Various

Created by:
Julian Fellowes

2010-2016
Drama, Romance
PBS
TV-PG

(After the fourth season)

The fourth season of “Downton Abbey” may be the most consistently sad season of this series’ run, but it’s not without its hopes. The shocks – a rape, the introduction of an interracial love-affair, a somewhat unwanted pregnancy – come fairly early and are sustained for most of the season. And the characters’ reactions to those shocks aren’t entirely predictable, thank heavens! The exploration of the rape, especially, grounds this season. There are other events, of course, but that one sticks with you.

All of our favorite (and not-so favorite) characters are confronted with the changing times: In 1923, they’re in a period of transition, which is an inevitable theme for any TV show that’s a period piece. As a consequence, there’s a slight change in the tone of “Downton Abbey.” That tone and the experiences of the characters are a perfect match. And, as an audience, we can feel the difference, as a result.

Character development is a consistent strength for “Downton Abbey,” and that’s likely why it has so many fans: As the world around these characters changes, they respond in a personal ways. Despite its fans, some viewers of this show have had a negative reaction to it because of its depiction of a time when people in England were defined by the class in which they were born. But how far have we come in that department, even now? Watching this show reminds us of the failures and successes of our own time.

Also, whenever a modern audience gets a chance to look back in time, it should be a bit uncomfortable. One reason is that, regardless of the time in which you live, most people just want to live their lives. They may be aware of and sympathetic to the horrors of their world, but what can they do about it? (This is a question posed by the film “12 Years a Slave,” as well.)

Most people live in the grays of the world: While they recognize its problems, they try to fit in, nonetheless. A lot of the characters in “Downton Abbey” are just like that; most of them aren’t outright villains. We may not like it (and we don’t have to like it), but how can we blame them?

Verdict: Great

About: (Source: downtonabbey)

The Downton Abbey estate stands a splendid example of confidence and mettle, its family enduring for generations and its staff a well-oiled machine of propriety. But change is afoot at Downton — change far surpassing the new electric lights and telephone. A crisis of inheritance threatens to displace the resident Crawley family, in spite of the best efforts of the noble and compassionate Earl, Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville, Miss Austen Regrets); his American heiress wife, Cora (Elizabeth McGovern); his comically implacable, opinionated mother, Violet (Maggie Smith, David Copperfield); and his beautiful, eldest daughter, Mary, intent on charting her own course. Reluctantly, the family is forced to welcome its heir apparent, the self-made and proudly modern Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), himself none too happy about the new arrangements. As Matthew’s bristly relationship with Mary begins to crackle with electricity, hope for the future of Downton’s dynasty takes shape. But when petty jealousies and ambitions grow among the family and the staff, scheming and secrets — both delicious and dangerous — threaten to derail the scramble to preserve Downton Abbey. Created and written by Oscar-winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park), Downton Abbey offers a spot-on portrait of a vanishing way of life.