... I could do without the Upstairs/Downstairs stuff.
Delving into the lives and machinations of the Downstairs staff makes sense in a show where the Upstairs residents are rather unimportant members of the nobility (like in Downton Abbey or U/D). But when the Upstairs resident is arguably the most important monarch in the history of the British Empire, I honestly don't give a crap about the chambermaids and the kitchen staff.
I agree.
I don't hate the downstairs staff, but I have the feeling the show could have been a much snappier set of episodes without it. It seems a bit too Downton to me.
Downton is done. Create a new dynamic, ITV.
I agree, I couldn't care less about the kitchen staff and every time it cuts to them I hope it ends quickly. The interest is in the life of a monarch, not a made up character who does her hair...
shareI agree: the upstairs/downstairs bits are especially gristly chunks in the overall swill of Victoria.
"There is a certain ecstasy in wanting things you know you can't have"
Elizabeth I is the most important monarch of the British Empire not Victoria and certainly not this 'washed' version of Victoria where they try everything to make her likeable and relatable, while she was very narrow minded, not very clever and said awful things about her own kids, about women rights (Elizabeth I was far ahead 300 yrs before) and was very hypocrital about sexuality.
Of course I'm not talking about Jenna Coleman, whose performance I appreciated.
That said, I agree the downstair stuff is completely useless in the show.
the downstairs stuff is completely useless in the show
That is true, I just don't think it was well written. Like in Downton Abbey, you cared about the downstairs storylines, here most people don't.
shareI did not care about the downstairs storylines in Downton Abbey either. But I guess I'm in the minority.
shareI'm not the best suited person to answer because I liked them but I guess you are right assuming you are in the minority (which of course doesn't mean you're wrong), at least as far as I know. Amongst the few people I know that watched Downton as I did - my parents and some friends - no one disliked those storylines or felt they were irrelevant or dull or whatever. My only complaint would be that they dragged on the Bates/Anna/jail storyline way too long.
shareMy problem was I did not like most of the characters, so whatever happened to them was irrelevant to me. Among the downstairs people I only had any interest in Thomas and Branson. The latter fell into the upstairs category afterwards, and the former wasn't given very good storylines, in my opinion.
As for Anna and Bates, I found them extremely boring/annoying. Especially her, I couldn't stand her.
But still, I understand the servants having screetime in a show like Downton Abbey, but not in a show about historical figures. Aren't their lives interesting enough?