Downton Abbey

Thanks to Amazon Prime, my wife and I recently binged on Downton Abbey, a show that seems to be sweeping the planet with it's soap opera tales of life in aristocratic England, circa early 20th century.

I couldn't understand the draw to the show at first. After all, as an American, my forefathers fought a bloody, multiyear year war, the purpose for which was to cast off the yoke of aristocratic rule. Why should a show about people still clinging to such outdated concepts be that wonderful a show to watch?

After catching up with the Season 4 opener, I think I can see the attachment to the show. The show is about the people, both above the stairs and below. It's about their relationships between each other in their particular class, and their relationships with those above and below their social standing. It's about the struggle to stay on top of where ever life has placed you.

It's about a time when people are beginning to throw off the shackles of class, which to this American, is particularly interesting. One of the "Ladies" of the house falls in love with her chauffeur. Not just any lower class man, but an Irish Republican revolutionary! Their child eventually becomes owner of the estate.

Another of the Crawley ladies looks like she's going to be "shacking up" with a married man, albeit it a married man whose wife is clinically insane and locked up in an asylum. We still haven't met the wife, so time will tell if the stories of her inability to love her husband are true.

And its a story of people who are "rich" in the truly American sense. They are in debt up to their eyeballs and really have no cash. Taxes are about to destroy their wealth. They have to have the latest of everything. It's keeping up with the Joneses at its best!

Will Lord Richard be able to maintain control of the estate, or will the influence of his "liberated" daughter and his socialist son-in-law destroy everything he holds dear? Will the middle daughter really run off to Germany with a married man? Will Daisy the cook ever really find true love?

Tune in next time to find out!

Castle, Oct 29, 2013

The 2013 Halloween episode of Castle was as excellent as any of the series to date. The dialogue was as Whedon-esque as ever, rapid back and forth banter with frequent pop culture references("A felonious monk! Ha!) The cut scenes flowed smoothly.  And the music was appropriately light and ominous at the same time. 

Of course, Nathan Fillion is the shows standout. His way of blending the every-man persona with witty, rich-guy sensibilities  makes him irrestible to males and females alike. He has excellent comedic timing, with facial expressions that say everything while saying nothing at all. It's amazing that he hasn't migrated to the big screen more often. 

And since day 1, Castle has been able to do something that so many shows have not; it has a strong female lead that comes across as tough and no nonsense while still appearing feminine. Stana Katik is superb in this role. Too many shows today try much too hard to make their female lead really just a man. It doesn't work. We love strong female characters, and when it's done right, like in Castle, it's knockout. But when it doesn't work ( think Prime Suspect) it fails miserably.