prodigy: A parody Choose Your Own Adventure book cover with the title "Gay Viking Holiday." (the ladies who lunch)
spilling all over with cheetah lupone ([personal profile] prodigy) wrote2012-01-26 12:45 am
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Downton Abbey S1

So it turned out Barnes & Noble was having a buy-2-get-1-free sale when I was trying to hunt down S1 of Sherlock. It's absurdly easy to get me to spend more money under the pretense of spending less money, so I picked up The Hour and Downton Abbey while I was at it, thereby creating a shopping bag overflowing with even more white people than National Public Radio. Anyway, I'd been meaning to watch DA so I could feel like an internet cool kid again, so we did.

Okay, so I didn't really know what Downton was about before I picked it up and couldn't get a straight answer out of anyone. I think this was because no one wanted to say "it's an expensive, high-quality Edwardian soap opera." Because it is an expensive, high-quality Edwardian soap opera. The best expensive, high-quality Edwardian soap opera. I mean, seriously, if they put this much effort into actual soap operas I would never get anything done during the day again. I would watch Passions more often were it overflowing with scenery porn, period costume, and good actors.

Anyway, I have thoughts on Downton, but more importantly I have feelings on Downton so I am going to talk about those instead. Bates! Hey, listen, Bates. Yeah, you want her. Look at her, you know you do. It's obvious she wants you too, there's technically more than one way to ask her but the rest would be just delaying the inevitable. It don't take a word, not a single word, go on and kiss the girl.

Um, yeah, so I have Bates/Anna feelings. I do not only have Bates/Anna feelings, but I have definite Bates/Anna feelings. I also have the requisite Matthew/Mary feelings, which sounds unsurprising but given my recalcitrance about shipping the main couple in any ensemble show, it impressed me. By the way, I think this photo is more honest about what DA is actually about than the misleadingly boring DVD covers. Also Sybil/Gwen feelings, as much as I like Branson, it is all about the Sybil/Gwen.

Though I also want to read/write/both the angsty messed-up story of Sarah O'Brien's longstanding bitter one-way love for Cora Crawley, which I have decided exists and no one can stop me. O'Brien. :( :( :(

While we're at it, can we talk about my creepy and animal attraction to Thomas Barrow? I even waited to post until I could find an icon of him gossiping with O'Brien like Regina George. Never mind he's the token Depraved Homosexual that's in every single period drama these days. I realize I am attracted to practically everything, but though I cannot deny the charms of Matthew Crawley's inexplicably beautiful face or John Bates's egregiously stoic high-melodrama manliness, I can't stop staring at Thomas's evil red-lipped vampiric-Rudolph-Valentino-looking face. I can't help it. It helps that I also love O'Brien and I was thrilled every time the Gossip Girls met to scheme and bitch about things. Thomas, I would maintain the delusion that I could somehow provide you enough emotional support to mend your wicked ways until it ruined both our lives. Just for you. Just for you and your red lips. You're right, they don't appreciate you at Downton.

Cripes, this show makes me sound like a goddamn Avengers fan or something. That's probably a high compliment, though -- it says something for the je ne sais quoi entertainment value of a show if it causes me to turn off my Dave Strider personality, that doesn't happen a lot. I'm glad Hugh Bonneville was in this and caused me to watch it despite no particular understanding of why anyone liked it.
gloss: man & grandson talking (Allens own me)

[personal profile] gloss 2012-01-26 11:42 am (UTC)(link)
I love Bates so, so much. (I am so predictable.)

That is a fabulous Evil Duo icon.

edit! My old friend Kate is a *huge* Thomas fan; she's on Tumblr as getlouder, if you want to check her out.
Edited 2012-01-26 12:58 (UTC)
metonymy: drawing of a woman with a bun in a bubble helmet, with text "2001: A Space Spinster" (Default)

[personal profile] metonymy 2012-01-26 08:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I cannot believe I failed so badly in my duties as a friend! IT IS TOTALLY THE SOAPIEST OF OPERAS. That's why my mom loves it so much.

And now I'm going to keep rewatching S1 because those dulcet tones make a great backdrop for knitting. WOO.