A second serving of Downton Abbey

Dear Bitches,

Awww... what a delight to see the faces from Downton Abbey again.  It felt like I, myself, had gone away and had now just returned.

Not without trepidation at first.  The first series ended with a bang as the Earl of Grantham announced at a garden party that Britain had gone to war.  The second season begins with a bang, literally, as the camera takes us to a battle trench in Somme, 1916.  We are first treated with the face of Dan Stevens who is looking more handsome as Matthew Crawley.  He kicks off the opening credits with the line "I think of my life at Downton and it feels like another world."  And I thought, oh no, the global success of the show has brought cheap statements of the blatantly obvious!

But my fears were soon cast aside as Highclere Castle ("Downton Abbey") comes to the frame.  It felt like a coming home because you know, this diva won't be out of place in such a residence.  I might put flowers along the side though, but I digress.

One of the first things that I noticed in the first 10 minutes of episode 1 is that in between the end of the first series and this one, the maids of Downton Abbey seem to have discovered bleach.  And starch.  The gentlemen's shirts are whiter and crispier.  The other thing I noticed is that the cinematographer had changed the white balance - it's as if the sun had decided to shine a brighter whiter light on Downton.  The costumes, too, had apparently been sent to the cleaners with an order for extra glossy.  These, of course, are in contrast to the bleaker war-time Britain.

The things we love about Downton Abbey are thankfully intact even as the aristocracy walk a tightrope hung across war-time Britain. "When the war is over the world won't be the same place as it was when it started," says Branson, the chauffeur, hopefully. Lady Sybil, of course, heard it as a forewarning. The butler Carson is as ironic as ever - "Keeping up standards is the only way to show the Germans that they will not beat us in the end," says he while inspecting silverware that is not his. The one-liners from our beloved Dowager Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) are as delicious as ever:
"So, that's Mary's replacement. Well, I suppose looks aren't everything."

I liken Downton Abbey to a double-chocolate, double-fudge, double-cream ice cream sundae.  It's so rich, so satisfying, uplifting, and pure indulgence.  It's the perfect Sunday evening treat. Bring on the cold Sunday nights.  With my blanket and Downton Abbey, I'm ready. :-)


Until then sweet-tarts. Kisses,

Hollie Go-Lightly

Torchwood: Miracle Day

Dear Bitches,

One day, no one dies.  Next day, no one dies.  Third day, no one dies.  And I so wished that this series had already.  Died.  The series would have finished in the US by now though, and I'm looking forward to seeing its conclusion here in the UK tonight.

Torchwood is no longer just British.  BBC, being a public corporation, doesn't have a lot of money.  Well, it has plenty, but not enough to compete with the gloss and special effects of American television shows.  So Russell T Davies went a-sailing, as most people do when they're searching for money, to America!

To be fair, Torchwood: Miracle Day is glossy and the special effects are impressive specially compared to the previous series when it was all produced by BBC. What American $$$ can do to a TV show is readily seen here. But in many significant aspects, it is inferior to earlier seasons:

1. It is long at 10 episodes and that's not a shallow gripe.  One of the main differences between British dramas and American ones is that the former would only have about 6 episodes at a go.  And that is for very popular dramas like Dr.  Who or Downton Abbey or The Hour. 6 is great because it keeps the narrative tight and focused and there's no room for dilly-dallying (Lost, anyone?).  6 also doesn't require a lot of commitment from the viewer.  American dramas usually have about 20 episodes with re-runs in between.  They last longer than some marriages!  And there is so much kicking about that even 24 had so many wild goose chases just to fill the time.  Even a talented writer like Russell T Davies cannot sustain a suspense for 10 episodes and Torchwood: Miracle Day bears the evidence of this failing.

2. The American actors in the film are boring save Lauren Ambrose who continues to be extremely watchable.  Remember her in Six Feet Under? I'm sure you do. Bill Pullman pulls in an excellent performance as well.

3. Another key difference between British shows and American shows is that writers of the former tend to place greater trust in their audience.  American writers do not trust their audience's smarts and tend to explain or spell out the obvious.  This is most annoying and Torchwood: Miracle Day is peppered with it.

4. John Barrowman is not a good enough actor to hold an audience for 10 episodes.  He only has one expression after all.

I have more gripes but I shall stop here.  Even I am getting bored with myself writing about this.


Until next time, sweet-tarts. Kisses.

Hollie Go-Lightly


Links:
Torchwood: Miracle Day (UK)
Torchwood: Miracle Day (US)

Doctor Who?

Dear Bitches,

"You've got a time machine, I've got a gun. What the hell? Let's kill Hitler."

And with that the second instalment of this year's series of Doctor Who kicked off. Three months though. Three months(!) waiting in anticipation between the end of the first part ("A Good Man Goes to War") and "Let's Kill Hitler". At first I thought it was a ploy. After all, who amongst us hasn't used a bit of tease to keep the patrons wanting for more. But now it makes sense. The wait does make us feel that The Doctor had been searching for a while for Melody.

Much of the episode are spoilers and in an unusual act of kindness, I won't say much, except that I am frikkin in love with Rory! Isn't he just! I want to grab a tight hold of his face and press it into my heaving bosoms. So tight he'll need to gasp for air. He's so puppy dog cute, and that's just how I like my men - bumbling and puppyish. I'm declaring my crush now because you-know-who (ehem, Divorcé) has a knack for stealing someone's crushes.

I like Matt Smith more and more as The Doctor and I like what he and Steven Moffat are doing with the series but in every episode I am reminded of the absence of the Hamlet-like qualities that Russell T Davies and David Tennant had infused to the Doctor. I missed it. Terribly.

As for the series, I'm looking forward to more and I hope it won't get as messy as the first part. 'A Good Man Goes to War' was ambitious, but so messy it gave me a headache!


Until then, sweet-tarts. Kisses.

Hollie Go-Lightly