A Downton Abbey listicle!

SPOILERS!

 

Best character : Mrs. Hughes, and I'm glad she retained her name when she married fuddy-duddy Mr. Carson.

Second-best character: Mrs. Patmore, and isn't she ready to be Head Chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant by series' end?

Character I started out hating but wound up adoring about halfway through: Isobel Crawley. She was so mealy-mouthed, especially with the Dowager spitting staircase wit all around her. But I loved her tough-minded spirit and her ability to plain talk through a situation.

Hottest character: Tough call but probably Henry Talbot, although don't sleep on Lord Grantham's zaddy energy (drool here).

Character treated with the most cruel indifference by the upstairs (for a time!): Moseley - they couldn't find anything for him to do after Matthew died, especially with all sorts of help running around downstairs throughout the entire series?

Character who could have used a fresh Dynasty-style slap and I don't recall her ever getting one: Take a wild guess (rhymes with "scary")!

Character who could have used not a slap per se but maybe a thorough shaking: Daisy, especially because Andy was cute and he had cool hair (see below).

Character who should have gotten some (more): Barrow. Yes, he was a jerk. But maybe he wouldn't have been had he traipsed up to London now and then for some alley nookie. 

Fun, trashy movie featuring Mrs. Hughes (Phyllis Logan): No Way Up (Claudio Fäh, 2024)

Great movie I watched in the midst of watching Downton Abbey: Gosford Park (Robert Altman, 2001)

TV series I should probably check out after watching Downton Abbey: Upstairs Downstairs (the 1970s one)

Already caught up: The Gilded Age

Savviest aspect of the series: The fact that most of the stories come at you in 50-second soapy chunks.

Most elegant aspect of the series: How the theme song plays over the first shot/bit of dialogue in each episode.

One-word line that could have been said to every character who realizes something in the final episode: "Duh!," e.g., Lord Grantham realizing how hard Cora works at the hospital. Duh!

What the title of the final episode should have been: "Duh!"

Level of corn in the final episode: About waist-high but perfectly acceptable. Terrific show!