Downton Abbey: Season One

Downton Abbey was recommended to me before it became so popular, but I confess, I wasn't truly interested in it until all the hype finally got me to bump it up my Netflix list. Even then, I had to wait for weeks for it to become available since it was in high demand.

You've probably heard of it, as I had, but likely, you have already watched it or you know almost nothing about it...nothing in between. It's a hard show to explain fully, and until you watch an episode, you just won't get it. But, as my husband found out when I convinced him to watch just one episode with me, it's strangely addicting.

So, what is it? Picture a slightly more modern Pride and Prejudice era where the societal classes are beginning to fizzle but haven't quite yet, and then, picture getting into the back hallways and kitchens of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's Pemberley, and you might be getting close. Downton Abbey is the name of the colossal home of the Lord Crawley, his wife, and their three daughters, and the story is not only about them but also about everyone who works for them. Essentially, the show Downton Abbey is about everything that makes Downton Abbey a workplace and home. If you've seen the DVD season cover, it has enough people on it to rival Lost, and indeed, the show gets into every one of their lives, amazingly creating a united whole out of so many stitches.

Season one spans approximately two years with a mere seven episodes on three discs (the British don't feel the need to have a set number of episodes in a season). It starts in 1912 with the off-screen sinking of the Titanic, an event that takes the life of the heir of Downton Abbey and causes the family to have to seek out a distant male cousin to inherit since daughters can't. The season ends with the life-altering news of the start of World War I. It's unfair to call what takes place between a soap opera because it is so much better than that, but the drama resembles that with all the secrets, lies, romance, and fighting that goes on. That's not to say it's all bad drama. There are wonderful characters with hearts of gold, too.

I'm excitedly awaiting Season Two on Netflix, though the first disc's status is "Long wait." Season Three premieres later this year. Four stars for great TV!