Upstairs, Downstairs, and Everything in Between

A Reflection Paper on Downton Abbey (Pilot Episode)

By: Joann Guerrero - BMAS 103 - FWX

Although the accent of the characters and quick delivery of dialogue in the show
made me turn on subtitles while watching, Downton Abbey’s pilot episode felt powerful
in a subtle manner. As I have watched films of the same setting, I found the episode a
bit typical of an Old English show at first centering on the importance of social class and
traditions in marriage, inheritance, and professions in the earlier centuries. There also
could have been improvements in the delivery of the plot but surprisingly, I got hooked
on the characters and themes as it was able to tackle everything in an hour and six
minutes.

The episode was able to introduce the characters and their personalities in a
short time making viewers such as me intrigued about what would happen next. The
variety of characters presented also gave me a general idea of the lives of both the
upper and lower class and the struggles that come with their status.

The Crawley family--the Earl of Grantham, Robert, his wife Cora, three daughters
Mary, Edith, and Sybil, and their grandmother Violet Grantham were well-portrayed.
They were also well-introduced through small details of their personality. Mary’s
indifference to mourning the death of her husband-to-be, Patrick in the Titanic shipwreck
revealed her desire to be rebellious of the marriage tradition as compared to Edith, the
middle child who was portrayed as inferior to the attention her elder sister has been
getting but is not interested in.

Small details also revealed key themes covered in the story, such as the privilege
of having different servants for various jobs in just one household. Servants perfectly
represent the lower class as they go about their jobs, not only because they are
honorable, but also because these are the best they can have with their social status.
While this did not remove their desire to rise higher as Thomas, the footman showed the
extent to which he would commit for promotion (sabotage and blackmail), the new valet,
Mr. Bates, revealed how important it was for the majority of them to settle working even
with his limp as no one would employ him with this impairment otherwise.

Another detail was powerful for me as it summarized one of the main points of
the episode--discrimination against women. This was delivered beautifully but quickly
that many may fail to notice its importance. At one point, Daisy, the youngest and
probably a maid-in-training, asked innocently why the death of the two plausible heirs
was so important to Lady Mary and why she cannot inherit the estate herself. Rushing
down the stairs preparing meals, Mrs. Patmore, the cook, stated as if it was obvious that
women cannot inherit anything.

Not only did this show the massive inequality between men and women in the
early 20th century as they were not allowed to inherit, vote, and take on other
professions, but the exchange in dialogue also revealed how the majority already
conformed to that idea without ever fighting back. It showed that it was taught as
something obvious even in childhood, strengthening it as people grew older. This made
it relevant today as inequalities between genders are still present although to a lesser
extent.

Small aspects also added interest as its timeline was accurately based on
historical events making it feel more “real” to viewers. It was, of course, a historical
drama to begin with although the characters were fiction. I liked the idea of it starting
with the death of the two heirs-to-be during the Titanic shipwreck in 1912.

Other themes were tackled in a short time but it could have been better
presented if the whole plot was not simply implied through dialogue. For me, it was
incredibly hard to understand where the plot was going at first mainly because all of it
was presented through textual evidence more than visual. What the actions of the
characters described were only the presence of social classes but the storyline was
delivered only through the dialogue of the earl’s family and the servants downstairs
which, again because of the accent, style of language, and choice of words in Old
English times, was difficult to follow without reading subtitles.

Despite this, other factors of the show made sense at the end, and the playful
cliff-hangers in the story especially with Thomas as he turned out to be homosexual
hooked me to the series. It excites me to know more about the lives of the aristocrats
upstairs, their servants below, and the hint of political shade, controversy, and intrigue
which lie between and entangles all of them in history. Upon writing, I already reached
the second season without noticing as the drama kept on piling in the next episodes and
the themes implied in the pilot were tackled deeply and beautifully.