TV Series - Downton Abbey

TV Series - Downton Abbey
Originally aired 26/09/2010-25/12/2015, 6 seasons, total 52 episodes (including the specials).
Duration of episodes : Regular 47-53 ; extended 64-72 & specials 92-93
Executive producers : Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame & Rebecca Eaton

Score: 8/10


This British tv-series is an overall very well made drama which puts great attention to its historic setting in the years 1912 to early 1926. It tells stories of the fictional aristocratic Crawly family, their servants and relatives.

It is also not only highly serialized, it is a saga in which missing a moment can be ok, but never a whole episode because massive events occur in each one. 



I know that there was a historian adviser for the entire 6 years this show was produced and filmed, thus offering a very accurate depiction of the period's customs, costumes, even medical practices and a very lucky finding of cars of this period, in working condition, that appear on screen. 

I really appreciated the tremendous quality in the acting by the entire cast, both up and downstairs - though the writers haven't spared us, the viewers, from many sad events and even deaths occur. Thus, one must have tissues ready for emotional heart wrenching scenes, as well as happier moments. 

Characterization and evolution vary for each person, some with great extent, even up to the very last leg of the show. 

Dialogues are witty, often full of great humour and serve the story or characters greatly. 

Cinematography is superb with rich colors ; my wife pointed out that there is a parallel between it and the evolution of the show, from series to series, which I hadn't personally noticed at first. Some of the scenes are just exquisitely filmed - just like the beautiful costumes worn by the aristocrats, and occasionally those of their servants (such as some of Anna's dresses).    

I'd like to point out just a few things.

• Generally, the show has very little violence and is vary tame. However, there are two graphic scenes to which I'll signal in the bottom section of this post ; to let you know when to expect them though I won't give away their elements. Suffice to say here they are very bloody and should've been rated R. The rest of the show is PG or PG13 in view of many mature topics discussed
• Some of these topics might be a trigger to some, I'll discuss this briefly in the bottom section with as few spoilers as can be
• Although the music is good, and follows a leitmotiv, it does become a bit redundant over the 6 seasons. This is probably the only real technical flaw of this show

To fellow veg readers : 

• Since the main characters are British aristocrats, there are many hunting trips during the show, but you never see an actual hunting. Mostly people riding horses and dogs running. Some of the hunting seasons have these characters shooting their rifles, but the editing of the scenes makes it appear like an actual one when it isn't. Usually, you won't even see a dead animal, though there are 3 very quick scenes in the course of all these hunting trips where you will indeed see what appears to be dead animals (a rabbit in one, a deer in another, and a bird). I don't know if these were real or not, but know that they are very quick. 

• Similarly, some of the locations (castles and the like) visited by the fictional people are in real buildings, where some so-called hunting trophies are displayed but aren't the main focus in general.

In all these hunting related scenes, there are however many important dialogues that shouldn't be skipped because they are part of plots or character developments. 

• Costumes include some fur, realistic for the period but aren't the focus of the show 

• The kitchen was a set, and therefore many of the foods were fake ones. This is due to the main filming location, a real mansion where people actually live and who have turned the place into a museum.

The cast... Some of them in photo, most of everyone in names further down 

Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay, Samantha Bond, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Tom Cullen, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Siobhan Finneran,Michael Fox, Joanne Froggatt, Matthew Goode, Harry Hadden-Paton, Thomas Howes, Lily James, Robert James-Collier, Allen Leech, Rose Leslie, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Matt Milne, Lesley Nicol, Amy Nuttall, Julian Ovenden, David Robb, Andrew Scarborough, Maggie Smith, Ed Speleers, Dan Stevens, Cara Theobold, Penelope Wilton


Order of episodes is as follows - each series is comprised of 8 episodes, except for series 1 with 7 episodes - special episodes aired on Christmas 

series 1 > series 2 > first special Christmas at Downton Abbey > series 3 
> second special A journey to the highlands > series 4> special the London season 
>series 5> A Moorland holiday > series 6> The Finale 




Downton Abbey... in the medias

I chose the cheapest way to buy the entire show, the 2016 bluray box set, but before I discuss it in more detail, let me explain the other choices I didn't take.

First, the French dvd or BD box sets for the entire show are the only way to get it in France, whilst buying individual seasons one by one results in missing some of the Christmas specials, thus missing huge portions of story, as each of these lasts 93 or so minutes. 

Actually, It is possible to buy the UK dvd or BD series by series and the specials separately, thus taking quite a bit of space, which would be an acceptable solution but would have cost quite a bit more than getting the entire box set. 

So, I chose EAN 5053083096984

It is very compact, but not such a good product. Indeed, it is a flimsy boxset which opens like a bad book, in which the discs are stacked on top of each other in 2's & 3's,  and are very hard to take out. (I shall post a photo of it here, soon) 

Each time, I feared I'd either break the discs or otherwise scratch them, and the end result is that I'll buy a cd-travel pouch to put them in to avoid any kind of damage - but if it had been financially interesting, I would've returned it and gotten everything separately in the future, once prices had become more affordable. 

This is such a shame, because it wouldn't have taken that much more space to put the discs in slim boxes, not for 22 discs.

Now, to the technical aspects : 

all BD's are region locked to B, offering the show in full 1080p HD image, and... 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound. 

Each disc has either a special, or anywhere between 2 and 4 episodes in varying length (see above).

I haven't explored any of the bonuses yet (5 hours + commentaries), and won't do so for some time.


They are :

• Deleted Scenes 
• Behind The Scenes 
• Interviews: Shirley Maclaine 
• Making Of Documentary

 Other Documentary: '
House in History', 'House to Hospital', 'Fashion and Uniforms', 'Romance in a Time of Warfare', ''Downton Abbey' in 1920', 'Lady Mary's Wedding Day', 'Lady Edith's Wedding Day', 'The Men of 'Downton Abbey'', 'The Downton Diaries', 'New Arrivals', 'The Roaring Twenties', 'A Day With Lady Rose', 'The Manners of 'Downton Abbey'', 'More Manners of 'Downton Abbey'', 'The Cars of Downton', 'Farewell Highclere', 'Changing Times', 'The Story of 'Downton Abbey'', 'The Creator's Favourite Scenes', 'Supercuts', 'BAFTA Celebrates 'Downton Abbey''

About those few warnings mentioned above :

• The show isn't graphic but in season 6, episodes 5 & 8, there are two graphic scenes. The one is episode 5 lasts a good 50-60 seconds and is OVERLY bloody. I'm afraid I also must point this one out to those who suffer like me from emetophobia, so if you do, when you see the festive meal and a character announces not to feel well, fast forward - and if you can, don't watch it alone so the person can tell you when it's over. 

Be warned the character is question is carried away a couple screen-minutes later (I couldn't tell you precisely as of yet), with some visible blood as well and I personally preferred not to look. 

• The one in episode 8 is shorter, and not overly graphic ; it is still bloody and you'll be forewarned by many clues leading to it and then to characters about to enter a room in a rush... that's where you need to avoid looking (for about 30-40 seconds I would say).

• If you are like me and dislike medical procedures, there is one, not graphic, but could be a bit disturbing in the village's hospital during the first season (episode 2) - very short scene

• The last bit of spoiler I must signal to those who may have trigger from it. Someone is sexually assaulted. The only on-screen moment is the beginning of the attack, and then the edit doesn't show the rape itself. All this is upsetting enough and you must know, there is no immediate resolution as a plot lasting some episodes brings the topic back in dialogues, so if you are watching this show, you must know it.