I have recently been recuperating from a gall bladder surgery. That meant many hours at home, with no gumption to do anything but sit. Thank goodness for Downton Abbey.
I had never watched Downton Abbey before. I had heard about it and knew of its popularity, but until September I had not seen one episode. Well, that has all changed. Armed with an Amazon Prime membership and an Amazon Fire Stick (not to mention two Amazon Kindles) I could watch all the episodes from all five seasons on my TV.
Here are some lessons I learned from my binge viewing:
- Polite Society isn’t very polite. Watching the way the aristocracy put each other in their place, might be amusing, but I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end. I don’t know how many times I felt terrible for Lady Edith.
- Tragedy knows no boundaries. Just when everything looks all roses and butterflies, tragedy can strike. The people of Downton Abbey lost love ones to WWI, the Spanish Flu, car accidents, child birth and the Nazi’s. They dealt with imprisonment, rape and children born out of wedlock. I don’t know how many times I cried during the series. Thank goodness it is fiction!
- Loyalty is something to be cherished. With intrigues going on above and below stairs, knowing who they could trust, was very important at Downton Abbey. You sure wouldn’t want Thomas Barrow to be privy to information that he could later use against you. While Mr. Bates would take your secret to the grave if he was your friend.
- Edwardian England is a fun place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. While enjoying the show very much, I am glad to have been born when and where I was. Here in the United States I am not bound by the class I was born into. I have the opportunity to do or be anything I want. My only limits are the ones I set on myself.
My convalescence is now ended, as has my viewing of the last episode of Downton Abbey. (As an FYI, I watched the last episode two times!) I now join the ranks of other Downton Abbey fans as we eagerly await the sixth and final season to begin. Mark your calendars, January 3, 2016–I’m marking mine.
Do you have a favorite character(s) from Downton Abbey? Please share in the comments section below. Mine are John and Anna Bates.
