If you thought Gosford Park needed to be a shallow, episodic TV series, you might enjoy this. Even Maggie Smith (and her character) has been borrowed wholesale to ease your transfer. And what luck, the theme music is a thinly veiled knock-off of the title music from The Piano. But Gosford Park wrestled with matters of substance, and showcased some striking film technique.
This show is teeming with "decent" characters (translation: progressive) none of whom could have existed historically, and none of whom can inject the show with any surprises. The show shoots the bolt in the first two episodes where Lord Grantham defends and acts as co-equals with two different servants. Hooray for time-traveling with anachronistic values. The show never rises above soap opera by larding itself down with drippy conflicts, and boatloads of shallow female matters. The elevated estrogen level torpedoes any real intrigue.
The drama in this is just so much sniveling.
This show is teeming with "decent" characters (translation: progressive) none of whom could have existed historically, and none of whom can inject the show with any surprises. The show shoots the bolt in the first two episodes where Lord Grantham defends and acts as co-equals with two different servants. Hooray for time-traveling with anachronistic values. The show never rises above soap opera by larding itself down with drippy conflicts, and boatloads of shallow female matters. The elevated estrogen level torpedoes any real intrigue.
The drama in this is just so much sniveling.