This lockdown has afforded me the time to catch up (and re-watch) one of my favorite TV shows from way way back – Downton Abbey.
If you are a Downton Abbey fan, why not read along while listening to the official soundtrack. I wrote this post while listening to the OST. After all they got such a really great musical score.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead.
The British TV Drama series first caught my attention when it premiered in 2010. Up until Season 3, I watched the show religiously. But the death of Matthew Crawley in Season 3 ended caught me off-guard and having developed a “crush” on the actor, I couldn’t bear to watch the series with him gone.
So I stopped it and said good bye and went on to watch other series rising in popularity that time (hello, Game of Thrones).
Yet I was surprised to find out, years later, that the series went on for 6 seasons (so I hadn’t watched the last 3 seasons) and even had a feature film released in 2019. And so, with the loads of time I had in my hands, I went on and dived with much gusto right though the series – beginning from Season 1 all the way to the feature-length film.
And lo and behold, I discovered and learned more – now that I knew my favorite character – Mr. Matthew Crawley (with his deep blue gorgeous eyes) was going to die in the end. I began to see the historical references, find new characters I grew to like (hello Tom Branson). I began to appreciate the themes of the show and even went on to learn about the production and research that went behind it, not to mention the social impact it has.
While there are many articles in the internet about the historical accuracy (and inaccuracies) of the show, the research behind it and the script’s brilliance (or lack of) and many other criticisms (both good and bad) – my post will dwell on the lessons I have learned watching (and reflecting) on the show.
Downton Abbey is set in the early 1900s of British history. The show is fascinating to watch because it depicts the lifestyle of the British aristocrats while showing how history is shaping their views and changing their lifestyle. While there are other shows revolving around the British aristocrat lifestyle, I’d say Downton Abbey has been the most popular one of my lifetime.
A life in service
For someone living in an Asian and developing country, the concept of life in Downton Abbey seems absurd. I cannot imagine (1) devoting my life to service as a servant in a big house and (2) having loads of servants (often more than the actual house owners) catering to my every whim and needs. But as I watch the show and began to look beyond the storyline, I saw the reality of the people during those times and how, this type of lifestyle suited them and was even a noble profession for them.
For instance, during those times, being employed in service (i.e. a servant) was the pinnacle of any commoner’s career. Education was limited so between working in a factory or a farm doing hard labor, working as a servant in a big house was a big improvement. Not to mention, they led their lives as if they were employees in a hotel. Of course, some critics say there are historical discrepancies with what was shown on TV and the lives of the servants were not as rosy as pictured (most house owners were harsh and servants were more like slaves) but then again, for what the show is worth, I think the lesson taught here is to find honor in whatever work you were cut out to do.
There is no shame in service. Not as long as you do the work honorably.
Equally, whatever job we find ourselves doing in this lifetime, we must remember that as long as it is honest and decent, there is no shame in it. Of course, there is no shame also with wanting to do better – a lot of the servants aspired to rise above their ranks especially as they begin to discover the dawn of a new era. Yet the show also showed that for those who did their work excellently, there is a profound sense of honor that accompanies it.
The pressure of responsibility
One thing Downton Abbey showed me is the relationship of Master-Servant. A servant is bound to loyalty, commitment and obedience to his master. A master is bound to protection and provision to his servant. It is actually a two-way street where each party has an equally important role to play.
While we may think that the life of a master (such as the Lords and Ladies of the houses) were a life of ease and grandeur (after all they have servants even to help them dress!) it is in fact a life also of undue stress and responsibility.
As the post-war age started to dawn, the Crawley family began to see the practical inefficiencies of keeping the way of life they were used to. They simply had such a large house and estate to maintain. There was too many servants to employ. The money was not what it used to be. The world is rapidly changing. Decisions have to be made.
Yet in the course of adapting to the changing times, they faced tough decisions such as letting go of servants who depended on them for their living; taking over tenancies from farmers who have tenanted the land for centuries. However, if they didn’t make these hard decisions, the boat will sink and so will everyone along with them. It was a choice of saving the bigger chunk while sacrificing few or saving all and in the end, everyone also suffers.
Such a decision is something everyone faces daily in one form or another. For instance, with the COVID lockdown situation, a lot of businesses will be forced to cut on their manpower. A hard and tough, yet necessary, decision.
As the famous Spiderman quote goes: with great power, comes great responsibility. And this is no truer than seen in the challenges the aristocrats in Downton Abbey faced. Of course, how they choose to act on that responsibility is a different matter altogether.
Crossing the Great Divide
In the 1920s, class divide was clearly very evident and in practice. It was unthinkable that a maid or chaffeur could do any better in life – let along be accepted in the company of the great lords and ladies.
Yet in Downton Abbey, not one but two, downstairs character were able to improve their lives and rise up to prominence.
Most famous would be Tom Branson who went up in life due to marriage. He fell in love and married the youngest Crawley sister – Sybil – and went on to live with the Crawley Family in Downton Abbey when Sybil died. Of course in this case, it was an act of true love and not some gold digging story. Tom and Sybil were indeed in love and to the words of Tom – it was not a question of money or class, it was a matter of being equals. The two characters went beyond the circumstances of their lives to recognize that they are an equal match for each other and would thus be happy living life as partners. Of course Sybil died and that left Tom to fend for his own but being someone who is confident of his worth as a person and not dictated by his class was enough for everyone in the Crawley Family to respect Tom for who he is and give him that same equal chance he deserved. Tom later went on to become the land agent of the estate and through his work, was instrumental to saving Downton from ruin.
Another character who crossed the class divide was Gwen, a housemaid from Season 1 who wanted to improve herself by becoming a secretary. Through hard work she bought a typewriter and took a course and despite the ridicule of fellow servants (who wants to leave service?) she pushed on. Sybil was again instrumental in securing Gwen with the opportunity to be hired as the secretary of a telephone company – a booming industry at that time. In Season 6 we see Gwen return as the now Mrs. Harding – married to a self-made man – and together they were campaigning for the education institution to give deserving girls a better chance at higher education – something unheard of in those days even among higher class society. With Edith and Rosamund’s interest in the foundation, we see Gwen dining with the Crawley family in their dining room – something unthinkable that a maid will ever get to do in her lifetime. Gwen’s success in life became instrumental for the other servants to start considering a different life for themselves. Now that service was no longer the perpetual life they have come to believe, they began to open their eyes to new horizons waiting for them.
But Gwen and Tom weren’t the only characters in Downton Abbey who wanted (consciously or not) to cross the class divide. Other characters like Ethel and Edna – both housemaids – also wanted the better their status in life. Yet unlike the former two, these housemaids resorted to shrewdness and dishonest means to improve their lot. Ethel thought hooking up with a Major and bearing his illegitimate child was the key while Edna thought taking advantage of Tom’s drunkenness and blackmailing him will give her the same chances he had. As such, this two were unsuccessful and instead met rather unfortunate endings showing us that dishonest means will lead to much suffering in the end.
The story of Gwen and Tom shows that even if you have been dealt with a different card at birth, it should not be your only option. You can improve whatever station you are in, with sheer determination, hard work and of course, the courage to take on an opportunity. This is true even to this day when we see stories of people who rose from sheer poverty and went on to become self-made man and woman responsible for their own success.
The Truth About Love
One thing Downton Abbey is known for is the romance surrounding the various characters. Whether upstairs or downstairs (or even crisscross) there’s bound to be some love and romance involved.
While there are many historical inaccuracies with the love stories depicted (again Downton Abbey is not 100% historically accurate, some inaccuracies had to be sacrificed for showmanship), it does teach us a lot about love.
Some of the ones I particularly resonated to was about choosing a partner because they suit you as an equal – in interests and beliefs – and not necessarily in terms of social status or wealth.
A Marriage of Equals
Mary Crawley has been in the long search for a suitable husband, even before she considered Matthew, and for the longest time, her main reasons for choosing a partner in life was the security the husband will bring. Quite logical in those days considering a woman could never inherit and the only way she can keep her quality of lifestyle was to marry a suitable suitor. However, as Mary began to gain her own independence (she inherited Matthew’s share of the estate), she began to see how she is now free to love and marry whomever she pleases – a person who will truly make her happy despite his social status. And so the show gave her Henry Talbot – a respectable and decent fellow but who doesn’t have the title nor wealth she looked for in her past suitors. But what Henry lacked in wealth and connections, he made up for the pure love and attraction that existed between them. After much deliberation and painful considerations, Mary finally owned up to her love for Henry and married him. Henry for his part, wanting to be truly worthy of Mary, gave up his dangerous life as a race driver and went on to a more sensible one as a car trader. And as for Mary, being happy and content finally with that aspect in her life, she became a much nicer person in general especially to Edith, her sister.
Mary’s struggle with finding a suitable suitor is sadly still prevalent in society today. While it is true that very seldom do we see such pressure as in those days, it remains true that our decisions on love are still affected by the practical sensibilities of things. There’s no harm in that of course but we simply had to be careful to overlook the power of true love (and how, when fully unleashed it can turn us into better versions of ourselves). Too often, in finding and responding to love, we first look at the outward things – wealth, education, status, etc. – without considering those that truly matter – character, ideals, beliefs, etc.
Fighting Honorably For Love
Tom Branson and Sybil Crawley were great examples of a love that braved the odds. For these two, it was never a question of social class or wealth. Of course at the beginning Sybil did wonder about her future but because of Tom’s courage and assurances that they can begin a life of their own, she eventually agreed to accept and return his love. And yet, even if they decided to at first hide their love and elope, reason found them and in the end they decided to fight for their love to Sybil’s family. Their bravery and courage, even when met with odds at the beginning, eventually won the blessing and respect of Sybil’s parents. We saw that this was a good move in the long run because this allowed them to return to the safety of Downton Abbey and in Sybil’s death, allowed for the family to accept Tom and care for him.
Love, when it is true, should not bring a string of heartaches from the other people we hold dear to us. Rather than blindly fighting for love, we must strive to fight for it decently and get others to accept it with as much grace as they can muster. If they truly love us, they will accept it in the end. It is of no use to anyone to burn bridges that will lead to more heartaches in the end.
Honesty in Marriage and Love
Downstairs, the longest running love story was that of Mr. Bates and Anna. I am not a particular fan of this love story – I can do with the show not having their story arc – but despite that I find there are lessons to be learned from the two. First, no matter how many tragedies life throws at you, the important thing is to get through it together. As long as you are with each other, any challenges will be surmountable. Second, honest communication is the key to getting through this challenges together.
For Anna and Mr. Bates, communication hasn’t been easy. Too often, we see them hiding things from each other, despite their devoted love, that for me, it became painful when obviously some honest talk could have solved their worries. Lack of communication is equivalent to lack of trust between a couple. You don’t trust your partner well enough on how they will react or act concerning your honest confession so you mask the truth with a lie. Of course, the lie gets both of you into trouble in the long run and is eventually exposed.
For true love to win, honestly is empirical. While there are things better left unsaid between couples (the Lord and Lady Grantham had their own shares of secrets from each other), honesty and transparent communication eventually wins out over deception (intended or otherwise).
Edith and Bertie would have a smooth sailing relationship had Edith been honest from the start about Marigold, her illegitimate child with Michael Gregson. Fortunately, Bertie was willing to overlook the deception enough to marry Edith and Edith was brave the second time around to confess to Bertie’s mother about the true nature of her child. In the end, because they choose to start their married lives in honestly, they were rewarded with a happily ever after.
Recognizing Love
Sometimes, we are led to believe that love is all bells and whistles – the grand romance. Yet more often than not, love is manifested in the small things – the friendship, the camaraderie, the willingness to give in to a dying wish.
For Daisy, her initial reluctant acceptance of William’s love for her proved to be real love in the end. Even though she thought she didn’t really love him, because of her willingness to marry him and give him his dying wish, she proved that it was really love that motivated her to do such an unselfish act. Love – after all – is when you start thinking less of your own happiness and more of the other person’s happiness.
Love is also evident in the care we have for one another – as seen with Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes camaraderie and caring friendship for one another. In the end, even in old age, they have come to accept that it is better to spend the last years of their life with someone whom they already care for deeply and get along with immensely. The same can be said for Mrs. Crawley and the Lord Merton who decided their shared interests would make them great companions in their old age.
Conclusion
Downton Abbey is a fun show to watch. It gave me some primer about British and overall world history which after the show I googled for accuracy and better understanding. It also gave me insight as to the people of that time’s reaction to the slowly changing times. Their reaction to the the advent of the telephone, radio, and other electrical inventions was fun to watch. It also gave me a grasp of the social norms of those ages and reflect on how far along our world has changed in a century.
Add to these themes the brilliant costumes, soundtrack, script, acting and cinematography and I am sure I will be watching Downton Abbey again after many years has passed. It is arguably the best period drama to date.
But above all these, I particularly enjoyed the lessons and reflections I gleamed while watching the show. While I didn’t particularly had these reflections as I was watching it, I am amazed that while I was writing this article, the show has indeed shown me a lot about human character and life’s lessons. In fact there are more that I haven’t had the time to cover.
So will I watch Downton Abbey again – you bet! Though I hope it’s not because of another lockdown.
