TV REVIEW
DOWNTON ABBEY,
Channel 7, Sunday 9pm
THE death of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) in the Christmas special last year shocked the Brits big time and many critics thought the demise of Matthew would also hasten the demise of Downton Abbey.
It had three big series and sure it had lost some of the shine from it’s hugely popular first outing but with Matthew and Lady Mary at it’s core, it was safe right? And then a car crash ended it all.
And yet series four (we are four episodes in) is still attracting big numbers (almost a million people tuned in to watch this weekend’s) and some clever writing and great acting has us all still enjoying the many misadventures of the Crawleys and their servants.
I suppose at it’s heart it is peopled with interesting character and very talented actors and with Julian Fellowes attention to historic detail and the amazing Maggie Smith (and coming up soon Shirley McLean) Downton Abbey is a cut above the usual period pieces.
To be honest, while I have a lot of friends and family that are hooked, I tend to dip in and out of the melodrama of the Abbey but last night I tuned in again to see the long-suffering Anna being dealt another blow and you can only wonder if it will lead to another “Bates” moment while of course Mary is being courted again.
It feels a little like things are repeating themselves which is a bit of a shame for a show that had (and kind of still does) such a huge cult following.
-Tania Phillips
