I can’t disagree with anything you’ve written, but I enjoyed it anyway.
The character goals are paper thin:
Violet and Mary: Lets save the abbey forever with one project.
Edith: let me work in the 30s with no conflicts between my rigid social and gender roles and none of the need to be with my child that was my whole character arc earlier. And without concerns about another baby scuppering my plans.
Anna and Bates: Sure, we can do our old Downtown jobs with a skeleton staff and still keep up our little cottage and raise our child.
Barrow: I’ve fought my demons and become nice and now I’m Cinderella.
Tom: No, I’m not worried about running two estates with Lady Mary or keeping up two houses when we can’t afford one, nor about the threat of facism.
And so on…
No one worries about the rise of Hitler, worldwide workers rights movements, the lack of antibiotics, or even ancient plumbing or who used too much hot water.
But do I care? Not really. As a final curtain call for characters I spent many seasons with, shared multi-generational discussions about, and enjoyed as an escape with my parents when both were reaching the end of their lives, it was perfect.
Seen as more of an epilogue to the series indicating that all the characters will be rewarded for their loyalty and live happily ever after, it works for me. But less because it is a good story than because of the people I shared Downton with over many many seasons.
My mother and grandmother were glued to every episode of "Upstairs, Downstairs" back in the day. According to my grandmother, "it was a gay time." I never saw "Upstairs, Downstairs," but I did watch the original "Downton" series. My favorite scene was when Mary and her mother and the maid Anna carried the naked dead guy from Mary's bed to his room down the hall. OMG, the look on her mother's face when Mary admitted that the hot-looking dead guy didn't force himself on her. You just knew the mother was rooting for it to be, y'know, the "r" word to protect Mary's virtue.
Never actually watched an episode.
Happy Independence Day, JS!
I can’t disagree with anything you’ve written, but I enjoyed it anyway.
The character goals are paper thin:
Violet and Mary: Lets save the abbey forever with one project.
Edith: let me work in the 30s with no conflicts between my rigid social and gender roles and none of the need to be with my child that was my whole character arc earlier. And without concerns about another baby scuppering my plans.
Anna and Bates: Sure, we can do our old Downtown jobs with a skeleton staff and still keep up our little cottage and raise our child.
Barrow: I’ve fought my demons and become nice and now I’m Cinderella.
Tom: No, I’m not worried about running two estates with Lady Mary or keeping up two houses when we can’t afford one, nor about the threat of facism.
And so on…
No one worries about the rise of Hitler, worldwide workers rights movements, the lack of antibiotics, or even ancient plumbing or who used too much hot water.
But do I care? Not really. As a final curtain call for characters I spent many seasons with, shared multi-generational discussions about, and enjoyed as an escape with my parents when both were reaching the end of their lives, it was perfect.
Seen as more of an epilogue to the series indicating that all the characters will be rewarded for their loyalty and live happily ever after, it works for me. But less because it is a good story than because of the people I shared Downton with over many many seasons.
My mother and grandmother were glued to every episode of "Upstairs, Downstairs" back in the day. According to my grandmother, "it was a gay time." I never saw "Upstairs, Downstairs," but I did watch the original "Downton" series. My favorite scene was when Mary and her mother and the maid Anna carried the naked dead guy from Mary's bed to his room down the hall. OMG, the look on her mother's face when Mary admitted that the hot-looking dead guy didn't force himself on her. You just knew the mother was rooting for it to be, y'know, the "r" word to protect Mary's virtue.