looking forward to watching and reviewing all six seasons.
Season one begins in 1912 with the tragic news that the unsinkable Titanic has sunk. Included on the passenger list were the men who were to inherit Downton. Their presumed death sets the stage for the two main conflicts in the series. Who will inherit Downton since the entail requires it to go to a male and the Granthams only have daughters? Secondly, who, if anyone, will Lady Mary, the eldest daughter, marry? She was engaged to one of the next heirs who was aboard the Titanic, though she does not miss him as one would normally miss a fiancé they just lost. Next in line to inherit Downton is someone they do not know and they are not sure they want an unknown to be the new heir.
Of particular interest to me is the character of Mr. Bates and how the other characters interact with him. Mr. Bates was injured in a war, walks with a limp, and uses a cane. I had not heard of a disabled character being in Downton Abbey, so this was a welcome surprise for me. It is great that the disability community has representation in this series. However, it is my understanding that the actor who plays Mr. Bates, Brendan Coyle, does not have disability in real life. I can't find anything online that confirms or denies this. I believe it would be clearly stated somewhere if he did have a disability, so I am going with the assumption that he does not. He's a phenomenal actor and his character is very likeable. However, this role should have gone to an actor who is disabled. Nevertheless, I am curious to see how his story will unfold over the next six seasons. If you already know, please do not spoil it for this latecomer!
I am not sure what it was really like for people with disabilities back then, but it surprised me when he threw his limp corrector in the pond after it started causing him more problems. Medical equipment like that, at least these days, is not cheap. I've had problems with my leg braces, but instead of throwing them into a pond, I got help to make them work for me. But again, perhaps times were different back then. I'll have to do more research on that to satisfy my own curiosity and to see how accurate this is. I don't want to do too much research into anything having to do with Downton Abbey at this time, though, because I may end up accidentally reading a spoiler for seasons I have not yet seen.
The interaction Mr. Bates has with the rest of the characters is realistic. Some are accepting of his disability and are willing to give him a chance, while others assume he is not capable of doing his job and insist he leaves. Especially bitter is Thomas whose job Mr. Bates has taken over. Throughout the season, Thomas and O'Brien work together to try to have Mr. Bates fired.
Another aspect to Mr. Bates's character is the budding (more than) friendship with head housemaid, Anna. Anna is probably my favorite character in this entire series so far. She is the only one who accepts and befriends Mr. Bates from beginning to end. She sees the good in people, but she stands up for when something isn't right. She has a quiet strength about her. Eventually, Anna confesses her love for Mr. Bates. He is hiding some dark secret and insists that he cannot reciprocate, but it is clear that he does love her back. We never do get a final answer on this deep, dark secret that Mr. Bates his hiding in Season 1, which makes me curious about Season 2!
There is so much depth to Season 1 and its characters. It is filled with love, hate, kindness, deceit, mystery, and themes that, even though it takes place more than 100 years ago, are still relevant today. I could easily do entire blog posts on many of the characters. Perhaps eventually I will.
Something else I love about this series is all the fun facts I'm learning. For example, there's a quirky little scene involving a swivel chair and the fact that Thomas Jefferson invented it. Who knew??? I sure didn't! Season 1 takes place during a time when the telephone had already been invented, but it was not yet widely used. In one scene, it was rather amusing to watch Carson, the butler, play with a new phone they just got, as if he were a child playing with a new toy. Cars are relatively new as well in Season 1, and so is electricity. In fact, Daisy, an assistant cook, wonders out loud why they even need electricity. The world sure has changed!
No comments:
Post a Comment