Downton Abbey

The RMS Titanic has sunk killing over 1500 people aboard.

This headline opens Downton Abbey, an amazingly cinematic television series. As the plot begins to unfold, it is revealed that the heirs to the estate of Downton Abbey were killed aboard the Titanic. As it happens when dealing with inheritances, drama quickly boils to the surface as people begin to conspire against each other in efforts to get their slice of the pie.

The brilliance of Downton Abbey, sadly, isn't so much in the pie. The production elements of the show are phenomenal, making the differences between television entertainment and feature films minimal. Fantastic cinematography coupled with splendid production design give Downton Abbey a look only comparable to period films, such as Pride & Prejudice or Atonement.  It is quite clear that a fat check was spent on the production.

With the high level of production value that Downton Abbey brings to our home screen, you might ask yourself, what is left separating feature films and episodic television? Downton Abbey makes it very clear. Character development.

There are two ways to consider the length of a TV series: in terms of season’s length (7 one-hour long episodes) or episode length (one hour). Conversely, a feature film typically runs at approximately 2 hours. It’s remarkable to see the differences in character development between these two forms of storytelling. For some strange reason, a story that takes 7 hours to tell neglects any form of good character development, while a 2 hour long story can leave you weeping for the characters by the end.

It would be foolish to say that Downton Abbey neglects all forms of character development, however. What they neglect is good character development. It appears that television writers find it most effective to make 90% of the characters in a series an asshole. This is very clear in shows like Game of Thrones, for instance. In fact, you could say that the characters fit specific stereotypes in both Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones. The head of the family, an peace-loving kind man with a background in war, the upper-class man from a neighboring family trying to rise higher in power, the gentle man who has/gains a disability that he must face, the rivaling sisters…

Formulaic isn’t exactly the right word to describe the annoyance with the character development. Annoyance only arises when forced to face the fact that any characterization aside from stereotypes is even considered. The writers of the show have 7 hours to shape these characters, yet they all turn out the same in the end.

It’s homophobic. Downton Abbey is homophobic. The cruelest character introduced is revealed to be gay near the end of the episode. It’s a stereotype. For some reason, making a villain homosexual makes him worse. Gays are somehow dislikable. That’s not saying a villain can’t be gay, but this is a character trend in television and film. For instance, the depiction of Xerxes and the Persian army in 300 tie homosexuality to evil. Another Zach Snyder film, Watchmen, also ties homosexuality when Rorschach makes a note while investigating the villain, “Possibly homosexual. Must remember to investigate further.” Using homosexuality to develop a character is not only offensive but also simply lazy!

There is no other way to put it. Downton Abbey is poorly written. There are plenty of chances to insert likable characters, but somehow the writers decided it would be more effective to write nearly everyone as an asshole. Who’s at fault, it’s difficult to say. The director can change from episode to episode, leaving not one person as the creative visionary behind any single season.  Producers also change periodically, making it difficult to blame them.  Perhaps it truly is the writer’s fault (note the change to a singular noun), Julian Fellowes. Fellowes is the writer and executive producer to 17 of the episodes of Downton Abbey.

All accusatory remarks aside, Downton Abbey is visually stunning portrayal of aristocratic lifestyle in 1910s England. Fantastic costume design, cinematic camerawork, and stellar lighting make the horrible character development nearly forgivable.  The acting isn’t awful either. In the end, episodic television still falls short of reaching the heights of storytelling that feature films reign. However, Downton Abbey is unarguably an example of the great strides television is making, alongside other shows such as Mad Men and Game Of Thrones. The gap between feature films and television is decreasing. Soon we’ll see a golden age in storytelling and experience it comfortably on our living room couch.