The Emmys are the biggest night in the world of English television.  And they didn’t disappoint in putting their best foot forward and presenting a grand show.  Seth Myers is one of the most charming and witty host I have seen.  It all comes so naturally to him.  But sometimes I think the award itself are becoming too predictable.  There is no element of surprise, maybe next year.  Even so, it was a bit surprising to see ‘’Downton Abbey’’ not winning any major awards.  Maybe because I am a huge fan of the show but anyway.  I have no hesitation in admitting that I’m a sucker for these shows, be it Academy, Golden Globe or Emmys, I have made it a point over the years to watch them.  I have a genuine admiration at how well they are organised and how beautifully they are presented.  The Indian award shows in comparison look so tawdry and disorganised.  I know it could be because I follow the English, especially American shows and therefore emotionally more invested in them and identify more with them than the shabby and lowbrow Indian shows.

Come to think of it, the golden years of Hollywood movies is perhaps over, but we’re really witnessing a golden period, indeed a sort of renaissance as far as television is concerned.  So many creatively gifted people crafting so much of compelling TV for us to savour.  From the shenanigans of a suburbia in ‘’Desperate Housewives’’ on the one hand to the tragic metamorphosis of a struggling high school chemistry teacher into a crystal meth king in ‘’Breaking Bad’’, from the social upheaval of the early 20^th century, post Edwardian England in ‘’Downton Abbey’’ on one end of the spectrum to an ode to the America of the 60s warts and all in ‘’Mad Men’’ to the other.  And never mind such an abundance of hilarious comedies.  The point being that, if you are a connoisseur of quality content on television, you’ve never had it so good.

Talking about television, now I know that the so called reality show ‘’Keeping up with the Kardashians’’ is not many peoples idea of gripping television, in fact, it can be positively tortuous.  Just as an aside, I have a theory.  Even beautifully dumb women like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton can be a fruitful presence in life at times for their interpolation diffuses guilt.  I also think that they are far from dumb.  One runs a very profitable business and the other is a globe trotting DJ.  Off course you are free to disagree with me but that’s what I think.

Ramblin’ on…

I have often seen among people inside my family and outside, a peculiar attitude.  The more wrong they are, the more righteous they get.  When you demonstrate to them the fallacy of their position through empirical evidence and cogent argument, they take refuge in the time worn clichés of culture, tradition, honour and what have you.  In any discussion or debate, the opposing view is not based on reason and common sense, but on grievances, real or imagined.  Why don’t we have more enlightened view of life in general?  I suspect that people in general like to associate with and seek the company of the likes of their own, and the moment they are confronted with something or someone not like them, that is beyond the pale of their cosy assumption, the anxiety takes over.  If you say that life on a day to day basis can be a bit of a wretched business in this country and those who have the good fortune of leaving its shore for western hemisphere are probably right and justified in not coming back, when you make your point most calmly and rationally, and not just on this issue, but on any serious matter, the people in general are ready to jump at your throat.  Why is it getting so difficult to have a civilized discourse going?  Why can’t you say that it is our choice to launch ourselves into the unknown, to be undisturbed by the past—without the apprehension of repercussion?  You are not in the business of lying.  You just manipulate the truth to keep disaster at bay.  The walls are closing around you. Is it so difficult to aspire to decency and harmony?  Must you also be swimming along with the rising tide of meanness and bigotry?  They think your complexity mocks them, but you think their simplicity mocks you.  You wonder what the malaise is and what the symptom is.  Is your vibrating passion up to the scratch to take on society’s onslaught?  You’re left with only one and one question only.  What’s the bloody Goddamn point!!  Let them go to hell... let everybody go to hell.  What do you care if wallowing in stupidity gives a large mass their mojo.  Cook your goose, stew in your own juice!!  You are only curious to know what really the shape of the oblivion is.

Every frame of DOWNTON ABBEY is a poetry in motion.  From the characterizations to the plotline to detail of that period, everything seems pitch perfect.  No wonder this Sunday evening British drama has become the global phenomenon that it is today.  Now we have seen some other TV shows that have captured the zeitgeist of their era (MAD MEN comes to mind), but none about that period in history about which we have very little idea.  This is the end of the Edwardian era.  The Great Britain is the preeminent superpower of the world.  The industrial revolution is sweeping the landscape.  The first Great War (First World War) of the modern era has had a profound effect on the society, and the Earl of Grantham Robert Crawley and his family are having a first-hand experience of this churning that is taking place across the land.

One of the remarkable aspect of the show is the relationship that this aristocratic family shares with their servants.  During the early years of industrialisation in the United States, the relationship between the master and the servant was on a more egalitarian footing.  When a servant met his master on a social occasion at a neutral venue, they would acknowledge each other as their social equal, and there would be a nice informality to the whole thing.  But in England, the social divisions were more entrenched and ossified, and the show beautifully captures that without being judgemental.  There are so many interesting characters in the show and however minor the role, no one is without relevance to the general storyline.  We see basically a clash of American and British value system in the way Lord Grantham and his wife from America, Cora, the lady of Grantham conduct their business with the household staffs.  What can one say about the indomitable dowager countess Violet, the mother of Lord Grantham and Granny to the three Crawly sisters, Mary, Edith and Sybil.  Let’s just say that being imperious never looked so cool.  She can come up with such a biting sarcasm that will leave you gobsmacked.  And you just can’t ignore the ever reliable Mr. Carson, the committed butler of the house of Downton.  His stiff upper lip, the sheer desperation to preserve the old world and old ways of doing things, even though the end of the war has practically struck a sever blow to the prevalent social mores.  This first demolishing and then erecting of the social barriers after the war, has so many people finding themselves on the wrong side of the fence, and how they negotiate their way out of this hidebound society is a fascinating watch.

Since I am about to finish the second season, and there are three more seasons to go, it would be a bit presumptuous of me to say more, but I think one could do a lot worse than give in to the irresistible charm of this wholesome British drama.