I got sucked in to Downton about a year ago and it’s been quite a ride. My enjoyment of it has many facets. At times it’s a guilty pleasure, at times it’s a historical reference, and at other times it’s a commentary on class dividing lines applicable to today’s society. This thing has some range.
At the mid-point of season three I started to feel a little cheated because it began showing signs of jumping the shark. I got this feeling in episode three, when the Dowager Countess couldn’t stop making flippant comments while Thomas was describing the torching of the House that forced him to flee to Downton. It feels like the writers are starting to augment quirky and interesting things to make them quirkier and interestinger.
That was my lone insight into my feelings on this season. Other than that, I just watch to enjoy. Any critiques I have really don’t matter because I can’t stop watching regardless of how I feel about it. This thing is now too integrated into my life to mess with; I watch it with my wife, discuss it with Facebook friends, and even had a quick conversation about it with my golf buddy. What the $^@&?
Golf buddy? Seriously? Yeah, I know.
Here’s some further reading, if you can stand pop-up advertisements – this takedown by Maureen Ryan on the Huffington Post describes why boxing in the writer with the real world of contract negotiations may be a good thing.
Now I just need to push it out of my mind, for like a year I think, until season four starts. That won’t be too hard, but I’ll welcome it with open arms when it’s back.