TV Review: Downton Abbey Season 5
It's hard to imagine that we're already on the fifth season of Downton Abbey. A show that began with such intrigue and promise is already five seasons in. Let's take a step back for a second. Downton Abbey a show that's on PBS about the both the wealthiest and poorest English in the early 1900's has been one of the most popular shows over the last couple of years. On its own its quite the achievement.
What's disappointing though is how far the show has tumbled over the last couple of seasons. After massacring half of the show's original cast (Downton Abbey has just as much death of its main characters as Game of Thrones), we are now left with the least interesting members of the Crawley gang and some of the same story tropes that we've seen season after season. What began has intrigue now comes across as a desperate attempt to recapture the magic of its early seasons.
There are two story-lines in season five that drove me nuts. First off the story-line around Mr. & Mrs. Bates being caught up with the law is tired and quite frankly uninspired. How many times are they going to drag these two through the mud? And for what gain? We've done this before and it wasn't great the first time. The other story-line is Mary and her never-ending quest for a suitor. Jenn constantly mumbles to me that she doesn't understand why guys are even still interested in her, and I have to agree. This long story-line that was tired before her first marriage just feels even more worn out now that its started over.
Downton Abbey is a show I truly enjoyed for its first two seasons, but its become an absolutely travesty in its most recent couple. This last season had some tender moments that were overwhelmed by tired story lines that I'm sure ill be rehashed one more time in the sixth and final season.
