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.