QueenKalie Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 I miss all the good stuff when I spend 90% of the day playing video games instead. Oh well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Chris Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 (edited) This write-up won’t be as detailed as my previous ones as I want to have motivation for the Top 20, but I will do my best to cover all the important aspects of Downton Abbey, one of my favourite shows. To say that I was disappointed with its elimination would be an understatement as it is, in my opinion, one of the most brilliant historical dramas to ever be made - surprisingly enough, I only watched Downton Abbey last year after my partner telling me to watch it for the past 3 years. And much to his delight, I became an instant fan of the show - it has everything I love in an historical drama… Before I talk about the show and specific season, it is important to introduce the show for people who have never heard of it (e.g.: probably Wally). As mentioned earlier, Downton Abbey is a historical drama, originally from the UK but aired on PBS in North America from 2010/2011 until 2015. It is produced & written by Julian Fellowers, who is also known for Young Victoria & the Titanic miniseries. The show was incredibly well received by the public and critics especially due to its writing and the acting, and rightfully so as the cast is incredible. I won’t be naming every cast members but the show features the following, to name a few; Maggie Smith, Jessica Findlay, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Dan Stevens, Joanne Froggattt, Brendan Coyle, Phylis Logan, Allen Leech, and Lily James. OVERVIEW In the Yorkshire country estate known as Downton Abbey, we follow the lives of the Crawley family, an aristocratic family, and the lives of their servants between 1912 and 1926. THE CHARACTERS Robert Crawley Portrayed by Hugh Bonneville, Robert Crawley is currently the Earl of Grantham and the head of the estate. Throughout the series, we see Robert as someone with traditional values, notably when it comes through change in society. One of his biggest strengths is his protectiveness & loyalty towards his family as well as the servants of Downton Abbey. Cora Crawley Portrayed by Elizabeth McGovern, Cora Crawley is known as Lady Grantham. She comes from a wealthy American family where she is the heiress. Upon her marriage to Lord Grantham, she has since adopted the British lifestyle but she still has her American way of thinking, especially when it comes to her being more open-minded than the rest of the family. Violet Crawley Portrayed by Maggie Smith, Violet Crawley known as The Dowager Countess of Grantham is the matriarchal figure of the family. She is best known for her quick wit, despite her age. She is also known for her hot & cold relationship with Cousin Isobel & Cora, especially when it comes to them being more forward-thinking while she is more of a traditional individual who is struggling to find her place in the new “modern” world. Mary Crawley The brilliant Michelle Dockery portrays Lady Mary. She is the eldest daughter of Lord Grantham & Lady Grantham, and she is the main focus of the series. Upon her first introduction, Lady Mary was portrayed as cold but she eventually shows more compassion and vulnerability as the series progresses. Out of her sisters, she is the one who is more devoted to Downton Abbey, which she will preside over one day. Edith Crawley Lady Edith, portrayed by Laura Carmichael, is the middle child of the Crawley’s; she often feel as the forgotten one as she feels that she does not have the looks, nor is she daring & passionate unlike her two sisters. However, as the series progresses, Lady Edith finds her voice as a journalist where she will eventually put her leadership skill to the test when she is in charge of a magazine company. In the end, Lady Edith finds happiness! Sybil Crawley Jessica Brown Findlay portrays Lady Sybil, the youngest daughter of the Crawleys. Lady Sybil is known for her political activism and wanting to break free from the social restrictions of the time. She managed to do so by enlisting herself as a nurse during the WWI, and she eventually fell in love with Tom Branson who is the chauffeur of the family as well as a Irish nationalist. In other words, Lady Sybil is the rebel of the family! The Servants And now to the servants of the family, there’s quite a few of them and we get introduced to new servants throughout the series. However, the main characters since Series 1 are; Mr. Carson - the butler, Mrs Hughes - the head housekeeper, John Bates - Lord Grantham’s valet, Anna Smith - Maid to Lady Mary, Thomas Barrow - under buttler, Miss O’Brien - Lady Granthanm’s personal maid, Daisy Mason - kitchen maid, and Mrs. Patmore - the cook & in charge of the kitchen. SERIES ONE The first series serves us as an introduction to the Crawley family, where we are introduced to Robert Crawley, also known as the Earl of Granthman - we find out that Robert was able to fix the family’s financial situation when he married Cora who is an American heiress. However, they must find an heir to the family estate which means finding a husband for their eldest daughter, Mary; this is what the series primarily focuses on. As Lady Mary was set to marry her 2nd cousin, Patrick who was the son of the presumptive-heir. Unfortunately for the Crawleys, this did not end up happening as Patrick and his father were going to America via the Titanic - they did not survive the tragedy. Following Patrick’s death, we are introduced to another character who is the new heir-presumptive - Matthew Crawley; we then focus on his relationship with Mary where they are both resisting each other. We are also introduced to the majority of the servants where we get to learn more about each character. The biggest storyline when it comes to the servants is the rivalry between John Bates who is Lord Grantham’s new valet, and Thomas Barrow who is the footman; the latter tries to sabotage Mr. Bates when only comes to backfire. The series ends with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, and this leads us into Series 2. SERIES TWO The 2nd series focuses primarily on the effect of World War I on Downton Abbey - Matthew is now a British Army Office; William, one of their servants, is drafted despite the efforts of Lady Grantham to avoid it, and Barrows also joins the army after handing in his resignation. Meanwhile, Lady Sybil became a nurse, and Downton Abbey was transformed into a convalescent hospital. It also focuses on the romance between different characters: William Mason and Daisy, the kitchen maid; Lady Sybil & Tom Branson as their relationship progresses due to her political beliefs, and Lady Mary starting to realize her feelings for Matthew who is engaged to another individual - they both admit they are in love with each other. And shortly after World War I, the world experienced the Spanish flu pandemic which affected the Crawleys where some individuals of the household were ill with the flu. SERIES THREE I won’t try to go in too much detail for this series because it is the center point of the series, in my opinion. However, I will say that the series saw light at the end of the tunnel for the Crawleys to only be hit by tragedy after tragedy, while the majority of their fortune has been lost in a bad investment in a railway company. And this forces them to modernize the estate, in order to save it! And the 3rd series proves the loyalty of the Crawley family towards their servants, notably Mr. Bates when he was wrongfully convicted in the 2nd series. In this third series, Mr. Bates is released and reunited with Anna, one of the servants with whom he is romantically involved. SERIES FOUR The fourth series focuses on the effect of the tragedies that occured - it shows how each member of the family is dealing with these tragedies. But the biggest storyline of the 4th series is Lady Mary’s role in running Downton, which was always her calling.Just like the past series, we find out that the Crawleys are good at keeping secrets from each other: Lady Edith falls in love with her editor which leads to her being pregnant with an illegitimate child. In order to keep it from her family, she shares the secret with her aunt, Lady Rosamund. In the end, she decided to give birth to the child where she placed her daughter up for adoption. Another important part of this series is the rape of Anna which has an impact on her relationship with Bates where she does not tell him until he finds out, himself. However, she does share her experience with other servants, notably Mrs. Hughes. This event will continue to follow Anna, for a while. SERIES FIVE The fifth series took place in 1924 where some family members are starting to find out about Edith’s daughter. As we progress through this series, Edith ends up inheriting the publishing company which meant that she will move to London, and she did so by bringing her daughter with her - her parents eventually find out, leaving only a few not being aware of it. As well, we continue to focus on the aftermaths of Anna’s rape - the rapist is murdered and Anna is arrested on the suspicion of murder. However, in order to protect his wife, Mr. Bates does a false confession prior to fleeing to Ireland. But this was not the end for Mr. Bates as other servants located that Mr. Bates was in York during the time of murder, making him a new suspect - this means that Anna is release from prison and return to Downton. SERIES SIX The 6th and final series of Downton Abbey took place in 1925 where the Crawleys are starting to become worried about the future of their estate. How come? In 1925, we saw the rise of the middle class in the UK while more aristocrats were forced to sell their estates. And in order to survive, they must make tough decisions - reductions in staff is required, meaning some of their beloved servants must find a new job.Without giving spoilers away, the 6th series was filled with happy endings for many characters including servants and members of the Crawley family. CONCLUSION The show was brilliantly made, and I enjoyed eveyr moment of it despite the outcome in certain shows. I personally thought the producers and writers knew how to portray how people deal with such tragedies. As well, I really enjoyed how they included some real-life events in the series - it made it feel more real, and how people would have experienced it during that time, in the eyes of the Crawley's as well as the servants. As well, I have to command the show for talking about homosexuality during the 1910s and 1920s as we do not often talk about it, especially in a historical drama - it made it easier to understand Barrow as a character. And last but not least, the cast was simply wonderful - both in the series and in the movie! Edited April 15, 2020 by *Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 13 minutes ago, *Chris said: The drama that’s about to ensue... And I’m not the cause of it for once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven_ Posted April 15, 2020 Author Share Posted April 15, 2020 Missing write-ups: Fleabag The Legend Of Korra Archer I believe Victoria is responsible for all three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenKalie Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 6 minutes ago, Steven_ said: Missing write-ups: Fleabag The Legend Of Korra Archer I believe Victoria is responsible for all three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1234567890 Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 26 minutes ago, Steven_ said: Missing write-ups: Fleabag The Legend Of Korra Archer I believe Victoria is responsible for all three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven_ Posted April 15, 2020 Author Share Posted April 15, 2020 I have tiebreaker results! I have 13 valid votes. One person voted for two shows, so it does not count. I replied and let this ranker know to only vote for one, but no reply yet. However, whichever show this person votes for (including the other two shows) won't affect the results. And even without the missing vote from the other ranker, there is still a clear majority. I'll reveal results now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Wallace Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 42 minutes ago, Steven_ said: Missing write-ups: Fleabag The Legend Of Korra Archer I believe Victoria is responsible for all three. I'M right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Wallace Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 8 minutes ago, Steven_ said: I have tiebreaker results! I have 13 valid votes. One person voted for two shows, so it does not count. I replied and let this ranker know to only vote for one, but no reply yet. However, whichever show this person votes for (including the other two shows) won't affect the results. And even without the missing vote from the other ranker, there is still a clear majority. I'll reveal results now! :shiver: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven_ Posted April 15, 2020 Author Share Posted April 15, 2020 RESULTS American Idol - 5 votes Dark Matter - 5 votes South of Nowhere - 2 votes Pose - 1 vote Congratulations to American Idol and Dark Matter for advancing to the Top 20! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Chris Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Well then.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven_ Posted April 15, 2020 Author Share Posted April 15, 2020 I'll post the details of the final cut round later tonight. And hopefully all the missing write-ups will be posted before then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Chris Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Just now, *Chris said: Well then.... Its important to not lie, y’all! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.Rei Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 these final cuts are going to be fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tom~ Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 (edited) Dark Matter advancing. Thanks to all that voted for it! Idol too. Edited April 15, 2020 by ~Tom~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 I'm open to deals for the final cut round! Though with 15 rankers, it's probably a moot point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solaris Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 30 shows left, half are getting cut. Don't message me for deals (since I don't know your shows and I am likely to cut anything), as you all cut my very favorites many rounds ago. Not that any of you would ask for deals anyway haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Wallace Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Very happy for American Idol making it to the Top 20. At least I am guaranteed one favorite in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1234567890 Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solaris Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Just now, *Wallace said: Very happy for American Idol making it to the Top 20. At least I am guaranteed one favorite in there. I am going to rank it last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogLenzen Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Wow, this is crazier than when ELLENORE MADE #9 ON THE SYTYCD RANKDOWN, @*Wallace @*Wallace @*Wallace @*Wallace 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~*8Kay8*~ Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Oh my goodness, so much craziness to catch up on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliott Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 2 minutes ago, FrogLenzen said: Wow, this is crazier than when ELLENORE MADE #9 ON THE SYTYCD RANKDOWN, @*Wallace @*Wallace @*Wallace @*Wallace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenKalie Posted April 15, 2020 Share Posted April 15, 2020 Imagine doing all that work to get Elite 11 votes only for it to finish 20th because you screwed over most of the rankers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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