Monday, February 10, 2014

Downton Abbey

So, a couple of weeks ago I began the Call the Midwife series and loved the first two episodes.  But since then I haven't been in precisely the right mood for it - I love it, but I'm going to need to space out my viewing of them and prolong the pleasure and intensity of it.

I thus found myself wanting to find a series that I could sink my teeth into a bit while I was between Call the Midwife episodes.  This weekend, while browsing Netflix, I saw that the first two seasons of Downton Abbey are now available (maybe it has been for a while, I don't know).  Given how many people I know who rave about that show, I decided to give it a whirl.

Why did no one tell me that Brendan Coyle was also in Downton Abbey???  He played the role of Nicholas Higgins in one of my all-time favourite movies, North and South and I love him!  And Maggie Smith??!  And Elizabeth McGovern??!

I had no idea...I would have been all over this show from the beginning had I known who some of the actors were.

Also, I'd never heard anything about the storyline and had somehow formed an impression that it was something like a Have You Been Served show - a series popular with my mother-in-law in the past, but one that I've never really been drawn to.

But this.  This I need to watch.  Downton Abbey is a period piece of precisely the nature I normally LOVE!!  Heavens, why am I so late to the game?  How many seasons are there?  Are new episodes still being aired, or is the series complete?

The bottom line is this...I need to get on this.  I've watched one full episode now and have started the second.  It. Is. Awesome.

The kids may need to watch a lot of Olympics in the coming two weeks...I, eh-hem, may have other priorities.

What, I missed snowboarding?  Shoot...so sorry, kids.

Higgins, I'm coming for you...call yourself Bates now, if you must, but I know who you really are.


5 comments:

  1. Awfully funny that this post is right above a post that is titled 'Sharpening Our Focus on What's Important'. Yes indeedy! ;) We love Downton in our house too!! All of us - including the kids! There are 4 seasons, and they are currently shooting a 5th. That's all they're committed to at this point in time. The Brits do things much differently and don't sign long term contracts for tv series. (Google is my friend here)

    Season 4 is available in DVD form @ Costco right now, or it's available for download from the itunes store. Handy to play on your ipad. (It's currently playing on PBS, so it won't be on Netflix for a while.) If you prefer to have the dvds rather than rely on the vagaries of Netflix, it's cheaper to get them from amazon.ca than amazon.com. And there you have it. The wealth of my retail experience. We did see the Dowton boxset before Christmas @ Costco, but you know Costco. Buy it when you see it, because if you don't, it may be gone next time you go. :)

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    1. Too funny..I thought the same thing about the timing of these two posts, and then thought that I needed to lighten up a little after a couple of heavier posts lately!!

      Thanks for letting me know where the series is at - yay! - lots more to come.

      I also just, after reading your comment, look on Couch Turner (I think that's what it's called) and you can stream all four seasons there for free...even better than buying the DVDs. You have to put up with closing a bunch of ads before the show actually starts, but it seems to be a pretty good option.

      And yes, if all else fails, there's always Costco!

      Thanks C...now, let's get on with the stuff that's REALLY important!

      Great day!

      Ruth

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  2. Isn't funny how we sometimes get the wrong impression of things? It happens to me all the time with TV and books - especially the ones that are very popular. The good side is that when I actually give them a chance, I often get a pleasant surprise. (And I can watch a bunch of seasons at once, instead of having to wait from season to season like everyone who got on the bandwagon back at the beginning did!)
    Glad you have some fun TV watching to enjoy this winter -and here's hoping it (winter) will be over long before you get to the end of season 4!Sonja

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    1. How true! And I agree, that it's great to be able to watch a bunch in a row, rather than having to wait.

      The only thing is...I'm not sure that winter's going to be over by the time I catch up on Downton Abbey - I just realized that there aren't that many episodes/series, which means I'm (sadly) going to get through them a bit faster than I wish. But still, even at 2 episodes/week, that'll still take a while!

      Thanks Sonja!

      Ruth

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  3. I love Downton Abbey but I didn't watch until the 2nd season so I had to play catch up too.I didn't know any of the actors except Maggie Smith because of Harry Potter. lol I do love history and Downton has had me doing lots of research trying to understand Britain.

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