MovieChat Forums > Downton Abbey (2011) Discussion > Would DA have been better has it started...

Would DA have been better has it started in 1920 (not 1912)

posted 7 years ago by brokedickdog5
5 replies | jump to latest

I'm American and I was a fan of this show. Downton Abbey starts in 1912 with the sinking of H.M.S. Titanic.

I found the war episodes to be so appalling that I skipped almost all of Season 2.

I loved the Machiavellian actions and schemes of both the Royals and the servants.

The war episodes were grim. Difficult for me to watch. I'm not against portraying war in a film or a series it is just that is not why I wanted to watch Downton Abbey.

Do you think the series would have been better had it started in 1920 two years after the end of WWI?

[–] TheDuchessofM 7 years ago

Downton would have been better had it not jumped from 1912-14 in season 1. Season 2 is my favorite--I love WWI era--but the steep decline in the writing quality (and the way he skipped from 1916-1919 in eight episodes) proves that being forced to account for WWI threw him for a loop.

I wish Downton's first two seasons had focused on the pre-war era. S1: 1912-13 and S2: 1913-14.

[–] rossana-mlv 7 years ago

I feel the same way. Season 1 is my favorite and always skip S2 for the same reason. Maybe they could have handle the war differently?

[–] Moonlighty 7 years ago

I think the show is about the changing times, so sticking it all in the 20s for me would defeat the point.

-
Consider the daffodil. And while you're doing that I'll be over here looking through your stuff.

[–] brokedickdog5 7 years ago

I think the show is about the changing times, so sticking it all in the 20s for me would defeat the point.

Good points.

I liked Season 2 Episode 1. That is where the women gave white feathers to men who were not serving in uniform.

One gives a feather to Tom who was still a Chauffeur. He gives her a mischievous smile and says "I'm wearing a uniform." She says "Wrong kind."

http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/White_feather_girls

The rest of S2 was difficult for me to watch so I skipped some episodes.

[–] tomcervo 7 years ago

I liked Season 2 Episode 1. That is where the women gave white feathers to men who were not serving in uniform.
One gives a feather to Tom who was still a Chauffeur. He gives her a mischievous smile and says "I'm wearing a uniform." She says "Wrong kind."

And that was the moment when I started to like Tom.
That was a common occurrence for men not in uniform, to the point that men invalided out of the service had to wear lapel badges identifying them as such to avoid being confronted by these harridans.
One very clever response was to say "I'm sorry, but I do not speak to strange women who accost me in the street".
Which is a polite way to say prostitute.