So, what do you think? (No Season 2 spoilers allowed. I have been studiously avoiding any headlines or promos or articles or reviews or anything so that nothing is ruined.)
I think Downton Abbey is brilliant. I realize it's essentially a soap opera that takes place in the olden days (the surprise pregnancy, the indecisive fiancee, the backstabbing, overlooked middle child) but good heavens, is it well-acted and lovingly produced. How do they even find these delightful actors and actresses, and how do they play their parts so naturally? It's marvelous. My favorite straight-up character is Sybil (the youngest daughter) because she is a gem of humanity. I appreciate the nuance and unabashed cynicism of Mary even as I recognize that she is a flawed, flawed person. I loooooooooove Thomas as a villain. I love that O'Brien is a villain too, but I was moved by her transformation in the final episode - don't we all have the occasional "O'Brien, you're better than this" moments when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror?
Lady Violet (aka Maggie Smith) has the best lines, of course, with my personal favorite being "Well, we can't have [the Turkish ambassador] assassinated...I suppose." Mwahahahahahahahaha.
I do have one quibble with the show, and that is the way it deal with the Kamal Pamouk plot. The show wanted us to take Kamal seriously, like he was a really genuine guy who showed Lady Mary how exciting life could be. But then it also wanted us to giggle when Lady Mary and her mom and her maid were shuffling his dead body down the corridor in the middle of the night. But then it wanted us to feel sad with Lady Mary that her One True Suitor was dead. But then also, it really WAS hilarious when they were dragging him down the hall, am I right?!!?!??
Also, I feel like that scene in Lady Mary's bedroom danced uncomfortably close to that "Yes means No" misconception. When it was all over and done with and Lady Grantham asked Mary if Pamouk had "forced himself" on Mary, I honestly expected her to honestly say yes. Because he totally did! At least in the scene we were shown. In all the conflicting elements of that awkward plot, I was rendered incapable of feeling genuine grief for Mary at the loss of her "lover" (because I felt he was not voluntarily taken), and also unable to feel jolly amusement at his death because wasn't it creepy that he basically raped her?
I think it would have been better/funnier/less creepy if Kamal Pamouk had burst into Lady Mary's bedroom, propositioned her, and then died suddenly before anything could happen, preferably right after Lady Mary said that her reputation would be ruined if anyone even knew he was there. Then it could have been ha-ha funny, potentially damaging to Mary's prospects, and a scandalous adventure for her to look back on, all without the creepy overtones. I'm just saying.
That aside, I am a proud member of the Downton Abbey is AWESOME club. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts, but no Season 2 stuff allowed!