So, one of
my wishes for the new year is blown already. I am still concerned how the
series will go on without the hero, but the rest of the Downton crew used the special to persuade us that they will do
their level best to keep the show on the road, and I’m more hopeful than I was
that the hero vacuum will be filled
somehow (probably by Branson, tamest revolutionary on the planet). And at least
an heir is born, so there will be no Heir from Outside Mk II coming in – this,
I believe, the fans would not have stood for. As for Stevens, I do understand
why he may have a yearning to play something else than the decent, somewhat
priggish Matthew. But I wonder if it was a wise career move. It’s not as if he
was a household name before Downton,
so his fans will for the most part be Downton
fans, and they will be put out with him for some time to come for jumping ship.
I’m almost
starting to feel that there’s a jinx on my Downton
blogs. I praise the villain alliance between Miss O’Brien and Thomas – and they
fall out. I dare to hope that Matthew won’t be written out – and he is written out. On the upside, it works
in a positive way as well. Thomas has braved the Errol Flynn curse and came out
of his latest misadventure surprisingly well at the end of series three. In my
opinion, Rob James-Collier would have deserved a Golden Globe nod for so
believably making the transition from arrogant prat to poor little black
baa-lamb. Taking full responsibility for
his latest disaster with quiet dignity; sobbing vulnerably in the rain; in a
word, Thomas completely floored me, and
I’m now more than ready to give this particular baddie a dispensation for his
lack of brains. At least the ridiculously easily-suggestible darling isn’t
thick the way Alfred is: you couldn’t suggest anything to Alfred, as he
wouldn’t be able to take the hint.
As for Miss
O’Brien, her plots achieved a black grandeur far from petty shirt-pilfering, so
we can expect more high-quality villainy in the future. There was a suggestion
in the Christmas special that she was longing for a change: well, she can keep
on longing. Her talents are needed in Downton.
Her nephew, though, should feel free to pursue his dreamed-of career in food.
Scripting a
hit show like this must be frustrating, as the characters who leave are not
necessarily the ones who would, normally, be the most likely to. Not only the
actors, but also the (real or perceived) wishes of the viewers, are far more
important than the characters’ own wants. Why Thomas would choose to stay, even
as under-butler, in a house where his relationship to just about all the male
staff is problematic to say the least is a mystery. Also, you’d expect Daisy
to jump at the chance of taking over her father-in-law’s farm rather than stay
on slaving in the castle kitchen. Branson wanted to get away, but was hauled back
(even at the price of killing off Sybil rather than keeping her on as an
invisible off-shore family member). I suspect (though I hesitate to say it and
jinx it) these characters are not going anywhere. As long as the actors don’t
quit, Downton fans will keep them
exactly where they are.
